Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Seventeen

Sophie and Brianne decide the clean the house without Jenna.

This is partly because they need to determine quickly if anything is missing and partly because Sophie feels wildly guilty that this has happened to her friend because of her.

"There is still the possibility that this was just a random break-in," Brianne notes while they discuss it.

"Do you really believe that?" Sophie asks, straightening from her position amid the mountain of destruction.

Once again, Brianne doesn't quite manage to hide the flicker of fear and Sophie again feels the dread creeping in. She tries desperately to ignore it by ducking down to continue shoving broken plates into a giant black garbage bag.

"So you will obviously be staying with me," Brianne says, and Sophie is grateful for the change in conversation.

"That would be amazing, thanks Bri."

Brianne shrugs. "Of course. As if I'm letting you out of my sight ever again anyway. This will just make it that much easier." She smiles.

"What about Jenna, though?" She tries to imagine the three of them crammed into Brianne's tiny college room and can't. Where would they all sleep? Where would their stuff go?

"Jenna has a boyfriend, remember?" Brianne points out.

Right. Of course. Jenna had a boyfriend. Sophie had almost forgotten. Her ex-boyfriend. How had that happened again? Luke returns to her thoughts as she looks around their trashed kitchen.

She remembers their relationship. Steady, sweet, high school. Then she remembers Lachlan Cirillo being hit by a car. Was there more to Luke than it seemed? She had followed Jonas around campus for less.

"Do you think anyone we know would be capable of breaking into our house and destroying it like this?" Sophie asks.

Brianne stops what she is doing and considers. "No" she finally says. "I don't."

"Do you think the roses are related to this?" Sophie asks, more quietly this time.

A deep furrow creases Brianne's forehead and her brown eyes look almost sad. Sophie can tell she doesn't want to answer this question, but she will. "Yes, I do."

A cold shiver races up Sophie's back. "Why is this happening?"

Brianne sighs. "That I don't know. I can't make any sense of it at all."

~

Sophie decides to go to work the next morning, regardless of everything that is happening. She still needs the money, and she still needs to continue with her life. Surprisingly, she slept reasonably well the night before, crashing early and waking up refreshed. Given that she was on Brianne's sofa, and the ongoing recipient of unwanted and scary attention, she was expecting to be awake all night. However, locked up tightly in Emmanuel House in someone else's room made her feel safe.

Delilah's is busy today. With an endless parade of noisy students and staff waiting patiently and impatiently for lattes, long blacks, and herbal teas, books stacked under their arms and phones glued to their ears. The harried atmosphere suits Sophie's mood and works to distract her throughout the entire morning. Around 11 am, Brianne returns to check on her.

They are dressed almost identically today in denim cutoffs and white tops. Although Sophie has opted for a loose-fitting blouse with wide brown buttons and Brianne a much tighter and more form-fitting white tank. Jonathan, one of Sophie's team members who she has worked with all morning, watches Brianne enter and doesn't take his eyes off her. There was a similar reaction this morning when her friend dropped her off. Brianne, of course, doesn't even notice.