~BEHIND THE SMILE~

~You don't have to control your thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you~

- Dan Millman

Song - Drop it like it's hot by Snoop Dogg ft Pharrell Williams

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Sophie and Aubrey were fast asleep, completely oblivious to the alarm blaring in the background. But when it suddenly stopped, they both let out a sigh of relief, thinking they had finally escaped the dreaded morning wake-up call.

However, their relief was short-lived, as the alarm suddenly sprang back to life, blasting them with an ear-piercingly loud rendition of, "Drop It Like It's Hot" by Snoop Dogg.

Aubrey jolted upright, his eyes wide with panic. "What the...?!" he exclaimed, throwing off the covers and leaping out of bed.

Sophie sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?" she mumbled, still half asleep.

Aubrey glanced at his phone. "It's 8:15! We were supposed to be in class 15 minutes ago!" he panicked, throwing his phone on the floor.

Sophie's eyes snapped open. "Oh shit, we're going to be late!" she exclaimed, throwing off the covers and leaping out of bed.

As they rushed around the room, grabbing their bags and books, Aubrey suddenly realized he was still wearing his pajama top... but not his pajama pants.

"Ah, crap!" he exclaimed, frantically searching for his pants.

Sophie burst out laughing. "You're going to wear your boxers to school?" she teased, scavenging for a clothing to wear.

Aubrey glared at her. "It's not funny!" he exclaimed, finally finding his pants and yanking them on.

As Aubrey brushed his teeth, Sophie briefed Aubrey on her schedule for the day, styling her hair. "Okay, so I have geology at 9, and then nursing at 11..."

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. "Nursing? I thought you were majoring in psychology?"

Sophie nodded. "I was, but I switched to nursing instead, judging from your friend's experience. I realized I wanted to do something more hands-on, you know?"

"You're going to make a great nurse. You're already bossing me around."

Sophie playfully rolled her eyes. "Shut up, I'm just trying to keep you on track."

As they rushed across campus, dodging students and leaping over puddles, Aubrey suddenly tripped over his untied shoe lace and stumbled.

Sophie grabbed his arm, laughing. "What is up with you today?"

"It ain't funny," Aubrey said, bending over to tie his lace. "I guess luck ain't on my side today."

As they finally reached the path to their classrooms, panting and out of breath, Aubrey turned to Sophie and grinned.

"Made it," he said, triumphant.

"Barely."

"Catch you later," Aubrey said turning to leave for his class. "Oh," he sputtered, turning back to Sophie.

"What up?"

"Give me your digits," he said, scrolling through his cracked screen.

Sophie creased her brows in utter confusion. "Why?"

"You're the only one I've got so far at this school, don't you think we should keep in touch?"

Sophie's mouth parted in an 'O' shape, realizing Aubrey was right. She took Aubrey's phone and typed her number into his contacts.

"Here," she said, handing the phone back to him.

Aubrey smirked, tucking the phone into his pocket. "I'll catch you later."

Sophie smiled, watching as Aubrey turned and jogged off to his class. She couldn't help but feel a little flutter in her chest as she realized that Aubrey had just asked for her number. And she had given it to him.

A small smile played on her lips as she turned and headed to her own class.
She pushed open the door to her classroom, a large lecture hall filled with rows of seats and a projector screen at the front. The room was buzzing with the quiet chatter of students.

She noticed that the students were all seated, laptops and notebooks open, waiting for the professor to begin. She thanked her stars that she wasn't so late for class on her first day.

She spotted a few empty seats scattered throughout the room and made her way towards one of them.

As she sat down, Sophie felt a pang of nervousness in her stomach. This was it, her first class. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves, and began to unpack her bag, pulling out her laptop and notebook.

Just as she was getting settled, Sophie noticed a piece of paper on her desk with her name on it. She picked it up curiously, and saw that it was a welcome note from the professor, along with a syllabus for the course.

"Weird man," a voice said, beside her. That's when Sophie noticed the guy that was sitting next to her, glancing at the welcome note on his desk. He squeezed the note, and tossed it to who-knows-where.

And that who-knows-where, happened to be on Sophie's thighs.

The boy's eyes widened in surprise as he realized what he had done. "Oh, sorry about that!" he exclaimed, laughing.

Sophie chuckled and picked up the crumpled note, handing it back to him. "No worries, I think I've got the general idea," she said with a smile.

The boy grinned, taking the note from her. "Thanks, I guess I'm just a little... clumsy," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm Trevor Noah, by the way."

Sophie shook his hand, feeling a friendly vibe from him. "I'm Sophie Jackson, nice to meet you," she said, smiling.

As they chatted, Sophie noticed that Trevor seemed like a laid-back, easy-going guy. They talked about their shared class, and their hopes for the semester.

Just then, the professor walked in, and the class fell silent. Sophie and Trevor exchanged a quick smile before turning their attention to the front of the room.

As the professor wrapped up the lecture, Sophie packed up her books and slipped her phone out of her pocket. She had a text from Aubrey, whose profile picture showed him sitting at a bar, puffing on a cigar and holding a glass of whiskey in his other hand.

"Class is over, I'm starving!" the text read.

Sophie chuckled and typed out a response. "Alright, let's meet up at the cafeteria."

Just then, Trevor, the guy who had sat next to her in class, stood up and stretched. "Hey, Sophie, nice meeting you," he said with a smile.

Sophie smiled back. "Likewise. Hey, would you like to join me and my friend for lunch?"

Trevor's expression faltered for a moment. "Uh, thanks for the invite, Sophie, but I actually have plans to meet my... boyfriend, Lucas, for lunch."

Sophie's eyes widened in surprise. Boyfriend? He's gay! "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

Wow!

Trevor laughed. "No worries, Sophie."

Trevor's eyes lingered on someone at the front of the class. "Speaking of the devil, my boyfriend's strolling toward us."

Sophie turned her neck, her eyes meeting a vaguely familiar person. The guy she admired on her first day, when she accidentally bumped into that grumpy brunette, strolled towards them.

"Hey you," Trevor greeted his boyfriend in a high-pitched tone, giving him a hug.

Sophie just stood there, digesting the whole thing. She tried not to seem shocked or anything like that.

"Sophie, this is Lucas, my boyfriend," Trevor announced politely, before turning to Lucas. "Lucas, this is Sophie, my course mate."

"Hi," Lucas smiled warmly at Sophie, while Sophie couldn't shake the feeling that such a cute guy was... gay.

What a bummer.

"Hi, nice to meet you," she said, trying to shake the awkward feeling she felt.

"Maybe we can catch up again soon?" Trevor said to Sophie, shouldering his backpack.

Sophie nodded, smiling. "Definitely. See you around." I guess, she mumbled to herself.

Trevor walked off with Lucas, and Sophie turned her attention back to her phone, where she had a text from Aubrey waiting for her.

"Hey, where r u?" the text read.

"On my way."

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"And then bro was like, 'you're in my seat'....That shit pissed me off and I made a note to myself, hate him," Aubrey scoffed, while folding his clothes. "You know, I didn't..."

Aubrey continued to rant, but Sophie's mind was elsewhere as she sat on her bed. She was replaying her conversation with Doctor Lee an hour ago at the hospital, thinking about the latest developments in her cancer treatment.

"...and then I told him, 'Dude, I was here first!'" Aubrey exclaimed, throwing up his hands in exasperation.

Sophie nodded absently, still lost in thought. "Uh-huh, that's crazy," she murmured.

Aubrey raised an eyebrow, noticing that Sophie wasn't paying attention. "Are you even listening to me?"

Sophie snapped back to reality, directing her attention to Aubrey.

"You weren't," Aubrey uttered, taking a deep breath. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm sorry. I was just... thinking about something," she said vaguely.

Aubrey looked at her curiously, but Sophie quickly changed the subject. "So, what's the plan for dinner?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"I was thinking we could grab some sandwiches at the restaurant downtown."

Sophie forced a smile, trying to push her worries aside. "Sounds good to me," she said.

Aubrey's gaze lingered on Sophie for sometime, but she was oblivious as her mind drifted back to Dr Lee and how much time she might have left.

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Sophie and Aubrey walked side by side towards the basketball court, the sound of bouncing balls filling the air. Sophie was beaming with excitement, while Aubrey looked a bit more nervous.

"Come on, Aubrey, it'll be fun," she said, nudging him playfully. "You love playing basketball, and now's your chance."

Aubrey sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know, Sophie. My ma is really against it. She wants me to focus on my studies."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Your mom can't dictate your entire life, Aubrey. You need to follow your passion. And besides, I can tell you're amazing at basketball."

Aubrey smiled, looking a bit more confident. "True that. Thanks."

As they approached the court, Sophie spotted the coach, a tall, imposing figure with a whistle around his neck. She grabbed Aubrey's arm, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Okay, Aubrey, this is it! Go show him what you've got."

"Yo, what if he dosen't like me? What if I embarrass myself? Or what if -"

Aubrey stopped mid sentence the moment Sophie reached out and gently placed her index finger on his lips, silencing him.

"Shh, Aubrey. Don't even think about that right now," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You've got this. You're an amazing basketball player, and I know you're going to blow the coach away."

Aubrey's eyes met Sophie's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Then, slowly, Aubrey's face began to relax, and a small smile played on his lips.

"Thanks, Sophie," he said, his voice filled with gratitude. "Lately, you always know just what to say to make me feel better."

Sophie smiled back at him, folding her arms. "That's what friends are for."

Aubrey's heart skipped. Sophie considered him a friend and he couldn't shake that feeling.

"Now go out there and show the coach what you're made of."

Aubrey took a deep breath, nodding. "Here I go."

He walked onto the court, while Sophie cheered him on from the bleachers. Aubrey began to warm up, shooting a few practice shots. The coach watched him, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Sophie jumped up from her seat, waving her arms wildly. "Go, Aubrey!"

Aubrey grinned, feeling a surge of adrenaline. He began to play, his movements fluid and confident. The coach watched him, and a small smile played on his lips.

As Aubrey finished his impromptu tryout, the coach nodded thoughtfully. "Not bad, kid. I'll see you at practice next week."

Aubrey beamed, pumping his fist in triumph. "Yes! Tha-" Before he could thank the coach, the man already walked away with some other boys trailing behind him. He shrugged that off, but suddenly received a nudge on his shoulder.

Aubrey turned to see a tall, muscular player standing behind him, a scowl on his face. The player was easily six feet five, with broad shoulders and a chiseled jawline. He looked like a star player, and Aubrey could tell that he was used to being the center of attention.

The player's eyes narrowed as he looked at Aubrey. "Lucky shot," he sneered, his voice dripping with jealousy.

Aubrey's face fell, his smile fading. He felt a surge of annoyance at the player's comment, but he tried to brush it off. "I earned it," he said, trying to sound confident.

The player snorted. "We'll see about that," he said, before turning and walking away.

Aubrey watched him go, feeling a twinge of unease. He had a feeling that he was going to have to deal with that guy again, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Then and there, he made another note to himself: Hate him.

Sophie rushed down from the bleachers, throwing her arms around Aubrey unexpectedly. "I knew you could do it!" she exclaimed.

Aubrey grinned, hugging her back. "Thanks, Sophie. I couldn't have done it without you."

Sophie playfully rolled her eyes, and stretched her hand in a form of a fist, looking up at Aubrey. Aubrey stared at her hand in perplexion.

"Bump it, Aubrey. Don't leave me hanging," she pouted.

"Right, sorry," Aubrey said with a chuckle, attempting to bump Sophie's fist, but she drew her hand back.

"Let's create a special handshake," Sophie suggested, biting her inner cheek.

Aubrey looked at her curiously. "Special handshake?"

She nodded, her face lightening up with excitement. "Yeah, I used to have a special handshake with my brother and mom, before they passed away."

Aubrey's eyes fell with sympathy. "Shit. I'm sorry about that."

Sophie sighed, brushing the memory off. "It'll be our own secret handshake."

"Okay, teach me," Aubrey chuckled, stretching out his hand.

Sophie grinned, holding out her fist. "First, we do a fist bump."

Aubrey bumped his fist against Sophie's, raising an eyebrow.

"Then," Sophie said, "we intertwine our pinky fingers."

Aubrey looked at her in surprise, but then he laughed and intertwined his pinky finger with Sophie's.

Sophie smiled, squeezing his pinky finger. "And that's it! Our special handshake."

Aubrey chuckled, feeling a sense of camaraderie with Sophie. "I love it. Let's do it again."

Sophie bit her lip, and they did their special handshake again, easily this time.

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