Case Reopened

Finding Understanding

You met Zander in The First Son. If you haven't met him then go back and meet him then come here.

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"You've seen him, right? So hot."

"I have fourth period with him. I seriously had to work at not staring at him the entire time. He has this intense smolder."

"I'm jealous, I only saw him in passing."

Sophia contemplated the inside of her locker, trying to figure out if there was a way to escape hearing the conversation next to her while not moving at all. She decided there was no way around it and quickly removed her notebooks from her backpack.

"Have you seen the photos from the Inauguration?"

"Of him in that black coat? Yes! It should be illegal how hot he looked that day."

Inauguration. Sophia only knew of one inauguration which was the Presidential one and highly doubted the two girls beside her were talking about the level of attractiveness of the new president.

The only conclusion from there was Zander. But Zander linked with the words 'hot' and 'smolder' didn't connect in her mind. At best, Zander was a goofy looking fifteen-year-old. But these girls gushed about someone and it pointed towards Zander.

"Who are you talking about?" Sophia asked them.

They eyed her and she got the feeling they were offended by her question. She didn't understand why.

"Were we talking to you?" one of the girls asked.

"With how loud you were talking and the close proximity to me you might as well have been."

The girls exchanged a look. "We were talking about Zander Rutherford."

"And you find him attractive?" Sophia asked.

The girl next to Sophia crossed her arms and gave her a doubtful look. "Like you don't think he's attractive?"

She didn't, that's why she was asking. Sophia thought that was obvious.

"Look at this," the second girl said, showing Sophia her phone.

On it was a photo from the Presidential Inauguration. Zander stood beside his mother in a black coat, his wavy hair swept back, his features on full display without his glasses. Sophia studied the photo understanding what the girl meant when she used the term smolder. Zander's expression was serious, almost penetrating. But that made no sense with the face she knew.

"Baffling," Sophia said, disengaging from the conversation.

"I think the word you mean is beautiful."

It wasn't, otherwise she would have used that. When the two girls left, Sophia pulled up the photo on her phone. The person on the screen contradicted the boy she was acquainted with.

"What are you looking at?" Kennedy asked, peering over Sophia's shoulder.

Sophia shifted away from the contact but held up her phone for Kennedy's inspection.

"Zander," she said. "I can see how he's got the whole school buzzing."

"Can you explain it to me then?" Sophia asked. "Because I only know the idiot Zander."

Kennedy laughed and leaned against the locker next to Sophia's.

"Well, he's the First Son, that means something here. Second, he's good looking."

Neither of those responses felt adequate to Sophia. Zander might have a well known title but his father was the important one. As for his looks she didn't see how those could overshadow his personality.