An Unexpected Friendship

Chapter 41

Tucker's POV

My heart thuds as Sophia and I breathlessly walk through the door of my family's cabin. My heart broke watching her whole world crash around her as this guy claimed in front of all of us that he was her dad. I knew I had to go after her when she took off from the courtroom...

I'll always go after her.

I didn't know where to take her though.  I could tell she just needed space and I wanted to give that to her. This was the only place that I could think of to go where no one would find us.

I can tell she's scared and sad. She won't show it, but I can tell. Her arms have been wrapped around her torso since we left the courthouse. It must be a coping mechanism. Something that makes her feels safe and protected. I notice she does it a lot when she's sad.

"Why don't you go take a shower. It might help you relax a bit," I offer as I place my jacket on the counter. She looks at me with wide eyes, but doesn't say anything. "I...I have some clothes you can change into. You're overnight bag is still in my car...I've been meaning to give it back to you." Still, she stands there with her arms wrapped gently around her waist. I quickly jog out to my car and retrieve her bag from my trunk.

"H-here."

She takes the bag from my hand and mumbles a thank you that's just barely audible. "The bathroom is just down the hall and to the right." She doesn't say anything more and starts walking towards the hall. I can feel the tightness in my chest.

"H-hey Soph." The words slip out of my mouth catching me by surprise. 

"It's gonna be okay."

The light makes the tear falling down her cheek glimmer, but she smiles just slightly.

"I know."

I watch her disappear down the hallway and pull out my phone once she's no longer visible. I scroll through my contact list until I find Alex's name and click on it. It rings twice before I hear her voice.

"Tucker you're on speaker," her defeated voice tells me.

"Soph is with me. I caught her before she was able to get far. We're at my parent's lake house a couple towns over," I explain.

"Oh thank god," she says. The sighs of relief in the background make me feel better about taking her here.

"How's she doing?" Servando chimes in. I rub the back of my neck, unsure of what to tell them. "I don't know to be honest. You know how she is. Sometimes she'll show it and other times she won't. She's showering right now. I thought it might calm her down. I'm gonna try to talk to her after she's out," I explain to them.

"I can't believe this is happening. Especially to her. I hate seeing her this upset." Alex's voice quivers. "Me too," I sigh. It's true. My heart hurts every time I see her sad. It does even more so now that we're not together because I know I can't comfort her in the same way as I used to.

"How long do you think you'll be up there?" Servando asks. Again, I'm unsure of what to say. "I don't know. I don't really have a game plan here. I didn't think something crazy like this would happen. I guess I'll just feel things out as we talk," I explain. Neither of them respond, but I can hear someone sigh again.

"Just look after her and keep us updated. As much as we want her home, at least she's safe right now." Just then I hear the water from the shower shut off. "I will. I gotta go though. I just heard the water turn off."

I wait nervously in the living room and think about what I'm gonna say to her. The wait feels like eternity which only makes me more nervous. Finally, I hear the bathroom door open.