Adopted by my teacher

Chapter 24 Friendship

I turned back to see the back of mom's car driving away. My only chance of getting out of this.

I sighed and rang the doorbell.

I could hear footsteps inside, coming forward. Seconds later, the door was opened by a short woman in a maid's dress.

"You must be Sophie, am I correct?" The maid smiled as I nodded, tugging onto my bag's straps.

"I am Leona, the housekeeper here," she introduced herself as she welcomed me inside.

Waiting at the door, stood Calley who made a face. "You came."

My smile faltered. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well don't' just stand there, follow." she said, more like instructed, as she led me through her fairly large house. We soon reached the kitchen, where both Chels and Charlotte were sitting at the island with a notebook and an unopened box of pizza.

Calley shrugged. "The girls said we should wait until you come to eat. Though, I beg to differ."

"Aw, how sweet," I mocked sarcastically, joining the giggling girls at the table right next to Charlotte.

Calley looked up at me. "I trust you've brought the necessary materials?"

"If a piece of paper and a pen are the 'necessary materials', then yeah." I said while pulling the items out of my book bag and onto the flat surface.

As if on cue, Leona placed a plate topped with a slice of pizza in front of us before pouring us each a glass of iced lemonade.

We ate with little commotion as we polished off the single slice.

Calley wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I think we should start with the project, work for an hour, and then read to each other our progress."

"Sounds good to me," Chels agreed, placing down her glass before pulling a pen and paper from her pack, while both Charlotte and I got started.

"Hey, Calley. Do you know where my-"

A young woman with coffee colored hair and looked to be in her early twenties walked in, staring at us.

"What's wrong, Irene?" Calley asked with a frown.

"What's wrong?" The woman – Irene – seemed to have found her tongue. "You didn't tell me you were having friends over."

"As if," Calley assured her. "They're not my friends, just classmates. They won't be staying for long."

"Ouch," frowned Charlotte.

"So much for the peace treaty," Chels said, dropping her pen onto the countertop. "I say we blow this joint."

"And get a bad grade, no way," I told them. "This assignment could either make or break us."

Charlotte sighed, placing the pen back between the girl's fingers. "Soph's right. Though, the sooner we get this over with, the better."

"You shouldn't talk to your guests like that," the woman scolded her. "Didn't mom and dad just finish talking to you about that."

The sisters made eye contact and Irene raised her eyebrow at her. Calley shrugged.

"Fine..." she said with a huff, looking back at me and the girls. "I'm...sorry," she forced the word out. But as Irene left and went into the other room, Calley's smile faded away.

Moments later, Chelsea looked up from her notebook. "Are you girls ready to share what you've come up with?"

"Sure," said Charlotte and I while Calley nodded.