ELEVEN

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I pull my now frizzy hair, thanks to the Miami humidity, into a pony and make my way inside to Sunny Smiles' parking lot, having come early again today. However, I'm a little surprised to see Alex leaning against his car with a cigarette in hand and a cloud of smoke leaving his lips. When I park my car a few feet away from his, he casts a glance my way. When I climb out of the car, Alex raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why are you here early Princess?" He asks me curiously and I shrug as I stand in front of him.

"I'd rather be here than with those people at school." I mutter before shutting my mouth, knowing full well that it wasn't a very smart remark to say to Alex. Yes, maybe I feel I can trust him and maybe he's not who I thought he was, but if he really wanted to get me back he could spill what I say to Courtney.

His eyebrows scrunch together slightly and I cast him an over-enthusiastic smile to try and distract him from what I've said. My gaze then flickers to the cigarette in his hand and then back up at him.

"Let me guess, you hate smokers?" He asks in an almost accusing manner and I frown.

"No. I may not ever touch a cigarette but everyone to themselves." I shrug and he seems a bit surprised at my response.

"So," he begins, tucking his one hand in his pocket while the other brings the cigarette up to his lips again, "why are you at a charity, doing voluntary work, in your spare time?" He asks randomly and I lean beside him against his car.

"I want to go into philanthropy and I need the credits." I respond.

"What a strange combination: Elite Sophie Cooper wanting to help others as a career." He comments and I purse my lips, catching the slight dig.

"Status has nothing to do with it." I respond curtly and he looks down at me. "Why are you here?"

Alex blows out a puff of smoke. "I told you already: punishment."

I roll my eyes. "Punishment for what?" I ask and he tenses besides me. I look up at his face to see it etched with a frown, hesitation clear as day. I step forward so that he can see me and I chew on my lip in thought.

"You don't need to answer that." I shake my head at myself. He stares at me for a second too long, making me squirm slightly. I'm about to walk away due to the awkwardness when he finally answers.

"For been caught and found guilty with the possession of Marijuana." He responds plainly and my eyes widen.

He's in here for drugs?

I don't even know why I'm surprised. It's Alex Rosewood we're talking about.

"You aren't some mafia drug dealer, are you?" I joke, trying to lighten the mood. His lips quirk into a crooked smile as he looks away briefly.

"Nah. Just a teenage boy trying to piss off his stepdad." He laughs humourlessly and my smile drops, replaced with a frown.

"What do you mean?" I ask in confusion. As if deciding he went to far, Alex checks his watch and kills his cigarette.

"Our shifts are going to start soon." He tells me, getting up from off his car and beginning the walk. I slowly trail after him, muttering "okay" under my breath while wondering what the hell he meant by his previous statement.

****

I am slowly coming to the realization that Sarah is definitely not coming back to work and that I actually really enjoyed spending time with the kids. It's here that I don't constantly have to have my wall up or a filter in front of my mouth or a fake smile on my face. I can just be me and the children see nothing wrong with it. Maybe that's what's so beautiful about children; their innocence makes them loving. If only every other human being was also like that and maybe we would be living in a much more peaceful world.

"Sophie, do you know what we learnt today?" Zenzi asks me. I smile down at her.

"What?"

"Vegetables and fruits!" She exclaims like it's the most fascinating thing in the world and I suppress a laugh.

"That's interesting. Did you have fun?" I ask while she draws on her blank piece of paper in front of her.

She grins up at me. "Yes! But I don't like tomateos." She scrunches up her nose in disgust and I almost 'aww' at the cuteness, instead settling with a laugh at how she pronounces the word.

"It's tomatoes, Zenzi." I correct her and I hear Alex chuckle from behind me. I stand up to my full height again and walk to him with my arms crossed over my chest.

"How long does it take you to fix one shelf?" I ask incredulously and he glares at me.

"Can't judge a guy from wanting to do his job properly."

I hold my hands up in defense. "I was just asking."

He rolls his eyes before reaching for nails. "I heard you guys are going to Seder Club on Friday." He states and I nod absentmindedly. It's funny how the Rebels and Elite always know each other's business.

"Yeah." I respond, the conversation between us dying as I watch him carefully. "Why do you want to know?"

He casts me a sideways glance. "If you're insinuating that the Rebels want to come and crash it, we have better things to do than just piss you all off." He responds almost defensively and my eyebrows furrow. It feels slightly awkward and I want it to disappear.

"I didn't mean it like that, Alex." I respond and he sighs before scratching at the space between his eyebrows.

"Sorry, I, just, uh-"

"It's okay." I tell him honestly and he looks at me disbelievingly. It really is though. It's only understandable that he would assume I meant it like that. After all, we are supposed to hate each other.

"Sophie." Someone tugs at my dress and I look down at Henry.

"Yes?" I respond.

"Can I go make a number one?" He asks and I smile gently.

"Sure." I say, ruffling his hair and earning a grin from him. He skips away and when I look back at Alex, he's already watching me intensely. He looks away, continuing with his work before casually asking: "Are you a Harry Potter fan?"

I frown. "No. Are you?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Not really but I sure would love to Slytherin." He responds and a loud laugh escapes past my lips as I look down at the floor with a smile.

"You're ridiculous." I tell him and he smirks.

"So I've heard." He winks.

"I didn't mean it as a compliment."

"I took it as one anyway." He retorts and I giggle with an eye roll.

"Come on guys! Let's go outside for a little bit!" I instruct the kids and they all amble out in a rush. As I walk to the garden, I turn to face Alex.

"You should write a book on pickup lines." I tell him and he smirks, a really attractive smirk at that, with a hammer in his hand.

"I'll have to test them on you first." He winks and I roll my eyes, stepping outside.

However, the smile stays glued to my face.

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Quick Q: what do you think Alex meant when he commented on his stepdad?

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