“Okay so what kind of winter theme are we talking about here?” one of them asked. “Like…Christmas? Winter Wonderland? I need to know these things so I can dress appropriately.”
“Winter Wonderland,” someone piped up, and the group collectively turned to find Sofia hovering on the edge of their circle.
“Thank you,” Jessica said, giving Sofia a smile, then patting the empty space on the couch next to her. Sofia hesitated for a split second before joining them.
“How do you know that?” another one of the girls asked.
“She’s in DG,” Jessica supplied.
“Wait, are you Sofia?” another asked.
Sofia nodded. “I see my reputation precedes me.”
The girls tittered, and Jessica sat up straighter, on high alert. From the little she knew of her, Jessica liked Sofia, and she wasn’t about to let these girls bully her.
“The guys always have great things to say about you,” another added. “You’re DG’s social chair, right?”
Sofia nodded proudly. “Yes! The girls voted me into the position last year, and I’ve loved every second of it.”
“That’s amazing!” Jessica said. “So you’re responsible for planning this winter ball thing?”
“Yep! Which is how I know the theme is Winter Wonderland,” she laughed. “The boys know this, so I have no idea why they haven’t told you.”
One of the girlfriends waved her hand dismissively. “They’re men,” she said. “They don’t care about things like this. I’ll pick out my outfit, and he’ll show up in what I tell him to wear.”
The rest of the group laughed indulgently, each of them knowing full well that’s exactly what would happen.
“So on that note,” another girl said, “what exactly is everyone wearing? White, pale blue, pale pink?” She turned to Sofia. “Does pale pink qualify?”
“I’d say so,” Sofia said. “Think of like…well, think of campus when we get a really heavy snowfall. Everything is covered in white, but the green of the pine trees really pops, and the blue of the sky is pale and washed out. And at sunset, the sky turns that dusty pink. I think just Pinterest search ‘winter wonderland’ and you’ll get some good ideas. Personally, I’m going to be wearing pale blue. I bought my dress ages ago and…” She trailed off, then leaned in conspiratorially, the girls following suit. “I’ll be honest, I came up with this theme just for an excuse to wear it.”
The girls burst into laughter and cheers, congratulating Sofia on a job well done. For her part, Sofia beamed.
“Guess I’m going to have to go shopping,” Jessica said so only Sofia could hear her. “Or maybe my sister has something I could borrow. Although…Berkley is like six inches shorter than me.”
“What does she do?” Sofia asked.
“She’s an attorney in Detroit,” Jessica said proudly.
“How much older is she?” Sofia asked. “I mean, to already be a practicing attorney. At least, what, four years?”
“Six,” Jessica said. “And my brother is seven years older than me.”
“Damn,” Sofia said, then her eyes widened. “Wait, Berkley? That’s your sister’s name? And you and Kenzie are really close, right?”
Jessica knew where this was headed, and only nodded while Sofia parsed out the connection in her mind.
“Holy shit,” Sofia said finally, realization dawning in her eyes. “Your sister is married to Brent Jean.”
“Guilty,” Jessica said.
“That’s…wild,” Sofia said with a shake of her head. “How did they even meet?”
“Ahh…” Jessica trailed off, unsure how to even begin. “It’s a long and complicated story but, about three years ago, Brent slid into Berkley’s Instagram DMs, and the rest is history.”
There really was so much more to it than that, including a surprise birthday party, some drama with one of Brent’s teammates, and a brief breakup right before Berkley graduated from law school. But now they’re together, recently married, and expecting their first child. Jessica couldn’t be happier for her sister, knowing she found the love of her life, and it brought Brent and Kenzie—and their brother, Nate, she supposed, though Nate rarely left the University of Michigan hospital where he was in residency—into her life, and she would forever be thankful for Kenzie’s friendship.
“That’s just…crazy,” Sofia said, taking a swig of her drink and scanning the crowd. Across the room, Silas looked up and caught Jessica’s gaze, offering her a small smile and a dorky little finger wave.
