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𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 "WELCOME BACK, SUNSHINE!" Eric Yorkie exclaimed, jumping around excitedly as Sophie approached the table in the centre of the cafeteria. Layla jumped up beside him and began to play an imaginary triangle, whistling along, causing the rest at the table to laugh.

Surprisingly, Edward and Bella were sat at the table, causing Sophie's eyebrows to raise just a tad, even more so when she noticed a singular lavender flower in Edward's shirt pocket. Angela, Jessica and Mike were also sat at the table, along with Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale, the most unexpected additions to the group.

But, nonetheless, a wide smile spread across the brunette's lips as Eric dramatically pulled out her chair for her and she took it, placing her tray down in front of her, "Thanks, Eric." She muttered and Eric laughed, taking his seat beside her, Layla following suit on the other side of Sophie.

"No problem, M'lady." Eric replied with a smirk, brushing some of his jet black hair to the side and Alice giggled loudly, clapping her hands excitedly.

"I'm so glad you've join us because I wanted to announce that I'm throwing a party!" Alice placed her hands on the table, grinning as she looked around at the group, who didn't seem as enthusiastic.

"After all, how many times are we gonna graduate high school?" Jasper teased, causing Sophie to look down at her hands, distracting herself from the fact that her heart began to race. But, just as quickly as her heart sped up, it slowed down, as if a huge tsunami of calm washed over her. She didn't know what it was, but she gulped, brushing it off.

"A party? At your house?" Jessica replied, one of her brows raised, "I've never seen your house."

"No one's ever seen their house." Eric added, snorting to himself, causing a small smile to spread across Sophie's lips. Usually, in such an anxious environment, her heart would be pounding out of her chest and her negative thoughts would be running wild, but at that table with the additions of those vampires the shapeshifters would call demons, she felt so much more at peace — and she had no idea why.

"Another party, Alice?" Edward asked, as if the last party she'd hosted had been disastrous.

"It'll be fun!" Alice replied, her enthusiasm continuous.

"Yeah. That's what you said last time." Bella retorted, taking a bite out of her sandwich and just like that, it was as if all of the life and joy had been sucked out of the small pixie vampire. She leaned back in her chair, her eyes glazing over.

Everybody but Mike seemed to notice, but most didn't think anything of it, "Well cool, that's really, uh... normal of you. What time?" Mike asked, leaned forwards just a tad and Layla watched her older brother, one of her brows quirked, "Dress code?" Silence. "Bring anything? Cheetos?" Still nothing, Alice still looked into the distance, seemingly in her own world and Mike scoffed, finding the interaction to be rude.

Layla laughed loudly, chucking a fry at her brother in attempt to humiliate him further, "Nice try, bucko." She teased, and Mike reached over the table, flicking her cheek.

"Oh, my God! Mike!" Jess screeched, Mike having accidentally knocked her milk over the edge of the table and the liquid spilled all over her shirt, "Look what you've done!"

"I didn't mean to!" Mike defended, though a hint of a smirk appeared on his lips. Layla only laughed further, Eric joined in and Angela had to stifle her laughter, trying not to embarrass her best—friend more than she already was.

"Here, I have some tissues in my bag." Sophie spoke up for the first time, reaching down to her backpack which was resting by the leg of her chair and she opened it, pulling out a packet of tissues, "I'll help you." Sophie smiled softly towards the Stanley girl and stood up, pulling out a few tissues from the packet.

She walked over and crouched down, beginning to dab up the milk as Jessica was stunned. Sophie St. James had always been a sweet girl, she'd always been kind—hearted and friendly no matter what, but never to this extent. In fact, Jessica had never met anybody so nice in her life, which was why it was such a shock to her.

Everybody else, who were just as surprised, watched with wide eyes as Sophie efficiently wiped off the milk from Jessica's shirt, "Actually, I have a clean shirt in my locker if you'd like? This might begin to smell." She stated, referring to the milk—covered shirt and Jessica nodded, slowly standing up from her chair.

"I'll see you guys later." Jessica grabbed her bag as Sophie grabbed hers, the two walking out of the cafeteria side—by—side with seven pairs of eyes watching them.

It was silent for a while as Sophie guided Jess to her locker, and when they reached it, Jessica stood nearby, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't come to see you the other week." Jessica looked down at the floor as a few students walked by, sending her looks for the drink spilled down her shirt. She wrapped her arms closer around her torso, attempting to hide it.

"No, it isn't your priority. Don't worry about it. Here." Sophie turned around, a black shirt in her hands and Jessica smiled slightly, taking a few steps forwards to take the shirt from her.

"Thank you, Soph." Jess leaned forwards and wrapped her arm around her, though her body was hovered, not wanting to get any dried milk on the younger teenager. Sophie smiled in the slightest just as Jessica pulled away, making her way out of the hallway and Sophie closed her locker before she let out a tired sigh.

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AFTER SCHOOL, Sophie sent a quick text to her Dad, who was probably lounging at home on the couch watching Supernatural, before she headed to the flower boutique in the town centre in hopes she'd find some lavenders.

Her fingers were tight around the strap of her backpack as she pulled the door open to the small little shop and stepped inside, the beautiful smell of different flowers combined into one filled her senses. She felt herself relax, as if that was where she was supposed to be and she took a step towards a wall lined with dozens of different flowers, clearly fascinated.

"Hello, would you like to buy some flowers?" A feminine voice sounded from the other end of the cramped store and she turned, her green eyes wide with interest. They landed on a dark—brown—haired woman, her skin almost as white as snow and her eyes as gold as the sun, and that was when she knew that the woman was the infamous Mrs. Cullen — another vampire.

But, as much as she tried to fear the woman, she just couldn't. Her smile was too kind, her eyes were filled with love, and the tone of her voice was too sweet to be scared of.

"Hi. Yes, please. I was just wondering if you had any lavenders?" Sophie approached the front desk where the woman was stood behind, a hint of a smile on her face as she breathed in the smell of flowers. Mrs. Cullen nodded, rounding the counter and that was when Sophie took in her outfit.

She wore a pretty black dress with tiny printed flowers, the sleeves were long and puffy, and the skirt was lightweight, reaching just above her knees. The florist wore black tights to match, along with a pair of black boots which tied the look together.

"So, we have singulars and bouquets." Her voice brought Sophie back to reality and her eyes snapped back up to her face, noticing Mrs. Cullen stood just a few metres away, a singular lavender in one hand and a bouquet of lavenders in the other.

"Oh, wow. Could I have a bouquet, please?" Sophie smiled softly towards the older woman, who nodded immediately, turning to place the flower back into the pot. She walked back over to the counter and rounded it once again before she began to wrap the bouquet in a beautiful, flowery paper.

"For anyone special?" Mrs. Cullen asked, her eyes on the flowers as she packaged them and Sophie shook her head, pulling her backpack from off her back to retrieve her purse.

"No, just for me." Sophie replied curtly, opening up her purse and Mrs. Cullen smiled wide, waving her hand out.

"Don't worry about paying, let me give you these as a gift from me. I'm hopeful you'll return one day." The older lady pushed the bouquet of lavenders across the desk and Sophie's eyes widened in shock, watering a little.

"Wait, really? It's really okay, I can pay." Sophie assured, pulling out a twenty dollar bill but Esme just shook her head, placing her hand on top of the teenager's.

"Please, let me." Mrs. Cullen insisted, patting the table top and Sophie let out a smile — an actual smile — picking up the flowers from the table.

"Thank you so much, I really appreciate this." Sophie's eyes watered once more and Mrs. Cullen pouted, leaning forwards just a tad out of sympathy.

"Aw, no. Don't cry, honey. Would you like a hug?" She asked, a sweet grin on her lips as she watched a tear spill down Sophie's cheek and the aforementioned girl nodded, reaching her hand up to wipe the tear from her face.

"Thank you." She placed her purse back into her backpack before slinging the strap over her shoulder just as Mrs. Cullen approached, her arms wide open. Sophie had never hugged a stranger before, but as she stood in the vampire's arms, despite the coldness of her body, it felt comforting.

She never expected in a million years that a vampire would give tight, loving hugs, but she supposed she learnt something new everyday. Mrs. Cullen waited patiently for Sophie to be done with the hug, if she had to hug the girl for an hour, she would — why? Because her heart is way too large for her small body.

Eventually, after a few minutes of silence, Sophie pulled away, sniffling a little and Mrs. Cullen placed her hands on Sophie's upper—arms, looking into her green eyes, "My name is Esme, you might go to school with my kids."

"I do." Sophie nodded, lifting one of her hands to wipe her eye and Esme smiled from ear to ear, her hands dropping for the teenager's arms.

"I was actually at the funeral." Esme reminded her, and Sophie immediately nodded, though most of that day was a blur. She couldn't remember who attended, what had occurred, what she ate that day — probably nothing — all she could remember was the small argument between Jacob and Edward, and even that was pretty much forgotten.

"Yeah, thank you for that and thank you for all of the food you've been bringing my Dad." Sophie let out a small giggle, remembering when her father devoured an entire meringue Alice Cullen had brought over just a few days after the death.

"No need to thank me, I love baking." Esme grinned, looking over at the door as it opened, a man walking in, "I have to serve another customer, but you'll be back, right?" She raised a brow, leaning back just a tad to properly inspect Sophie's expression.

"Yeah, definitely." Sophie smiled wide, nodding gently, causing Esme to blush. The aforementioned woman reached over and grabbed the bouquet from the desk, handing the flowers to Sophie, who took them carefully, "Thank you again, it was really lovely meeting you."

"And you, too, sweetheart. Have a good day, okay? And get home safe." Esme patted Sophie's shoulder softly, watching as the girl made her way towards the entrance/exit.

"You have a great rest of your day, too." Sophie told the older woman before she opened the door, leaving the flower boutique with the bouquet in her hands. She stepped onto the path and looked down at the light purple flowers, feeling her eyes watering again but as soon as she caught a whiff of the scent, the tears retracted, and she felt at peace, "Thank you, Mom." She whispered quietly, squeezing her eyes shut momentarily before making her way towards her Pontiac.

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TUESDAY NIGHT AND SHE WAS STUDYING, she hadn't done any revision for any of her upcoming exams since her mother died, so this was the time — thanks to the flowers — she was able to focus and actually be productive. Very quiet music played in the background, Michael Jackson to be exact, sending good vibes around the room and the legend's voice had even caused Jericho to dance a little in his tank.

She had her knees propped upwards, her notebook in her lap and her back against her headboard as she scribbled down notes from a textbook. Just as she came near to the end, feeling her eyes becoming slightly droopy due to exhaustion, she heard a thud from outside her window.

Thinking nothing of it, she continued to highlight key parts in her textbook, her eyes squinted with concentration when suddenly, fingers curled around her window frame and Jacob hopped into the room, causing her to almost scream. She held it back as much as she could, holding her hand to her mouth in case she woke her father.

"What the hell, Jacob?" Sophie hissed, pushing her textbook off of her lap and she quickly stood up from the bed, rushing over to her door to close it properly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Jacob let out a low chuckle, watching her every move as she rushed around the room, putting away her school supplies. She rolled her eyes discreetly at his stupidity, crouching down in front of her desk to put away a few notebooks, "You were studying?"

"Yeah, I've got to catch up somehow." Sophie shrugged, pushing herself up from the floor and she looked over at him, watching as he tapped on Jericho's tank, "You know tapping on his glass gives him a headache."

Her words caused Jacob to let out an accidental laugh, which echoed through the room and she launched forwards, slapping her hand over his mouth. Once he held his hands up in mock surrender, she let go and smiled guiltily.

"Sorry. I'm just curious as to how you know when your fish gets headaches." He watched her expression closely, noticing the small distance between their bodies but she seemed oblivious, her green eyes on her pet fish, who swam happily in the clean water, ducking under little rocks at the bottom of the tank.

"I just know, you could say I'm psychic." Sophie shrugged and he let out another chuckle, only this time it was much quieter. A strand of hair fell over the side of her face and Jacob felt his heart pang in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to reach over, to brush that soft strand over her ear, for his fingertips to touch her cheek, to be able to breathe in her scent. He was tempted, but when she lifted her hand and quickly brushed the loose strand behind her ear on her own, he admitted defeat.

Then, her beautiful eyes connected with his and he felt his cheeks heat up just from the simple action.

"Hey, Jacob. Can I confess something to you?" Sophie asked, tilting her head just a tad and he nodded, smiling softly towards her.

"Of course." He immediately replied, waiting patiently for her response, watching her every move. She glanced down at her hands momentarily, clearly filled with nerves until she looked back up, locking eyes with his again.

"I still have a crush on you, I still love you and I want nothing more than for you to kiss me." Sophie confessed, a light breeze blowing through her hair and Jacob's eyes lit up with surprise, and love, and excitement.

Without hesitation, he reached one of his hands up to her face, cupping her cheek and he leaned forwards, puckering his lips.

"Jacob! What the fuck?" Sophie screeched, still trying to keep as quiet as possible and she slapped his hand away from her, taking a few massive steps away from him in shock.

"You just told me that you wanted me to kiss you!" Jacob defended, rubbing the back of his hand where she'd slapped him, realising just how strong she was when she was fuelled with frustration.

"What is wrong with you? I just told you that I think my Mom's ghost has been hugging me and you try to kiss me?" Sophie scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief as she leaned back against the edge of her desk.

"Wait, what?" Jacob blinked in shock, his jaw slightly agape as he took a small step forwards and she shook her head once more, clenching her jaw.

"You know what? I really don't want to argue." Sophie let out a sigh, her maturity practically radiating off of her and Jacob nodded, glancing over at her bed for a moment.

"I'm sorry. I think I was day—dreaming or something..." He shook his own head in embarrassment as Sophie watched him, her fingers curled around the top of Jericho's tank, "I'll just go... Yeah. You need to get some rest, anyways. Sorry I came." He ducked his head and made his way towards the window and her brows knitted together as she watched him placed one of his sneakers on the frame of her window.

"Wait." She muttered, watching as he immediately looked over at her, a hopeful glint in his eyes, "Why did you come?" Now, an eyebrow raised as she awaited his response but Jacob just cleared his throat, his awkward personality on show now more than ever.

"Uh... Well... I..." He stood up straight, waving his hand around as he attempted to come up with a good lie, but it wasn't working, and she could see right through him. He locked eyes with her, and when he noticed the 'are you serious?' look on her face, he released a heavy sigh, slumping his shoulders, "Fine, I came to give you this."

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small bracelet, similar to the ones she would make for Embry or others, only the bracelet had a beautiful moon charm in the centre.

"I made this for you, I used a charm I found from one of our old art boxes under my bed." Jacob explained, clearing his throat nervously as he awaited her reaction. She looked unsure as she stared at the bracelet in his hand, completely unaware of what to say, or do, or how to react.

"Thank you." Was all she was able to force her vocal cords to say, holding her hand out just as he lifted the bracelet onto her wrist. He didn't say anything as he watched her look down at the gift in her hand, scratching his elbow awkwardly.

"You're welcome. I'll get going now, you should get some beauty sleep." He told her, taking a few steps back as he stared at her and she looked up from her hands towards him, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, I will. Get home safely." She told him, her hand — which had the bracelet inside — dropped to her side and he nodded, climbing out of the window backwards just so he could look at her for a few moments longer.

"You know I will." Jacob smirked towards her, savouring her beautiful face for just another second before he dropped from the window. As soon as she heard the footsteps retreating, she spun around and placed the bracelet in her desk drawer, hoping to never see it ever again.

But of course, nothing was impossible.

@amxliewrites — 2025