Sophie Under Pressure (14 page)

They followed him into the family room, Fiona trailing along behind as if she didn't want to have to talk to Sophie. Sophie was trailing her heart behind her.

Daddy had the camera turned on, and it took a second for Sophie to realize he was showing what they'd done on their film so far. Not much was happening at the moment. There was only a view of the empty
Freedom 4
.

Daddy cocked one eyebrow at Sophie. “We'll talk later about why you left your camera up in the tree house running for an hour last night after you and Maggie left. But I think you're going to be glad you did it.”

The film continued, still showing the floor of the station, murky in the darkness. And then there was a darker shadow, cast by the hatch cover coming up. And then a head. And a set of ears that stuck out from somebody's head.

“Is that Colton Messik?” Fiona said.

Sophie nodded and watched another figure struggle through the hole, breathing like a tractor. “And that's Eddie Wornom. I'd know that backside anywhere.”

“Okay,” Daddy said, “now who's this kid?”

Another figure hauled itself up through the opening, plunking something on the floor ahead of him. It was a short guy who moved like he was in charge. It was Tod Ravelli, grabbing what she could now see was a saw and hissing something to Eddie's bulky form. The hatch cover came down over the opening.

And then a tearing sound suddenly ripped from the film, as Tod's elbow appeared over and over.

“Mercy,” Mama said. “He's cutting that board.”

“And we've got it on film.” Daddy turned to look at Fiona. “There's your scoundrel.”

Fiona stared at the top of the coffee table, and Sophie could tell she was blinking back tears again.

Sophie sat up tall. “We can handle them, Daddy. We'll — ”

But Daddy put up a hand. “Soph, this is way too serious. This isn't some schoolboy prank. It was done deliberately, and you need to let adults handle it.”

Sophie sank back against the cushions. It was okay. Even Captain Stella Stratos would let the big commander do his job.

Boppa got on the phone with Tod's parents and there was a lot of, “Yes, I'm sure. Of course I'm certain. I would never make an accusation like this without being absolutely — Yes, I'll bring the film over.”

Boppa and Daddy left, and after Mama made sure Sophie and Fiona weren't crying and scared, she went upstairs to check on Zeke. That left Sophie and Fiona sitting in the family room on opposite ends of the couch, acting like they didn't know each other. Sophie did feel like crying then.

And it wasn't because the Fruit Loops had something so bad against them that they had actually tried to hurt them. It was because Fiona was so far away.

I want to fix it — I hate this! But I don't have any words. Jesus isn't giving me the words!

Fiona was running her toes back and forth across the coffee table and hugging a sofa pillow and looking miserable.

I have to say SOMETHING
, Sophie thought. And she opened her mouth and let out the only words she had.

“You were wrong about Maggie, but anybody could make a mistake. I did.”

Fiona shook her head, still sliding her toes on the coffee table. “You're never wrong. You're just way better than I am.”

“But I was wrong. I thought Nimbus was too bossy at first too.” Sophie scooted closer to Fiona. “She's not so bad, Jupiter. She's smart. She does the moonwalk. She has a laugh like chocolate and she's loyal and she knows first aid and she knows she's bossy.”

She could see Fiona swallowing.

“But she doesn't know way-cool words and she doesn't have the best imagination in the universe and she doesn't know how to be somebody's friend. But I'm teaching her that.” It was Sophie's turn to swallow hard. “And then she'll find her own best friend.”

Fiona looked at Sophie with very round eyes. “Then you're not gonna trade me for her?” she said.

“Best friends don't DO stuff like that!” Sophie said. “I guess I need to be teaching you too.”

Fiona hugged the pillow tighter to her, and Sophie thought about Dr. Peter's window seat. She felt a little like Dr. Peter must feel sometimes. She even wrinkled her glasses up her nose.

“I'm sorry I lied to Maggie about you not believing her,” Fiona said.

“Okay,” Sophie said.

Fiona looked at her with agony in her eyes. “Are you sure you don't hate me?”

“I'm sure,” Sophie said solemnly.

Fiona looked down at her toes. “I bet Maggie will hate me forever.”

“You don't want her to?” Sophie said.

“No! But what do I do?”

“How 'bout we call her?”

“You call her for me,” Fiona said.

Before Sophie even started shaking her head, Fiona was rolling her eyes. “Okay, okay, I'll call her — only you have to be right there with me.”

“Hello!” Sophie said. “Of course!”

It actually was Sophie who got Maggie on the phone, because she knew she would probably hang up if she heard Fiona's voice first. She was pretty surprised she didn't do it when she heard Sophie's. As it was, Maggie's words were thudding harder than usual.

“I'm mad at you,” she said to Sophie.

“I didn't tell Fiona I thought you cut the board,” Sophie said. “And she wants to tell you that herself.”

“Wants” might have been too strong a word. Fiona looked like she would rather have hit herself in the head with the receiver than talk into it.

But Sophie was proud of her. She took the phone and took a breath and spilled out an apology in that one big burst of air. And then she deflated like a bicycle tire as she listened to Maggie talk. Sophie got next to Fiona so they could share the earpiece.

“Okay — I guess I forgive you,” Maggie said. “Only I don't see why you had to lie.”

“Because I thought you were going to take Sophie away from me.”

“Take her where?” Maggie said.

Fiona rolled her eyes at Sophie. “You know, become her best friend instead of me.”

“Oh,” Maggie said. “No, I never have best friends.”

“There isn't any reason why we can't all be best friends,” Sophie said as she crowded her mouth next to Fiona's. “You and me and Kitty.”

Fiona looked like she suddenly had the stomach flu, but Sophie held up a wait-a-minute hand. “Fiona's my BEST best friend, but you and Kitty can be my other best friends and we can be yours and Kitty's.”

Maggie didn't say anything for so long, Sophie wasn't sure she was still there. When she finally answered, she said, “Okay. I'll bring the costumes over tomorrow.”

Fiona collapsed against the couch.

“We have to have a meeting tomorrow anyway,” Sophie said. “We'll tell you what's happening with the
Freedom 4
then.”

When she hung up, Fiona was laughing. And laughing. And laughing.

“What?” Sophie said.

“I don't know,” she said. “I just feel like laughing.”

Sophie kind of did too.

Boppa and Daddy came back before an hour was up, and once again they and Mama and Fiona and Sophie gathered in the family room. Mama brought out the gingerbread and sauce, but nobody ate it.

“Tod confessed,” Daddy told them. “Under duress.”

“What does that mean?” Sophie said.

“He didn't want to do it,” Fiona said. “I could have told you that.”

“What's going to happen to him?” Sophie said.

“I don't know, but his father assured me he'll take care of it and it will never happen again.”

“I want to believe that,” Boppa said. Even his eyebrows looked sad. “But to be on the safe side, Fiona, I want you to avoid those boys at all costs.”

“Uh, hello,” Fiona said. “I wouldn't go near them if you paid me.”

“Me neither,” Sophie said. It felt good to be agreeing with Fiona again.

“He doesn't take all the blame though,” Boppa said. The lines in his face looked like they were about to laugh.

“So he told on Eddie and Colton, huh?” Fiona said. “Like we hadn't already seen them on the movie.”

“It isn't them he was blaming,” Boppa said. “It's your old pals — what do you call them? Cheerios?”

“The Corn Pops?” Fiona said. “No way!”

But Sophie was bobbing her head up and down. “Yes way! I saw Julia looking at them when they were trying to get the note off Mrs. Y.'s shoe the other day. You know, THAT look?”

Fiona nodded. “Oh yeah. I know.”

Daddy blinked at both of them. “What just went on?”

“It's a best friend thing,” Mama said. “Known only to girls.”

“Oh,” Daddy said. “That would explain it. So we told Tod if he wanted to turn them in for putting them up to it, that was their choice, but he was the one holding the saw.”

“Does that mean we can't turn them in?” Fiona said.

Daddy shook his head. “All you have is what Tod said.”

“Too bad,” Fiona said. “I'd like to see them go down again.”

And then she looked at Sophie. Sophie was shaking her head.

“Or not,” Fiona said.

Mama sat down on the arm of the sofa and put her hand on Sophie's shoulder. “I am really concerned about all this bullying. From now on, I want you to tell us every time anything like this even gets started. This has gotten way out of hand.”

“Mama's right,” Daddy said.

Sophie nodded until her head hurt. The only thing better than she and Fiona agreeing was Mama and Daddy agreeing. It was the best thought of the day.

Later, when everyone was gone, Mama came into Sophie's room.

“Whatcha thinking about, Dream Girl?” she said. She sat down on Sophie's bed next to her. Sophie scooted closer.

“I was thinking about loaves and fishes,” Sophie said.

“Okay,” Mama said. She didn't sound the least bit surprised. “And why were you thinking about loaves and fishes?”

“I don't know. I was trying to figure out what to do about Fiona and I asked Jesus to help me and I even thought about the loaves and fishes story because Dr. Peter said it would help but it wasn't helping …” She stopped for a breath. “And then it worked out anyway.”

“What did you do to get it to work out?” Mama said. She crossed her legs in front of her and began to unbraid Sophie's hair with her tiny Mama hands.

“I just said what was in my head.” Sophie rolled her eyes. “It really wasn't eloquent at all. And it wasn't scientific, which is what I'm into now.”

“I've been sort of out of the loop on that. We'll have to get caught up.” Mama ran her fingers through Sophie's loosened braid and gently shook out the crimped-up hair. “I think I know how the loaves and fishes story worked for you — because it's worked the same for me.”

Sophie turned her eyes to Mama without moving her head, since Mama was now working on the other braid. “Did Dr. Peter give you that assignment too?” she said.

“No,” Mama said. “You just made me think of it. I know I haven't been myself lately and I'm sorry for that. I know it's been hard for you.”

“I didn't fall down in my grades though!” Sophie said. “I'm still in GATE — and we'll make the space station amazing, even in the garage — ”

Mama stopped unbraiding and closed her eyes for a tiny second. “I know, and I'm proud of you. But you had nothing to do with my being unhappy.”

“Then why were you?”

“For a lot of reasons that I've talked to Daddy and Dr. Peter about,” Mama said. “Daddy and I have worked out our tangles, and God and I have worked out mine.”

She leaned across to the bedside table and picked up Sophie's brush. Sophie wriggled herself around and felt it run smoothly down the back of her hair.

“But when everything was in knots,” Mama said, “I had trouble doing the things I needed to do.”

“I know about that,” Sophie said.

“Yes, you do. And I bet you know that when that happens, you can only give what you have, and God will fill in the rest until you really start listening to him again.” Mama gave her soft laugh. “The answers are always there of course.”

Sophie let her head fall back as Mama went on brushing.

“Mama?” she said.

“What, Dream Girl?” Mama said.

“Does that mean I don't have to fix everything? You know, like make everything okay for everybody?”

Mama stopped brushing, and Sophie could feel Mama's forehead pressing against the back of her hair.

“That's exactly what it means,” Mama said. “All we have to do is love and act like we love. That's what Jesus does, right?”

Sophie closed her eyes right there and imagined herself in the hungry crowd. Only it wasn't on a hillside. It was in a school, and people were fighting and throwing things. Kind of like in Mrs. Y.'s class. She could picture Jesus standing up in the middle of all those kids and — not yelling — saying, “All right. Who has something that can quiet down all this racket and get everyone getting along?”

Sophie looked down at her hands. She wasn't holding anything. But she knew there was something she could give. Something she would always have with her.

I know there's a reason to like every person here
, she told Jesus.
I've got a bajillion for Dr. Peter and a bunch for Fiona and I'm getting a big list for Maggie too. I'm even starting to like Lacie.
She took a whisper breath.
Anyway
,
that's all I have. If people could just look at the good reasons … That's all I have.

Mama slid her arms around Sophie. “I don't know where you are right now, my Dream Girl,” she said. “But wherever it is, I think it's a very good place to be.”

It was a good place, Sophie decided when Mama was gone. She snuggled into the pillows. Now if she could only think of a reason to like the Corn Pops. That was a dream she'd save for tomorrow.