Case Reopened

Finding Understanding

"What are you looking at? Oh is that a picture of me?"

Zander leaned in to study Sophia's phone and again she shifted to give herself space.

"Can you explain to me how this is you?" Sophia asked him.

Zander laughed, his entire face full of animation. "It's this weird thing I do without thinking. When I'm not really thinking about anything I have this serious expression. Someone told me I have resting model face. Whatever that means."

"Then in this photo you weren't thinking about anything?"

"Yeah, I was working on not puking over the idea of so many people watching me."

Sophia lowered her phone. "They were watching your father, not you."

"Sure, you stand up in front of a few thousand people and think that no one would notice you and try not to puke up three months worth of meals."

"That's not physically possible."

"Sure it is. I almost did it."

Zander spoke not only with his voice but his whole face, a dozen expressions passing over his features and lighting up his eyes. It felt jarring to look at in light of seeing his serious face. It seemed as if he were two people but the two people contrasted each other.

"Can you stop thinking for a moment?" Sophia asked.

Zander stared at her and then shrugged. Sophia watched as the brightness, the vibrancy, and the openness of Zander's expression fell away. His eyes narrowed a fraction and his lips formed a flat line.

"Yeah, that's strange," Kennedy said.

Instantly, Zander became animated again. "Right. But it helps with taking photos and recently I've had to do a lot of that. It means I can just zone out through it all and I'm doing a good job."

The bell rang. Sophia shut her locker and walked away without saying a word.

As she proceeded to her next class, a girl appeared by her side.

"Hey, Sophia," the girl said.

Sophia studied her. If Sophia had to guess she'd say this girl was older than her, possibly a junior or senior. If that was the case they weren't likely to have classes together which begged the question: why was she talking to Sophia.

"Do we know each other?" Sophia asked.

The girl laughed, which made no sense to Sophia. She'd merely asked a question to get information. What part of that had been at all humorous?

"I sat with you at Zander's table yesterday. I'm Ivy."

The table was technically Sophia's designated table, not Zander's but she decided not to point this out, wanting the interaction with the girl to be as short as possible.

"So," Ivy said, dragging out the word.

Sophia said nothing, not sure what the girl was trying to imply by the drawn out word.

"Are you seriously going to make me pull it out of you?" Ivy asked.

Pull what? Sophia didn't understand what this girl wanted from her and wished she would leave.

"Can you clarify what you're trying to say?" Sophia asked. "Because attempting to decipher your vagueness is making me tired."

Again Ivy laughed and Sophia wondered if this girl was mentally stable since humor still hadn't been Sophia's intent with her statement.

"I'm talking about you and Zander. What's going on between you two," Ivy said, nudging Sophia's arm with her elbow.

"Please don't touch me," Sophia said.