Chapter 35
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A few weeks later, It was a sunny morning as Sophie toss and turn in her new bed staring at the pristine white ceiling. It felt so better than the one in her dorm. The soft material of the duvet cover made her smile in her sleep. Even as she opened one eye to look around her surroundings, she felt as if she was in a dream. How much her life changed in the past couple of months somehow seems unreal and looked like something that came out of a fairy tale.
She and Kayla had moved into a new apartment courtesy of Chris. He had gotten a bigger and more luxurious one but Sophie rejected it because she felt very uncomfortable about it. So he decided to surprise her with another one that he knew she wouldn’t be able to refuse. Why would she? Even though the apartment was off campus, it was very close to the school. It was a three-bedroom apartment that Sophie, Kayla, and Noah shared since Sophie refused to let her brother go back to the danger zone. Even though the apartment was kind of far from Noah’s high school, he would have to manage until Sophie gets a new school for him. Kayla had refused to move in for free but with much persuasion from Chris who told her to just accept the flat as a payment for keeping Sophie company when everything was going south.
Her once almost empty and very lonely life, when she thought she has to rely on only herself has turned to one filled with many company joy bliss, love, and many support. Since the past few weeks after her brother left the hospital Hale and hearty, Chris has treated her like she is the most precious thing that ever cross his life. It was a new dawn to her usual nights of loneliness. He is treated like his queen who deserves every marvelous thing in the whole world with both his money and his presence.
A knock jolted Sophie away from her thoughts. Stretching her limbs with a grunt, she muttered a strained “Come in” Who else would it be if not her surprisingly sweet roommate who decided to bring her breakfast in bed?
” Good morning Sleeping beauty. I brought some food for you” Kayla said dropping the tray containing plates of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs beside Sophie. She took a seat on the bed carefully placing the jug of orange juice beside the tray.
” Good morning. What’s with the breakfast in bed?” Sophie asked with a raised eyebrow. She knew Kayla a lot, Kayla would never wake up so early in the morning to make breakfast for anyone so it’s either hell is freezing over or they are in some kind of parallel universe shit at the moment.
” Nothing, I just decided to treat you like the best friend you call me for the first time. Isn’t that nice?” Kayla said in a fake high-pitched tone that made Sophie mistrust her more and more.
” Yeah. Nice of you to finally treat me like a human being for the first time in years” Sophie whispered sarcastically.
” Spit it out” Sophie demanded.
” What?”
” you never wake up this ear;y to make breakfast and if you were ever forced, the food will taste the person so tell me my best friend. Why are you doing this?” Sophie folded her arms tightly waiting to the bottom of the situation with Kayla.
” I have no hidden intention. You know you have been through a lot” Kayla started denying every allegation Sophie Levelled against her.
” And?”
” And you have been through some pretty bad situations a lot”
” And?”
” Like your dad getting into debt and all, then Chris’s ex-wife attacking you then finally you almost lost your brother,” Kayla said emotionally changing the mood in the room.
” All these happened like a month ago. What does that have to do with this?” Sophie asked ignoring her friend’s emotional tone.
” Well I just wanted to offer my support and take your mind off them by doing things that will make you happy”
” This is suspicious but whatever I’m starving. Thanks for the food” Sophie said placing the tray in front of her. Kayla let out a breath she doesn’t even realize that she was holding. She was keeping something from Sophie, judging by her sudden sigh and her nervous expression but Sophie ignore it.
She took her first bite of the pancake and a nonsatisfying crunch was heard. Eggshells, she smiled as she chew it nonetheless. After drowning the shell-filled pancakes down with the orange juice, she decided to go for the scrambled eggs but the taste was like tasting the middle of the sea floor. It was salty she couldn’t even swallow. Yes, this is what she meant by the food tasting her.
” Good lord! Kayla just tell me what is it you want? I really can’t go further. Thanks for the food” Spitting out the scrambled egg in a napkin she downed the salty taste with the orange juice again.
” Will you cancel your shift for me today?” Kayla blurted out shyly. Yes, Sophie still works at Edna’s even though Chris tried to make her stop.
” Hell no!”
” It’s just for today huh? I promise everything will be fun” Kayla said with a puppy eye that Sophie was greatly immune to.
” it’s not about the fun Kay. If I’m going to be missing a day at my previous job, I have to at least know what is so important that I need to cancel at the last minute?”
” It’s a girl’s day out. Eh, other best friends do it all the time like in the movies. But we have never done it before so I got us movie tickets, but before that, we have an appointment at the spa parlor, then we go shopping. It will be so fun” Kayla replied trying to sound convincing.
” We could have it on the weekends, it doesn’t have to be today” Sophie argued.
” you study on the weekends”
” I could forfeit that one for you’ Sophie sighed. Kayla glared at her mildly and she sighed again. Everything about Kayla since she entered that room seems pretty suspicious. And given the type of person her roommate is, she will never give up so there’s no point arguing.
” Okay then, I’ll meet you in five minutes. But first, we have to get a normal breakfast. This meal of hell’s lowest demons you brought might give me food poisoning” Sophie said pushing away the tray of breakfast before stretching her arms. She got out of bed heading straight to her bathroom to get started for the day.
” it’s the thought that counts” Kayla yelled after her.
” Well that’s some gruesome thought there” Sophie replied banging the bathroom door behind her.
She got out ten minutes later, and Kayla left the room with the breakfast tray already. She head straight to her walk-in closet to grab an outfit, the first cloth she got her hand on was a black long sleeve, fitted gown with little glitters around. She picked a pair of black pumps and her favorite cross bag.
After getting dressed, she picked up her new iPhone 14 pro-Max, one of the I’m Sorry gifts Chris gave to her after her brother got discharged. She dialed Max’s number and he picked after the second ring. Before she could ask him to cover her shift for her, He already volunteered to do so, telling her not to worry about it and that she doesn’t need to come.
Something was going on but Sophie couldn’t wrap her fingers around it. Her friends are behaving weirdly and Chris had not called her that morning which was weird because he was her alarm clock. His phone calls wakes her up or drops a good morning text for her. He couldn’t have forgotten, could he?
She and Kayla grabbed a proper breakfast on their way to the spa parlor which is sandwiches and iced coffee. The Spa parlor was not that far from the apartment, just three blocks away so both of them walked to the place.
From the Spa parlor, Kayla was hyperactive and bragged about the new movie that she got them tickets for while Sophie was trying to dial Chris’s number for the umpteenth time but he wasn’t picking up. She tried to be involved with whatever conversation Kayla was dragging her into but the weirdness of that day couldn’t leave her mind.
Even as they took a taxi to the cinema, she kept on Wondering why Chris was not responding to any of her messages. Kayla excused herself to get both of them some popcorn. She asked Sophie to hold the two tickets while she scurry off to get the snacks. Sophie sighed and moved backward a little bumping into a stranger in the process which made her almost jump out of her skin. She turned around while holding her chest to apologize but she was shocked to see who the person behind her was.
” What the hell?”