Chapter 16 Sophia
Sophia
Isat with Emma on her twin bed in her parents' house. Moonlight trickled through the thin curtains, casting veiny shadows across us. Her wide eyes stared at me in disbelief as I told her everything.
"I can't believe it," Emma whispered, looking more pale than usual. Her gaze darted to the window, as if expecting to see Gabriel standing there.
The knot in my stomach tightened. The small beach town I grew up in felt dangerous and foreign for the first time I could remember. Her room was the only place that grounded me now, but I couldn't stay here forever.
"I know you said it wasn't an option, but I think you have to tell the police," Emma said, her blue eyes holding an insistence that made me feel hopeful for a moment, as if telling them would solve everything.
"I can't," I replied, running my hands down my arms as if I could physically wipe away the fear clinging to me.
We sat in silence for a while, listening to the crickets outside. Emma's vanilla-scented candle burned away in the corner, casting flickering shadows that danced on the wall.
I curled up under a blanket and laid down. “It was all too good to be true. I knew something bad would happen. I'm such an idiot.”
Emma looked over at me, her blond hair catching the silvery moonlight. "Don't say that, Sophia. You're not an idiot." She reached over and gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, her fingers warm against my skin.
“I just...I don’t know what to do, Emma,” I admitted, tears welling up in my eyes. "I feel stuck."
"We have options," she replied, her voice steady and reassuring as always. "We just have to figure out what they are and take it one step at a time."
The candle crackled in the corner, drawing from the last of its wax. “I feel so trapped, like I can't even leave this room.”
Emma smirked, then stood up and went to her closet, rustling through clothes on hangers. I sat up and pulled the covers over my shoulders. “What are you doing?” She didn’t respond. “Emma?” She returned from the closet with two revealing dresses and tossed one to me.
“You are finally going to the club with me!”
I blinked at her, my brain struggling to process her words. "The club? You’re joking, right?" I shook my head, wiping a tear with one hand, clutching the slinky red dress she'd thrown at me with the other. "Emma, this is the absolute worst time to go out. I can't."
As if she didn't hear me, she wore a determined look as she stood in front of her mirror, pulling her messy bun down and letting her wavy hair fall freely over her shoulders. The reflection showed a confident woman with fire in her eyes, even though she only wore a set of flannel pajamas.
"You're not going to sit in here and mope, Sophia.
This is the best time to go. You need to feel safe, free, and alive.
" She picked up a brush and began raking it through her hair.
"The world is not ending. You are not trapped in this room.
You have options. And right now, one of those options is to get dressed up, slap on some lipstick, drink, and dance with strangers.
You need the distraction, now more than ever. "
"But what if..." I paused, shaking my head. “Never mind.”
“What if what?” she asked.
“It’s stupid, but what if Gabriel is there?”
Emma laughed. “He won't be there. He is probably at his house thinking of a silly way to try to win you over. If he didn’t care about you at all, then yeah, he would do something like go to the club.”
“But I care about him and we're talking about going to one.”
“We aren’t talking about going; we are going. And besides, it's different. Guys only go to try to hook up with women. We are going together to let loose and have fun."
“I’m too tired. I can barely keep my eyes open anyway. Why don’t we just watch a movie on your laptop and fall asleep? Doesn’t that sound so much more relaxing?”
She smiled at me in the reflection then set her brush down. “We can do that when we get back. I’m going to get something to wake us up. When I get back, I want to see that dress on you.”
I hesitated, the dress still clutched tightly in my hand.
It felt wrong and yet... also somehow right.
Emma closed the door behind her with the handle turned so it wouldn’t make a sound.
Sitting alone in the darkness, I held up the silky red dress by its thin straps.
The amount of cleavage this would show is more than I'd ever willingly reveal in public.
I sighed – Emma always did have a way of pushing me beyond my comfort zone.
But maybe that was what I needed. Maybe I needed to take down my walls before they closed me off from the world for good.
I got out of bed and made my way to her floor-length mirror.
As I let my robe slide off, I faced my reflection.
Illuminated by the flickering light of the candle, warm light danced across my exposed skin, highlighting my body in its gentle glow.
I let my hair loose from its bun like Emma had and slipped on the dress.
The fabric fell smooth against my skin, hugging me in places none of my other dresses could.
It was short, scandalous by my standards, but it amplified the length of my legs and the curve of my hips.
Against my better judgment, I found myself smiling at my reflection.
The woman staring back at me was bold, daring, and ready to face whatever life hurled at her.
Just as silently as she left, Emma returned. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of me.
"Sophia," she gasped, setting down two energy drinks on her dresser. "You look... hot."
I couldn’t help but smile at her comment before grabbing one of the cans. “Wait,” she said just before I moved to crack it open. She took the drink from me, bunched up her blankets over her hands and the can, and then opened it. The sound was muffled, nearly silent.
“I completely forgot about that trick,” I said. The last time we used this method to open cans in the middle of the night must have been years ago, but back then we were sneaking her dads gross beer.
Emma silently cracked hers open and we shared a knowing glance as we drank together.
I helped her zip up her black, sparkly dress. “I’m kind of scared, but also excited, I think. I’m not sure about this, but like you said, I have to at least try to live, I guess." I held up my jittery hand. “I feel alive right now.”
Emma flashed me a warm, genuine smile, nodding quickly, almost wildly with wide eyes, clearly feeling the effects of the overly caffeinated drink too.
"That's the spirit. Scared is good. It means you're pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.
Scared means change, and believe me, Sophia, you need this change.
" She tilted her head back and finished her drink, her eyes never leaving mine.
As we were preparing ourselves for a night we'd surely remember – or not remember – I couldn't help but think about how far we've come. How things had changed over the years. And how after all this time we were still friends, still together.
“I want to finish your makeup,” Emma said, getting to work, not waiting for my response.
I blinked my eyes open, Memories, fears and thoughts fading to the background as I stared my reflection.
Emma's skilled hand had given me a smoky eye and a pink blush to my cheekbones.
The part of me that was reluctant to go was smothered by this new, bolder Sophia.
Emma handed me a deep red lipstick that matched my dress.
I hesitated for a second before applying the vibrant color to my lips.
We looked in the mirror together, and two confident women stared back, ready to conquer whatever the night had in store.
It was just me and Emma, ready to experience the world.
The half hour drive to the city seemed to pass in an instant, before I knew it, we slipped past the velvet ropes at the clubs entrance and pushed our way through the drunken masses.
The beat of the music was intoxicating, but too loud.
Emma reached back and took my hand before pressing on towards a private area where a bottle service was set up.
The dim lighting and plush seating felt inviting against my red dress.
Before even sitting down, Emma poured us each a glass of champagne, holding hers up for a toast.
"To new beginnings," she announced, her voice barely audible over the music. “And, um, change.” She added.
I clinked my glass against hers and took a sip.
The bubbles burst in my mouth as I swallowed, leaving behind a sweet, ironic aftertaste.
After tonight, everything would go back to how it was before I met Gabriel.
I would have to move back in with Henry and find another job or two, but it had to be done.
Two blond guys with a cocky air of confidence wasted no time approaching us, their eyes twinkling with interest. One of them leaned towards Emma, placing his hand on top of the table in front of her. "Mind if we join you two lovely ladies?"
Emma shot me a sideways glance before turning back to the men, her flirtatious smile firmly in place. "Well, we wouldn't want to drink all this champagne by ourselves, would we?" she said, batting her long lashes at them.
The guys didn't need any further invitation. They slid into the booth beside us, the one closest to Emma draping his arm comfortably around her shoulders. I smiled politely at the one who sat next to me but kept a careful distance between us.
He offered me his hand with a wide grin full of naive charm as he introduced himself as Connor.
The other reached across the table and said his name was Dan.
I took his hand cautiously, introducing myself in return.
His grip was reserved but firm. There was something about him that struck a familiar chord within me.
In the corner of my eye, I saw him scan the club in quick flashes, but when I looked directly at him, he seemed oblivious to his surroundings.
Why did everything, even a stranger's mannerisms, have to remind me of Gabriel?
"So, Sophia," Connor began, leaning in closer to my ear so I could hear him above the pulsating music. "What have you been up to lately?"
I paused for a brief moment before answering him truthfully – although not completely. “Not too much, just trying to make the most of life.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I feel that.” He said before taking a small sip of champagne. “What about you?” I asked. He smiled with narrowed eyes. “Well, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but recently I discovered I'm a psychic.”
I laughed. “Oh really?”
He put up his hands defensively. “It’s true, I swear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, prove it.”
“Well, I knew your name was Sophia before I even sat down.”
I stared blankly for a few moments, then said, “Wow, you really are psychic!”
He held up a finger to his head with his eyes closed. “I sense you aren't convinced.”
This got another laugh out of me, and he opened his eyes. “You are an artist.” He said.
I nodded, surprised. “Good guess, that's true.”
He leaned in, looking more serious, cupped his hand around my ear and said, “It wasn’t a guess.”
“What are you two talking about?” Emma and the other blond looked over. His hand was on her thigh as she clutched his bicep. Dan finished the rest of his glass and spoke before me. “My friend Connor is psychic. No doubt he's blown Sophia's mind by now.” I looked at Emma and rolled my eyes.
“He guessed I was an artist.” Emma's face lit up with excitement. “Do me!” she said.
A wicked smile curved on Connor's face as he looked at Dan, then he leaned back in his seat. “I need to let my abilities recharge, but you two should try. “Guess what my job is.”
Emma giggled and put a finger to her head and closed her eyes, mimicking him.
“You too, Sophia. Let's see how smart you are.” He said. Reluctantly, I closed my eyes and pressed my finger to my head, almost mockingly, but stupidly, I actually tried to feel for an answer. We both opened our eyes and Emma said, “You work at a fast-food restaurant,” then burst out laughing.
“No,” he said, unamused. “What about you, Sophia? What's your answer?”
I just guessed the most likely thing. “You are a businessman.”
He set his empty glass down and leaned forward, clapping slowly. ”Imagine that. You're psychic too.” He rubbed his chin, looking at me quizzically. “Who knows, maybe by the end of the night, you will be back at my place telling me everything you know.”
There was that serious shift again.
“I don't know about that,” I said just as Dan spoke.
“Alright, ladies, finish your drinks and let's go dance.” Emma cheered, drank, then set down her half-finished glass. Unlike her, I could use all the confidence I could get. I downed my drink and followed them to the dance floor. I didn’t know exactly how to dance with another person, but a quick look around revealed no one else here did either.
Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm as I followed Connor to the dance floor.
It was as if I were floating after him, like I was surrounded by water. Calm, soothing water.