Hi all,
Twist! Flashback chapter this week (and maybe next and next? who knows; I have very limited foresight).
Last week's episode was heavy on the exposition; I had planned on turning it into a longer set of chapters, but ultimately decided I wanted to get ahead of and jump start some plot threads for a short bit. I'm working on both timelines simultaneously and have no idea if next week is a flashback or main chapter, so... be ready for anything. In the meantime, hopefully this bit appeases the masses with some good ole quality Kate and Sophie time.
As always, a very genuine thank you and never-ending appreciation for your comments. They tickle me pink.
Cheers,
EQT.95
"I don't see you."
"I'm at the southwest corner," Sophie repeated in exasperation.
"Are you sure?" Kate challenged again, questioning Sophie's ability to navigate the city streets.
"I think I know wh-"
"Ah, I see you. Be right there."
Kate spotted Sophie standing on the corner and felt an anxious excitement fill her. They'd gone over two months of summer break without seeing each other, and Kate was eager to see her. There summer plans couldn't have been more different: Kate's break was filled with travel with her dad before that transitioned over to a trip to Greece for two weeks. She'd returned to Gotham for the first time since summer started only a week earlier. For Sophie, her break was two part time jobs and a family trip to upstate New York for a week. Even with regular emails being passed back and forth over the weeks, it had been a long stay from each other.
The visit would be a short one: just over twenty-four hours. That was reduced when Sophie's train had been nearly two hours late due to track problems, and Kate had spent that time pacing with nervous anticipation at seeing Sophie. Kate had wanted Sophie to stay longer, but with the waning weeks of summer came Sophie's anxiety about money. She was due on campus two weeks before term started to assist with the incoming first years; it was a longstanding tradition that Point Rock's scholars take on leadership roles by their second year. For Sophie that meant two weeks of work and pay she'd be missing out on. Kate made the mistake of dismissing Sophie's concerns about money a few days earlier when they were on the phone, and she'd spent the days leading up to the visit apologizing for it.
"So how long should I stay away?"
"What?"
"Three days? A week? Two weeks?" Mary rattled off. She stared at Kate who was clearly not understanding. "Sophie's coming to visit, right?"
"Yes…"
"And I assume you'll want some alone time, so how long is it?"
"Just the one night."
"But I thought-?"
"Yea, she decided to make it a day trip," Kate replied dismissively.
"But you two haven't seen each other all summer…"
"I know."
"And you're still together?"
"Yes," Kate replied, her voice strained with a growing annoyance.
"And she only wants to see you for a day?"
"Technically she's coming for the interview."
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"So this isn't exclusively social?"
"I… well, no, not - not exactly."
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"Just - nothing. That's…" Mary hesitated. "It's nice she's - that, you know. It's nice you'll be able to see her."
The conversation with Mary from two days earlier had left a doubt nagging in the back of Kate's mind. She worried spending so long apart might have been a bad move, and now their one chance to see each other was umbrellaed under some other preexisting commitment.
Wayne Tech offered internships, and Sophie was shortlisted for the following summer. It was wildly competitive and the interviewing process lasted an entire year. She had submitted her application at the end of Spring term and received notice of passing into the first round of interviews in early June. That interview involved a phone call with two members from Wayne Tech. After breezing through that she was now on to phase two: an in-person meeting to determine if she was viable for continued consideration. If approved, Sophie's academic performance for the following year would undergo a round of scrutiny before any formal offers were made. Fortunately, she was set to interview with Bruce himself.
"So you're fucking her," Bruce said without looking up from his desk.
"What? N-no, I didn't - Bruce, I'm not-"
"The only time you've ever asked me for anything was-"
"My eighteenth birthday doesn't count."
"I was going to say that and when it involves one of your little flings."
"This is different. Sophie is the most qualified person you will interview."
"Then your endorsement shouldn't matter."
"It doesn't. I just…" Kate began, trying to find the words to explain.
Bruce looked up and opened his mouth to retort and instead watched Kate struggle to formulate a sentence. He smirked in amusement at her speechlessness. For as long as he could remember, Kate had an explanation for anything and everything. Now she stood in his office without one.
"Last name?"
"Moore," Kate answered quickly. "Sophie Moore."
"I'll take a look," he said. He then waved his hand dismissively. "Now get out of here. I have work, and I'm sure you have something to indulge in."
"Thanks, Bruce."
"And I better see you Thursday. Alfred is making his famous blue box."
"Are you sure you don't want to drop off your stuff first?"
"And just miss the interview entirely? No, Kate," Sophie said, her voice strained with impatience. She spent the entire two hour delay going through waves of anxiety. At one point she considered getting off at the next station and taking a taxi, but then the train stalled between stations for an hour, and Sophie was left silently counting down the seconds until her chance at a Wayne Tech internship went down the drain.
"Sophie, it's literally a five minute detour-"
"Kate, please don't. I just want to get there," she said, scanning the street signs.
"Ok, ok," Kate surrendered. "At least let me help you with this," she said, trying to grab Sophie's bag.
"It's fine. I've got it."
Vvvv
"How'd it go?" Kate asked when she saw Sophie exit the elevator into the main lobby. She hesitated, realizing Sophie's face was no less strained than before the interview.
"What did you say to him?" Sophie accused.
"What? Soph, I didn't-"
"Don't 'Soph' me. What did you say?"
When Kate didn't immediately respond Sophie jumped in again.
"I told you not to do this."
"Do what? Soph, I just told him I thought you were the most qualified pers-"
"That. That's exactly what I mean. How many times have we had this conversation? You offered weeks ago, and I asked you not to say anything."
"Soph-"
"And then again last week-"
"I was just trying to-"
"But you still did it. You just had to meddle," Sophie said, her frustration mounting.
"I… look, I'm sorry. I just thought… Soph, you're literally the most hardworking person I know. You deserve this. And it wasn't a big deal; this kind of thing… it-it happens all the time."
"I get that that's your world Kate, but it's not how I do things," Sophie replied, grabbing her bag at Kate's feet and turning to walk out.
"Hey, wait, Sophie-"
"Candy Kane!" came a voice cutting through the lobby. Both Kate and Sophie paused at the excited voice, and Sophie watched Kate let out an exasperated sigh before forcing a smile on her face.
"Tommy, hey man."
"What a delight. I was just thinking about how I haven't seen you in nearly a year, and here you are. It's like that book… the one where - oh, Kate, what is it. About the boy? He's a goat herder or something and has a dream and goes to the Pyramids-"
"The Alchemist?" Sophie offered, her face less subtle than Kate's about her annoyance at this stranger's sudden appearance.
"Yes! Things appeared because they were meant to be," Tommy interjected.
"I… I don't really think that's what it's about," Sophie remarked, her brow furrowed in skepticism.
"Well, I skimmed it," Tommy said dismissively. "The point is, fate has brought us together. And sorry, you are?" he asked Sophie although his attention was already distracted by his phone.
"This is Sophie," Kate introduced. "Soph, this is Tommy Elliot. He's a friend of Bruce's."
"And a friend of Kate Kane," Tommy added, looking up from his phone. "It's Sophie, right?" he asked as though Kate hadn't just said it.
"Er… right," Sophie replied cautiously.
"And how do you two…?"
"School," Kate answered quickly. "We go to school together."
"And is that all you do together?" Tommy said with a knowing grin.
"Mr. Elliot?" came a voice from behind Kate and Sophie. "Mr. Wayne has requested you stop wasting his time by stalling with Ms. Kane and Ms. Moore."
Tommy gave off a wide grin of mock amusement to the suited man. "Well, KK, your cousin calls - can't have him holding his breath for too long. We should grab lunch," he said as his hand found the top of Kate's head, giving her short hair a tossle.
"Uh, sure, yea," Kate replied, the relief at Bruce's interruption evident on her face. Tommy turned to leave before freezing mid-step and turning back, a smile plastered between his cheeks.
"Actually, if you're not too busy tonight, Blake is having a little gathering… All the usuals will be there."
"Maybe another time," Kate reasoned. "Sophie's only in town for the night so-"
"Even better! Bring her along - show her around. It'll be just like old times," he grinned, backing away toward the lifts.
"Yea, I don't think-"
"Sophie, how about it?"
Sophie glanced between the uncomfortable look settling on Kate's face and the eager one on Tommy's.
"I'll put your names down. I expect you two there!"
"We don't have to stay long. Mostly the view is spectacular; we can do a quick in and out and then back to dad's apartment."
The afternoon flew by, and Kate was already feeling the dread of the day ending and knowing Sophie would be leaving the next morning. After another terse exchange outside Wayne Tower, Kate managed to dissuade Sophie's frustrations with her meddling; at least, she hoped that's what had happened. There was a nagging doubt that this wasn't the last time they'd discuss it, but Kate didn't want to dwell on that when time together was so limited.
After a quick trip to her dad's apartment to drop off Sophie's bag, they spent the afternoon hopping from one place to another, barely taking a minute for each other. Kate saw this last stop as the final step before having the rest of the night alone with Sophie, and she was eager to expedite it.
"It's- it's fine," Sophie replied, although she had a growing feeling of being an outsider as she glanced around. It was not like anything she had ever seen before. Everyone was dressed in clothes she could only assume were at least ten times more expensive than her own, there were paintings on the walls and sculptures all around that Sophie guessed were more expensive than her parents house, and the live DJ and open bar felt far more elaborate than just 'a little gathering'.
"So d-do you come to a lot of these?"
"Not… well, not anymore. I, uh, yea, I used to. Evan Blake, the guy hosting this - he's an acquaintance from school."
"Acquaintance? Don't let Evan hear you say that. The boy might cry from rejection," came a voice to Sophie's left.
"Hi Molly," Kate said with a smile of relief. "Uh, Molly, this is Sophie. Soph, this is Kara. Kara and I are-"
"If you say 'acquaintances'…"
Kate laughed lightly. "Soph, Molly and I went to school together. I didn't realize you were back. How was Paris?"
Sophie listened to the small talk between the two. Molly shared a story about a pastry shop she and Kate both knew before Kate talked about her wanderings in Greece. Sophie felt a pang of jealousy as she realized there was nothing for her to contribute: working at a sandwich shop at minimum wage didn't carry the same luster as the white sanded beaches of Corfu.
"So I take it you haven't said 'hi' to Evan yet?"
"No, I should probably get that out of the way. We aren't staying long - just wanted to show Soph the view."
"He'll die with excitement when he sees you."
"Soph, you wanna come meet the devil?"
"Uh…"
"She can stay with me," Molly chimed in. "No need to get him all worked up with fresh blood."
"Oh… sure. Soph?" Kate asked. She scrutinized Sophie's face for a sign. It took all of four minutes for Kate to regret letting Sophie talk her into coming: this wasn't Sophie's world, and it was naive of Kate to think it'd be fine.
"I'll stay."
"Ok. I'll be quick, I promise-"
"Oh calm down, Kane, I won't eat her," Molly teased. Sophie broke into a smile which relieved Kate as she glanced around and found Evan.
"Five minutes," she promised in Sophie's ear before giving her cheek a small kiss.
"You two are cute together," Molly observed once Kate was out of earshot. "How'd you meet?"
"Oh, um, school - we met at school."
"The military school, right? Honestly I'm surprised she's still there."
"Really?" Sophie asked in surprise. "She's actually one of the top of the class."
"Oh, no, I didn't mean she wasn't smart enough for it-"
"Who isn't smart enough?" came a voice from behind Sophie.
"Kate. And I wasn't saying she isn't smart, Rachel. I was saying she isn't not smart… or… whatever. She's smart."
"But impulsive," Rachel added.
"Exactly. She decides something and then-"
"That's it," Rachel finished.
Sophie nodded in agreement, a simmering annoyance from the afternoon being rekindled. After knowing Kate for nearly a year, she was very familiar with this trait.
"I'm Rachel," Rachel said lightly in introduction, and Sophie realized it was her way of asking Sophie's name.
"I'm Sophie. Uhm, so, how do you two know Kate?" Sophie asked, trying to make conversation.
Molly chuckled as she recalled a memory. "I met Kate… what, like, two years ago now? We were… what do you call 'friends with benefits' if you aren't really friends?"
"Fuck buddies?" Rachel offered with a smirk.
"Yes. That. We were that," Molly said, jumping at Rachel's suggestion. "We became friends after, obviously, but at first it was-"
"Yea, girl, I get it," Rachel interrupted. "Kate has a way about her."
"A way? What do you mean?" Sophie asked, thrown by the honesty of Molly and Rachel's history with Kate.
"The sex-"
"Amazing-"
"-just, all the time-"
"-but definitely don't expect anything more-"
"-cause that's how hearts break-"
"-but you get it," Molly said with a knowing wink.
"Uh, right…" Sophie said, feeling like a fish out of water around Molly and Rachel. Here stood two of Kate's exes, and it suddenly occurred to Sophie that she didn't actually know much of anything about Kate's former dating life. "So you two…. You both dated Kate?"
Rachel laughed. "No one ever really 'dates' Kate. You just accepted you were her…"
"Muse?" Molly offered.
"I was going to say 'passing squeeze', but I like muse. You'd have to be naive to think it was anything more than a fling. You can't get emotional with Kate; there's always an endgame for her."
"And that endgame is never you."
"Oh, but the hearts she's broken," Rachel remarked, feigning the swoon of a damsel in distress.
Sophie feigned a smile as a renewed wave of discomfort rose through her.
"I see you still have shit taste," Kate remarked.
"Say what you want, but that one right there fetches an easy $3 million."
"You're joking. I could do that."
"But you didn't," Evan smirked. "It's never really about having good taste. It's about having an eye for what others want," he continued, his eyes roaming the space. "Mmm, speaking of which: is that one yours?" Evan asked, his eyes honed on Sophie standing across the room.
"Is that one…? Will you grow up?" Kate shot back, her eyes narrowed at the remark.
"Well aren't we feisty tonight, Kane," Evan teased back before helping himself to a bottle of clear behind the bar.
"Not everything is a conquest."
"Perhaps not everything, but everyone?" he grinned before tossing back a shot. "You and I, we used to have fun. I remember you'd bring whatever side piece-"
"I think you mean 'girlfriend'," Kate shot back.
"I think we both know they weren't girlfriends, Kane. How many did you hit our senior year?"
"You're exaggerating."
"I don't think I am. I remember three in one month. I always wondered where you found them. There couldn't possibly be that many in Gotham, I thought - I could barely find that many straight ones. And yet every week or so, there you'd come with a new Donna or Karen or… is that Molly?"
Kate cringed as Evan rattled off the names, unable to come up with a half decent retort that wouldn't just extend his nagging.
"How long has this one been around?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on Sophie. She glanced over, catching Evan staring, and he offered up a flirtatious wave that caused her to glance away uncomfortably. "She looks fresh. I'd tap th-"
"Say one more word, Evan, and I swear-," Kate interrupted.
"Temper, temper," Evan tsked, taking pleasure in riling Kate up. "Is Kate Kane actually flushing? My god, this one actually means something to you. I should tell my assistant to record the day. And here I thought you were incapable of feeling after your mom and Beth."
Kate's eyes narrowed at the mention of them, and Evan raised his hands in surrender, knowing the wrath of Kate's temper from years of experience. They had grown up together, and Evan was one of the few 'friends' who knew Beth. As much as Kate hated to admit it, he knew her well, and that had both risks and benefits.
"I'm only making light. Now tell me, how is she in bed? She must be just swell if she's kept your attention for this long."
"You talk about sex too much," Kate replied, trying to deflect Evan's inquiries. She glanced around for an excuse to leave. "You see Tommy?"
"And you're deflecting…" Evan remarked, his eyes bright with mischief.
"I'm sorry about today," Kate offered for the second time that night. What was meant to last ten minutes turned into two hours of Kate being pulled from conversation to conversation. At one point she completely lost track of Sophie and found her on the rooftop with a half-finished drink in her hand. In all the time Kate had known Sophie, there was only one time she let herself get tipsy. What she found on the rooftop officially made it two times.
"It's fine," Sophie said distractedly. "Can I charge my phone?"
"Yea, just… any outlet is fine."
Kate eyed her curiously. She had said very little after they'd left, and Kate had a sinking feeling the entire day was to blame.
"Uhm, I'd ask if you want another drink but I'm guessing you've had en-"
"Sure," Sophie replied, her eyes now scanning the bookshelf behind the couch.
"Really? Are you…? Yea, I mean, ok," Kate said with some surprise. "Uhm, d-do you know what you want or…?"
Sophie didn't answer, her eyes wandering the array of titles leaving Kate to decide. She walked over to where Sophie was standing and offered her the glass.
In an instant Sophie knocked it back.
"Hey, Soph, take it easy," Kate balked slightly.
"What?"
"I… nothing, just," Kate began, "is - is everything all right? You've been-"
Before Kate could react, Sophie captured Kate's lips with hers. Kate froze in shock, taking a moment to remember what it was like to kiss Sophie Moore. It was a disorienting experience that always left her breathless and wanting more. Sophie pulled back with a surprising abruptness, leaving Kate's brain to catch up with the shock on her face, and a smile broke as a desire for more grew.
"Is that all I get?" She teased. They had spent nearly an entire day together, but now that they were finally alone, Kate was eager to take to make up for lost time. She watched Sophie walk over to the bar, her eyes tracing all the curves her hands had missed before the uncorking of a bottle pulled her eyes to Sophie's hands pouring another splash of liquor into her glass.
Kate paused in surprise, staring down at the untouched glass in her own hand. She set it down before walking toward Sophie who simultaneously tossed back the liquid in a single move.
"Soph, maybe you should-"
Before Kate could finish, Sophie turned and pushed her onto the couch.
"Is this what you want?"
Kate could barely contain her surprise as Sophie slipped her shirt off, letting it fall limply to her side before undoing her shorts, allowing them to slide down her legs. Kate gaped breathlessly as the soft lighting bounced off Sophie's exposed skin. Just as quickly, Sophie climbed on top of her, straddling her legs around Kate, pressing her mouth against her's. A soft moan of surprise escaped Kate's lips as she felt Sophie grind against her. Kate eagerly placed her hands on Sophie's waist getting lost in the feel of their bodies pressed so close after weeks apart. She slid her fingers over Sophie's soft skin with a burning desire. Sophie deepened the kiss, her tongue slipping between Kate's lips, and it took a delayed moment for Kate to realize Sophie's hands were trembling as they tracked along Kate's body.
It was enough to pull her from the fog of the moment. They were both nearly drunk - Sophie more than Kate. They were taking things slow. They weren't going to rush into it. This wasn't right.
"Soph… wait-" she said, breaking away from Sophie's lips. "I thought… I thought you were… we were - are you sure? This is - it's…"
"Isn't this what you're used to?"
"I… wha- what?" Kate gaped, registering Sophie's words with perplexion. "Why would… why would you say that?"
Sophie stared back at Kate, her cheeks red with embarrassment and her mind buzzing from the night's conversations. "Am I wrong?"
"Wh-yes, yea, I mean - what… I thought we talked about this. Where… Soph, where is this coming from?" Kate asked, her concern and discomfort evident.
"After you left I was talking with Molly, and, I guess you two… I didn't realize you had..."
"Soph-"
"And then Rachel joined…" Sophie said, trailing off to regain control of her voice.
"That… I'm… that was a different time," Kate whispered, dread filling her.
"Ten months ago isn't really a different time."
Kate felt a tightness in her throat and chest as she searched Sophie's eyes. A pang of terror struck her as she saw the hurt and confusion staring back. She felt her fingers tighten around Sophie's waist, suddenly afraid she might flee.
"Yes it was, Soph," Kate said, her voice shaking with worry. "Because that… they… none of that was-"
"But then Evan joined… and… and, he said that-"
"Sophie, I- I can explain-," Kate interrupted, her eyes wide with terror.
"-that you were used to a different kind of woman-"
"It's - he doesn't have the right context, Soph."
"-that in the past you'd had your pick; that he was surprised you were with someone who-"
"Soph, I-"
"Who couldn't give you what you wanted."
"Sophie, please, let me explain," Kate pleaded.
"It's fine, you don't need to say anything," Sophie said, shifting off of Kate.
"Yes I do," Kate replied quickly, grabbing Sophie's hand. There was a panic Kate had never felt before surging through her veins as she looked up into Sophie's eyes. "I… yes, in the past I did… I wasn't really…" Kate felt her heart racing against her chest as she tried to find the words to explain.
"Kate, I get it. I just… I didn't realize…" Sophie continued, at a similar loss for words. "I mean, I knew, right? At least I guess I should have known. It shouldn't be such a surprise, right?"
"Soph-"
"And I guess… I guess I just don't understand why you're with… if that's something you..."
"Sophie, it's not like that," Kate pleaded. Her voice felt unfamiliar, as though it was coming from somewhere else in the room. She felt trapped in her mind, unable to formulate more words.
"If it's ok I'm going just to go to bed."
Kate sat frozen to the couch, her mind racing as a frenzied fear took hold. She considered arguing for Sophie to stay, but she didn't know the words to say. She watched Sophie cross the room and grab her forgotten bag they'd dropped off earlier.
"Yea," Kate finally said, her voice defeated. "That's… it's the second door on the right."
Kate watched Sophie navigate through the dark toward her bedroom, knowing that each second of silence was one less second to make it right. They had only ever loosely talked about Kate's exes. It was an unspoken reality that she'd been around, but Kate didn't realize the impact that could have until tonight.
A flood of the light cast from her bedroom flooded into the hall before the door closed, leaving only a sliver glowing under it. Kate stared at it, wishing it would stay on until she could find the right words to say. Instead, it took only a minute for the light to disappear, and, with it, a hope that Kate could make this right.
Kate hesitated before lifting her hand to give the wood a soft knock. She waited a moment before opening the door.
"Hey, Soph, can-can we talk?" Kate asked from the doorway. Silence echoed through the room as she stared at the curled up form of Sophie on the far side of the bed, and Kate wondered if she was already asleep.
She stepped into the room, walking around to that side of the bed. She hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to Sophie on the mattress.
"Soph?"
"There's nothing to talk about," Sophie whispered, her eyes clenched tightly shut. Kate felt a wave of uncertainty and regret hit her. Between the two of them, Sophie was always the one to push them into talking through things. That she wanted nothing to do with the conversation only doubled Kate's worry.
Kate hesitated slightly before setting her hand on Sophie's waist. "Soph, I-"
"What did I just say?" Sophie asked, her eyes opening to reveal the glistening of tears in them.
Kate immediately recoiled her hand, not wanting to upset Sophie more than she was. Once lifted, Sophie took the opportunity to shift and roll away from Kate.
Kate sat there stunned for a moment longer, unsure what to do. Of all the things that could have gone wrong on this trip, this was the worst one imaginable. She thought their morning spat was the worst - that was cake by comparison. The fearful part of her wanted to take this as an opportunity to avoid a discussion knowing it could send things from bad to worse.
"Soph, I-"
"Just… just leave it, Kate," Sophie whispered.
Sophie's rejection cut into Kate's insecurities, and her cloud of fear grew. It was something Kate had jammed into the back of her mind, but now it seemed now like a very real possibility: their relationship might not work out. After a summer apart and a day emphasizing how different their worlds were, Kate was slowly convincing herself of that reality.
If there was anything she'd gotten used to in life, it was to assume every relationship had its expiration date. After her mom and Beth had died, she'd managed to live life as though each person were temporary, and for years it worked. It was why Evan and the other girls happened. It was why she was satisfied with a life of passing flings. But then she met Sophie. Kate couldn't explain it, and it was something she was utterly unprepared for: Sophie had piqued her curiosity on day one. She was drawn to Sophie in a way she'd never been attracted to anyone before.
It was unlike people to read her the way Sophie did, to call her out the way Sophie did, to make her think and question and laugh the way Sophie did. That they ended up as roommates and started dating was an unexplainable anomaly for Kate, and she'd spent every day since grateful to have Sophie in her life. Until now. Until this very moment when she remembered everything was temporary, and this was just another fleeting example of that. In that thinking, she felt a range of emotions she hadn't let herself feel since Beth's death, and she found herself regretting and wishing she'd never let herself fall for Sophie in the first place.
Kate stood and walked back to the door, as a slow realization that her life back at Point Rock might be without Sophie in it.
"Are you leaving?" Kate asked awkwardly. She knew the answer but still asked, watching helplessly. "I can drive you."
"No. Thanks."
"It's not a problem. I-"
"Kate, would you stop it? I'd rather just take the train. It'll be faster anyway."
"Right, because your two hour delay yesterday was planned," Kate shot back before she could stop herself.
Less than twenty words had been shared that morning as Sophie packed her bag to head home, and now that she was about to leave, Kate was struggling with the realization that it might be her last chance to make things right. She'd spent the entire night trying to figure out how to explain her past actions, but nothing seemed anything more than a passing excuse.
She watched Sophie slip on her shoes and pick up her bag.
"I… Soph - I'm sorry, I just-"
"It's fine," Sophie interrupted, already halfway out the door.
"Sophie, can't we just talk about thi-"
"I'll see you at school," she said, not looking back as she shut the apartment door behind her.
