Careful What You Wish For

Chapter Nineteen

"He took you to the bowling alley where you had your first date? Ugh..."

Sophie sighs. Sometimes Brianne's consistent criticism was exhausting. Although she tended to agree that that particular detour had been a little eye-rolling, she wasn't going to join in the Evan bashing with Brianne today. Not after he had taken her mind off everything for an entire afternoon.

"Lame," Brianne says and then smiles sweetly at her friend.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of Brianne's room with Vietnamese takeout containers spread between them, they are supposed to be watching an old Hitchcock movie for Brianne's film class, but evidently, Sophie's life at present is more interesting than television.

Brianne, as always, can't let anything go. "Just don't fall back into that trap, okay?"

"The Evan trap?" Sophie reaches for the cheap wine in between them and adds some more to her empty plastic cup. "Of course not."

Brianne nods but doesn't look at all like she believes her.

The lack of faith would normally offend Sophie, but given her past actions in relation to Evan, she didn't really have a leg to stand on.

Brianne changes the subject. "Did the police call you with any updates on your burglar? Or stalker?"

This particular change of subject only serves to agitate Sophie more. Her life at present is only two things, and they are two things she could do without. Evan and a stalker.

"No." Sophie rubs a tired hand across her eyes. "But I don't imagine they are going to find much anyway."

"Why not?"

Sophie shrugs helplessly. "There just doesn't seem like there's much to go on, does there? I mean, there was no useful camera footage from the pool, and none of our neighbours saw anything in our street. The only thing I keep hoping for is some fingerprints, but what if they were wearing gloves? The only fingerprints are going to be ours."

Brianne falls silent, musing on her words. Sophie picks at her food for a moment before turning back to the movie with her wine. Her appetite is gone.

Brianne is not silent for long enough. "You know, both Evan and Luke have touched things in your house before...." She muses aloud.

"So?"

"So they've been in your house, putting their sticky fingerprints everywhere."

"Evan has never been in my house before the other night." Sophie points out. "I didn't move in there until after we broke up."

"You don't think his fingerprints could still be on some of your stuff?"

Sophie thinks about it for a moment, although her patience with this conversation is wearing thin. "That would have to be pretty unlikely. They only trashed the kitchen and we do actually wash our plates every time we use them." Sophie's sarcasm comes out stronger than she intends. She tries to smile to lighten her mood, but it doesn't work.

Brianne returns her sarcastic smile. "Very funny. I was just thinking aloud."

Sophie knows Brianne is just trying to help in her own direct way, but the adrenaline from the last few days is fading and it's been replaced with a bone-chilling dread that has settled heavily into her bones. Her fear is mounting, and her ability to compartmentalise it is vanishing.

"What specifically are you thinking?"

Brianne purses her lips, trying to find the right words. "Just that if it was someone you knew who had broken in, then that would be pretty clever if their fingerprints were already everywhere."

The room falls silent as both girls process this possibility. Despite the unlikeliness of this scenario, Sophie still feels a small stone drop in her belly.

"I thought you said you didn't believe anyone we knew could have done this?"

"I did. I do." Brianne says, frowning. "I just think that maybe we should take matters more into our own hands and start eliminating some suspects. Maybe we shouldn't sit around waiting for the police to solve the problem."

While she knows she is going to regret asking, Sophie can't help herself. She has to know what's going on in her friend's head. "So what are you suggesting?"

"Well, you already started staking out suspects. You followed Jonas around for a day."

Sophie cringes at the reminder. Had she really thought Jonas was leaving those roses? How absurd that seemed now. Although, that had been back when there had just been a few rose petals strewn about. She couldn't imagine the boy with the kind eyes would ever chase her through a park in a dark hoodie at night. Or maybe she just didn't want to imagine that because she was starting to crush on him a little too much.

"So, you think we should start investigating the people we know?"

"Yes!" Brianne's eyes light up and Sophie almost smiles. "Investigating!"

Sophie smiles tiredly. "I can't tell if you're joking or not."

"Look I still think there's some crazy person out there with a huge inappropriate crush or whatever. But what if I'm wrong? What if it is someone we know? At least you can start to feel more proactive and less like a victim if we take some action."

"This seems unnecessarily dangerous."

"I completely concur," Brianne says. "But listen Soph, I used to think you had an admirer. Now I think someone wants to hurt you."

All of the fear and unease from the last few weeks rushes in and threatens to engulf Sophie completely. Her hands start to shake. Her vision blurs at the edges. It takes a colossal amount of effort to not fall apart.

This certainly explained that fleeting look of fear she kept seeing on Brianne's face.

"So, what do you think?" Brianne presses.

"Since you just unloaded that confession?" Sophie forces her shaking hands under her crossed legs and takes a series of quiet, measured breaths. "Well, I think I'm not sure we should go chasing around after someone trying to hurt me."

"Even if it's unlikely to be one of them?"

Sophie shakes her head. "This plan is completely illogical."

Brianne rolls her eyes. "Just get on aboard."

Sophie sighs. "Fine. Let's do your half-baked plan. Who do you think we should start with?"

Brianne doesn't hesitate. "Luke."