Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 2

Sofia felt guilty the following day. Her words to Oscar were harsh. It was not his fault Cuchillos wanted Ruby and the others to hunt down Lil' Ricky. She was the Santos leader, and Oscar had to do what she wanted. But Sofia was adamant that Ruby stay out of it. It wasn't worth it. "Sofia," a voice called out. The girl turned to see her Faculty Advisor standing in the hallway. "Can you come here for a moment?"

"Yeah," Sofia pulled at her bag strap nervously. Professor Berks was an English Professor at the community college and her Faculty Advisor. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Professor Berks chuckled. "Please sit down."

Sofia nervously sat down in the empty chair. "Did I do something?"

"What," the woman laughed. "No, Sofia. Of course not." The grey-haired woman pulled out a folder. "We haven't spoken in a month, but last time we did, you were interested in teaching. Is that still correct?"

"Yeah," Sofia nodded. She always enjoyed being around kids. Her mom always trusted her to watch over Ruby and the twins. After a while, Sofia enjoyed the job. "I want to be a teacher."

"Excellent," Professor Berks grinned. "Well, I know you were planning on doing two years at community before attending a bigger college. Have you considered any different options?"

"No," she began. "College is expensive, and I have a twin brother who returned this semester. We can't afford for both of us to go."

Professor Berks smiled and opened the folder. "I remember you telling me about this at the beginning of the school year." At the start, Sofia was a much better student. Before Ruby was shot, she often spent her free hours with Professor Berks creating lesson plans. "But I was at a board meeting the other day and met my friend Stacy. She's an admissions counselor at Santa Clara University. They have an excellent Child Studies program, and I thought of you. With you're SAT scores being as high as they are, and your high school AP classes. You would easily be accepted." Sofia tried to keep up, but the information was overwhelming. "Now, I know you're financial situation is tough. The Peters," she slid over the folder. "Are a wonderful family. They lost their daughter fifteen years ago, and since then, they offer a scholarship to a Child Studies major. Usually from families with tougher financial situations." Professor Berks had a giant smile on her face. "And with your grades, you're eligible for a Merit Scholarship." Sofia stared at the folder. "If you got both the scholarship and the Peters donation. Your tuition would be covered entirely."

Sofia bit her bottom lip, still trying to wrap her mind around all the information. It was a lot, and until now, a university seemed out of the question. But now, it was possible. "Santa Clara is six hours from here."

Six hours was far away from her family and Oscar. This choice would cause her to leave for months at a time. "Yes, it is far away. But this would allow you to go away without causing you any debut." Professor Berks grabbed a card. She slid it across the table. "The Peters are interviewing six girls for the scholarship. You would be the seventh, but they want to meet you." Sofia picked up the card. "Call them by tonight. They leave the area soon. I have the needed paperwork to submit to Santa Clara for admissions. Is this something you're interested in?"

"Yes," she said without thinking. "Yes, thank you, Professor Berks. I will call them tonight."

"Great," the woman clapped her hands together. "I will submit this for you. I would like to hear how it goes. I'm rooting for you, Miss Martinez."

"Thank you," Sofia stood up. "Thank you so much."

~~~~~~~~~

Sofia had called the Peters and had set up a meeting between the two for Wednesday morning. They would meet at a breakfast diner to discuss a few things and see if she was a right fit. For now, there was no harm in interviewing. Six other girls were being interviewed for the tuition money as well. Sofia knew there was a very likely chance she would not get it, which was okay with her. Without the money, she wouldn't go.