#I get that ya'll hate Keefe but it's not like the book is going to be meaningless

[flibbetygibbetsbro]

None of ya'll are ready to admit the fact that 9.5 (IF DONE WELL) is the perfect way to finally put a greater focus on the problems of Elvin Government, matchmaking systems, etc. Like???? Can you imagine Keefe finding out that most juveniles cannot be tried and treated as adults in some countries and wondering how beneficial a system like that would have been for, like, YOU KNOW, Lihn?

[mxnkeydo]

so scarlet (it was maroon) ✧ sokeefe

✧ ship: Sophie x Keefe

✧ what to expect: it all went down went a book went soaring across the classroom but sophie never expects it to end the way it does. acrylic smeared on cheeks, pigment-stained clothes, and a whole keefe sencen later, maybe she never despised him as much as she thought she did.

✧ genre: romance, fluff, humor, sarcasm - enemies to lovers trope, human au, and a love triangle to torment you guys 😈

✧ word count: 1.77k

✧ warnings: fluffy moments. be prepared to scream.

✧ link to masterlist

✧ link to chapter five

✧ A/N: I had so much fun writing this, I really hope ya'll like it!

***

CHAPTER SIX

“Hey.”

Fitz slid into the seat next to her with his tray of lunch, happily snacking on a waffle. Sophie couldn’t help it; she grinned, moving over to make room for him.

“Hey.” From afar, she felt herself getting hypnotized by his teal eyes. Sometimes it was like Fitz could see into her soul and look at her deepest desires.

“So, I was wondering.” Fitz fiddled with his fork. “Do you wanna go to the movies with me tonight?”

“Oh!” Sophie blushed, looking down. “Fitz, I’d love to, but–”

“She has a tutoring session with me.”

Keefe sat down beside Sophie, sharing a secretive smile. Yesterday’s events rewinded themselves in her head, and she chuckled aloud, nudging him with her elbow.

“Okay, is there something I’m missing here?” Fitz asked. In unison, Sophie and Keefe burst in laughter regardless of the weird looks they were getting.

“Imagine Kelly actually–”

“I still can’t–”

Fitz calmly waited for the laughter to pass, gently taking Sophie’s hand afterwards. “What happened?”

“We pranked someone yesterday,” Sophie explained. “It was hilarious, you should’ve been there. Oh! I forgot.” She gestured to Keefe. “Fitz, this is Keefe, he’s helping me with the art elective I’m taking. Keefe, this is Fitz, my boyfriend.”

Keefe’s smile faded. “Yeah, we’ve met.”

“You have?”

“Mhm.”

For some reason, both the boys avoided looking at one another. Fitz scooched closer to Sophie, and she leaned into his warmth.

“No PDA, guys!” Biana exclaimed (for the thousandth time) as she sat in the seat across from Sophie. Dex, Tam, and Linh made themselves comfortable in the remaining spots.“I don’t need to see my best friend and brother snogging in public.”

“Biana, who even says snogging anymore?”

“Me!”

“I agree with Biana, coming to school is torturous enough as it is.”

Keefe broke into a smile. “Hey! Bangs Boy!” Biana jerked her head up, eyes widening. Sophie suppressed a smile, remembering all the times Biana would talk about Keefe’s “gorgeous curls” and his “wonderful blue eyes’. Her best friend’s dreams were basically coming true.

But Tam looked at Keefe like he was so done with him already. His eyes narrowed into thin slits, though you could barely see them because of his bangs. “You. What are you doing here?”

“Just because you hate making new friends doesn’t mean I have to.” Keefe whispered in Sophie’s ear, “That’s my science partner. He’s a lil grumpy, dontcha think?”

“And that’s Keefe Sencen,” Sophie heard Biana whisper (more like yell) into Dex’s ear. He, in return, put on a fake smile and replied, “Yup. That’s him.” Poor guy, she thought. His efforts were never enough for Biana’s attention.

“One lunch. One, peaceful, quiet lunch is all I ask for,” Linh muttered under her breath. 

“Tell me about it,” Dex said in agreement, shooting wistful side glances at Biana while she devoured a chocolate chip cookie. Sophie looked around at her friends, then at Keefe.

“Are you okay? I know it’s a lot.”

Keefe shot her a smile, but instead of lightening his face up it made him seem more weary. 

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

***

Keefe was walking with Sophie to art when Fitz tapped him on the shoulder. “We need to talk,” he said.

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute, Foster,” Keefe called, then turned to face his ex-best friend. “What do you want, Fitz?”

“I want you to stop getting comfy with my girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You heard me.” Fitz crossed his arms, his chin lifted in defiance. “You think I can’t notice when you get all comfortable with her? There need to be boundaries; she has a boyfriend.”

“Okay, first of all, this is fucked up. You can’t tell her who she can or can’t be friends with.” Keefe emphasized the word so loudly, Bianca turned to look at them strangely before heading down the hallway with Linh.

“All I’m saying is she’s my girlfriend.”

“I’m pretty sure I heard you the first time.”

“Good.” Fitz opened his mouth like he was going to say something else - an apology, Keefe hoped, for the fallout they’d had over Alden, but he just closed it again and jogged the other way, his jacket fading to a black blur.

As much as Keefe grew to dislike him, Fitz was right. Sophie was happy with her relationship as it already was; he couldn’t just waltz in and demand Sophie’s heart when it already belonged to her boyfriend. No matter how much he hated it, he had to let them both be.

Ironic, isn’t it? His ex best friend and his crush. What a pair.

But for the moment, he shook his head and ran ahead to the head of blonde hair in the distance.

***

And so their sessions continued. Sophie slowly learned to draw, and Keefe kept a respectful distance from her as he taught her the basics of art. They eventually passed the strange-each-other stage, and soon they were actually really great friends, to Sophie’s surprise. She found herself knowing exactly when her tutor was nervous, when he was forcing a smile, and when his mind was completely elsewhere.

Which was why, when Keefe was in the middle of telling her all about perspective and shading, she interrupted him with her hand on his shoulder.

“What’s bothering you?” Sophie asked as she brushed the stray hair out of her eyes. She gazed at Keefe, who was fidgeting with his apron, noticing the cerulean paint streaks on his cheeks.

“Nothing. I’m tired, I guess.” Lips turning up gently, he picked up a paintbrush with his messy hands, covering it in pigment. Sophie didn’t budge. The slight crease between his eyebrows told her everything she needed to know. That, and subtle frown that would appear on his lips as he got lost in the purples and blues of his painting: a breathtaking sunset behind the tall grass of a prairie. 

“No, you’re not. What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s ‘going on’, Foster,” he snapped. “I’m just exhausted. End of story.”

Sophie reared back, slapped by his words. She turned back to her own canvas, which wasn’t nearly as good as his, but a good effort nonetheless. They worked in silence for the next few minutes. Keefe seemed to finally notice she was hurt because he said, softer this time: “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lash out like that.”

“I know, it’s just—“ She sighed. “I wish you would tell me. Is it school? Is it your family? I’ve never seen you this worried.”

“It isn’t either of those things.”

“Then what?”

Keefe finally tore his eyes off the canvas before him, gazing at her with an intensity that bore holes through her skull. Instead of their usual hard shine, his irises were soft, reminding Sophie of how ice melts under heat. The way he looked at her alone had her cheeks turning pink. But no matter what, she didn’t break eye contact. Keefe had gone through a lot, as she’d come to know over the past month. She needed to know he was alright, and not having an internal mental breakdown.

“It’s about you.”

“Me? Did I do something?”

Sophie waited impatiently, expecting an answer, but instead Keefe stepped closer and pressed his pigmented finger against her nose. She felt the cold acrylic seep into her skin as she said,

“You didn’t.”

“You sure about that? ‘Cause your nose is looking like an overripe blueberry right now.”

A silent staring contest began—and Sophie had to grudgingly admit she knew Keefe was going to win. So she dug three fingers into a container of green paint and smeared it all over Keefe’s face in squiggly lines.

“Oh, you’re so on!” Keefe slowly crept closer until Sophie could detect a hint of—was that cologne? He never wore cologne. It smelled somewhat spicy, but...also like vanilla? Whatever it was, it caught her completely off guard. Which gave Keefe just enough time to reach out and—

“Keefe!” Sophie yelped as he began to tickle her. She clawed at her neck but in turn he held her arms above her head, smirking villainously as his hands traveled to her stomach. She could do nothing but cackle and shriek as she wiggled under his touch. 

For the first time, Sophie glanced down, only to see that her magenta crew neck was soon stained with blue fingerprints. “Keefe, this is my favorite sweatshirt!” She whined. Lunging for the nearest two bottles of acrylic, she tackled him to the ground and dumped the yellow and pink paint all over him, from his perfect hair to the varsity jacket he wore. Keefe sputtered and coughed as Sophie laughed in glee above him, pinning him down with her knee against his chest.

Keefe couldn’t help but join her. They said to make a girl fall in love, you had to make her laugh. But every time she laughed, he was the one who fell in love, deeper and deeper each time.

You’re going to be the death of me, Sophie Foster. 

She was so close he could see her glistening lips, her perfectly-curled lashes, the flecks of gold in her irises so they shimmered in the fading daylight. There was only so much he could do to resist doing something that would jeopardize their friendship, so he tucked a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, watching in satisfaction as her cheeks, once again, bloomed with a scarlet hue.

“Sophie,” he breathed in all seriousness. “We’re friends, right?”

“Of course,” she replied without hesitation. Those two words were so sincere that Keefe’s heartbeat automatically slowed down.

A silence came over them like a cloud, but it wasn’t awkward. In fact, Keefe sort of enjoyed it. He watched the way Sophie’s eyes flickered back and forth between his own; how her lips parted; the way she blinked innocently while she stared at him.

But as much as he would’ve liked to, they couldn't stay there forever. With a sharp inhale from Keefe, Sophie scrambled to her feet, offering him a hand. He took it, and looked into the mirror, gasping.

“My hair!” He exclaimed, trying to wipe the pink out of his hair, but he only spread it more. Sophie snorted, swatting his hand out of the way.

“C’mon, you can wash your precious hair in the bathroom. I’m not letting you get in my car with all that paint on you.”

“Whose fault in the first place?”

“Yours, because you started it.” Sophie gestured to the bathroom, smiling uncontrollably. It lit her face like a lightbulb. “What are you waiting for? Go clean up, Sencen.”