Chapter 7: Lines Drawn in the Sand
1041 Words
Sophia couldn't figure out why she was still thinking about Emily's words so long after the girl had flounced away with that sickly sweet smile.
She won that round, didn't she? She had returned it to Emily, had not given her the upper hand, and had not shaken her—at least not outwardly. And yet, there she was, sitting in the cafeteria, still thinking about it.
Noah was staring at her with an exaggeratedly suspicious expression, one eyebrow quirked high as he drummed his fingers on the table.
"You're brooding."
Sophia blinked, startled from her thoughts. "I am not."
Noah let out a dramatic gasp. "You certainly are. What happened? Did the wicked witch attempt to curse you again?"
Sophia sighed and stabbed at the wilted lettuce on her plate. "Emily was just being… Emily."
Noah made a face. "Ah. You mean manipulative, insecure, and in dire need of an exorcism?
Sophia gave a small laugh. "Basically."
Noah leaned in, conspiratorially. "Please tell me you roasted her."
Sophia smirked and propped her elbow on the table. "I might have told her she's trying to stay relevant after getting dumped."
Noah's eyes widened. Then he howled in laughter.
"OH MY GOD—SOPHIA, YOU CAN'T JUST—" He smacked the table. "I wished I had been closer. "That is gold."
Sophia shrugged, pretending she wasn't secretly enjoying his reaction. "She asked for it."
"You are my hero," Noah exclaimed, clutching his chest dramatically. "Forget Juliet." You should play Medea and burn the entire kingdom down, queen."
Sophia rolled her eyes, but she still smiled.
For a brief moment, she felt lighter.
Then her gaze returned to Liam's table.
And the knot in her stomach tightened again.
Liam had not reacted much to Emily's brief performance earlier, but that didn't mean he was unaware.
Sophia was beginning to realize that Liam Carter was watching everything.
He was still sitting where he had always been: center stage, on his throne, ruling his kingdom.
Even now, after everything had happened, he smiled.
Not a big grin, but a slow, knowing smirk that never seemed to leave his lips. The one who stated, "I see everything, and nothing surprises me."
Emily had retreated, but she had not vanished.
She sat at a different table now, her perfectly curled blonde hair gleaming in the fluorescent lights, her posture straight as if she didn't care. But now and then, her gaze shifted to Liam.
And he knew it.
Oh, he knew it.
Sophia watched, stomach twisting, as Liam leaned back in his seat. Totally at ease.
A brunette named Ava, one of Emily's usual minions, leaned in too close and laughed at something he said.
And Liam allowed her.
Sophia clenched her jaw.
Why did this bother her?
She did not like Liam Carter. He was arrogant, insufferable, and treated people as pawns in a game only he understood.
And yet.
And yet.
Something burned deep inside her chest, beneath layers of irritation and denial.
A soft voice whispered, "You could never be the kind of girl he looks at like that."
"Uhhh…"
Sophia turned her head to see Noah staring at her.
He wiggled his eyebrows. "Sophia."
"What?" she inquired, wary.
"You're staring."
Sophia jerked back, as if she had been caught committing a crime. "I am NOT."
Noah gasped, his face a perfect mask of mock betrayal. "My best friend has fallen into the clutches of the enemy."
"I—"
Noah cut her off. "No, do not try to deny it. I noticed that look. The longing. The unspoken what-ifs. Sophia, do you need an intervention?
Sophia groaned and buried her face in her hands. "You are the actual worst."
Noah sighed heavily. "That's okay. We all have weaknesses. My iced coffee tastes good. "Your chaos demons appear to be blond-haired and blue-eyed."
Sophia glared at him. "He is NOT my weakness."
Noah nodded solemnly. "You're correct. "He's your villain's origin story."
Sophia threw a piece of lettuce at him.
Sophia simply wanted to get through the rest of the day without incident.
Fate apparently had other plans.
She was rounding the corner, lost in thought, when she collided with something solid.
Correction—someone.
Her books tumbled to the ground.
A familiar low chuckle caused her to freeze.
"Wow, Bennett. "We need to stop meeting like this."
Her stomach dropped.
She slowly looked up, meeting Liam Carter's icy blue eyes.
He smirked. Of course, he was.
Sophia wanted to roll her eyes and respond with something cutting. But she was overly aware of how close they were.
About how the air between them felt charged.
Liam bent down and easily picked up her books that had fallen.
He held them out, but when she reached for them, he didn't let go right away.
Instead, he tilted his head to study her. "Something on your mind, Bennett?"
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Yeah. "I'm wondering why you're always in my way."
Liam's grin broadened. "Maybe you keep finding me."
Her breath caught slightly.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
She ripped her books from his grasp and took a step backward.
Liam just chuckled. "Relax, Princess. There's no need to look so agitated."
"I'm not flustered," she snapped.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."
God, she despised him.
Worse, she despised the way he always got under her skin.
So, before he could respond, she turned on her heel and walked away.
What if her heart was beating a little too quickly?
Well.
She would simply pretend it wasn't.
Sophia was exhausted when she got home.
Emily.
Liam.
The whispers.
The way she reacted to things she should not have cared about.
Her mother barely looked at her as she walked through the door. "You need to wear something better for tomorrow's rehearsal," she told me. "Your posture is still terrible."
Sophia gritted her teeth. "Hello to you too, Mom."
Veronica Bennett did not even look up.
Sophia exhaled, feeling tension in her bones.
Tomorrow was another day.
Another day of attempting to hold her own.
Another day of dealing with Emily's mind games, Noah's teasing, and Liam Carter's stupid, irritatingly perfect smirk.
And somehow?
She sensed right away that this was only the beginning.
- Writer
