The conversation she had with her mom that night was a long one, but it couldn't have gone better.
Sophia's mom always wanted what was best for her, and if this was something she wanted to pursue, then she would fully support her no matter what happened. So that night she went to bed with her mind at peace, but stomach now tied in a dozen knots.
The next morning she wasn't up at her usual time. she woke up two hours earlier at 5 AM, and couldn't go back to bed. So she did what she always did when she was stressed or just needed to think. She baked.
Walker sent the audition out for her late last night, and said it might take all day today for them to respond, if they ever did. Every time Sophia thought about it she wanted to throw up.
3 hours had passed now, and she had already made 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies, a batch of blueberry scones, and was currently working on lemon bread. She knew she didn't have to worry about leftovers though, because she would just set up her little stand in town and sell them like usual.
She was locked in now, bits of flour and icing spotting her pajama shorts and tank top. And though her hair put up a fight, she held it back in a loose bun, the once soft curls now nothing but frizz.
Her mom came down the stairs, pausing to take in the sheer amount of baked goods that now filled their kitchen. "Looks like someone's got a lot racing through their head right now." She picked up a cookie, biting into it.
Sophia smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah I guess, I don't think I've ever been more nervous and excited my whole life." Her mom nodded, coming over to plant a kiss on her forehead.
"Don't worry sweetie, either way I want you to know I'm so so proud of you." But her face clouded over, something else evidently on her mind. She drew in a deep breath before speaking again.
"But legally, if you do leave, we have to tell your dad. Not get his permission, but by law he has the right to know where you are. We can't keep that from him."
Sophia stopped whisking the batter in her bowl, looking up at her mom. She attempted to brush her hands off on her shirt, only spreading more flour all over it.
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." She shrugged not liking to talk about her dad. "Can I just...message him?"
Her mom sighed, starting to busy herself with cleaning the kitchen. "I don't know. If that's what you want, but it may be the last time you see him for a while. You might regret it if you don't, though I'd never force you to go."
Sophia nodded slowly, and that strange feeling tugged at her heart again. As much as she hated to admit it, she would want to go see him, to say goodbye. She just wouldn't want to do it alone.
"I'll think about it." She said finally, picking up the whisk again and returning to the batter. "You may be right."
By the time the lemon bread was out of the oven it was 9 AM, her mom was at work and she was starting to feel tired. Her feet ached from standing for five hours, and her arms felt like jello from all the stirring.
She heard a faint knock, and rushed over to the door to answer it. Weirdly enough, no one was standing outside, so she closed it again. Probably ding-dong ditchers.
She had just walked back into the kitchen when she heard it again, louder this time. And was that someone saying her name? After a few seconds she determined it was coming from upstairs.
jumping up the last few steps, she turned into her room, listening. And then it clicked, and she couldn't help but laugh. Sneaking over to her window, she yanked the curtains open suddenly and sent whoever was there almost tumbling out of the tree.
Walker sat on the other side, clutching the part of his sweatshirt that was over his heart as he caught his breath. Sophia pushed open the window, stepping back as he tumbled in.
"I could've died." Walker accused breathily, laying on the floor of her room.
"But you didn't." Sophia responded, making a hasty move to grab all her dirty clothes and chuck them in her closet, slamming the door shut.
Walker sat up, leaning back on his elbows. "Are you uhhh...baking something?" His eyes lingered on her clothes and hands, and she realized she probably looked like a huge mess.
"More than one something." She admitted. "But if you were craving chocolate chip cookies or blueberry scones or lemon bread you're in the right place."
Walker's eyes lit up. "I hope you know you're about to have half that lemon bread stolen from you."
He stood up, glancing around her room. She had decorated with a bunch of string lights like the ones in the tree, posters of her favorite bands (arctic monkeys, the smiths, etc.) and her bed was draped in a dark green comforter with an embarrassing amount of plushies sat on it.
He picked up a fluffy pink cow, showing it to her.
"Who's this? He seems like a nice guy."
Sophia stole it from his hands, hearing him attempt to hold back a laugh as she threw it in the corner.
"Go steal some lemon bread real fast, I gotta change." She commanded sternly, half joking. Walker obeyed, yelling behind him how he bet he could find the kitchen all by himself because he's so smart.
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She was dressed and laying horizontally across her bed fixing her hair when he came back upstairs, holding a cookie in his hand. He stared at her with such a serious look on his face that she stopped brushing to look at him.
"We can't be friends anymore." He deadpanned.
"Ummm..."
"You're gonna make me fat with all the treats you bake, and then I'll lose my handsome appeal." He sounded so serious that she almost didn't laugh. Almost.
"You're actually ridiculous." She smiled and he broke the act, finishing the cookie before sitting on the floor beneath her. He watched as she attempted to braid her hair.
"Any news? I told my agent to contact your email instead of mine, so I'm in the dark now too."
She shook her head and he slumped back, leaning to rest his temple on the side of her bed. "Waiting is always the worst part." He offered the phrase as comfort, though it did little to calm her nerves. But she knew what would.
"Wanna come sell those treats on Main Street with me?" She laid her arms on the bed, propping her chin against them. "I need something to take my mind off of all this."
"Am I allowed to eat the merchandise on the way there?" He squinted his eyes like he was interrogating her.
"I'm okay with that if you're okay with losing your 'handsome appeal' Scobell." She accompanied the sentence with finger quotes. Walker opened and closed his mouth a few times before accepting she won.
"Come on, let's go before it gets too hot." She jumped up, finishing the braid and running down the stairs ahead of him.
