The song is Someone Like You by The Summer Set. Photo of Sophia on the side by CreativeSideOfLife. Facebook page on the External link :)

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Chapter 41 *U-turn*

~Sophia

“She hurt you?”

“Yes,” I murmur.

I’m about to finish my story to Driana but she interrupts me- for the first time –when I tell her about the part where Cassidy grabbed my arm.

“Why didn’t you fight back?” demands Driana, staring intently at my bruised arm.

I look at her oddly and then glance around me because we're surrounded with students in the crowded cafeteria. They might hear her and then she'll get in trouble because of me.

She sighs. “I forgot- you’re not going to hurt someone even they hurt you.”

I think of Draky, Andre, and my plan. “It’s not that—“

“Sophia,” she interjects, rolling her eyes. “I should have been there. I so want to slap her face. I want to kick her butt too!”

“Of course you do,” I reply, grinning. In my mind, I can see Driana slapping Cassidy’s face repeatedly. It’s not even hard to imagine.

“She’s not even pretty,” she continues. “She’s just a spoiled brat who hides behind her squad.”

“I know,” I mutter, taking a bite of my sandwich.

“Aren’t you allergic to mayonnaise?” she asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

“What?” I ask, surprised at the sudden change of our conversation.

“You’re allergic, right?”

“Yes.” I look down at my sandwich and my eyes widen when they see the mayo sticking on the bread.

Shoot! How can I be oblivious to not notice, or even taste the mayonnaise?

“Are you okay?” Driana asks worriedly.

“I’m fine,” I tell her.

“You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Just thinking about the after effect of eating mayo makes me sick. The last time I accidentally ate mayonnaise was when I was thirteen. I didn’t stop vomiting until all the food I ate that day went out of my system. A shudder runs through my body as I realize that that scene will happen again.

Oh no.

It’s my fault for being careless.

Disgust, I put the sandwich away from me and gulp as much water my body can hold. I glance up and see Driana with a concerned look on her face.

“Really, I’m okay,” I lie. No need for her to be worried.

“You can go to the clinic—"

“I’d rather go to class and learn,” I interrupt. Like hospitals, I don’t like clinics. Just thinking about being there makes me sick.

Driana sighs. “You’re so stubborn.”

That just put a smile on my face.

-----

When I go to the school parking lot, I easily spot Draky who is leaning on the hood of his car; arms cross over his chest. He looks like a bad angel that descends from heaven. I find myself fixated on him, staring at him in a distance. His dark hair shines more because of the rays of the sun. He has a faraway gaze; it looks like he’s thinking about something important. With Draky, it’s hard to know.

Because of not looking where I’m going, I accidentally trip into a rock. I almost slide on the ground! Fortunately, I gain my balance. Looking up, I see Draky with an amused expression on his face.

“That’s what you get when you stare at me,” he says, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m not staring!” I deny, even though my face surely gives me away. This stupid blush is getting on my nerves!

He tilts his head to the side and says, “Really? I thought I saw you looking at my face, like studying every inch of me.”

“I’m not!”

He laughs, clearly enjoying what he's doing.

“Fine! If you continue to tease me, I’m just going to ride a bus,” I say, and start to turn away.

“Wait!” He runs to where I am, and in a second, he’s blocking my way.

“What?” I ask, scowling at him. Do I have to remind him that his plan is to make me fall in love with him? Why is he doing this then?!

“I was just kidding,” he says, controlling his smile. “But I really thought—“

“What?” I scold. “You thought?”

“Maybe my vision is not good after all,” he says, grinning. “I didn’t see you staring at me.”

A smile appears on my face as I say, “Maybe you have to go to the optometrist and have your eyes check.”

“That’s a good idea,” he says.

Well, it’s good to know who has the upper hand.

To my surprise, he grabs my hands and plants a kiss on them. I stare at him, eyes wide with shock. He’s so spontaneous, it’s hard to guess what his next moves are. One second he’s teasing me, and the next he’s being romantic.

“What are you doing?” I whisper, too shock to take my hands away from him.

There are some students getting in their cars while others are walking around. Now they watch us with curious eyes. If they doubt that Draky and I are dating, they are sure now. I have a feeling it will be on the news tomorrow. School news, I mean.

He smiles slyly and says, “You forgot?”

“Forgot what?”

He squeezes my hands and says, “That I think I’m falling in love with you.”

My heart skips a beat. I want to scream at it not to do anything stupid because Draky is just lying. My heart and my brain are arguing and it makes my mind fuzzy, it’s hard to think straight.

“You can’t fall in love in just a couple of days knowing a person,” I say tiredly.

He tucks a loose hair behind my ear and says, “What about Romeo and Juliet? They fell in love at first sight.”

“But they are fictional characters,” I argue. The famous star-crossed lovers. William Shakespeare wrote their love story.

“Aren’t we?” he asks bemusedly.

“We’re people,” I say obviously, rolling my eyes.

“My point is, we can’t just stop our feelings, no matter how hard we try,” he says with a sigh. “Believe me, I tried. However, the more I bury it, the more it blooms. Remember what we told in front of the class- what our topic was?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond, he says, “We can’t help who we fall in love with. It’s even surprising when you find out that everything you want is not going according to plan. Love comes in least expected places and situations.”

Why is he proclaiming his love for me now? What day is it anyway? Oh yeah, the fourteenth day. What’s the rush? Does he want to be free off the bet? Why not stop it then? I forgot. He doesn’t want to back out. No doubt, he’ll continue this until the end.

“Pie?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry,” he says, letting go of my hands.

“For what?” My hands fall limply at my side.

“For telling you this. I shouldn’t rush you. I’m sorry.”

You have a lot of things to be sorry about, I think. Instead, I just say, “That’s okay.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s go? Your mom is probably waiting for you.”

When we’re both in his car, he starts the engine and off we go. I roll my windows even though it’s starting to rain. I need fresh air, especially now that I feel suffocated. We’re both silent, contemplating with our own thoughts. The only time he speaks is when he asks if I want to listen to music. I shake my head and he stops asking questions. My mind is swirling with information I can’t organize.

After a few minutes, he says, “You talked to Cassidy earlier?”

“Why are you asking?”

He shrugs.

“How did you even know?” I can’t remember him standing near the crime scene. My eyes involuntarily glance at my arm. It has a yellowy bruise. I hope it won’t leave a scar to make me remember of that unfortunate scene.

“Someone told me,” he answers. Gossip travels fast in a high school hall. “What did you talk about?”

“Why would I tell you?” I ask wryly.

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” he asks, mimicking the tone of my voice.

“It’s not your business.” I don’t know why, but I don’t want Draky to be involved in my problem with Cassidy. If he finds out, I don’t want to be the one to tell him. I’m not a tattletale.

“Please?” he pleads.

“Nope.”

“Please?” He looks at me under his eyelashes, using his charm on me.

I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. “If you want to know, ask Cassidy. You’re friends, right?”

He rolls his eyes and says, “I want it to come from you. If not, I’d rather not know.”

“You know though that it will be the talk of students tomorrow,” I state.

“Yes. But I’m sure they will alter some of it.”

“High school,” I say with a shrug.

Before I know it, he’s parking his car on our driveway. And that’s when I remember I have to play my role, so I ask him, “Do you want to come inside?”

He looks surprised at my offer. “Sure.”

We walk side by side on the path leading to the house. It feels like the last time I came here, but I know I won’t be alone. I decide not to use my key; instead, I push the doorbell. After a few minutes, my mom opens the door.

“Hi Mom,” I say, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Is dad home?”

“No, he’s at the office,” she replies. “But he’ll be on time for dinner.” She glances at Draky, a knowing smile forming on her lips.

“He wanted to say Hi,” I explain, “And he offered to give me a ride.”

“Hello Drake," my Mom says.

“Hi Mrs. Taylor,” Draky says politely.

"It’s so nice of you to take care of my daughter.”

“I’d like to make sure she gets home safe,” he replies.

“How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you.”

“Sophia is tutoring you, right?” asks my mom.

“Yes, Mrs. Taylor,” he says. “Sophia is doing a great job. I wonder where she gets that- being smart.”

Mom laughs, clearly touched by Draky’s words.

Wait. Is he trying to become close to my mom? I narrow my eyes at him, but he's purposely not looking at me.

“Don’t call me Mrs. Taylor,” says my mom, “You can call me Auntie. Besides, you’re Sophia’s friend.” She said the word friend as if there’s something more!

Draky smirks, and then looks hesitantly outside. “I’m sorry, but I think I have to go now.”

Mom frowns. “Are you busy?”

“No, not really,” Draky replies, “I’ll just—“

“Join us for dinner then.”

My eyes nearly bulge from their socket. What is my mom thinking? How can I talk to my parents if Draky is here as well?

“Sure,” he agrees, oblivious to my expression.

A sigh comes out of my lips in that instant.

“What?” My mom asks.

“Nothing,” I mutter. “I’m going to change.”

“Okay,” she replies. Then she guides Draky to our living room.

I have a feeling they’ll have a chat. About me, no doubt. I don’t know why mom wants Draky here when in the first place, we’re going to talk.

In the bathroom, I strip down my clothes and splashes water to my face. When I don’t feel contented, I decide to take a shower. The cold water refreshes my mind, clearing it with haunting and disturbing thoughts.

After drying my body in a towel, I put a bathrobe and head to my room. Opening my closet, I grab a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I don’t plan to go downstairs and be with Draky while my mom ask him questions so I decide to just stay here in my room. Unfortunately, I don’t know what to do with my spare time, while waiting for dinner to be served.

My getaway bag is sitting at the edge of my bed. I have no clothes left at Andre’s house. The thought makes me sad. A lot of things happened in that house that I won’t forget for the rest of my life.

I get City of Glass  from the shelf and start to read at a random page. I can’t focus because the scenes from yesterday invades my mind. Why not analyze what happened then, and distinguish what’s real from pretend?

I start from the time when we were in the clearing; the enchanted lights and the fairytale-like place.

Pie, I think I’m falling in love with you.

As if I believe him. If I don’t know about the bet, I’ll probably be jumping up and down, celebrating the fact that my old crush is in love with me. But I do know. And that is a problem -for his part. Unfortunately for him, making Sophia Taylor fall in love is not as easy as he thought.

A shiver runs my body when I remember the time our lips met. The feeling of his arms around me. The taste of his lips.

Ugh, we kissed. I’m stupid for making it possible.

I have to admit, he got me there. Why did I rise to his bait? I was not thinking then. And of course, I told myself that I would forget about the bet, even for a day.

My heart leaps in my throat when someone knocks at the door. Its a few seconds before I say, “Come in.”

When the door opens, I find Draky standing outside, hands in his pockets. “Your mom told me to go here,” he says, “because she’ll cook in the kitchen. And she can’t concentrate if I stand beside her.”

So typical of my mom to do something like this. And so cocky of Draky to say something like that. “Come in then.” I’m not rude to let him wait in the hall.

“Nice room,” he says, looking around.

“Thank you,” I say. “Have a seat.” I nod at the little couch on the far side of the wall.

He takes a seat and then just stares at me.

“What?” I ask.

He smiles. “I’m just happy because as days go by, I’m learning new things about you.”

“Oh.” He really knows how to make me speechless.

“I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Its’ fine,” I assure him.

He’s so quiet, not like his usual self, so I ask him, “Do you want me to tutor you?”

“Sure,” he says, “it’s the perfect time to study.”

I know he’s being sarcastic but I ignore it. Getting my school bag, I take a seat across from him. Then we arrange his things and begin to study. I teach him tricks to make Calculus easy for him. He’s easily bored with History, but I can see him trying to appreciate the important scenes from the past.

We study for about an hour when mom knocks at my door. “Dinner’s ready,” she says.

“We’re coming,” I reply.

I help Draky organize his things in his bag. When we walk out of my room, I’m surprised to see my mom standing in the hallway. It looks like she’s spying on us, but I don’t want to say it aloud.

“Nice necklace,” my mom compliments.

“Thank you,” I murmur. I don’t remember putting it back after I showered. Please don’t ask. Please don’t—

“Who gave it to you?”

Shoot!

Before I can stop myself, I glance at Draky hesitantly. He raises his eyebrows slightly, waiting for me to utter his name.

Heaving a sigh, I say, “Drake gave it to me yesterday.”

Mom’s lips twitches upward. I’m sure she guessed right. “That looks expensive for a birthday present.”

“Well. . .”

“Sophia’s birthday only comes once a year,” Draky says. “And it’s not expensive.”

He’s just being humble, not wanting to admit that it really is expensive. All Tiffany Jewelry have gold price! I shouldn’t have accepted this.

Mom smirks. I hate it when she does that. It’s as if she knows everything! “Let’s go downstairs,” she says, “It’s bad to make the food wait.”

I can already smell mom’s steak even though we’re still upstairs. In the dining room, I see my dad sitting at his usual chair. He smiles as he sees me and nods at Draky’s direction.

We start to eat in silence, while I wait for the opportunity to ask my parents about their vacation.

“This is great,” Draky says suddenly.

My mom beams, and that’s the start of their conversation. They talk about things, like what are their interest, and whatnot. Soon after, my dad joins in. Asking Draky what’s his plans for future are, where he will study in college. Many things. I tune most of the time and just focus in eating my food. Draky is right. Mom’s steak is great. It even has mashed potatoes that go with it.

I don’t know if I should feel shy because I have a guy friend sitting with us in the dining table but it’s just normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe because Draky is easy to like, and well. . . I have to admit, he’s not that bad. Truth be told, the only thing I don’t like about him is the bet.

When the conversation begins to ebbs, I decide that this is my chance.

“Mom,” I begin.

“Yes?” she says.

Taking a deep breath, I say, “Why did you leave me in Aunt Veronica’s house? Where did you go?”

My parents are both silent. They just stare at me with concerned expression on their faces. I wait for them to be ready to speak while I swallow the steak I’m eating. I don’t even remember chewing it. I just take a bite and swallow.

Out of nowhere, my mom says, “Your dad was sick.”

What?

“S-sick?” I stutter. “What do you mean sick?”

“Remember what happened to Matt?” she whispers.

Of course, I remember. You just can’t forget something like that. “Matt had internal brain damage,” I say numbly. I don’t have an idea where this conversation is headed. I’m asking why they went away, I didn’t ask for the past to come back.

In the corner of my eye, I can see Draky feeling uncomfortable. I know he’s waiting for the perfect time to excuse himself.

Suddenly, I feel something burning inside my stomach, and it wants to come up. My eyelids are drooping. I can hear my mom asking if I’m alright but I don’t want to open my mouth because I’m sure something awful will come out.

Hands clamp in my mouth, I run as fast as I can to the bathroom down the hall. Just as I crouch down the toilet, my dinner comes out of my mouth. I feel sick. Stupid mayonnaise, I think bitterly.

To my horror, the bathroom door opens, and Draky comes in, a worried expression on his face.

“Get out,” I try to say, but only an awful sound comes from my mouth. “Get out,” I say again, and this time I must be clearer because he walks to where I am.

He ignores my weak attempt at making him leave; instead, he kneels down beside me and keeps my hair out of my face.

When I’m certain nothing will follow, I try to stand up with Draky’s help. My knees are shaking, so I lean to him for support. I rinse my mouth in the sink until I can’t taste anything.

When we come back in the dining room, my parents look perplexed.

What now? I didn’t do something wrong!

“Are you pregnant?” asks my dad sternly. The question is obviously directed at me, but he’s glaring at Draky.

If looks could kill.