Chapter 48

The first thing Sophia did when she got home was shut her room door and fall face-first on her bed.

Her heart was still beating fast, like it hadn’t caught up with the rest of her body yet. She needed to rest, but now she could still hear Caleb’s voice in her head.

She groaned into her pillow and rolled over, staring at the ceiling.

A date. Caleb had just asked her out on a real date. And what did she do?

She ran. Ran away like some cartoon character in a scene where everything was too much to handle instead of facing it like a growing woman.

Sophia sat up slowly, rubbing her face with both hands. Why did she do that? She didn’t even say yes or no, just left him standing there on the street. And now, she didn’t know what he was thinking. Maybe he felt stupid now. Maybe he regretted asking her. Maybe he thought she was rude or silly. This was her best friend!

“No, no, no!” She muttered, getting to her feet. “Why am I like this?”

She started to undress, letting her school shirt drop to the floor as she grabbed a towel from the chair. Her head was all over the place, and she needed a warm shower to clear her mind.

As the warm water hit her skin, her thoughts kept spinning in circles.

Do I like Caleb like that?

He was kind. He was always there. He made her laugh, even on her worst days. And he had always treated her so well and defended her. Fought her bullies off.

But it was also scary. What if she said yes and messed it up? What if she said yes and everything changed? Would they still be best friends after a failed relationship?

Ugh, she was thinking about a relationship when she wasn’t even sure she liked him back.

She leaned her head against the cool tile and sighed. If only she had someone she could talk to about it.

Allison?

Ha ha! No way. She’d probably laugh or say something annoying.

Paige?

No. They were friends, and Paige was probably her closest female friend, but they weren’t exactly close enough. Her mum, maybe, but she wasn’t home yet. She always came home late these days.

So Sophia decided to wait.

She lay on the couch with her wet hair wrapped in a towel, flipping through channels without really watching anything. Allison came down the stairs after a while, holding her phone, chewing gum, and humming something.

“Where’s mum?” Sophia asked.

“Still out.” Allison replied, not looking up from her phone. “You have any business with her or what?”

Sophia didn’t answer. She just kept pressing the remote’s buttons. Time passed, and finally, they heard keys in the door.

Isabella walked in, looking more tired than usual. Her hair was pinned up messily, and her shoes made a soft thud as she kicked them off near the door. She didn’t say much, just dropped her bag on the couch and sat down like the day had drained every drop of energy from her body.

“Hi, mum.” Sophia said carefully.

“Hey mum.” Allison said. “How was work?”

Isabella gave them a weak smile, then shook her head and waved her hand.

“Don’t even ask. Please. Someone just put on something good on the TV, let me listen to noise that’s not from my coworkers.”

Sophia looked at Allison. Allison shrugged and took the remote, turning on a random reality show. The three of them sat there for a few minutes in silence, the music and fake arguments filling the room.

Sophia turned at her mum again. Her chest felt heavy. It was now or never.

She got up slowly and walked towards her.

“Mum, can I ask you something? For advice.”

Isabella looked at her, nodding.

“Of course.”

Allison rolled her eyes, still watching the TV.

“And here we go.” She muttered.

Sophia sat beside her mum and lowered her voice.

“It’s about a boy.” She smiled sheepishly.

Before Isabella could say a single word, her face changed. Her lips trembled, and suddenly, she started to cry.

Sophia just stared at her, confused on what she did wrong.

“Mum?” Allison sprang to her feet, rushing over to their mother. “What did you say to her, you pig?” She snapped at Sophia, pushing her away.

“I didn’t do anything!” Sophia said, confused. “I just said—”

“Just don’t!” Allison yelled, wrapping her arms around their mum. “Mum, it’s okay. Please don’t cry.”

Isabella shook her head, pressing a hand to her mouth as she tried to control the sobs.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She said, her voice breaking. “It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about anything. I didn’t mean to cry like this.”

Sophia held her hand.

“Mum, what’s going on?”

Isabella leaned into Allison’s hug for a few more seconds, breathing slowly. When she pulled back, her face was still wet, and her eyes looked puffy.

“Get some water.” Allison said to Sophia, not taking her eyes off their mum.

Sophia nodded and ran to the kitchen.

When she came back with a glass of water, their mum was sitting upright now, wiping her eyes with a tissue. She took the water and drank it slowly.

They all sat quietly again, and the TV was now too loud in the background.

Then Isabella sighed, resting the glass on the table.

“Girls, I need to tell you something.”

“I think…” She started to say, but then paused, sighing. “I think your father might be having an affair.”

Allison took a step back.

“What? No.”

Sophia couldn’t believe it. Isabella looked down at her hands.

“I’ve been noticing things lately. It’s not just work keeping him out. I even smelled perfume on one of his shirts.”

Allison was shaking her head.

“No. No, no, no. That’s not— that can’t be true. There has to be something else.”

Sophia moved to sit beside her again.

“Mum, I’m so sorry.”

“I wanted to be wrong.” Isabella whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. “But now, I don’t think I am.”

Allison was pacing now, hands on her head.

“He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t. He loves you. He loves us.”

“I thought so too.” Isabella said. She squeezed Sophia’s fingers gently, then looked at her daughters with eyes full of pain.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you with my crying. It just hit me. I feel so awful.” Isabella broke into a fresh round of tears.

“It’s okay. If this is true, we’re on your side, not his.” Sophia said. Allison just stood there, frozen with a look of anger on her face.

“How dare he?” She growled.

“Calm down. I don’t want him to know that I’m suspecting him yet. And I’m hoping that you girls would keep this a secret until I can prove that it’s true, okay?” Isabella said, wiping her tears.

“I’m going to fucking kill him!” Allison growled.

“Allison!” Sophia said sternly. “We have to listen to mum and do as she says.”

Allison glared at Sophia.

“Perhaps you don’t even understand how horrible this is. He has betrayed this family, and I will punish him. This will be the last time he ever—”

“Allison!” Isabella got up and pulled Allison into her arms. “I know how hard this must be for you. But please?”

Allison looked into her mother’s eyes and nodded. Isabella pulled her into a hug, and suddenly, the door opened.

Lucas came in and took in the scene in front of him, smiling.

“Wow, bonding moment?” He chuckled. “What’s happening here?”