Sofia
"Bloody hell"
I mutter under my breath while impatiently tapping my steering wheel
I've been sitting in my parked car for close to two hours waiting for only God knows what.
I didn't really give it much thought when Sandra's call came in, asking me to come pick her up Now I'm here, parked at the back of a rundown bar in this unfamiliar city.
What the hell is Sandra even doing here?
I've asked myself that question at least fifty times already
I try her number multiple times but no answer; I'm actually getting worried now.
I blare my horn for the umpteenth time before finally deciding, "Screw it."
I find myself walking into the God forsaken place. If the outside was terrible, the inside is petrifying. The air inside is thick with smoke and cheap perfume. I nearly gag when a woman – waitress – walks past me wearing nothing but a lingerie set. That's when I notice the stage at the center of the room, huge and adorned with worn out silver poles.
Holy shit! This place is a fucking strip club
I'm dialing Sandra's number again, desperate to get out of here, but, like before, no answer. I almost slam my phone against a nearby wall in frustration. I try scanning the crowd for anything that slightly resembles her but then something catches my eye. I scurry to the back of the room, making real sure that no one notices me, and press my hand slightly against the wall.
I knew it.
It's a false wall meant to hide a door. For a door trying so hard to be hidden there's no one guarding it. I'm not sure what drew my attention to it but I let myself be dragged either way.
Surprised to find it slightly ajar, I completely push it open and walk through it.
"Sandra you are so bloody screwed" I say quietly to no one but myself. This room is completely different from the other one. With roulette, blackjack and poker tables filling up the space, it doesn't take me too long to figure out exactly what this room is.
A casino.
I walk even further through the, surprisingly, crowded room – casino –, which leaves me wondering why the door was so hidden in the first place? The more I wonder how I found myself in this situation the angrier I get for picking up that call. If I hadn't picked up that damn call I'd be snuggling my pillow, solving test questions right now. What has she ever done for me that made me feel compelled to pick up that call?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She has done nothing to make me pick up that call.
Wrong.
She has done something. She's my little sister – even if it's by a few minutes – and if she's in trouble I will help her.
I make a mental note to keep my eyes pinned to my surroundings. I notice even more gambling games taking place. The room gets even eerier once you get deeper into it.
The whole damn place screams 'DO NOT ENTER' and yet here I am, entering a place I have no connections with what so ever all in the name of ' I'm looking for my sister'.
I can genuinely feel all sort of different eyes on me as I walk down the hall scanning the crowd for any signs or features that resemble hers, and then, after what feels like forever, my eyes land on long curly auburn hair, shimmering blue eyes, a sight that leaves boys' breaths hitching
Found you
I march my way over to Sandra and without a second thought I pull her up from what looks like a chair
Whack!
My hand instantly collides with her face. All heads turn to us witnessing the anger on my face and the shock and fear on Sandra's. "What the actual heck Sofia?" asks Sandra, still holding her face in her palm looking a bit annoyed and embarrassed
That's when I noticed she actually had some friends with her, not ones I'm familiar with but still. Immediately masking the bit of regret on my face, I turn to her, "follow me" I said leaving no room for argument.
While I'm leaving I notice a particular pair of green eyes staring at me. It's for a split second but it feels like forever, like I'm slowly being pulled into an abyss. I reluctantly look away and walk forward, not intending to stop until I've reached my car.
In less than five minutes, I'm back in my car completely and utterly confused before Sandra gets in.
Silence
Pure and utter silence fills the space for the next few minutes. Feeling sick of it, Sandra decides to go first "I wanna know why you hit me"
I scoff, "why I hit you? Why? "I'm practically laughing at this point "I would hit you again in a heartbeat" I spit out through clenched teeth
"You called me in the middle of the night asking to come pick you up. I drop everything I'm doing, including my SAT practical exams, to come pick you up at a rundown bar, strip club in fact, only to get here and not see you. You don't answer my texts, my calls, nothing, absolutely bloody nothing!"
I check my phone's screen for the time.
"You called me at exactly 8:17, I got here about ten minutes later, waited for almost three hours", I let out a deep sigh, "Sandra it is 11:15, and you're asking why I hit you?! Are you bitching with me right now?"
Sandra goes still in the car seat not wanting to say anything which was good because I had nothing to say either. I let out a long sigh and start up the ignition of my car and soon it's revving down the high way.
I park my car at my personal spot in the underground parking lot. Stepping out the car, I admire my once pristine white G – wagon now covered in dirt and stained with the stench of alcohol coming off Sandra. "I'll clean it up first thing tomorrow morning" Sandra says next to me
"Of course you are" I mutter still mourning my car.
Making our way to the elevators Sandra tries apologizing repeatedly, explaining how she thought she sent me a text telling me not to come anymore. In all actuality, I wasn't really listening to anything she was saying, because all I wanted to do was to get up this elevator and head straight to my bedroom.
Once we're out of the unusually suffocating elevator, I take large gulps of air in an attempt to steady my breathing.
Since our house is a penthouse the elevator immediately opens up to the foyer of the house. I change into my flip flops and walk straight to my room without taking a glance at Sandra. I can't stand her right now. I can't stand her on a normal day but she is especially infuriating right now.
In my room, I lock the door behind me. Looking at my now messy room I let out a sigh and head straight for my bed, not even bothering to change out of the clothes I hurriedly put on, and drifted off to sweet sleep.