Tortured Souls -Oscar Diaz 2-

Chapter 8

Sofia walked through the aisle of Dwayne's with a tray in her hand. She slipped past Ray and Cesar, who were in the middle of a conversation. Her eyes then locked with a familiar pair of brown eyes, Monse. "Hey," Sofia smiled at the young girl. Monse, however, had a terrified expression on her face. As if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Uh," Monse whispered. "Because I kissed your boyfriend, and I'm scared you're going to hit me."

"What," Sofia couldn't help but laugh at the statement. "Monse, I would never do that."

"I wouldn't blame you if you did," she tilted her head to the side. As if she expected to be hit.

Shaking her head Sofia slid into the booth across from her. "Monse," she grabbed her hand. "I'm not mad at you."

"You aren't?"

"No," she breathed. "Of course not. I know you don't like Oscar. Not even as a friend." Monse nodded along, "you're into Cesar. And you were drunk. I'm not mad, not even a little."

"Well," Monse let go of her hand. "You're a better person than me."

"I am not," she rolled her eyes. Sofia could tell that Monse was still uneasy about the conversation. As if she didn't believe her. "Monse, don't beat yourself up over it. You're going through a lot right now. I'm here if you need me."

"Thanks, Sofia," she mumbled. "You're a really good friend to me."

"Of course." Sofia offered her one last smile before sliding out of the booth. Grabbing her tray, she strolled towards the front of the building.

Summer had started over a week ago, and Dwayne's had been busy nearly every day. Sofia didn't have time to sit around and talk, even if she wanted to. She took a few steps but suddenly started to feel lightheaded. Her steps wavered, but luckily she caught herself on the door. "Woah," Monse turned around in the booth. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sofia assured her. "Yeah, don't worry." Luckily nobody else seemed to notice. The girl set down her tray and untied her apron. It felt as if it was suffocating her.

Suddenly her phone rang. Sofia pulled out the item to see a text message from Professor Berk. It was the Merit Scholarship information along with the enrollment information for her classes in the fall. Sofia got into Santa Clara University. She also got the Peters donation money and now the Merit Scholarship.

It all felt like too much to handle. Sofia was so sure she wasn't going to get any of it. But she did. Now, what was she supposed to do? How could she leave her friends and family when they needed her? Ruby was suffering mentally. Her parents were barely speaking. And Oscar. How could she leave Oscar?

Sofia nearly threw the tray in the sink. Her legs carried her out the side door quickly, and she sprinted for the side of the building. "Sofia," Dwayne called out. Sofia turned the corner and placed her hand on the wall. She was sure she was going to vomit, but nothing happened. "Hey, Sofia." The older man had chased after her. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She gave him a thumbs-up, trying to figure out if she was going to vomit or not. After a moment, she realized nothing was going to happen and stood up. "Sorry," her tone was shaky. "Thought I was going to vomit."

"Are you okay?" Dwayne placed his palm against her forehead. "You're not warm."

"No, I'm fine," she sighed. "It's just stress."

"Stress," he put a hand on his hip. "You're not hanging out with Jamal, right?"

Sofia couldn't help but laugh. "No, nothing like that."