~♡~Sophia's POV~♡~

"This is your idea of fun?" I turn to stare at Dylan with bewilderment.

"Yep!" He gives a small smile; yet somehow, there's something strange about his smile today, it feels a bit... forced.

There is clear sadness in his eyes, one that he tries so hard to mask by putting on a forced smile — not his usual, carefree and overconfident smile — whenever I glance at him. It makes me wonder what happened to him.

Hmm? Did I actually care about someone else's feelings?

I shake the strange thought away and shift my gaze to the old building in front of me. The three-story building has a large cross perched on the gable-wall. The building is not exactly wide; there are only four windows on each floor seen from outside. Excessive exposure to sunlight causes parts of the brown paint that covers the first floor to change color over time. Some of the yellow paint on the upper part of the building is peeling, revealing the grey-ish concrete underneath them. On the wall between the second floor and the third floor is a large, wooden sign. The black paint is fading, but the words can still be read from afar.

St. Mary's Orphanage.

A few days ago, when Dylan said we should do something fun, it never crossed my mind that he meant visiting an orphanage. Where's the fun in that?

"Come on," Dylan says before stepping up the small stairs leading to the front door.

With a small shrug, I follow him. He rings the bell next to the wooden door a couple of times and a woman answers from inside, "Just a second!"

When the front door opens, the smell of roasted turkey wavers in the air. A middle-aged woman wearing a flowery apron is now standing before us. Her short blonde hair is styled in a classic blow-dry that makes her look graceful.

"Oh, Dylan! How nice to see you!" The tall lady leans forward to give Dylan a quick hug.

"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. O'Malley," Dylan replies with a smile.

"Come in!"

As Dylan and I step into the house, her gaze is drawn to me, a welcoming smile hanging on the corner of her lips. Dylan quickly introduces me, "This is my friend, Sophia Wilde. She's going to help me with the kids today."

His... friend? A sudden, strange feeling flickers in my mind. I guess it's not so bad having someone call you a friend, for once.

"Ah! It's so nice to meet you!" The tall woman offers her hand. Shaking her hand, I reply the gesture with a polite smile. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have youngsters like you two to volunteer here! We definitely need more helpful hands around here."

I reply, "It's nice to meet you t—"

"Dylan!" Out of nowhere, a girl about eight or nine years old is running towards the boy standing next to me. Stopping abruptly in front of him, she jumps up and gives him a tight hug. "Long time no see!"

"Long time no see?" Dylan snaps his head back as he hugs her back, an exaggerated surprised look on his face. "I just dropped by last week!"

Straightening herself, she rests her hands on her hips and throws him a judging look. The dark-skinned girl has her curly, black hair tied into two buns on each side of her head. Even though she's thin, she has plump cheeks and a round face that makes her look chubbier than she really is.

"Well, a week is a long time, you know?" she retorts. "Now, where's that thing you promised me, huh?"

"Cheryl! Where is your manner?" Mrs. O'Malley scolds and the little girl pushes her plump lips forward into a cute pout.

Dylan chuckles. "It's okay, Mrs. O'Malley." He takes off his backpack and unzips it. His hand roams inside the bag before he takes out a lollipop. Dropping down to his knees, he asks her, "Now, do you promise not to punch your classmate ever again?"

"Not even if they call me names?" the little girl bargains.

"Not even if they call you names."

"What about if they punch me first?" she pleads with her adorable puppy eyes.

"Call your teacher if that happens, okay? Now"—he waves the lollipop in front of her—"what do you say?"

She lets out a defeated sigh and says, "Okay."

Dylan smiles. "Here ya go."

"Thanks!" The girl takes the lollipop from Dylan's hand and unwraps it before shoving it into her mouth.

"See, Cheryl?" Mrs. O'Malley puts her hand on top of the girl's head. "Now that Dylan is the one who tells you to do it, will you finally..."

As soon as Dylan stands up, I whisper, "Bribing a little girl with a lollipop, Little? That's pretty low even for you."

"In case you haven't heard, it's called negotiating." He flashes that usual, overly proud smile of his. A small chuckle unexpectedly escapes my lips. Slowly, his smile turns warm and rather... sweet.

Whoa! Hold on a second! What the heck are you doing, Sophia?

The loud ding coming from one of the rooms saves us both from awkwardness. I wipe every traces of a smile off my face while Dylan — who seems equally surprised — quickly does the same and turns his attention elsewhere.

"Ah! Will you excuse me for a quick moment?" Mrs. O'Malley says with a smile. "That seems to be my turkey calling. We still have some uncooked turkeys people donated yesterday."

"S-sure, of course," Dylan replies.

"The kids are waiting for you in the Rose Room," she continues before flashing another smile at both of us. "It's really nice to meet you, Sophia."

Within seconds, the lady has dashed back into the kitchen. That's when I notice someone is staring at me. Shifting my gaze downwards, I realize the little girl is now observing me from head to toe. A smirk then grows on the corners of her lips. Tipping on her toes, she leans forward and raises her gaze to look at Dylan. She tries to whisper, but her voice is still loud enough for me to hear, "Is this pretty lady your girlfriend?"

"Him?" "Her?" Dylan and I say simultaneously.

Turning to look at each other, our brows are drawn together and our lips curve downward into a frown.

"Not a chance!" we say in unison, causing the little girl to giggle.

A sudden tinge of pink grows on Dylan's fair cheeks as he gulps. Before he can say another word, I take a step closer towards the girl and leans forward, resting my hands on my knees.

"This pretty lady is Sophia Wilde," I say, pointing at myself. "And for your information, she is way too pretty to be tied up to a single boy, moreover a silly boy like this one." My head tilts to the right, gesturing to Dylan. On my peripheral vision, I can see him rolling his eyes in dismay.

The little girl's giggles grow louder. "Well, my name's Cheryl. But you can call me Jigsaw."

"Jigsaw?" I draw my head back a little and my brows are stitched together. "Because you like jigsaw puzzles? Or like in that mov—"

"Exactly!" she answers with a wide grin. "Like that serial killer in that horror movie!"

Blinking a couple of times, my mouth drops open before I give a tight smile. I continue to stare at her as a look of awe spreads on my face, unsure if I should be amazed or scared instead. "Why would you call yourself Jigsaw?"

"Well, the other kids at school used to make fun of me because I'm — you know — an orphan. So, one day, during Halloween, this silly boy right here"—her head gestures at Dylan, who's now giggling uncontrollably—"helped me make a Billy the Puppet mask to scare them."

"I'm guessing it worked?"

"You're a smart lady, I like you already!" She nods to herself, causing me to laugh a little.

"So, why Jigsaw then? Why not Billy?" I ask.

"Well, Billy is too masculine for me. So, I figure, hey"—she shrugs a little—"why not Jigsaw? I like jigsaw puzzles too!"

My laugh grows even louder and more carefree. As I straighten myself, Jigsaw raises her gaze to look at Dylan. "So... where's Mac? I haven't seen her in a while. She didn't even come yesterday and it was Thanksgiving!" Disappointment slowly spreads through her voice as she continues, "She always comes on Thanksgiving..."

Dylan's face turns pale and grim in a split second. His lips form a straight line as he blinks rapidly. Shoving his hands to his jeans' pockets, he gives a small shrug.

Ahh. So that's what happened, huh? I guess my plan works, something major must've happened between them — maybe even a big fight — probably because of her 'transformation'. But... why don't I feel happy about it?

In fact, why do I feel... remorseful?

Pulling myself together, I chime in, "Mac is quite busy these days. You know, with school and all. Being a graphic designer is way tougher than you'd imagine."

"Oh..." She nods as she continues to lick her lollipop. "So, you know Mac too?"

"Yeah." I nod and smile. "She's a good friend of mine." The fact that there isn't an ounce of a lie in my words surprises me a little.

"But, she's still going to help us with the performance, right? We still need to practice that second verse and Julian keeps messing up his part!" she complains.

"What performance?" I ask curiously.

Her tone brightens as she continues, "We're singing on Christmas Eve at Sunset Mall's Charity Event like we always do every year!" Giving a quick lick to her lollipop, she flashes a proud, wide smile that reveals her missing front tooth. "I'm the lead singer, by the way!"

"Oh, that's nice!" I reply.

Then, Jigsaw turns to look at Dylan, and eventually, I do the same. "So?"

"I... Uhm... I'm not..." Hesitation spreads on Dylan's face. After a short while, I figure I'd better help him. This way, he owes me one.

"Of course, she will!" I continue. "You know Mac! Would she abandon a project midway?"

"I guess not." She shrugs. "But... what are we supposed to do while we wait for her? The performance is in three weeks!"

"Hey, you still have me, right?" Dylan says.

Jigsaw raises her brow, her lips quivering a little. "You?"

"Hey! I can sing too!" Dylan protests, giving her an exaggerated offended look.

"No offense, Dylan, but you sound like a broken kettle." Her remark causes me to burst into laughter straight away, while Dylan throws a killing glare my way.

"Well, you know what?" I say as my laughter begins to die down. "You're in luck! Because I was the lead singer in my church's choir."

"Really?" Her eyes light up in a quick second and I give her an assuring nod. "That's super awesome, lady!"

My smile grows bigger and bigger. It's nice to be genuinely complimented once in a while — even if it's just a kid who compliments you.

"Come on! I'll introduce you to the rest of the gang!" She turns around and bolts down the hallway.

As Dylan and I follow her, he turns to me. "Lying to a little kid, Wilde? That's low even for you." He concludes with his usual mocking grin.

"That's not a lie, you know," I reply, gaining a surprised look on his face.

"Seriously?" He jerks his head back, his brows are drawn together.

"Yeah! I used to sing in my church's choir until I was thirteen. Is it so hard to believe?"

"Well... seeing who you are now, it is quite hard to believe," he mutters.

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep judging me as much as you want."

I pace up my steps, trying to leave him behind, but he catches up in no time. "Wait, wait, wait! I'm sorry, okay?"

I glance at him, his lips are now pursed together, regret fills his eyes as he lowers his gaze. "I... have the tendency to say the first thing that pops into my mind. So..."

"Is that what happened with you and Mac?" I ask.

He freezes in an instant. "Did she tell you what happened?"

"No, but it's pretty obvious."

"Oh..." His voice trails away. Shortly after, he mumbles, "Well, I guess your revenge works, huh?"

True. But, right now, regret and guilt begin to take over my head. Why?

"Let go of me you freak!" a young boy's loud voice and the subsequent children's scream grabs our attention.

"Kids! Stop!" a teenage boy's voice is heard. He repeats a few more times, his voice flipping up and down while panic spreading through his voice, but the kids won't stop screaming. In the midst of the chaos, a few thumps are heard; it appears the kids are fighting.

Having the same thought in our minds, Dylan and I rush into the room Jigsaw entered a while ago. When we arrive, my prediction comes out true. Surrounded by screaming kids, a little boy and a girl are fighting in the middle of the room. The boy is laying on the floor while the chubby girl is sitting on top of him, throwing punches like a madman to his head. The helpless boy can only block the punches by bringing both arms to cover his face.

"Kids, stop fighting!" the skinny teenager next to them frantically screams. The curly-haired boy looks two or three years younger than me. His gaze keeps switching back and forth between the two little children while his gaping mouth quivers. He bends down and tries to grab the girl from behind but before he can get anywhere near her, the girl throws a punch to his long, narrow nose instead.

The punch seems quite strong as the nerdy boy is sent to the ground — well, it's either that or he is a complete and utter loser. I mean, beaten up by a ten-year-old girl? Seriously?

I snort out a laugh as he whimpers like a little girl. The pained expression on his long, thin face causes a small chortle to escape my lips.

"Hey!" Dylan shouts as he makes his way through the small crowd. "Jessica, stop!"

In a swift move, Dylan circles his arms around the girl's stomach and removes her from the little boy. The chubby girl continues to throw blind punches, but Dylan manages to avoid them by drawing his head back. Some of her kicks fall to his stomach, but he doesn't budge.

While he carries her to the corner of the room, Mrs. O'Malley storms into the room.

"What is going on in here?" her loud, thunderous voice causes every single one of the kids to freeze. Their gazes are now drawn to the middle-aged lady, whose dismay is written all over her round face. Her wrinkles deepen when he sees the little boy on the floor.

"Oh, Grady!" She rushes to the boy's side and drops to her knees. "Are you okay?"

Concern fills her blue eyes as she helps him switch into a sitting position. Meanwhile, the skinny teenager finally rises to his feet — with quite some trouble as he almost stumbles on his own feet a couple of times.

"Jackson!" Mrs. O'Malley says as she turns to look at the teenage boy. "Will you please get some ice from the kitchen?"

"Y-y-yes, Mom," he replies.

Oh, so he's Mrs. O'Malley's son, huh? Come to think of it, they do have the same downturned eyes and thin, wide lips.

Right when Jackson is about to walk out of the room, he finally sees me. The second he lays his eyes on me, he freezes in awe. His jaw drops wide open as if he has seen a goddess — well, he has.

My lips curl up into a small smirk. It's always nice to see those reactions from boys, no matter how unattractive they are.

"Jackson?" Mrs. O'Malley repeats. "The ice?"

"Oh! Yes!" he quickly replies before dropping his gaze down low to avoid looking at me and bolts towards the door.

He almost stumbles on the small crack on the floor tiles, but he manages to keep his balance. Within seconds, he's out of my sight.

I shift my gaze towards Dylan, who's now having a talk with the chubby girl. The girl is now sitting in front of him, much calmer than before. Her arms are now folded in front of her stomach while her plump lips still curve downwards. I can tell whatever he's saying works, because the anger in her eyes slowly diminishes, revealing the sadness that was hidden within.

The sudden clang sound from the kitchen causes me to dart my gaze towards the door.

"Ouch!" Jackson's loud scream follows.

Mrs. O'Malley lets out a heavy sigh. "Sophia, my dear?" she says and I turn to look at her. "Would you please sit with Grady for a while? I think I need to check up on Jackson. Lord knows what that clumsy boy is doing right now."

I give a small smile. "Sure."

While Mrs. O'Malley goes back to the kitchen, I take my seat next to the beaten little boy.

"Hi," I say politely. "I'm Sophia. What's your name?"

"I'm Grady," he replies, his voice soft.

Not knowing what else to say, I just sit there in silence. All the while, I feel the little boy is now staring at me — or more like studying my face.

"So," he says after a while. "Are you an orphan too?"

I almost choke when I hear the words. "What makes you say that?"

"You have that look in your eyes," he replies, innocence in his dark brown eyes.

"What look?"

"You know, the look of a person who has lost someone important. Like Dylan," he replies.

"Like Dylan?" I ask, curiosity spreading in my voice.

"Yeah! Dylan's mom left when he was—"

"Gossiping about me, I see?" Dylan's sudden voice causes me to turn and look up abruptly. The tall boy is now standing before me, his eyebrow is raised while his arms are folded on his chest. A somewhat playful smirk is hanging on the corner of his lips, trying his best to mask the sadness that is radiating from his eyes.

I flash an unapologetic grin at him. "You flatter yourself too much."

"Tsk!" He then shifts his gaze at the chubby girl standing next to him. "Now, Jessica, what did you want to say to Grady?"

The girl purses her plump lips together, taking a deep breath before she steps forward. A small, fearful gasp escapes Grady's lips as she does so. But, Jessica's next action sends a wave of relief to him.

The redheaded girl offers her hand to Grady. "I'm sorry I punched you."

Grady looks bewildered at first, but he quickly stands up and replies to the gesture. "I'm sorry I accidentally ruined your dress."

As they shake hands, warm smiles are slowly finding their way onto their faces. It doesn't take long before Grady offers, "Wanna play?"

"Sure!" Jessica replies.

Hand in hand, they join their friends in the middle of the room, already forgetting the fight that just happened minutes ago. As I stand up and observe them with awe, Dylan says, "It's amazing how they can forgive and forget so easily, huh?"

"Yeah," I mutter. "The joy of being kids, right?"

"I guess so," he gives a small shrug as his tone turns slightly gloomier. Somehow, his reaction keeps making me feel even guiltier than before — even though I didn't think it was possible.

What is happening to me?

"Hello?" The sound of fingers being snapped in front of us breaks our thoughts. "Hellooo?" We lower our gazes and see Jigsaw now standing before us.

"The practice?" she asks, her head bobs side-to-side in the process.

"Right!" Dylan replies. He takes a quick glance at the kids, who are running around the room, before he flashes a small smirk at me. "Come on! It's time to have some fun!"

Author's Note:

Hi guys! I'm really, really sorry for the long wait. A lot of things happened to me lately and it wasn't easy to deal with. Hopefully, things get better soon though, so I can update more! :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! See you on the next one!