This chapter correlates with chapter 43. (It's written in Alex's POV)
Enjoy ;)

♛ALEX ROSEWOOD♛

Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person who considers dropping out of school and becoming a stripper. I mean, seriously, when am I ever going to use half of the things I learn in school?

What has this world come to?

Those are the kind of thoughts that run through my mind while my economics teacher drones on and on about shit that I don't really care about. At all. My mind keeps swinging back to Sophie and how desperately I need to tell her how I feel. However, I just haven't managed to work up the courage yet. Telling someone how you really feel is a big thing and sadly, I don't have the balls to do it. The shrill bell suddenly makes an appearance and almost shatters my eardrums. I stand up along with the guys and hastily pack my things up, wanting to get out of this hell hole.

Once I'm in the hallways, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought that class was never going to fucking end." Martin complains, running a hand through his hair. Cole lets out a snort and I pat him on the back, understanding his pain wholeheartedly.

"Yo, are you and Sophie heading to work early?" Martin asks me as we make our way to the parking lot.

"Nah," I respond, squinting due to the Miami sun, "she's going to the library."

"Your girl sure likes to read a lot." Cole mumbles and a smile graces my lips when he says 'your girl'.

"We're not dating, bro." I remind him, leaning against Martin's car when we reach it.

"Yet." Martin adds with a smirk and I roll my eyes however, their words do generate a sense of hope in me. Maybe things will work out and Sophie and I will actually be together. The parking lot is full now, all the students rushing to the leave the place and head home. Soon enough, Christina pitches up, a scowl on her face.

"Woah," Cole mumbles. "who pissed on your battery?"

Christina scowls again. "Some bitch decided to step on my bag." She holds up her bag and, indeed, there are footprints all over them. I chuckle as she starts going into depth of what happened, to Cole. I get up from off the car and pat Martin on the back.

"Sophie will be out soon and I need to go grab a few books." I say and he nods.

"See you, bro." Martin responds just as Cole and Christina say a quick goodbye. I walk back into the school, it awfully quiet now that everyone has basically left to go do whatever it is that they have to. I make my way to my locker swiftly, pulling it open and looking around for my textbook.

"Where the fuck did I put it?" I mutter to myself, making a mental note to clean my locker up too. It's a mess. I hear a set of footsteps nearby but I don't mind them, instead focusing on finding my damn textbook. This just adds to me wanting to drop out off school and become a stripper.

Because let's be honest... I would make an amazing stripper.

"What you looking for, Rosewood?" I hear a voice ask from behind me and I pause my actions, my back going rigid. "Your dignity?" I grit my teeth, turning around to face Chris Johnson; the fuckwad who thinks he runs the place. I don't know how Sophie was ever friends with him. I guess she has a knack for seeing the good in people.

I turn around to see his smug face.
"What are you looking for? Your dick?" I quip back and Chris chuckles, looking me up and down with disgust.

"I don't see it." He mumbles and I raise an eyebrow at him.

"See what?" I sneer, my patience running thin.

"How Sophie could possibly like you. Maybe Sophie is a lot more wild than I originally thought." He shrugs and I feel myself growing defensive that he's talking about Sophie like that. As if she's just another girl; another conquest.

"You know nothing about her, Johnson so just leave her the fuck alone." I warn and he rolls his eyes.

"Well, if she's getting some from you- someone she once claimed she hated- maybe I can get some from her. I bet she'd be amazing." He smiles and I feel my hands itch to punch him. Is this the guy that Sophie cared so much for? Someone who degraded her?

The sad truth is I doubt Sophie even knows Chris is like this. She thinks too highly of him.

I shake my head. "Fuck off, Johnson. Sophie doesn't do shit like that."

He scoffs. "Oh, but I think she does. Sophie is actually quite a bitch now that I think about it; she leaves me for you. Pathetic."

I clench my hands into fists. "If I were you, I'd shut the fuck up."

He steps forward, staring at my face. "Why?" He inquires with amusement. "Because you don't like me talking about Sophie like that? Like how she really is? A complete fraud?"

"Who the fuck do you think you are, Johnson?" I yell, not caring if a teacher sees us. Before I know it, my hands work on their own accord and connect with his jaw. Chris recovers quickly and slams me into the locker, not hard enough to knock the air out of me but hard enough to shoot pain up my back.

He holds my collar, sneering at me. "You're a fucktard." He mumbles and I swing my hand to collide with his cheek. His head snaps in the other direction on impact which causes him to stumble back.

"You little fuck." Chris hisses at me, wiping blood from his lip. I smirk down at him. He fights like a little girl. I'm too busy thinking about how pathetic he is to notice his fist flying to my stomach. I hunch over in pain, feeling the need to briefly vomit.

Motherfucker, that hurt.

I hear someone shouting but I can't hear clearly, my ears still ringing. I notice that he hasn't hit me again so I take that as my chance once I recover. I don't focus on the person standing next to him and I throw a hard punch directly to his face. The sound of skin smacking skin gives me a sense of satisfaction. I scowl as Chris falls onto the floor, gripping his blue nose that has slight blood on it now. My eyes then float to the girl in front of me.

"Sophie?" I ask, confused as to why she's here. I then realise that Chris was busy insulting her and here she is, still caring for him. That bubbles up a new set of anger within me because Sophie shouldn't be wasting her time on him. She deserves to know what a real prick he is."Sophie." I mumble to myself, looking back at Chris and gripping him by the collar, pulling him up. I need to protect her from this manipulative asshole.

"Stop!" I hear her yell in distraught. I feel her hand on my arm and my eyes briefly move from Chris to her. She looks at me desperately, her eyes filled with panic.

"Put him down, Alex." She pleads. If only she knew what he was saying about her just a few minutes ago then maybe she wouldn't mind me knocking some sense into him. I look between her and Chris, hesitant to put the bastard down. Chris smirks smugly at me and I feel the need to punch him again.

"Alex." She presses and my jaw twitches before I drop Chris, pushing him back with as much force as I can muster. I'm only putting him down for Sophie or else I would have finished reconstructing his face. Once Chris regains his balance, we stare at each other with hatred.

Sophie looks between us. "What the hell is going on?" She hisses and Chris looks at her in annoyance.

"This twat over here-"

"Watch your fucking mouth, Johnson." I warn, okay with punching his face again.

"Both of you, stop! Damnit!" Sophie yells, stepping between us to ensure that we don't attack each other again like I oh so want to. However, I notice she stands closer to me which causes a sense of victory in me. She trusts me; she chooses me over him. Chris looks at Sophie strangely and what I have always suspected, is confirmed. He definitely likes her more than just a friend, sister or whatever.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Chris?" She shouts, her hands flying everywhere in frustration. He frowns at her, confusion clear on his face.

"What's wrong with me? Are you kidding me, Sophie? You left the Elite for the Rebels." He starts.

"Get over it-"

"You left me for him." He says painfully. I feel Sophie tense in front of me but I cannot see her facial expression with her back turned to me. Chris looks genuinely hurt and I feel a little bad for the guy. It must suck losing the girl you like. However, he could have also prevented it.

"What do you mean?" Sophie asks softly.

"Why would you leave me if you liked me, Soph?" He asks.

"Like you? Chris," Sophie mutters, sounding unsure. "What are you going on about?"

He frowns, shaking his head at her question. Sophie generally sounds confused and I'm tired of Chris playing with her feelings and keeping her in the dark.

"Let me spell it out for you, Soph." I say, making Chris look at me with a clenched fists. He's probably trying to restrain himself from punching me. "Your friend over here, well, didn't only see you as a friend."

I hear Sophie gulp loudly, nervous about the news. "Is this true?" She inquires softly. Chris purses his lips and nods meekly.

"Oh my actual fuck." I her Sophie mutter. "What the hell, Chris?"

I'm taken aback at the anger in Sophie's voice. Why is she mad at him? He just admitted that he had feelings for her, shouldn't she be flattered? Happy? Nervous? Anything but mad?

"What do you mean?" Chris asks, as perplexed as me at Sophie's reaction. Sophie runs a hand over her face.

"Why would you like me?"

Well, I could name a few reasons for that. Her kindness, her smile, her laugh, her ability to always know what to say and when. The list goes on and on. However, I don't say anything. Now isn't the right time.

Chris's expression turns stoney, his eyes turning cold. Is he bi-polar?

"Sorry that I can't choose who I love." He utters and it falls silently.

Hold the fuck up. He loves her?

Has he forgotten that he was just insulting her a few minutes ago? Calling her a fraud and a wild bitch? Or did he just conveniently erase that from his memory? Is that how he treats the ones he so-called 'loves'? Sophie doesn't deserve that. At all. She deserves more than what Chris can offer.

Sophie shakes her head and although I can't see her face, I can sense her panic and tenseness.

"You don't love me, Chris." She says hoarsely and Chris nods out of stubbornness.

"I do."

"No! You don't!" Sophie yells, her wavering voice echoing around the hallway and destroying the eerily silence. Chris frowns at her, confused like me as to why she's mad at his confession. It can't be because she knows what a dick he really is because she clearly hasn't seen that side of him. Maybe she doesn't want him to love her although I don't know why she'd feel that way.

"Why are you so mad about this?" Chris inquires, his blue eyes boring into Sophie's hazel ones. Sophie lets out a weak laugh.

"Because you weren't real with me, Chris! I wasn't real with you and you know that! Now when I show you who I really am, all you can do is criticize me! Is that love Chris?" She asks, her hands clenching at her sides. "Huh? Is that what you do to those you love?"

Chris gulps, staring at her blankly. "I thought you felt the same way!"

Sophie moves back, recoiling in shock from his words. "What on Earth would give you that idea?" She exclaims in disbelief while I continue to watch their encounter in silence. This is not my fight; Sophie needs to defend herself. She wants to, I can tell.

"I assumed you felt the sparks too." Chris counters as if it's obvious why he would think Sophie felt this way about him.

Sophie falls silent before a small laugh leaks out of her mouth, making Chris's expression turn stoney again. "There are no sparks, Chris. I don't love you like that."

If I was Chris, I would've probably felt like shit. I may not like the guy but I can't deny that this must be hurting him. What if Sophie says the exact same thing to me if I confess?

"I thought that maybe you did." He mutters, averting his gaze. I internally scoff at the guy. You should never assume with a girl when it comes to feelings. Sophie's shoulders slump in defeat.

"I'm so sorry, Chris. But I just don't see you like that." She whispers softly. Typical Sophie; always being kind. Chris's head snaps in her direction and I can see the angry flames dancing behind his eyes.

"Don't say that when you're busy fucking around with Rosewood, Sophie."

Oh my fucking go-

"We're not doing anything." Sophie mumbles. What is it with everyone jumping to conclusions about me and Sophie screwing each other? Even if we were, which we're not, why would everyone be so mad about it? We can make our own fucking decisions.

"But you chose him over me, huh? What is it about him that you like so much, Sophie?" He sneers, crossing his arms over his chest. Anger laces his voice. "The way he plays girls? Or the way he'll bang you without hesitation?"

Calling me out on my shit is one thing but accusing Sophie of something untrue while treating her like trash is another. I take a step forward. "You fucking son of a bitch." I hiss, ready to punch him. I am cut off by Sophie however.

"Don't you dare," She spits, anger clear in her voice, "go on as if you don't play girls, Chris. You're just as much as a player. At least Alex is honest when he's with a girl and lastly, we are not doing anything! What is so wrong with me being friends with him?"

"We all know you're not friends."

"Yes, we are! Stop assuming things!" She hisses in annoyance.

"You chose him over us!" Chris yells.

"Because he chose me over popularity!" Sophie shouts back. Silence makes an appearance again and I can feel my face and stomach beginning to throb from all the punches Chris threw my way. Tension is thick and I wish I could make it disappear. I pull Sophie back slightly, trying to remind her that I'm still here; here for her.

Chris and Sophie just stare at each other intensely before she breaks the silence. "I cared about you, Chris. I still do. But I found myself somewhere else. If you really cared, you would have supported me; been there for me. But you weren't and that's okay because you put the Elite first and there's nothing wrong with that, but you can't be mad that I put Alex before you." Sophie says, her voice steady but filled with so many emotions that she's trying to keep at bay.

Chris stares at her, not saying anything but shaking his head. I put a hand on Sophie's shoulder, trying to drag her away from this mess.

"I love you Sophie. You made a mistake moving to them but I'm willing to help you back in. I'm giving you a second chance to choose me, Sophie. To get your old life back." Chris pleads, his eyes holding hope that Sophie will abandon me and jump into his arms. I almost feel nervous that maybe she will. I don't know what I'd do without her. However, all panic is erased when Sophie shakes her head at Chris, taking a step back so that my chest presses against her back. I intertwine our fingers.

"I'm sorry, Chris." She utters softly. Chris purses his lips, nodding as his face crumples in heartbreak. I almost feel bad for him. This must suck balls.

He begins walking backwards before halting in his steps and saying, "I love you," to Sophie one last time. He then turns around, leaving her with slumped shoulders and a busy mind. She watches him disappear down the hallway and I wonder what must be running through her mind. She's probably drowning in guilt, knowing her. She just stands there, still and frozen, unmoving.

"Sophie," I whisper, trying to wake her up. She sniffles, wiping her cheek before turning around to face me with a strained smile that seems all to forced. She doesn't have to pretend to be okay. I know she isn't. Her smile drops suddenly, her eyes sliding over my face as she mutters "Shit" under her breath. She drags me by the hand to the girls bathroom, confusion swarming my mind.

"Why are you bringing me in here?" I ask. If she wanted to make out she could've just asked; I wouldn't mind. She wets a paper towel before pushing me against the sink. I wince, the injuries Chris has caused still fresh. I slump back, feeling tired from my little fist fight.

"Sorry." She mumbles, touching my cheek with a feather light touch. However, I lift a finger to the place stinging on my cheek and pull back to see some blood.

"You just got a little cut." She informs me, pushing my hand away and cleaning the cut that Chris caused. My mother will definitely be questioning me about that.

"Exactly, just a little cut so you don't need to clean it." I quip. She shrugs, her cheeks turning slightly pink as I stare at her beautiful face.

"Sometimes it's the little things that hurt the most." She whispers, trying to act casual with her response although I don't miss the double meaning to her answer. We lapse back into silence and I watch as she frowns, deep in thought. She chews on her bottom lip, making me want to kiss her ever so badly, while blinking rapidly. I pull her hand away from my face and tug her closer to me.

"It's okay if you're hurt, Soph." I say gently. She purses her lips, looking away in an attempt to prevent herself from crying in front of me. I clip her chin, pulling her face so that she's looking directly at me. Her eyes become more watery and I pull her into my chest, knowing she's about to cry. I feel my shirt slowly dampen and I wish it was from sweat from kissing her breathlessly instead of her tears. "It's okay, Soph. It's going to be okay." I lull her. She grips my shirt, sobbing harder into my chest.

"I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't mean to." She mumbles.

"I know you didn't." I respond knowing that Chris is putting unfair guilt on her shoulders. She pulls back, looking at me with pained eyes. "Then why do I feel so guilty?" She asks. I purse my lips. I wish human nature was an easy thing to understand. I really do.

"He said some hurtful things, Soph." I answer and she shakes her head, disagreeing with me.

"Maybe I am a horrible person." She mutters and I frown, feeling the need to correct her very false statement. Sophie is the most amazing person I know. She cares for those she loves and she's kind to people who don't even deserve it. She's anything but horrible.

"You are not a horrible person, Soph. I promise." I assure her. She blinks rapidly, eyes still glossy. I sigh, asking the question I wish I didn't need to.

"Do you love him, Sophie?" I ask, my heart in my throat. She looks at me in surprise and I feel myself ready to vomit from the nerves of her possible response.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

"No. Not like that." She responds quietly. I feel relief flood through me as I realize that Chris is not a threat.

"Well he should understand that you can't choose who you love either." I counter in all fairness. She looks at me, intrigued, for a moment before nodding. I sigh, standing up and straightening my shirt. "C'mon, let's go." I insist, dragging her to the car so we can get to Sunny Smiles.

However, I don't overlook how grateful I am that she doesn't love Chris because that would have surely broken my heart.

Hello :)

I hope you