Title: comme il faut
Fandom: Cory in the House
Genre: post-series, AU
Rating: T
Summary: Sophie Martinez wasn't
'America's Angel' anymore. Not that anyone still called her that, except for
the occasional drunken frat boy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Cory in the House.
Author's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone!
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terra incognita
Chapter Three
Sophie had woken up late that morning, sleeping through her alarm and several phone calls, consequently missing her first class of the day. She had quickly thrown on some clothes, grabbed her books and homework, and raced out the door before she was late to her next class.
After that class, she hurriedly ate lunch and visited her professor to apologize for missing class and got that day's work while handing in the assignment due. Then she ran to the lab to work on an experiment followed by the library before her last class.
Sophie belatedly remembered that she hadn't gone back to her room after her second class and therefore didn't have the books she needed. So she suffered through having to share with one of the kids in her class. After class Sophie went back to the house, dropped her stuff on the bed and went to take a shower.
She was sitting on her bed, dressed in her comfy pajamas, toweling her hair dry, ready to relax. She hated days like this that threw her off schedule. Surprises were not welcomed at all.
"Hey, Sophie, someone's been trying to get in touch with you," Jess said without looking up from Northanger Abbey.
"Dammit!" Sophie muttered and quickly grabbed her phone. Ten missed calls - two from her dad, eight from Jordan.
She hit the speed dial, throwing the towel in the hamper.
"Sophie? Where the hell have you been?" Jordan's voice demanded.
"Sorry, I've been running late all day. What's so urgent?"
"Can you pick up Mattie from school and take her to her music lessons? My asshole ex-husband suddenly can't do it."
"Sure, when and where?"
"Thank you so much! She gets out of school at three. She goes to Charles R. Drew on 38th and Powelton. The music lessons are on Pearl, just one block up," Jordan relayed, "Oh! You have to sign her out at school and in at music. I'll call to let them know, okay?"
"Alright, thanks. Do you need me to pick her up from music too?"
"No, no, I'll be off work by then," Jordan said, "Thank you so much for this. I couldn't get off to take her."
"It's no problem," Sophie assured, "I'll see ya later."
"Bye." Jordan hung up.
Sophie grabbed a scrap of paper and wrote the street names down. "What time is it?"
"Two-thirty-eight," Jess said, "Why?"
"I gotta pick up Jordan's spawn," Sophie tied back her still wet hair, "I'll be back in like half an hour."
"Alright, have fun."
Sophie rolled her eyes, grabbing a hoodie and keys, and left. She made it to the school right on time.
"Are you going to be good today, Mattie?" Sophie asked, signing the girl out of school.
"My mom said I hafta be," Mattie answered, grudgingly.
"Listen to your mom, she knows what's what," Sophie agreed as the two left the school. "You like your music lessons?"
"Yeah," Mattie said with a smile, "My friend Sama goes there too."
Sophie grinned at finally finding out something the evil one liked, "Does Sama take piano lessons too?"
"Yeah, she plays the pi-ano, gi-tar, and sings and dances!" Mattie exclaimed, "I wanna take dance too, but Mom says I'm not graceful a-nough."
Sophie laughed, "I can see that, but maybe if you practice, you can try it."
Mattie looked up her suspiciously as they neared the building, "Ya thin' so?"
"Yeah," Sophie smiled, reading the sign: Carolyn's Musical Emporium. "I wonder if she knows what 'emporium' means," she muttered to herself as she and Mattie walked in.
"Mattie!" a young blonde girl who looked a few years older than the devil spawn ran over and hugged said devil spawn.
"Sama! Hi!"
"Hello, are you Miss Martinez?" one of the teachers asked, offering a hand. Her name tag read: Carolyn.
"Yeah," Sophie said, shaking hands. "You can call me Sophie. Where do I sign Mattie in?"
Carolyn smiled, "Carolyn. By the desk over there," she gestured, "She's listed under 'music' at three-thirty."
"Thanks," Sophie made her way over to the sign-in desk and quickly found the sheet. After signing her name, Sophie scanned the list of music teachers. She wasn't sure which one was the devil spawn's. Suddenly, she started, staring at one name in particular. In an exaggeratedly neat handwriting, it read: Newt Livingston.
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Word Count: 727
Date Written: 12.6, 9.2007