Voice Addiction

Chapter 10 - Loudspeakers

Chapter Ten

Loudspeakers

As soon as she opened the door to her apartment, the first sight she got was of Aaron sprawled all over the sofa, watching television. She tried to walk fast into her room, hiding her face so he couldn’t tell she had been crying. It was working, not because her bushy hair was doing a good job at covering her up, but because he wouldn’t take his eyes from the TV screen anyway. Unfortunately, she was quickly caught by her mother.

“So, I heard you got a job offer.”

Sophie turned to her and, forgetting about her red cheeks and puffy eyes, asked Silvia with confusion, “How can you possibly know that?”

“Your brother told me.”

Sophie turned to Aaron with the exact same look on her face. “How can he possibly know that?”

Aaron answered in a bored tone, without taking his eyes out of the game he was watching, “That girl, the one who thinks she’s better than us simple peasants, J. K. or whatever, told her friend Kate, who told her boyfriend Nate, who commented with Rose, Parker’s sister, who told Parker and Parker told me. And I told mom.”

Sophie was more confused now than ever. “How… This was just a few hours ago. Why in the world would these people talk about me? I don’t even know them.”

Aaron smirked. “Please. They weren’t talking about you, they were talking about me. You know, the younger sis of that cool, awesome, rocker dude.”

“Of course. It makes sense now,” she added with sarcasm.

“Why didn’t you take it?” her mother asked.

“It’s only at the weekends, the payment couldn’t be that good.” She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was talk about this right now. All she wanted was to go to her room and sleep with her turtles and skip dinner - and breakfast and lunch.

“But you can’t find anything else, can you?”

“No. I’m trying, but-“

“And you really want to work?”

“Of course I do, but-“

“And you do love that coffee-shop, don’t you? Wouldn’t you like working there?”

“I would love to, but-“

“Then take the job.” Her mother smiled with sweetness, turned around and walked towards the kitchen.

“But mom…” Sophie followed her. “I want something that pays well, I want to-“

“You want to solve problems that really aren’t your business, to begin with.”

“It is my business. I want to help.”

“I know you do, but you don’t have to. Your father and I can solve those things on our own. It’s our job. Yours is to relax, be a teenager and prepare your future.”

“I want to help,” Sophie repeated, “and I will, as soon as I find a decent job.”

“Sophie…” Silvia got near her and rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about money, ok? If you really want to work, then take the job. It’s a place you like and it’s only on the weekends. It’s perfect for you.”

“But the money-“

“Your money, the money you have made ever since you started working, is all neatly stored in a nice, safe, bank account.”