Second chance

Chapter6

Chapter 6: The Other Spy

Monday morning smelled like rain.

Sofia woke up on the cold floor of Aria's dorm room, her cheek stuck to the blanket. Her neck ached. Her eyes were swollen.

For three seconds, she didn't remember why she felt sick. Then it hit her.

Victor. The balcony. Her mother's voice saying _you saved me._

She checked her phone.

No new messages. That was worse. Silence meant he was waiting for her to mess up.

"Sofi?" Aria mumbled from her bed, her voice thick with sleep. "You okay? You were talking in your sleep."

"What did I say?" Sofia asked too fast.

"Something about... don't take her?" Aria sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You sounded scared."

Sofia forced a laugh. "Just a dream."

Aria studied her. Aria always studied her too closely.

"Come here," Aria said softly, opening her arms.

Sofia climbed onto the bed and let Aria hug her. Aria smelled like vanilla and laundry detergent.

"I've got you," Aria whispered. "Whatever it is."

Sofia closed her eyes and hated herself. _You have no idea what you're holding._

They got to Professor Han's class late. They slipped into the back row, Aria still fixing her hair.

Han was writing on the board: _Case Study: Merger Failures._

Sofia tried to take notes, but her hand kept shaking. She kept seeing Victor's face at the docks. _Three months. Maybe less._

After class, Aria grabbed her wrist.

"Charity club. Now. You promised."

"I never promise," Sofia protested, but she let herself be dragged.

The student center was chaos. Boxes. Cans. Maya Chen with a clipboard shouting names.

"Sofia! Thank god, someone organized." Maya shoved a marker into her hand. "Label these."

Sofia fell into the rhythm. Label. Stack. Count. It was safe. It was normal.

Then she heard his voice.

"Hey, can I grab a few shots for the paper?"

Sofia looked up.

He was tall, with messy black hair and a camera hanging from his neck. Denim jacket with paint on the sleeve. He smiled easily, like he belonged everywhere.

"I'm Liam," he said, looking not at Sofia, but at Aria. "Liam Park. School paper."

Aria lit up. "Oh! You're the photo guy! Maya said you were coming."

"Yeah." His eyes stayed on Aria a second too long. "You must be Aria Castellano. I've heard a lot about you."

Aria laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "All good things, I hope."

"All interesting things," Liam said.

Sofia felt something cold slide down her spine.

She knew that look. She had worn that look.

_Get close. Make them trust you._

Liam crouched to take a photo of Aria sorting cans. Click.

"You volunteer a lot?" he asked her.

"My mom made me," Aria joked. "Now I actually like it."

"That's cool," Liam said. "Most rich kids don't."

Aria's smile faltered just a fraction. Sofia saw it.

"I'm not most rich kids," Aria said quietly.

"I can see that," Liam said, and his voice was gentle.

Sofia's stomach turned. She turned back to her boxes, labeling harder than she needed to.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Unknown: He's yours. Work together.

Sofia's hands froze.

She looked up at Liam. He was showing Aria a photo on his camera, their heads bent close together. He glanced up, caught Sofia's eye over Aria's head, and gave her the tiniest nod.

Cold. Professional.

_Victor sent him too._

Sofia felt the room tilt.

Later, Maya sent Aria to get more tape. Liam drifted over to Sofia's table, casual.

"You're efficient," he said quietly, not looking at her.

"You're obvious," Sofia muttered, stacking cans.

He smiled without humor. "Victor says you're slipping. Getting soft."

Sofia's grip tightened on a can. "You don't know me."

"I know your file," Liam said. "Mother's surgery. Debt. Dario. I know you cry in your sleep."

Sofia wanted to hit him. "Don't talk about her."

"I'm not your enemy, Sofia," Liam said, his voice low. "I'm your partner. My job is Aria. Make her trust me. Make her... like me. Your job is to keep her close enough that she doesn't notice."

"She's a person," Sofia whispered. "Not a job."

Liam finally looked at her. His eyes weren't cruel. They were tired.

"You think I don't know that?" he said. "Victor has my little sister. She's fifteen. He pays for her... school. If I don't do this, she—" He stopped. "We don't get to be good people. We just get to survive."

Sofia stared at him. For the first time, she didn't feel alone in her guilt. She felt sicker.

Aria came bouncing back with tape. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Box-stacking techniques," Liam said smoothly, smiling at her. "Sofia's a pro."

Aria linked her arm through Sofia's. "She's the best at everything."

Liam watched them, his camera forgotten. For a second, something real flickered across his face. Guilt.

Sofia recognized it because she felt it every day.

That night, Sofia couldn't study. She sat on her dorm bed, staring at the wall.

Her phone buzzed.

Liam (new number): We need to talk without them. Tomorrow. Library, 3rd floor. 4pm.

Sofia stared at the message. She typed: Why should I trust you?

Liam: You shouldn't. But we're stuck together.

She didn't reply.

Aria texted a minute later: Liam is SO nice!! He said he's doing a photo series and wants me to be in it!!

Sofia's chest ached.

Sofia: That's great.

Aria: He asked about you too! I told him you're my sister. He said he's lucky to meet us both.

Sofia put her phone down and pressed her palms into her eyes.

_He's going to break her heart,_ she thought. _Victor wants him to get close, make her fall for him, then use her. And I have to help._

She opened her notebook. She turned to a fresh page.

She wrote: _Liam Park is not a boy with a camera. He's like me._

Then she crossed it out so hard the paper tore.

Aria called. Sofia answered.

"Are you okay?" Aria asked immediately. "You sound weird."

"I'm just tired," Sofia said.

"Come sleep over," Aria said. "I'll make popcorn. We'll watch stupid videos."

Sofia wanted to say no. She wanted to protect Aria from herself.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Yay! Bring your sad face, I'll fix it."

Sofia hung up and grabbed her bag. As she walked to Aria's dorm, rain started again.

She thought about Liam's tired eyes. About his sister. About Victor holding all their leashes.

_We're both lying to her,_ Sofia thought. _And she's the only one who loves us for real._

She knocked on Aria's door. Aria opened it in pajamas, grinning.

"Took you long enough, peasant."

Sofia stepped inside and let Aria pull her into a hug.

For tonight, she would pretend she was just Sofia.