Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 4

Sofia nervously stared at the couple in front of her. They were younger than she imagined, and both were wearing expensive watches. The diner wasn't a diner at all but a lavish breakfast place. Sofia ordered the cheapest item on the menu, feeling nervous about paying. "Linda spoke highly about you. And we saw your academic resume, very impressive." The woman, Amy, spoke. Her husband was Robert there, and they were both smiling at her. Their teeth were incredibly white, and Sofia wondered if they were real.

"Oh, thank you," Sofia smiled at them. "I appreciate it. I worked very hard in high school."

"What about extra circulars in college," Robert asked her. He took a sip of his coffee.

"I was in a few clubs back in high school. But I work now. I'm a waitress at Dwayne's BBQ currently." They nodded, but she continued. "I also watch my siblings. They're younger, and it is easier on my parents sometimes."

"That's so kind of you," Amy took a bite of her breakfast. She had ordered a whole wheat waffle with strawberries. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Four," Sofia informed them.

Neither seemed to be expecting that answer, "four? You have four siblings?"

"Yes," she glanced between them. "I have one sister and three brothers."

"Wow," Robert nodded. "Must be a crowded house."

"It was," Sofia laughed. "My Abuelita lives there as well. I'm lucky enough to get my own room, but my other siblings share. Well, my older brother is in college now. So, my other brother gets his own room."

"You have a brother in college?"

Sofia felt odd talking about herself so much, but that was the point of the interview. "Yes, we're actually twins."

"And how does he pay for college?"

"A few scholarships," Sofia thought back to how he was paying for school. "He has good grades, which helped. Along with a few loans. But we couldn't afford it for both of us, so I stayed behind and elected to get a job to help out."

Robert glanced at his wife, a look in his eye that Sofia couldn't read. She took a few bites of her food, which tasted amazing. "How has your last year been? We see you dropped a course this past January and missed a few exams at the start of December. Was college too hard of an adjustment for you?"

Sofia momentarily froze at the question, her mind flashing back to the events. The image of Ruby bleeding out in her backyard replayed in her mind. After the incident, she missed a lot of school. "Oh," Sofia wiped her hands on her napkin. "No, college wasn't too much. I love going to school." They waited for her to continue. "Um, but I missed a few days because my brother was in the hospital."

"Oh dear," Amy placed a hand on her heart. "We had no idea. Is her alright? What did he have?"

"Oh, he wasn't sick," Sofia explained. "He was shot." The look on their faces surprised her. Amy's entire face paled, which Robert appeared green. Sofia continued to talk in order to fill the painful silence. "It was our family friend Olivia's birthday. Her parents were deported, so she lived with us, and we threw her a party, but-" she stopped talking.

"My dear," Amy reached across the table and placed a hand on top of hers. "How is your brother?"

"He lived," Sofia smiled sadly. "He's fine." Robert seemed to be waiting for more, "the girl, Olivia. She didn't make it."

"Well, my gosh," Robert spoke. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Sofia took a steady breath. "I apologize. I didn't mean to get into all that."