Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sophie waits impatiently on the curb outside Emmanuel House. After five minutes, she starts to pace back and forth across the front door of the building, stopping only when someone exits or enters the building. Some people ignore her, some stare. When she is forced to stop pacing, she instead wrings her hands together until she can start pacing again. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wonders what the symptoms of a panic attack are, but her mind won't stop moving long enough to focus on the thought.

Only when she finally sees Brianne coming does she stop her psychotic pacing.

Brianne stops in front of her, breathing heavily. "I ran the last five blocks. What happened?"

To her great surprise, Sophie starts to cry. Suddenly there are tears rolling down her cheeks and she has no control over it. All the fear from the last few weeks has wedged itself inside her throat and she can't talk either. She opens her mouth and a horrible wail comes out. Mortified, Sophie closes her mouth again. Brianne doesn't say anything, rather, she takes one step forward and wraps her arms around her friend.

Brianne holds her friend while she cries, and Sophie gives up trying to hold it in.

They stay that way until Sophie's chest stops heaving.

"Too much," Brianne finally says.

Sophie nods and sniffles against her friend's shoulder.

Sophie moves away, wiping her eyes and taking some deep breaths. "Sorry." She mutters.

"For what?" Brianne says. "It's astounding to me that you've held it together for this long."

Sophie concentrates on her breathing, working to get her emotions under control before telling Brianne what happened.

"Ho-ly crap..." Brianne looks as though she wants to say a lot more but is trying to hold it together for Sophie.

"I know," Sophie says, quietly. "Creepy, hey."

"That's an understatement." Brianne's shocked face almost makes Sophie cry again. It was starting to get real scary now.

"Did you talk to Lachlan?" Sophie needs something else to talk about.

"Yes," Brianne says, although there's hesitation in her face.

"What? What happened?"

"Well... I was headed to meet Lachlan at his place, which isn't far from where he works..." Brianne is frowning, stalling, like she's trying to figure something out before she says it.

"What?"

"Well, when I got off the train I saw Luke."

"Where was he?" Sophie asks, too urgently.

"He was in a café having lunch with his mum."

An image of Luke's mother springs to Sophie's mind. Short curly brown hair, narrow face, a kind smile. A sinking feeling takes over Sophie's body. Did she really think that lovely lady's son was stalking her?

"That's three suburbs away," Sophie muses quietly. "Still lots of time to come back over here by 4."

Brianne grimaces. "Well, actually... that wasn't the last time I saw him." Another student exits the building and Brianne indicates and guides Sophie to a spot on the lawn away from the comings and goings of the residence. Brianne sits cross-legged on the grass in the sun. Sophie impatiently follows but doesn't sit. "I was going to..." Brianne stops. "Do you want to sit?"

Sophie's impatience is quickly overtaking her tears. She sits down with a loud thump.

Brianne stares at her but opts to ignore her peevishness.