Healing Sophie

42

"Sophie, come put your dress on. Your friends will be here any minute."

Sophie hid under her bed, too afraid to face her mother's disappointment. She wasn't stupid, she knew no one other than Finn would be there for her seventh birthday party. Her mother had forced her to hand out invitations at school the week before and, as a result, Sophie was forced to listen to all of the cruel laughs that followed. It would just be her and Finn as always, not that she minded. No one wanted their kid at the house of Mavis Hart, the town drunk.

"Sophie," her mom growled, storming into her bedroom. An arm reached under the bed and grabbed Sophie's wrist before she could react and she was harshly yanked out of her cozy hiding area.

"Ow, mommy. You're hurting me."

Mavis scowled and tossed the dress at Sophie. "Get dressed. All these moms already hate me, I don't need you embarrassing me."

Sophie rubbed the red mark on her wrist and did as her mother said, not wanting to upset her further. It felt like she always upset her.

In her sparkly pink princess, young Sophie descended the stairs and as she suspected, found only Finn in the living room, happily munching on popcorn with no care in the world. He never seemed to mind being there, even with her mother sloppily drinking wine and yelling at her father through his office door. He was the only person in the world that seemed to ever want her around. Even as a child, Sophie could tell her parents never wanted her. She wasn't sure she really wanted them as parents, either.

Finn turned to Sophie and gave a fake look of disgust. "Ew, you're pink." Sophie giggled and flopped onto the couch, shoving a handful of chips in her mouth. "Such a lady."

She flashed a mouthful of chips at him and watched anxiously as her mother straightened her dress and finished the rest of her wine. Always the performer, Sophie thought. She wondered if on the inside, her mother actually believed her delusion of a perfect family was fooling anyone. That's what all of it was; a show. A perfect, white-picket fence family hiding all of their secrets behind flashy dresses and office doors.

The doorbell rang and Sophie froze. She turned to Finn who shrugged and watched as her mother opened the door with a fake smile to reveal the new girl who had just moved there. The girl looked nervous and glanced back towards a woman behind her.

"Mom, I don't want to-"

"Go, Jade. You don't want to be rude."

Mavis straightened her dress for the fifth time and set her glass to the side. "Hi there, welcome in. I'm Mavis." She held her hand out for the woman who hesitantly shook it.

"Karen."

Sophie tried to ignore the judgmental look Karen gave her mother. She tried to ignore her mother stumbling about sloppily. She even ignored Karen's car still running outside, as if she didn't expect to be there long. What Sophie couldn't ignore was Jade looking like she wanted to be anywhere in the world but there. Less than a minute in and she was already disappointing people.

Karen turned to Jade. "I'll be back in one hour. Be good."

Jade went to argue, but shut her mouth at the look on her mother's face. Mavis frowned at the departure of the only other adult there and left the kids in the living room, taking her wine glass with her.

Finn and Sophie sat in awkward silence as Jade just looked around. "D-Do you want to go play on the trampoline outside?", Sophie asked nervously.