Their Situation, Our Problem

Chapter 1: Sofia

"Well there's a story nobody wants to hear," Sofia deadpanned. It was hot, they were late, and they were walking across the godforsaken desert in heels. She sometimes hated the fact that they lived in Las Vegas. Six in the evening and walking across black asphalt did not make for the best temperature. Not only was Sofia not in the mood to hear about Amara's latest love conquest but their car had decided to crap out on them a couple of streets before they reached their destination. Only their crappy car would give up on them when one's wearing a skirt, the other a dress and both have heels on. 

So here they are, walking through the service road behind a shopping center just to get to their friend's house quicker. So no, Sofia wasn't in a good mood, especially as they walked by the reeking, foul-smelling dumpsters of stores that should be investing in air fresheners. The putrid smell was clearly Karma's doing.

"Don't be pessimistic," Amara reprimanded. Oddly enough she was the younger one, yet she always seemed to be the one chiding Sofia.

"I'm not. I'm being realistic. Something you clearly need to invest on," Sofia talked back. Don't get her wrong, Sofi didn't mind listening to Amara. They were cousins but they might as well have been sisters. They were raised together by Sofia's parents and have always been each other's confidants. It just so happened that the circumstances, the scorching heat, and the topic they were discussing had all taken their toll on Sofia.

"Isn't that Rachel," Amara asked out of the blue?

"Lame attempt at changing the subject, Amara," Sofia answered.

"No, look," Amara grabbed Sofia's chin and lifted it up. To Sofia's surprise, Rachel, a classmate, was standing a couple of yards ahead of them.

"Oh, yeah," Sofia mumbled in shock, "What the hell is she doing back here?"

"We're ones to talk," Amara whispered.

"Our car died on us two streets away from Anna's house and our phones are dead," Sofia replied matter-of-factly.

"She, on the other hand, lives all the way across town, in those rich people houses. I would be prepared to bet you my entire music collection, that she has never even been to this side of the city, let alone into any of the stores here," Sofia said.

Amara didn't acknowledge Sofia's words and just gave her the stare, "Let's go see what's wrong."

"We're not exactly besties," Sofia stated.

"But we are decent human beings who would like to make sure that their classmate is alright. Our parents raised us to care about others and to help others when in need," Amara lectured me. Man, she could be a pain in the ass, drama queen but she did have a heart of gold.

"No need to go all Saint Amara on me," Sofia muttered.

Sofia might not like Rachel, but seeing her in the back of a Walmart did worry Sofia. Okay, maybe worried was the wrong term, disturbed seemed to fit the situation better. And for good reason, Rachel is a princess. She always looks composed. She always has the most expensive clothing. There is never a rip, stain, or crease that isn't intentional. She never has a hair out of place. She knows what to buy, where to buy and who to talk too. She always gets her way and if she doesn't at first she eventually does. She even has the blonde hair, blue eyes and the "I am higher than thou" attitude.

Sofia didn't know much about Rachel's family but Sofia did know that Rachel is the only girl in her family. Which could explain a thing or two, Rachel has two older brothers, which would explain the "I get what I want whenever I want" attitude and one twin brother who is also older but only by a few minutes. His name is Colton and he is an ass. No, he is the ass, and not in a good way.

Now Sofia may hate her guts but seeing her here did ring many alarm bells. Actually, they rang the "Shit! The North Koreans have won, they're about to drop the nukes" bells. Why would a presumptuous, obnoxious, rich girl be standing in the alley behind a shopping center in the rougher part of town at six in the afternoon? Not to mention Rachel was shivering and fidgeting. Yes, it was unusually cloudy and a tad windy for the beginning of summer but it wasn't cold. Actually, it was hot. The sunless sky did nothing to appease the heat and the wind was nothing but gusts of hot air. And if there was one thing Sofia knew about Rachel, it was that she was always composed. Seeing her standing a few feet away, shaking did worry Sofia. Just because Sofia despised her, did not mean she wanted something bad to happen to Rachel.

As soon as Sofia and Amara walked a little closer Rachel's head whipped around and caught their eyes. Her whole demeanor changed in an instant. She stopped fidgeting, her back straightened, her chin lifted defiantly and her eyes narrowed at the pair of girls. Amara and Sofia stood stone still and just awkwardly stared at each other.

As if the situation wasn't awkward enough, a car rushed into the alley and sped down it. Amara and Sofia moved out of its way, but the car stopped a few yards ahead of them. It stopped in front of Rachel.

It all happened very fast. Sofia wasn't even sure what was going on until Rachel started screaming. Two men had jumped out of the car and were taking Rachel, kidnapping her and they were watching.

Sofia and Amara didn't think, just acted. It wasn't their finest moment, but definitely their bravest. Before they knew it, they weren't yards away but running towards Rachel.

Sofia jumped on one of the man's back. One of her arms went around his neck while the other held onto a chunk of his hair. She pulled both of her hands with all the strength she could muster, choking and pulling his hair at the same time. She wrapped her legs around his waist and used her heels to dig into his thighs. Sofia wasn't really paying attention to anything happening around her. Her whole purpose right then and there was to stop this man. All the grunts and yelling that was happening a few paces away was just background noise that wasn't really making it into focus.

The man she was holding onto started jerking, trying to throw her off. When she didn't let go, he slammed her into the car. She fell limp against it. Her feet untangled and her arms fell loose. The slam was so powerful her knees buckled underneath her. Before she could slide down any further, the man turned around and gripped her around her neck. He put an absurd amount of pressure on her throat, choking her. He knocked the air out of Sofia and now he wasn't letting any in. She was starting to lose focus, everything was becoming hazy. Grey started clouding her vision.

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