"Thanks for the ride," I said, smiling at the leader of the biker gang who had just dropped me off.
"Anytime, Princess." He nodded before taking off on his bike.
'What a nice man,' I thought as I watched his retreating figure.
I hurried back into the house, hoping my mother wasn't sick with worry. Thank God those bikers were men with daughters who liked Hello Kitty, or I probably wouldn't have made it back safe.
Sofia had meant it for evil, but it turned to my good. Now I had new friends who would pull through for me anytime. He'd even given me his number.
The mansion looked calm. No cops or detectives. Nothing that screamed missing child. Strange. I shrugged it off and went upstairs to change into something clean before heading to the kitchen.
My stomach growled at the smell.
My mom was at the counter, busy with dinner. When she saw me, her face lit up. She motioned me closer. "Steph, come help me with this baklava."
"Dinner's ready?"
"It's still in the oven."
I hurried over to help her layer the phyllo sheets with butter and honey.
"How was school?" she asked.
"Cool." I brushed it off.
Today had gone just as I planned; except for Sofia's little stunt. I was exhausted, but the memory of Hayden kept my smile alive. I was finally going to be close to him again.
This time I would seduce him. In my past lives, he'd fallen for me just for being myself. But in this life, he wasn't even looking at me. And with Kai hovering, it would be even harder.
"What's making you smile like that?" my mom nudged me gently, heading over to the oven.
"Nothing." My voice was too quick, which only made her smile wider.
"Are you sure?"
"It really is nothing." I lied, because I couldn't tell her about Hayden or dying over and over again.
"I already know what it is."
I raised a brow. "What?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "It's a boy, isn't it?"
"What? No. Ew, mom." I almost gagged. "Stop. It's not. Ew."
Her laugh made me laugh too. But the way she looked at me made it feel like she was right, even if not in the way she thought.
"But wait," she tried to hold back another laugh. "Is that why you came home late?"
My smile dropped as Sofia's face flashed in my mind. "No. Sofia dumped me in the middle of nowhere and drove off."
My mom scoffed. "That doesn't sound like Sofia."
I raised a brow, ready to argue, but the kitchen door swung open. Sofia walked in, and the look on her face when she saw me alive was priceless!
"Oh. You're back." She frowned.
I said nothing and kept brushing the sheets.
Sofia tossed her handbag onto the counter like it was trash. "God, it smells like grease in here."
Mom blinked. "It's baklava."
Sofia leaned over the pan and made a gagging noise. "Ugh. Are you trying to make me fat? What are you, blind? Do you know how many calories are in that? No wonder Steph looks like she could live in sweatpants."
The brush slipped in my hand. "What the hell, Sofia? Don't talk to her like that."
Sofia smirked at me. "Relax. I wasn't talking to you, Piggy."
My mom's eyes flicked nervously between us. "Sofia, that wasn't very polite."
"Polite?" Sofia let out a short laugh. "You're the maid, not my nutritionist. If you want to bake sludge, fine, but don't expect me to eat it. God." She grabbed a bottle of sparkling water from the fridge and stormed out.
I stared after her, heat rushing up my neck. "And you just let her talk to you like that?"
"She didn't mean it," Mom said softly, already brushing butter over the sheets like nothing happened.
"She literally called you the maid!"
Mom sighed. "But aren't I, though."
"Mom!" I didn't intend to yell.
"Steph, don't start. Sofia has high standards. She's just… direct. That's her way."
I dropped the brush onto the counter. "No, Mom. That's called being a bitch."
"Language!" Her tone snapped. "Don't be dramatic. Not everyone is as sensitive as you. Honestly, I'd rather have Sofia's bluntness than your constant excuses."
My jaw dropped. "Excuses? Are you serious right now?"
She set the pan aside, turning to me. "Every summer, Steph. Every summer you're back in summer school. Do you know how humiliating that is for me? Parents look at me like I failed. They compare you to Sofia, and I can feel it in their eyes. Sapphire even hints at it—'Oh, intelligence comes from the mother.' Do you know how that makes me feel?"
Her words sank in heavy. "So that's it? You like her better because she's smarter."
"I didn't say that." Her voice softened. "I just… don't understand why you can't apply yourself the way she does. She makes things easy. You make everything hard."
My mother always sided with Sofia, even when she was clearly wrong. She treated her better than me. I told myself it was because she worked for her family, but the thought never sat right.
It still haunted me; in my first life, the day I was beaten nearly to death. I'd lost so much blood the doctors asked for a donor. My mother tried, but it wasn't possible. I never asked why.
"Dad wouldn't have picked her over me," I muttered.
Her face snapped hard. "Don't bring him into this."
"I'm just saying—"
"Enough!" She cut me off. "If he cared, he'd be here. But he's not. He's in Italy, with the family he actually loves."
"That's cruel." I attempted to sound unaffected, but my voice betrayed me.
"It's the truth," she said flatly. "You worship that man like he's perfect, but where is he when your grades come home? When I'm the one listening to Sapphire brag about her daughter's A's while I have to smile through your E's and F's? I'm the one left dealing with your grades, your failures, your…" She stopped herself, pressing a hand to her temple. "You think he'd want to claim you, Steph? Really?"
The words hurt, but I forced myself to hold her gaze. "You're so insensitive."
Her shoulders dropped. She looked tired now. "Steph, just… go to your room. Please."
I didn't argue. Upstairs, I threw myself onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. No matter what life I lived, Mom always found a way to make me feel like the problem.
Later, she brought up dinner. No smile, no apology; just silence.
And somehow, that silence hurt more than the words.