"So, Sophia. Rumour has it that you're now the captain of the track team. Is that true?" Mr Woods asked at Sunday lunch later that week.
"Yes, sir," Sophia nodded her head and put a piece of roasted potato in her mouth.
She honestly didn't know how she could survive all week without Mrs Woods' food. She had talent. Much more than Sophia anyway.
"Track work is such a different sport. What made you go for that instead of something like cheerleading or hockey?" Mrs Woods asked and shot Olivia a look when she didn't eat her green beans, but claimed she was finished.
Sophia bit the inside of her cheek. She wasn't sure how to respond. Should she tell them that it was Luke who put the idea in her head or that he was the one who reminded her that her mother used to run? She braced herself and chose the latter.
"My mom used to run, so I thought I'd give it a try," she said, her voice taking on a softer tone.
The atmosphere around the table grew bleak and Sophia knew then and there that her suspicions were confirmed. She always gathered that they knew her mother died but they never actually spoke to her about it until now, so she was only almost one hundred percent sure they knew.
"Were you and your mother close then?" Mrs Woods asked tenderly, as though she was frightened Sophia would break like fragile china. But Sophia was stronger than that.
She straightened her shoulders and shook her head. "I never knew her," she responded without emotion.
She had to keep up her walls. If she looked like she's fine then they won't pity her.
The noises around the table completely ceased at her words. Even the twins were quiet as they regarded the guarded girl in front of them with curious eyes.
Mr Woods smiled, trying to lighten the sudden dreary mood that enveloped the table. "Well, I'm sure she would be immensely proud of you," he said kindly.
Sophia managed to give him half a smile, her heart involuntarily paining at his words, before looking at the boy next to her, only to see him quickly avert his eyes to his food.
-
"So," Luke began lightly, as he walked next to Sophia the following Wednesday. "How was your first track practise as captain yesterday?" They turned a corner and dodged the odd person as they walked to lunch.
Sophia thought for a moment. "It was ... something. Most of the girls were too busy talking to even think of training."
Luke nodded his head. "Yup, that's how most girls are these days. Don't care about anything. What did you do?"
"I threatened them," Sophia stated nonchalantly.
Luke's eyes bulged. "You what?" he yelled, causing a few heads to turn their way.
Sophia rolled her eyes at his antics. "If they didn't do as I said, I made them do fifty push-ups."
"And how did you get that right?"
Sophia shot him a look that made him freeze. A death glare was putting it lightly.
"I see," Luke muttered, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling. "Where did you even learn that anyway?"
"When I was little, I often had to go with my dad to the base. It was the look he always gave rebellious new recruits to get them in line," Sophia supplied.
Luke nodded his head. "Your dad must be quite a hard-core guy then. Only time I see him is at church, and I guess he's rather chilled then, eh?"
"I guess."
Luke furrowed his eyebrows. "You know, you don't really talk about him much. Is everything okay between you?"
Sophia paused. This was exactly the reason why she didn't like talking to people. They always bring up the relationship between her and her dad.
"It's fine," she bit out a little harsher than she should have.
Luke nodded his head and looked down at his feet as they continued to walk in silence. Sophia felt a bit guilty for snapping at him like that, but her father was a touchy subject.
But, to be honest, she wasn't even sure why they were walking together. Sure, they had just come out of history, but it was lunch now and Luke normally went straight to the cafeteria. She didn't know why he was following her.
"So," Luke said after a moment, "the offer still stands about coming and sitting with me at lunch."
Ah. So, that's why he was following her. He wanted a reply. He had asked her at beginning of the history lesson. She seriously thought he was joking. She wasn't able to reply though, as the lesson had already begun.
But Sophia actually felt a little touched that he wanted to spend more time with her. She knew that she wasn't the best of company. However, she knew that she would stick out like a sore thumb: the loner amongst the populars. Even though it became apparent that Luke didn't see it the same way as everyone else did - he was rather oblivious to certain things. But the fact of the matter stayed the same.
He was popular, she was not.
And Sophia really didn't feel like all the finger pointing ... not that it ever bothered her.
"Maybe some other time. I have a lot of work to do," Sophia replied.
It wasn't a lie. Mr Evans had given them an avalanche of homework. She really didn't know what his problem was that he seemed to find pleasure in making everyone else's lives miserable.
"Oh, okay."
Sophia could hear the disappointment in his voice even though he smiled at her.
"Well, I guess I'll ... see you around then," Luke said and walked away from her with slightly slumped shoulders.
Sophia sighed. She didn't feel nice when she saw how down he looked at her refusal, but hanging out with the populars was never something on her bucket list.
Brushing the feelings aside, she turned and walked to her locker. The hallways were empty, everyone having gone to the cafeteria to eat. She put the combination in her locker and didn't pay any heed to the approaching footsteps until they stopped a few metres from her and a voice spoke.
"I see you didn't take me seriously."
Sophia glanced to the side as she took out a few books. It was the same girl from last week, but this time she had her posse behind her. She turned back to her locker.
"I don't need to take you seriously. Who are you anyway?"
The girl looked taken aback, as if Sophia had just offended her greatly. One of her girls stood up to her defence.
"Why, she's the Rachel Pierce, you idiot."
Sophia slammed her locker shut as she turned and locked eyes with the girl who spoke. "I wasn't talking to you," she said calmly, but her eyes flickered with warning.
Rachel held out her hand and the girl stumbled back, slightly unnerved by Sophia's gaze, and returned to the group like a well-trained puppy.
Rachel flashed a false smile. "Look, Sophia. I'm sure you're a nice girl or whatever, but if you continue to talk to Luke, you and I are going to have a little problem. He's mine. Got it?"
Sophia merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise that Luke was an object."
Rachel glared at her. "You're on a high horse, girl. If you don't get off it, I'll have to make you get off it myself. Understand?"
"I understand that you view me as a threat or else you wouldn't have taken the trouble of talking to me."
Rachel scoffed. "Please, as if you are any threat to me."
Sophia kept her cool. "I've met people like you who think they're the best by gaining followers through fear." She stepped forward so that she and Rachel were eye-to-eye and glared. "But it doesn't work on me."
She held her position for a moment before stepping away and shrugging. "But no matter. I have no intention of hooking up with 'your' Luke. I'll be out of here in a few months anyway, so you can pine after him as much as you like. Just don't try to tell me what to do. Got it?"
She didn't wait for a reply as she turned and walked off, leaving a flabbergasted group of girls with their seething leader behind her.