***

(tw: mentions of abuse)

It would be nice to have friends who missed her back in California. It would have been nice to have friends if they weren't so scared of her brother. Some only pretended to like her to gain his attention, only making things worse for her when those fake friends would drop Sophie to sleep with him.

That's the thing about being a Hargrove -- don't expect anyone to truly love you back. It's their family curse. Their dad only loved their mother for a little while, and she fell out of love with him when he bruised her for the first time. And Billy didn't love anything or anyone. He closed off his heart the moment he could, and Sophie struggled to do the same. 

The back of her neck tingled, demanding her attention. Though her eyes remained fixed on the chalkboard, she slowly reached for the section that hurt. The night before, her dad had gotten angry again. It was her fault, and she accepted that even if her brother didn't. Then Billy tried to fight back, but Neil threatened to break his arm if he tried anything, ordering him to take Max to the arcade instead. Like always, he obeyed, and it pained him to leave his sister with that monster.

He gripped the back of Sophie's neck, his fingers pressing into her skin to leave a mark. Beforehand, he used to yank her by the hair until his daughter made the smart decision to keep her hair down around him.

And it was all because she forgot to unpack a few boxes -- Neil slapped her for it.

The stinging in her cheek still lingered by morning, and she could still feel her dad's touch on her pale flesh. Sophie hated that house. Not the place itself -- the evil that dwelled inside of it. She had to face that every day and no one would know.

"Alright, for homework," Sophie's focus returned to the class, observing Ms Sullivan handing out vocabulary sheets, "I want you to use your dictionaries to find the meaning of these words. I expect these to be done by Friday." She continued down the aisle, eventually meeting Sophie at the end. "Do you have a French dictionary?"

"Um, no, miss." She stammered awkwardly.

The teacher nodded, her thin lips pressing together. "You can find a used copy in the library. But I would recommend you purchase one."

"I'll try." Ms Sullivan handed her the vocabulary sheet. "Thank you."

As she turned her back on the teenager, Sophie sighed in her chair. The bell rang as Ms Sullivan returned to the front desk. In an instant, almost every student rushed to pack away their things in an effort to escape class as soon as possible.

The teacher appeared almost nonchalant, settling down in her chair. "Okay, remember -- by Friday! No excuses!"

Sophie could see her pull open a drawer and remove a fashion magazine. Or at least she assumed it was a fashion magazine from the angle she was reading from. Then again, there were a lot of shirtless men on the front cover.

The classroom emptied quickly -- save for Ms Sullivan, Sophie, and a few others, including the girl who helped her earlier. The latter held her books close to her chest, wandering up to the blonde at the back.

"Hey." Sophie peered up at the girl, clutching her shoulder bag under the desk. "You okay?"

"I'm still a bit embarrassed, to be honest. I'm not usually that clumsy." She mentioned.

"No, it's fine. That guy's bag shouldn't have been sticking out in the first place." The girl wasn't wrong about that. It was a careless act that could have done a lot worse to her. "And you were just trying to find your seat."

Sophie snickered. "Yeah, after it took me ten minutes to find my class."

Her forehead wrinkled. "Didn't they give you a map or anything?"

"No, um, they just expected me to find my way around. They kinda wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible." She stood up, slinging her bag over her right shoulder.

"You have your schedule, at least?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course."

"Can I see?" the girl requested.

"Uh, sure." Sophie unzipped her bag and sorted through the contents inside. Eventually, she found the most creased paper, knowing it was her schedule.  She handed it to the girl, whose eyes scanned the paper with fascination.

"Oh, we actually share some of the same classes." She tilted her head and lightly shrugged her shoulders. The girl outstretched her arm, returning the schedule. "I could show you around if you like. I've got some time."

"Yes, please!" she blurted out with an abrupt bubbliness, startling the other girl. She cleared her throat, shaking her head with a light chuckle. "Sorry, I'm Sophie."

"Nancy." The girl answered with a light smile.

The two exited the classroom, and Sophie followed Nancy like a lost puppy during a transition period between lessons. Students moved to and fro in their little herds and cliques, though some were on their own. It was a different environment for a San Diego teenager like Sophie; the small-town atmosphere completely threw her off.

Nancy waved to a few people, her sweet, good-girl personality shining through. "So, where'd you move from?"

"San Diego, California." And she missed it so much.

She perked up a little. "Wow, that's-"

"A little over two thousand miles away." Sophie finished. "Not that I'm counting or anything."

Her tone softened. "How come you moved here then?"

"It's a better area -- that's what my Dad says."

"I wouldn't say that, but-"

Sophie raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

Nancy stopped herself. "You wouldn't understand. It's a..." Unsurety lingered behind her bright eyes and her smile lessened, only heightening Sophie's curiosity. "... local thing."

"Okay?" she uttered.

She blinked, returning to her more cheerful persona. "Anyway, on with the tour."

The girls continued down several hallways, making their way around the school. Sophie hung onto every word that slipped from Nancy's lips, but she could tell there was something on her mind. Something meaningless like a locker or a trophy would pull her away from reality -- just for the moment. Then things would click back into place, and it's like she never left at all.

Bad memories followed in her wake, tormenting the poor girl in silence. Even Sophie, whose trauma always floated beside her, could tell something horrible happened to Nancy, though she seemed to push it aside like it was a casual problem.

"And here's..." Nancy paused, her gaze shifting from the blue door they stood before to a shaggy teenage boy down the hallway. "... Jonathan!"

In an instant, she abandoned Sophie, jogging over to who she presumed to be Nancy's boyfriend. Not wanting to lose her tour guide, she swiftly chased her down.

The moment he saw her, his face lit up. "Hey, Nancy. You alright?"

Slightly out of breath, she replied. "Yeah, you?"

"Fine, yeah." His eyes wandered to the stranger by her side. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Sophie -- she's new." The blonde did a little wave and Jonathan returned a smirk. "I'm just showing her around because no one gave her a map."

He leaned towards Sophie, lowering his voice. "You know the receptionists don't actually give a shit about us?"

Sophie giggled. "Oh, I figured."

Nancy started walking alongside Jonathan. "Hey, I need to talk to you about that chemistry assignment because I was thinking we should study together..."

Her new friend lingered in the background, realising Nancy's interest now lay elsewhere. The way they looked at each other -- it was obvious that they were head over heels for each other. Sophie tuned out of their conversation, folding her arms over her chest and bowing her head slightly. She wasn't as impatient as her brother, so she was fine with being silent for now.

But as they continued through the school, it was like Nancy had forgotten she was even there. She felt invisible again, walking the halls like some kind of ghost.

A dark-haired girl stood at a doorway, handing out orange flyers to almost anyone who walked through. "Be there." She said with a coy smirk before Nancy approached her. "Hey, Nancy."

"Hey..." She received a flyer but Jonathan shifted away from her. Nancy's lip twisted, spinning back on her heel. "Could I get one more?"

The girl nodded, complying. "Yeah, sure."

They went on ahead, and Sophie tried to scoot past -- only to be halted by the same girl.

"Hey, new girl." The girl popped the gum inside her mouth, shoving a flyer towards her. "You should come."

"Oh, thanks." The orange leaflet read, "Tina's Halloween Bash. Come and get sheet-faced." A party, how original. Sophie chewed the inside of her cheek. "I'll think about it."

As she began to walk away, Tina commented. "Make sure to bring your brother along."

Of course, they wanted Billy. He always had this radiating coolness that made people like him. Most of the time, it would make girls fall in lust with him. It was an annoying trait he probably caught from their dad. There are a lot of traits he's picked up from him.

Her eyes were glued to the leaflet when she heard a shriek. She peered up to find Nancy scooped up in the arms of someone new, but she seemed pleased with whoever this was. 

The girl spun around, playfully slapping the boy on the arm as he laughed. "Oh, my God! Take those stupid things off!"

He removed his sunglasses, barely tussling his well-groomed hair. The boy wore a smug expression. "I missed you."

Sophie glanced back at Jonathan, baffled as she watched him walk off. Her earlier assumption was proven wrong in a single moment, and yet the atmosphere between Nancy and her apparent boyfriend felt different -- almost wrong.

She giggled. "It's been like an hour."

The boy placed his hand on the back of her neck and looked deep into her eyes. "Tell me about it."

He pulled her in for a long, loving kiss which Nancy appeared to reciprocate for a few seconds. She placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to break away. "Okay. Okay, okay. God."

Sophie awkwardly loitered by the couple. "Is this a part of the tour or something?"

Finally, she acknowledged her presence. "Oh, my God. I am so sorry." The new girl eyed Nancy's boyfriend for a moment, and the latter stared at her with subtle bewilderment. "Steve, this is Sophie. We saw her earlier, remember?"

Steve nodded half-heartedly, gazing back at her with slight recognition. "Right, yeah. Nice to meet you."

Clearly, she wasn't wanted, at least not by Nancy's boy toy. He looked through her like she was just an obstacle -- someone interfering with their love life. Sophie knew how to take a hint. "Why don't I leave you to it? I should find Billy. He needs his schedule."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked as she opened her locker.

"Yeah, I think I'll be able to find my next class on my own. I mean, you've already shown me everywhere I need to go." Even though she had to guess half the time. "It was nice meeting you, Nancy. Thanks for showing me around."

An assuring grin crossed her face. "Well, I hope your first day goes better."

"Hope so." She responded, her feet already moving down the hallway. "Bye."

Nancy's eyes followed her as she went. "Bye, Sophie."

The new girl wandered through a crowd of students, making her towards the main exit. As she left the building, Steve wondered. "Since when do you show people around?"

Nancy shrugged. "Just being a good samaritan. That's all."

He thought nothing more about it. After all, why should he care about a girl he barely knows?

***

She found her brother by his car, somehow staying true to his word. Once again, a puff of smoke exited Billy's mouth. He leaned against the hood of his car. The lit cigarette wobbled between his fingers as he turned his head, observing his sister approach him. "The hell took you so long?"

"Sorry, I got lost. They didn't give us maps." Sophie mentioned, swinging her shoulder bag across her chest.

"Have you got our schedules?" Within seconds, the paper was in her hand. She stuck it in his stupid face with a soft huff. Billy, without uttering a single thank-you, snatched it from her fingers. His eyes leered at the subjects he had, letting out a deriding snort. "Oh, great. Now I know what to skip."

Sophie copied her brother's actions, leaning against the car hood on his right. "You're not actually going to skip every class you hate, right?"

"I'm not skipping physical education." Billy fiddled with the burning cigarette in his hands, tempted to set the paper ablaze. "They've got a basketball team here."

"Another excuse for you to compete with others." She seized the cigarette, tossing it away before he had the chance to burn it. "And for you to walk around with your shirt off."

"I overheat." He sneered.

"You do not," Sophie argued with a soft chuckle.

He crossed his arms. "Oh, sorry, I can't feel the cold you're imagining."

His sister shook her head. "I'm not imagining it. It's freezing here. I have to wear layers."

"It's really not that cold." Billy insisted.

"It is, too." But there was no point in arguing, especially when they had lessons to go to. "You gonna come to our next class?"

"What did you say in the first one?" he queried.

Sophie lifted her bag back over her shoulder. "That you were in the nurse's office."

From the way he raised his eyebrows, he seemed to appreciate the excuse. "Well, just say that again."

Her body slumped and Sophie let out a heavy sigh. "Billy."

"Go -- go ahead. I might come by later." He declared, shooing her away with one hand whilst the other was tucked in the pocket of his jeans as he searched for another cigarette.

"Like a special appearance?"

"Yeah, maybe."

She couldn't persuade him against it even if she tried; her brother could not be forced. "Will I see you at lunch at least?"

Billy briefly nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Sometimes she wanted to hit Billy over the head with something hard, but then she'd be just like their dad. No -- she'd be worse.

***

I actually thought this chapter was going to be really short because all of this was supposed to be in chapter one but I felt like it would have been too long. So I separated them to add some breathing room between chapters.

It's mentioned in Runaway Max that they're from San Diego, so I decided to slip that in here since California is more than just a state and I think it adds depth to Sophie as a character. I actually love writing for her and I hope you like how I've written her.

I always find it interesting when writers on here use Madelyn Cline and Abigail Cowen as face claims because they're both in this season. Like, I keep seeing Abigail as Max's sister and every time I think back to when she played Billy's date.

Anyway, I hope you liked this (even though it was quite short but she briefly met Steve though).

- Alice.