Chapter 14

Sophia POV

Sunday ended a bit too quickly for my tastes and I was making my way back to school on Monday morning with a baby pink thermos full of coffee that was too sweet and had too much cream in it curtesy of Mrs. Biggle. Henrietta was walking next to me and grumbling about how her mother dared to offer her the matching thermos in baby blue.

"We get a whole week for Thanksgiving break and then another couple of weeks for winter break, what should we do?" I asked softly, zipping up my borrowed hoodie a little higher.

"Meh, who cares, let's just eat something and trespass on private property." Henrietta shrugged and I nodded.

"Continuing the tradition." My eyebrows quirked up in amusement and she rolled her eyes harder.

"Whatever, it beats staying home with our asshole parents, like some conformist hallmark movie." I nodded in agreement.

"Do you know what you want to do for your birthday?" Her birthday was in about a week or so, pretty close to Thanksgiving weekend.

"Ugh, no. Everywhere is going to be filled with conformists anyway so there's no point even trying to go somewhere. I think we should just take it easy and go into the woods or something." Henrietta was actually surprisingly into nature, something that wasn't necessarily shocking, but was definitely a surprise when I was still getting to know her.

"We could dance like witches under the moonlight." I smirked and she grinned wickedly.

"Naked and everything?"

"It'd be freezing but I'm sure we could make it work." I could tell she was seriously contemplating it before her grin turned into a devious smirk.

"Even with Michael and Raven there?" I immediately froze and looked away, not even able to fully form the thought of them... seeing me... like, uh, that...

"Oh, um, well that's different... You can dance naked if you want, but I don't think I could, uh, you know... all the way." She laughed -more like cackled- and rolled her eyes at me.

"I'm only joking." She wiggled her fingers at me and we parted ways at the front of the school, her to the back of the gym and me to my locker. By this point I'd already finished my coffee so I left the obscene thermos in my locker.

"Sophie!" Was all the warning I got before a weight suddenly slammed into the back of my legs, almost making me fold backwards and slam my head on the floor.

"Careful Karen!" Kenneth caught my shoulders in time and helped me straighten up.

"Thanks." Came out breathlessly as I wiggled my shoulders a bit. Kenneth grinned from under his parka and I looked down to meet the concerned eyes of his little sister Karen, a freshman at our school.

"Sophie! I was so worried!" She wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me tightly against her. Resting one hand on her shoulder and the other on her back, I tried comforting her as best I could.

"I'm okay Karen, nothing happened."

"I could hear your mom from my house," she buried her face in my collarbones. "Are you at Henrietta's house now?" She asked a bit more quietly and I nodded.

"Yeah, Mrs. Biggle is being real nice to me." She tightened her hold on me before pulling away.

"Okay." She still looked worried so I took her face in my hands and gave her an affectionate smile.

"Chin up Kare-Bear, you guys should come to Benny's and I'll get you some pancakes, sound good?" She suddenly grinned and bounced on her toes a few times.

"With blueberries?" Her eyes were practically shining and I couldn't say no.

"Blueberries, strawberries, bananas, whatever you want." She hugged me tightly again before scampering off.

"We'll be there after school!" She ran off and joined her friends, in a considerably better mood.

"Thanks for that." Kenneth adjusted his backpack straps, joining me in watching Karen skip away.

"It's the least I could do," I turned away and finished putting my things in my locker. "I didn't mean to make her worry, I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright, I know it's not your fault. Stan said you were okay but she wanted to see for herself." I shut my locker and the corner of my lips quirked up.

"So, you guys are talking again?" I pulled on my backpack and Kenneth nodded as he fell into step with me.

"Yeah, a lot of the stuff you said really helped, so thanks for that." He rubbed the back of his head and I looked away.

"It was nothing." He bumped his shoulder against mine and grinned cheekily.

"I'm starting to think you're not as cold hearted as your buddies." I rolled my eyes and pushed him away.

"They're not cold hearted." I protested softly. A lot of people tend to think my friends are nothing but mean and rude -which, I mean, they are- but what a lot of people don't know is that that isn't all there is to them. They can be kind and considerate in their own unique way and are fiercely protective of each other. To put it simply, it isn't just me that's been welcomed to stay over at the Biggle's house when things get rough at home.

"You know what I mean, they wouldn't have helped like that." He shrugged and my hand patted down my bangs.

"They're helping how they can, in the only way they know how. It's obvious Raven isn't the same as us, but they're still taking him in and giving him a calm place to lick his wounds in peace. He isn't trying to fully assimilate himself with us, but like I said last time, I think his goal was to surround himself with people who wouldn't continue on as if nothing happened, or try to give him peppy advice." Kenneth scratched the side of his head in thought.

"Yeah that makes sense I guess. Well, see ya later!" He suddenly ran off down the hall in the direction of his classroom and I gave a small wave before continuing on to my own class.

...

School went by as slow as it usually did, at the end of my classes I checked my schedule and sighed as I realized I wouldn't have time to hang out with my friends before work. After sending Firkle a quick text explaining the situation, I hurried outside to unlock my bike. There was a lady standing at the front doors to the school, she seemed deep in thought which explained how she didn't hear me coming. She was standing really close to the doors, as if she had just stepped out, and I apologized when I almost hit her in my haste to open them.

"Uh, my bad, are you okay?" I said kind of awkwardly when she jumped out of the way and almost slipped off the concrete and down the steps

"I'm fine, just be careful." She managed to regain her balance and I nodded, going over to the bike rack. "Are you... skipping school?" I turned around and saw her furrowed eyebrows, she was looking at me with a disapproving frown on her face. I swallowed the lump in my throat, wondering why a random stranger would look at me like that.

"Um, no. I have a job." I finished unlocking my bike and adjusted my backpack straps before swinging my leg over and sitting on the slightly uncomfortable seat. The redheaded lady was just staring at me and I couldn't help but awkwardly wave. "Uh, bye I guess."

3rd POV

Charles and Sarah stood in front of the small town's only high school. The campus' middle school and high school buildings were separated by a large chain link fence. Charles looked up at the entrance's double doors, holding on to his wife's hand as if it was the only thing anchoring him down to the present.

"Ready?" Sarah asked gently. Charles could only nod, swallowing back the thick lump in his throat. He'd been waiting years for this, but he was suddenly so nervous he couldn't move. "Let's go find the principal, I'm sure he'll help you once you explain the situation." She was holding a manila folder almost full to the brim with case work from the last couple of years.

Secured by a few paper clips -and a staple, just in case- was a picture of Sophia from a few years ago, she was noticeably younger with black hair that went just below her shoulders and the typical awkward smile present in every child's school pictures. Her eyes were big and surrounded with thick dark lashes; one a familiar purple and silver, the other a dark brown that was the same color as Christines'.

They didn't waste any time and went directly to the principal's office, knocking and waiting before a tall, broad shouldered man stepped out. He was wearing a polo with khakis and had some sunglasses on despite being indoors.

"Is there something I can do for you?" He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Uh, yes, my name is Charles Smithings, and I was wondering if I could talk to you about one of your students?" He extended a hand to shake and the principal took it. He didn't want to admit it, but he was slightly intimidated by the taller man.

"Sure, let's step into my office." He led them in and they couldn't help but look around; there was a bookshelf with a few awards and family photos, and across from his desk there were some comfortable looking leather chairs. "I hope one of my students hasn't caused you any problems, if so I can call them in and their parents." He sat at his desk and folded his hands together.

"Oh no, nothing like that. You see, I wanted to check if my, uh, daughter goes here." Charles looked hopeful and Sarah couldn't help but tighten her hands around the folder.

"Your, daughter?" The principal raised an eyebrow.

"Eh, yeah, her name is Sophia Harte, I'd like to meet with her if possible." The principal took his time typing something into his computer before leaning back in his chair.

"Mr. Smithings, I care about the safety of my students more than anything, and I can't just hand out their information to anyone who comes asking. I'm going to need to see some proof that you're being honest, or I'll have to ask you to leave." The principal looked very serious, almost upset.

"Charles has been looking for Sophia for a long time." Sarah suddenly said softly. "We have all the detective work here." She gently pushed the folder across the desk and the principal flipped it open, thoroughly checking all the documents.

"I see. Well, if you'll follow me, I have an idea of where she'll be." Charles gasped and his eyes widened.

"Wait... Really? That easily?" He whispered and the principal nodded.

"Yeah, sorry I can't call her in, our PA system is undergoing maintenance at the moment." He stood from his desk and began leading the way out.

"I'll wait for you outside." Sarah smiled and kissed Charles' cheek, squeezing his arm in reassurance. "Don't be nervous, I'm sure everything will be fine." She stepped away and walked back to the front of the school. Charles did his best to steel his nerves and followed the principal through the hallways. At first he thought they were going to pull her out of class before he made his way outside and towards the gym. 'P.E.? Maybe a sport?' They walked through the gym where some basketball players and cheerleaders were practicing before reaching a door that led outside.

"Alright kiddos I have some questions about your friend!" Sitting in front of them were five teenagers, all dressed from head to toe in black, and each holding a cigarette between their fingers. Charles couldn't help but drop his jaw; this is who his daughter hung out with?

"Who? We don't know who you're talking about, sir." The one with red highlights said the last word with a heavy dose of sarcasm, flipping his bangs out of his face as he did, only for them to fall back into place.

"Don't play cute, I know Sophia Harte is part of your little entourage, where is she?"

"You'll have to slice out our guts first before we rat out Sophia." The only girl of the group said, melodramatically in Charles opinion.

"Please," he stepped out from where he was partially standing behind the principal and they all froze. "You don't understand, she's my daughter! I have to see her, please just tell me where she is!" They stared at him for a few minutes before leaning closer to each other and whispering. Once a few minutes passed they leaned away and the girl stood up, crossing her arms and scowling defiantly.

"Why now?"

"Pardon me?" Charles furrowed his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.

"Why are you suddenly looking for her so urgently? As far as we know, you dipped before she was even born and never tried to even contact her before, so why now?" Her eyes were narrowed and the four others behind her stared intently.

"I... I hired a detective a few years ago, to help me track her down. But it hasn't been easy with the number of times they've moved and the fact that Christine doesn't have a steady job. I... I really want to make things right, it's not Sophia's fault that I couldn't be there for her, but I'd like to step up and be a father now, hopefully it's not too late." There was a laud snort and even the goths were surprised. They turned and watched as the tallest one slowly stood.

"'I really want to make things right', 'I'd like to step up and be a father now', 'Hopefully it's not too late', are you guys seriously believing this guy? What utter bullshit, did you steal that little speech off of some third rate day time television show?" He glared hard right into Charles eyes. "You don't give a shit about Sophia, you're probably just doing this to ease your own filthy conscience. Well guess what, she doesn't need a father to support her, and she doesn't need your half-assed attempts at whatever this is. Stay the fuck away from her, and don't come back here again." Charles stared in shock at the boy.

"You're... You're wrong. This isn't about me, this is about Sophia. She deserves to know that I care about her and didn't just abandon her-"

"Well that's tough shit considering you did abandon her." The one with red highlights flicked his bangs. "You talk as if all you need to do is just explain yourself and everything will go the way you want it to. That she'll just go running into your open arms, boom, you guys live happily ever after." His sarcastic tone reared its head again, making Charles flinch.

"But I-"

"Sophia is sixteen now, almost seventeen. She isn't sitting around hoping her 'daddy' will rescue her, I don't know what you're expecting, but this won't be it." The smallest one looked away, glaring at a weed growing from cracks in the concrete.

"But you-"

"You don't get to just push your way into Sophia's life and pretend you'll make it all better, not with everything she's been through. Do you plan on taking her away? Are you going to move her away from her mother?" The girl glared fiercely at him. He flinched back from her tone, furrowing his eyebrows.

"No, I-"

"Then don't give her any false hope. That'd be too cruel and she doesn't need any of that, not now and not ever." Four of them sat down in sync, but the boy with the puffball hat continued staring at him, he looked far from hostile, only confused.

"What do you plan on telling Sophia when you meet her? She has no idea who you are, or what became of your life after you left her mom, and vice versa, so what are your intentions?" His voice was calm but extremely serious.

"I," Charles swallow thickly. "I want a chance to explain that it was never my intention to abandon her the way I did, and to apologize for doing it. I want to be a dependable adult in her life, or at least someone she can turn to in an emergency. Trust me, I know I can never even begin to make up for the past, but I'm hoping we'll have a better future filled with communication, and that I can be an option for her in times of need, whether she chooses me or not." The school bell rang and a lot of movement could be heard from inside.

"Alright Mr. Smithings, the kids are about to go have lunch so I'll need you to go now, but you're welcome to come back tomorrow and try again." The principal opened the gymnasium door, prompting Charles to walk with him.

"That's alright, this is already more than I was hoping for. Thank you for your time." He nodded politely to the goth kids which they basically sneered at before following the principal back the way they came.

"I'm sorry you couldn't meet with your daughter today Mr. Smithings, but I'm sure you'll see her around, it is a pretty small town. Since you're not on her emergency contact list, I can't disclose her personal information to you, so you'll have to wait for any more details until after you've both met back with me and I've been given the okay, got it?"

"I understand, thank you principal, I'll probably be back tomorrow though." The man nodded before going into his office, leaving Charles in the mostly empty hallway where he could hear the distant commotion of teenagers in the cafeteria. "She goes to school here." He breathed out almost silently. Standing in the hallway where his daughter had probably walked hundreds of times gave him a comfort he didn't know he needed. She was so close it made his heart physically ache and his stomach swoop out from under him.

A few minutes later, he was able to make his way to the front without any interruptions, and smiled as he saw his wife waiting for him.

"Hey, I didn't actually get to see her today, but the principal said I could come back tomorrow." Charles was almost breathless and had a wide, happy grin spread across his face. "But, funny thing is, I thinks she's emo or punk or something, because the kids she apparently hangs out with all dress like that." He chuckled and scratched the side of his cheek, but quickly noticed Sarah wasn't really paying attention. Her eyes were wide and her mouth formed a little "o" shape when he mentioned how her friends dressed. "Sarah? Is everything okay, what's wrong?"

"I, uh, it's just that, um," Sarah was stuttering over her words, something that didn't happen very often.

"What is it?" Charles furrowed his eyebrows, stepping closer to his wife to put his hands on her shoulders. Her face was pale and her eyes opened wide in shock, he was starting to get concerned.

"I..." She swallowed thickly, finally looking up to meet his eyes. He nodded, prompting her to continue, the concern was obvious in his face. "I think I just saw Sophia."