Chapter 027

Chapter 27
Sophia groaned as she blinked up at the harsh fluorescent lights.

The white ceiling stared back at her, plain and emotionless, very much unlike how she felt inside.

Her head throbbed, no, it was pounding like crazy. It felt like someone was repeatedly slamming a hammer inside her skull. Everything felt off, from the tightness in her throat to the strange heaviness in her limbs, and the dull ache in her chest.

She hated hospitals.

She spent too much time in them for as long as she could remember and being in them made her feel unsafe.

The sterile smell, the beeping machines, the way the sheets felt too crisp, too clean, it all made her skin crawl. A deep sigh left her lips as she closed her eyes again. This wasn’t how her day was supposed to go.

Sophia tried to recall everything that had happened before she blacked out. She still remembered the party, the heat of everything happening, Josh’s annoying persistence, and then—

No way.

She remembered all that she had being seeing. The voices. The gunshot.

What was all that? Some kind of hallucination? A memory? It didn’t make sense.

Then, like a slap to the face, she remembered Allison.

The memory of Allison sitting beside her suddenly flashed in her mind. That snake must have done something to her!

Gave her some kind of weird alcohol, probably, or even worse. How stupid had she been to think Allison was suddenly being nice?

A soft movement caught her attention.

She turned her head, and there, sitting by her bedside, was her mother.
Isabella looked up from her phone, her eyes locking onto Sophia’s face the moment she stirred. She looked so relieved that she got up and hugged Sophia gently on the bed.

“Sophia.” She sighed, sounding worried and exhausted. “Thank God you’re awake.”

Sophia licked her dry lips.

“Hi mum. How long have I been out?”

“For hours.” Isabella said, gently pushing a strand of Sophia’s hair out of her face. “You scared us.”

“Us?”

“Caleb was here too. He just stepped out to get some water. He’ll be back soon.”

Caleb.

Of course, he was here.

Her best friend. Or just her friend? They hadn’t discussed the kind of friend labels.

Sophia exhaled, her mind still cloudy.

“What happened to me?”

Isabella hesitated, her fingers tightening slightly around Sophia’s hand.

“They found harmful substances in your system.” She said. “Something that interfered with your medication. The doctors had to pump it all out.”

Sophia went pale.

“Wait, what?”

“I told you to be careful, Sophia.” Isabella said, her voice carrying that motherly worry. “You should never take alcohol or anything you’re unsure of—”

“I didn’t. I promise.” Sophia cut in quickly.

Isabella’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Then how did those substances get into your system?”

Sophia looked away, chewing on her bottom lip. She knew exactly how.

Allison.

But saying it out loud felt heavy. It wasn’t just a hunch. It wasn’t a random assumption. She knew, deep in her gut, that Allison had done this to her.

Isabella picked up on her hesitation instantly.

“Sophia.” She said, her tone softer this time. “What is it? You’re hiding something.”

Sophia let out a long sigh.

“It’s Allison.”

Isabella’s brows knitted together.

“Allison?”

“She gave me something to drink.” Sophia admitted. “I didn’t think much of it at first. She was acting weirdly nice, and it felt suspicious, but I didn’t want to seem paranoid, and it tasted kind of good.”

A moment of silence passed. Isabella’s lips pressed into a thin line.

“That’s a serious accusation.” She finally said. “Are you sure about this?”

Sophia nodded.

“One hundred percent sure. That was the first time Allison ever tried to be nice to me. I should’ve known better, but I…” She stopped, and tears dropped from her eyes. “I guess I just wanted to believe it was real.”

Isabella sighed, putting her hands on her head.

“That girl…” She muttered. “If this is true, she’s going to get it from me.”

Sophia swallowed, the reality of it all setting in.

“I should have known.” She whispered, more to herself than to her mother.

She felt stupid.

She hated Allison.

She hated herself for letting her guard down.

Before Isabella could respond, the door opened, and in walked Caleb with a bottle of water in hand. His hair was a mess, and he looked worried and tired too. The moment he saw her awake, relief filled his face.

“Finally.” He muttered, walking over. “You had me worried sick, you know that?”

Sophia offered a weak smile.

“Sorry.”

Caleb scoffed, shaking his head.

“You’re always causing trouble. How do you feel now?”

“I feel so great.” She let out a small laugh, but even doing that felt exhausting.

Isabella stood up, looking at Caleb.

“I need to go home. Can you stay with her?”

Caleb nodded without hesitation.

“Of course. I’ll stay the night here.” He said.

Isabella smiled tiredly, thinking about what a sweet boy Caleb was, and how lucky Sophia was to have him at this moment.
Isabella walked out, leaving the two of them alone. Caleb dragged a chair closer, sitting beside her bed. He looked her for a bit before speaking.

“You feeling okay?”

“If okay means “like I got hit by a truck”, then yes.” Sophia muttered.

Caleb smirked.

“Sounds about right.”

There was a brief silence before he added.

“Seriously, though. What happened?”

Sophia hesitated. Should she tell him? She trusted Caleb, but something about saying it out loud again made it feel even more real.

Still, she sighed and said.

“I think Allison drugged me.”

Caleb’s expression hardened instantly.

“What?”

“I don’t have proof, but she gave me a drink, and my mum said that the doctors found something in my system. That was the only thing I took without knowing what was in it for sure. Allison said it was soda.” She explained. “It makes too much sense.”

Caleb ran a hand through his hair.

“That’s messed up. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. I don’t know why she’d do that to me.” Sophia muttered.

Then, Caleb leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.

“So, what now? Are you gonna confront her?”

Sophia let out a dry laugh.

“And say what exactly? “Hey, Allison, did you try to poison me for fun?””

Caleb shook his head.

“You can also go to the police! You can’t just let this slide.”

“I don’t know. I hate her, but doing that would devastate my mum.” Sophia said, looking away.

She knew she had to do something. But what could she do?

Allison wasn’t just some girl playing petty high school games. If she really drugged Sophia, then this was serious. Dangerous, actually.

Caleb seemed to sense how uneasy she felt.

“Listen.” He said, holding her hand. “Whatever you decide to do, I’ve got your back. Even if you decide to burn her skin off.”

Sophia stared at Caleb in horror.

“Tell me you don’t mean that!” Her eyes were wide.

“I do mean it, actually. Anyone who hurts my best friend hurts me, and if my best friend chooses to mess with them back, it’s my job to support and ensure it’s done well!” Caleb grinned.

Sophia blinked multiple times.

Best friend. At least that part of it was settled now.