Sophie got ready for school like normal and hopped onto the bus like every other school day. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling like she was forgetting something important. But that issue escaped her when she met up with Faith at the bus stop.
"So what's up today Sofa?" Faith asked her curiously but then stopped Sophie from answering. "Oh wait! My weirdo brother wanted me to give you this." Faith handed her a little envelope. "But he said not to open it till tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, that's right, it's my birthday tomorrow." Sophie said like it was no big deal.
"You have got to be kidding me. You forgot your own birthday?" Faith looked disgusted by Sophie's forgetfulness.
"Yeah well, I gotta go to class, see ya!" Sophie took off down the hallway.
"Sophie!" Faith yelled after her but didn't bother to give chase. Nobody was as fast a runner as Sophie. When she arrived at her first period class she skidded to a stop and calmly walked inside.
All of her classes went smoothly until last period. Math. Now, Sophie was a very bright student. But somehow the basics of math escaped her. Therefore she could not do 2-step algebraic equations without a calculator. This is exactly what the teacher expected her to do.
"Sophie, I've seen you do these problems before easily, what's so different now that's making them so hard?" Mrs. Cleland begged of her.
"I can't multiply or divide! I don't know my stupid tables!" Sophie screamed at her.
"Well then you should learn them." She replied curtly.
"It's a little late for that!" Sophie huffed.
"Then I suppose I'll have to have a little chat with your brother later." Mrs. Cleland then walked away to help another student.
"Fuck it. I'm using a damn calculator." Sophie mumbled then pulled one out of her purse. When her math problems were done she turned around in her seat to talk to her friend Sarah behind her.
Sarah was just as strange and abnormal as Sophie and Faith, and had the looks to rival theirs. Her hair was long, not nearly as long as Sophie's, only to her waist, but it had been died pink when she was very young. It had originally been dirty blonde. Unfortunately, Sarah wasn't done her equations yet.
"Need help Pinky?" Sophie asked her with a smirk.
"Yes! Please help me!?" She looked up at Sophie with pleading light green eyes.
"Alright there Pinky, the one you're doing is 24." Sophie said with a chuckle.
"Oh! Thanks! That was my last one too!" Sarah hurriedly scribbled down some work and looked up to talk with Sophie some more. "So you having a party tomorrow?"
"No. I hate parties. You know that." Sophie replied flatly.
"Oh, yeah, it slipped my mind for a minute, sorry." She told her with an apologetic smile.
"That's ok. It's gonna be just like any other Saturday. Faith, Al, and I make plans tonight and then do them tomorrow. Same as usual." Sophie said while she looked over the rest of Sarah's equations.
"Can I come?" Pinky asked like it was a forbidden question.
"Again, same as usual, I'll call you after they leave and ask you if you want to come." Sophie gave her back her paper and smiled.
"Yep, just like usual." She said bluntly but then they both started laughing.
As Mrs.Cleland looked over to yell at them to get back to work, the bell rang and they all jumped up cheering that it was now the weekend. Sophie and Sarah caught up with Faith on the way to the buses. They all went their separate ways from there to get on the right buses. Sophie's bus was number 214. Her driver was the best you could ever have. Mrs. B. let you eat, drink, chew gum, and even gave you advice when you needed it. And she was funny too.
But anyway, Sophie jumped onto her bus and sat in the second seat on the right as usual.
She took her MP3 player out of her purse and turned it on. Sophie listened to Rise Against songs until she got home, then she turned it off and got on the internet. Sophie read some stories people had written online for about an hour until she heard a knock on the door.
"Coming!" Sophie jumped from her seat and ran to the door, knowing exactly who it was. "Faith! Al!"
"Hi!" Faith yelled back at Sophie and they hugged.
Al rolled his eyes. "Why do you two always do that? It's so weird."
"Oh, you just wish she was hugging you instead of me." Faith taunted her older brother.
Alphonse's cheeks turned a shade redder and he mumbled "Shut up."
"Alright! Alright! We need to get down to business!" Sophie banged a ladle she had found on her kitchen counter onto a nearby desk.
"Who died and made you a judge?" Faith said sarcastically while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"So what should we do tomorrow?" Sophie asked them. "Cuz I could care less what we do."
"Well, I think you should choose, it's your birthday." Al said matter of factly.
"Yeah! For once I agree with him." Faith yelled enthusiastically.
"Ok then, well I think we should go visit my aunt at her bookstore. I haven't seen her in awhile and I need a new book to read anyway. How about that?" Sophie questioned with her hands in the air.
"It works for me." Al said happily. He liked Sophie's aunt Kim. She was really nice to him. Faith however, hated books and reading, so she didn't exactly want to go.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuh…" Faith tried to think of an excuse not to go there.
Sophie and Al laughed at the strange face she was making; it was a cross between constipated and about to throw up.
"Faith, you can just go to the arcade and we'll meet you there after if you want." Sophie said between giggles. She was now leaning against Al's shoulder so she wouldn't fall to the ground.
Faith's face brightened. "Ok! I have to fix one of the machines there anyway. I'll just do that and play some games while I wait for you two."
"Alright then. So now that that's settled, what do you guys wanna do?" Sophie asked, regaining her composure.
"How about a game?" Al asked while sitting on Sophie's couch. Faith and Sophie followed him.
"What kind of game?" Sophie asked curiously.
"Oh! I know! How about we play War?" Faith jumped up and yelled dramatically.
"But Brother isn't here." Sophie whined.
"Oh well, you can have Al. I'll still kick your asses." Faith said confidently. And she was right; Faith had perfect aim and never missed. Faith claimed the couch as her home base and Sophie said that the kitchen table was Al and hers. Each of them had a gun that shot rubber bands.
As the game of war started, it was quite clear who would win. Considering both Sophie and Al missed 5 times, and Faith waited til then to hit them each with one shot. Afterwards they looked at the clock and realized they had missed dinner and it was almost 9.
"Oh shit, Sophie we gotta go. See ya tomorrow!" Faith ran out.
Al went to ran after her, but suddenly turned around and hugged Sophie goodbye.
"See ya." He whispered in her ear and then took off out the door after Faith. Sophie stood there shocked for a moment but then slowly walked up the stairs to her room so she could get ready for bed.
Sophie wasn't really paying attention and ended up putting on red shorts and a light blue tank top. Not her normal attire. However, when her brother got home, she was a little more into reality and rushed downstairs to welcome him like always.
"Hey, what's with the weird face?" He asked while smiling at her dazed expression.
Sophie shook her head and smiled back. "Nothing Brother, so how was work?"
"Great. School?"
"Fine." She stared at him innocently.
"Oh really? I got a call from your math teacher…" He sat down at the kitchen table with a serious face.
"Look Brother, I." But Seaver cut her off.
"No, just gimme a second to talk here. I'm not asking you to give up the calculator. But just don't give your teacher mouth. You see, the trick is to be sweet and look innocent and then she won't give a crap about the calculator. How do ya think I managed to pass?"
Sophie had a huge grin plastered on her face by the time he was finished.
"Oh! Thank you Brother!" And then she buried him in another hug.
He just laughed and waited for her to stop. When she finally did he said "Alright, now time for bed little lady."
Sophie scrunched her face up in displeasure but obeyed anyway. "Fine. Am I gonna see you in the morning?"
He smiled. "Of course. I'm taking a sick day tomorrow."
Her face looked ecstatic. "Oh yay! I gotta go call Pinky before I go to sleep! So see you tomorrow morning Brother!" She raced upstairs to her room before he could object. Sophie flopped onto her bed and grabbed the phone from it's stand on her side table. She pressed the speed dial for Sarah's house. Her mother answered.
"Hawthorne residence." Came Mrs. Hawthorne's kind voice.
"Hi, is Sarah there?" Sophie asked politely.
"Yes, one moment." There was some noise in the background as she brought the phone to Sarah.
"Hey Sophie, I thought you'd call right about now." Sarah said smugly.
"Yeah yeah, I gotta go to bed soon, so let's just get to the chase. You wanna hear the plans for tomorrow or not?" Sophie was tired and getting kind of cranky fast.
"Yes, spill." Pinky asked bluntly.
"Alright, you have two options Pinky. You can either come with me and Al to my Aunt Kim's bookstore, or hangout with Faith at the arcade while we're gone. Your choice." Sophie informed her.
"Eh, I think I'll go with Faith, I don't really like bookstores…or books for that matter…" She replied.
"Alrighty, well then we'll meet you guys tomorrow, but be ready for mechanic work, because Faith said she had to fix a machine first." Sophie warned her.
"That's ok, I like helping her with that kind of stuff. Anyways, night Sophie." She said cheerily.
"Ok, night Pinky." She hung up and put the phone back on its stand. Sophie changed for bed quickly and got under her covers.
She slowly drifted into sleep and a gentle dream. A dream similar to the one from the night before only this time with dozens of smiling faces looking down at her, like she was laying somewhere. Then she was skimming a long plain that ended at a large lake. But yet again, the next morning she did not remember anything she had dreamt…