Everything's Changing Now

The night before she and Delaney were to leave, Sophie followed her cousin to a party her friends were throwing her to make sure she didn’t pull any stunt in a final attempt to make her parents let her stay home.

“It doesn’t make sense! We should be able to stay home!” Delaney had complained earlier that day. “You just graduated and are going to college in a few months, and they can’t trust you to stay home?”
“I actually want to go, as you may have heard me say a couple hundred times by now,” Sophie blankly said to her cousin. She couldn’t understand how Delaney couldn’t comprehend this.

“Ugh you would. You and your stupid love of animals and need for “adventure” even though we won’t have any adventures in that place!”

Sophie ignored her cousin’s complaining and went about getting ready for the party.

“Anyways, don’t you have any friends you should be hanging out with?” Delaney questioned.

Sophie thought about this for a second. After ditching Maria the other night, she only received a few angry texts from her, to which Sophie replied that they really weren’t meant to be close friends, but that she’d love to keep in touch once school started. Sophie didn’t really have any other close friends. Sure, there were people she’d talk to at school, go out to eat with, and hang out with, but she didn’t have anyone she really talked to. Not since her boyfriend broke up with her the past February. She and Kyle had dated for close to a year and he was Sophie’s only true friend, until he decided they weren’t “meant to be.” Sophie had gotten over the breakup very quickly, but since had not let herself become close with anyone.

“Uh, there’s no one I haven’t seen already that I can go without for a few months,” she quickly answered her cousin.

“Of course not.” Delaney rolled her eyes, “come on, let’s go. And for once, just once, try to have fun tonight. Okay?”

Sophie nodded, knowing her cousin truly wanted her to have a good time this summer. Delaney and Sophie had always been close, but after Sophie’s breakup they had drifted apart. Delaney was going to take this summer to mend their relationship. Sophie had plans of her own for the upcoming summer; as well as trying to make some new friends-people who actually liked the same things as she did-she was going to try to find her cousin a boy. Maybe just a summer fling, but some sort of relationship with stability rather than her usual hook up. She didn’t know how she was going to find this boy, but she did know there were kids her age in the neighborhood she’d be staying.

Once the two arrived at the party, Delaney grabbed a wine cooler and forced it into Sophie’s grasp. She was thanked with a glare, but shook it off and walked away. Sophie stood there, alcohol in hand, and decided to have a few drinks. She quickly downed the wine cooler, she hated the flavor but didn’t want to waste it. Within a half hour, she’d had three shots and was playing beer pong with a bunch of people she’d never met. Sophie drank occasionally, but had only been drunk once, New Year’s Eve of the previous year with Kyle.

Delaney stood not too far away from the game, smiling at how quickly her cousin had become the social butterfly of the room. She knew this summer was going to be alright, though not her ideal situation. She’d make the best of it for herself and her cousin.