Sophie's Different (James Madison Series Book 3)

by Patrick Hodges

  I gasped as I recognized them both.

  Drew and Rhianna.

  The last I heard, Alexis was still giving Sophie the stink-eye wherever she went, but as far as I knew Sophie hadn't had any more confrontations with her. Rhianna had kept her distance completely, which surprised me, given how intensely she swore revenge. But finding Rhianna making out with Drew on the remotest corner of the playground changed everything. I could only wonder if Alexis knew her BFF and her ex-boyfriend were sneaking around behind her back.

  I watched both of them as they chatted, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. I saw Rhianna smile that shark's smile of hers. After a few moments, Drew's shoulders slumped, and then they exchanged another kiss.

  “Wow, she's really got him wrapped around her little finger, doesn't she?” Marissa whispered.

  “Yeah, but he's probably telling all his idiot friends that he's totally in charge.”

  At that moment, the fifth-period bell rang, and we both shut our phones off. We stayed put, hidden behind the tree, watching as Rhianna smacked Drew playfully on the butt and headed back toward the school buildings by herself. Drew remained behind, looking at his watch, and three minutes later, he followed.

  When he disappeared from sight, we rose from our hiding spot and started walking back as well. “Whoa. That was interesting,” I said. “You think Alexis knows?”

  “I doubt it,” Marissa said warily.

  “Me too. I wish I could record Drew bragging again, but unfortunately, they know about me now. They don't say crap in front of me anymore.”

  “That's too bad. I'm going to see Sophie in a few minutes, so I'll show her what we just saw.”

  We reached the foot of the central staircase, turning to face each other as kids continued to make their way to their next class. “I've got to get to P.E.,” I said. “Call me later, okay?”

  “I will.” She smiled again.

  Unable to resist, I gave her a quick peck on the lips before hotfooting it in the direction of the gym.

  * * *

  After school, I pedaled home as fast as I could. When I steered my bike around the corner onto my street, I was met with a sight of pure chaos.

  Three cars and a large truck, all marked “Phoenix Police Department,” were parked in front of my house. Many of our neighbors were out on their driveways, eyeing the scene with a mixture of puzzlement and annoyance that our quiet neighborhood had had its peace disturbed. I saw Mom standing on our front porch, talking to two uniformed officers.

  I parked my bike next to our neighbor's fence and tried to walk past the nearest policeman, a tall man with steely grey eyes, but he halted my progress with a stern look. “That's as far as you go, son.”

  “This is my house,” I informed him. “What's going on?”

  Before he could answer, Mom came running up to me. Addressing the policeman, she said, “It's okay, officer, this is my son.”

  “Very well,” he said, his face expressionless. “Just make sure you both stay outside.”

  Taking me by the shoulder, Mom steered me to a couple of outdoor chairs that had been moved from our front porch to the driveway. After we took a seat, she turned to me with a haggard smile. “They got him, Ayden.”

  My jaw dropped, and my eyes must have been the size of dinner plates. I was half-expecting this news, but it was still one of the most amazing things I'd ever heard in my life. “What happened?” I asked, finally finding my voice.

  “I don't know many details. But they got Ron, and all his friends too.”

  And just like that, I was on my feet, hugging Mom as hard as I could. She folded hers around me, and I lost my ability to speak again.

  I did it. I foiled a crime ring. Me.

  Okay, fine, technically the police did, and Sophie and Kelsey and Mom helped too, but this all started with me. I made the first recording, found the first evidence. I knocked over the first domino, and now some bad people were going to jail. Because of me. Invisiboy.

  “I'm so proud of you, baby.” I could feel Mom's body trembling.

  “Thanks, Mom. You were pretty awesome too.”

  I took my seat again, the magnitude of what just happened finally sinking in. “My God … I can't believe it.”

  “Believe it,” said a voice behind me.

  We both turned to see a tall man in his fifties addressing us. He wasn't in uniform, and from his clothes I guessed he was a detective like Kelsey's father. “Are you Ayden?”

  I nodded, rising from my chair. “Yeah.”

  He gave me a slight smile, extending his hand. “Detective Walter Evans. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Thanks,” I said, returning the handshake.

  “I understand we have you to thank for today's events.” I could hear the admiration in his voice. “Well done, young man.”

  “So what happened?” Mom asked.

  “We went to Mr. Merriweather's store, Direct-2-U, first thing this morning. A large truck full of furniture arrived and was partially unloaded into the store's warehouse section. We got the whole thing on video. The rest of the merchandise was then taken to the same storage facility you found receipts for.”

  “Big Doug's,” I interjected.

  “That's right. Once the stolen merchandise was loaded into the storage locker, we intercepted a phone call between Mr. Merriweather and his buyer. He then left the premises, but returned on his lunch break to oversee the sale. As soon as money exchanged hands, we moved in and arrested all of them.”

  “Really?” I grinned from ear to ear.

  He nodded. “Turns out they were smuggling kilos of cocaine inside boxes of unassembled furniture.”

  Mom's jaw dropped. “Ron was smuggling drugs?”

  “Looks like it, yeah. It's still early in the investigation, but we suspect this is all part of Jorge Castellano's drug operation. They probably have crooked salesmen like Mr. Merriweather planted all over the place. We're confident we'll be able to get a lot of information from these men, and maybe, just maybe, take Castellano down.” He turned to face me. “You did a great thing today, Mr. Saunders.” He reached down and patted me on the shoulder.

  I felt my breath quickening, and I covered my mouth with my hands. All my life, I've wanted to be a superhero. To do some good. And today, I did. And I did it without any fancy powers or a cool costume.

  “So what happens now?” Mom asked. “Will we have to testify in court?”

  The detective shook his head. “I doubt it. Mr. Merriweather started bawling like a baby the second we slapped the cuffs on him. He's probably down at the station spilling his guts as we speak. The D.A. will likely offer him some kind of deal for his testimony, but he'll still be going away for a long time.”

  “Good,” Mom said with no small amount of disgust. “Does this mean you'll remove the bugs from the house too?”

  “Taking care of that right now. We should be out of your hair within the hour.”

  Just then, an idea flashed through my brain. “Can you do me a favor, Detective?”

  “What's that?”

  “I'd like you to take a short message to Ron, if that's possible.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “What message is that?”

  I smiled mischievously. “Tell him … it was me.”

  A wry grin crept over Detective Evans' face, and he started laughing. “I will.”

  He turned to walk away, but there was one thing I still needed to know. “Detective?”

  “Yes?” he asked, facing me again.

  “Ron took something from me a few weeks ago. A box of comic books. I searched the house, but I couldn't find them. I thought they might be in his car –”

  “They were,” he replied. “We found them in the trunk of his BMW, along with some other incriminating documents. We'll get them back to you as soon as possible.”

  “Thank you, sir.” The detective nodded and went back into the house.

  * * *

  Just over an hour later, the cops finish
ed hauling out all of Ron's stuff, including his desk, and they'd removed the listening devices they'd planted three weeks ago. Mom and I were in the kitchen, preparing to drink some hot chocolate she made. We both wanted to celebrate, and hot chocolate always hit the spot. The smell was heavenly as she placed a steaming hot mug in front of me.

  “Marshmallows?” Mom asked with a knowing smile, digging a bag of mini-marshmallows out of the cupboard.

  “You really need to ask?” I replied, holding my mug out.

  She plopped a few into my mug, and I stirred vigorously, letting the liquid soak into them. “We are awesome, aren't we?” I asked, a self-satisfied leer on my face.

  “Yes we are.” Mom sat down next to me. Raising her mug, she offered a toast. “To being awesome.”

  “Heck, yeah!” I clinked my mug against hers. We both took a hearty swig, and I rejoiced as the delicious chocolate slid down my throat and warmed my stomach.

  I grabbed a few more marshmallows from the bag, dropping them into my now half-empty mug. Looking up, I saw that Mom's smile had faded. “Mom, what's wrong?”

  She didn't reply right away, and I could see the worry lines etched on her face. “You did a great thing, sweetie. A great thing. Almost like a real superhero.”

  I smiled again. My childhood dream to be a superhero was not exactly something I'd kept a secret. “I know. It felt so amazing to …” I paused. “This is gonna sound so corny.”

  “What is it?”

  “I wanted to do some good. Help people I didn't even know.” I gave a wry smirk. “You think we'll get our name in the papers?”

  She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Do you really want your name in the papers?”

  I thought about it for a few moments, and then shook my head. “Nah. A superhero doesn't fight crime or vanquish evil for personal glory.”

  “Attaboy,” she said, smiling.

  I took another sip. “Besides, I'm gonna be too busy to be a superhero, after I become a famous actor and all.”

  “That would be great, sweetheart.” Her face then became serious again.

  “What's wrong, Mom?” I asked. “Aren't you happy about how things worked out?”

  “Of course I am.”

  “So why don't you look happy right now?”

  Mom placed her hand on top of mine. “I am happy, sweetie. Doing good for others is a wonderful thing. But right now, I'm more worried about how we're going to take care of ourselves.” She sighed heavily. “What Ron was doing was wrong, but for all his many faults, he still helped us when we needed it. Now that he's gone, I don't know what we're going to do.”

  “We'll think of something, Mom. We've come this far, right?”

  “Yes, we have.”

  “Maybe we could put a 'For Rent' ad in the paper or something?”

  She brightened. “That's not a bad idea. I'll look into that.”

  We drank our hot chocolate in silence for a few minutes. “Mom, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  I fidgeted in my seat. “I mean, I really want to know, but if you don't want to tell me, then I understand.”

  “What is it?”

  “What happened between you and your parents?” I asked as gently as I could. “I mean, you've never told me or Kim what happened to them. We don't have any pictures, we've never called them, we've never heard from them. Are they … are they dead?”

  She stared at the kitchen table for a moment, considering her answer. “No, they aren't. At least, I don't think so. Honestly, I wouldn't know one way or the other. I haven't spoken to them in twenty years.”

  I was shocked. “Why not?”

  She took another sip. “Like I said, sweetie, it's a sad story.”

  “Tell me, Mom. Please.”

  “Not much to tell, kiddo. From the time I was a little girl growing up in Texas, my parents had my entire life all planned out. I was going to do what they wanted, when they wanted. What I wanted never seemed to matter. Ever.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Yes, it did. But in my sophomore year of college, I met someone who changed my life.”

  “Dad?”

  “That's right. William was so different from anyone I'd ever met. For the first time in my life, I'd found someone who cared about me, someone my parents couldn't control.” She took another sip.

  “What happened?”

  “I got pregnant.”

  I exhaled, and slumped in my seat. “Oh,” I finally said. “With Kim.”

  “Yeah. Needless to say, my parents didn't take the news very well. They demanded that I have an abortion and that I break it off with your father forever. I don't remember how I did it, or what I said, but I refused. For the first time in my life, I refused them.”

  Good for you, Mom. I swelled with pride a little.

  “And that was that. I married your father, and we started our life together. It was always his plan to open his own business, but then his father, your Grandpa Reggie, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. The tile store he owned had been in his family for three generations. William was a good son, and he felt like he had no choice but to move us back to Arizona and take over running the business. It was our hope that eventually, we could make enough money so he could strike out on his own, but the economy had other ideas …” She turned away, her breathing becoming ragged, her words choked by bitter tears.

  In one motion I stood, walked over to her and put my arms around her. “It's okay, Mom.”

  “And now,” she sobbed, “after all that, we're right back where we started. Stuck in a run-down house we won't be able to afford to stay in.”

  “It's okay,” I said, making my voice as soothing as possible, “Like I said before, we can get an apartment. We don't need a lot of stuff, just the basics. We can do it, Mom. Millions of other families do it, right?”

  She raised her head, her tear-filled eyes locking onto mine. “How'd you get to be so smart?”

  I grinned. “I wonder.”

  She stood up, wiped away her tears, and hugged me again. “I guess we'll just take it one step at a time. How does that sound?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” I agreed.

  “Oh my,” she said, clearing her throat. “So much drama in one day!”

  “And even more coming.”

  “Riiiiight. You ready for your big stage debut tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, I am. I just hope I can get through it okay.”

  “You'll do great, sweetheart,” she said, smiling weakly. “And I'll be there on Saturday, cheering louder than everyone.”

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said, returning the smile.

  “And if anyone starts to boo, well, I'll have my tennis racket handy.” She winked.

  I have the greatest Mom ever.

  Chapter 26

  ~ Day 79 (Tue.) ~

  SOPHIE

  I stared out the window all the way to school, lost in thought. Everything was all set up for our first performance for the underclassmen today – the sets were in place, everyone in the cast knew their lines and their cues, and I was finally able to sing to the back of the room. But even with such a monumental event looming, all I could think about was my sister. I was so preoccupied, the music seemed to have disappeared from my head.

  After Kirsten admitted to having a drug problem, Mom contacted her counselor friend, who immediately cleared part of her late-afternoon schedule twice a week to help Kirsten deal with her Adderall habit. Mom also took Kirsten to see our family physician, who prescribed her low dosages of stimulants until her body no longer needed them. She'd gotten her appetite back, but that, too, had to be monitored until the inner war going on inside her body had settled itself once and for all.

  I worried that her supplier, Duncan, would become angry or vengeful after finding out he'd lost a customer, but that went away when Kirsten told me someone tipped off Centralia's principal and security personnel the day after she started her rehab, and he was busted along with a lot of his lowlife friends. He
probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. Had to be Kelsey. Yet AGAIN, she came through for our family. And on Saturday, she's coming to watch me perform. My God, that girl. Loyal to a fault and as true blue as the day is long. If I ever have a daughter, I'm totally naming her Kelsey.

  * * *

  “Today's the big day! Can you believe it?” asked Kayla, sitting across the lunch table from me. “You guys ready?”

  For most of the lunch periods since the day of auditions, Kayla's time with our group was very brief. She would usually wolf down her food before she and Autumn headed off to help Ms. Hough with the sets. In fact, Autumn was now a full-fledged member of our group, as she and Kayla had been inseparable for the last month. However, now that the sets were done, she could finally hang out with us again. Autumn never talked much, but it was great to see her smile. She'd found a true friend in Kayla.

  “I sure am,” Michelle said. “I asked Mr. Danbury if I could wear an eyepatch as part of my pirate costume, and he said yes!” She beamed. “It's not as cool as Siobhan's hook, but it still makes me look badass.”

  “Are you going to be able to see anything without your glasses?” Kayla asked with a smirk. “Don't want you bumping into things.”

  “YAAR,” she said in her best 'pirate voice', flashing her goofy grin. “Are you ready, Sophie?”

  “I think so,” I said with more confidence than I was feeling. “I'm good on the lines, I'm good on the songs, but …” I looked at Marissa. “I'm going to have to kiss Ayden, Riss. You know that, right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Of course I know that.”

  “You don't have a problem with it?”

  She smiled. “It's just a little kiss, Soph. It's part of the act. It's not like you're gonna be tongue-wrestling on stage, right?”

  “No, I'll leave that to you,” I said, causing her eyebrows to go up.

  “Sophie!”

  “Don't worry, I promise, no tongue-wrestling. It's just … this will be my first kiss. Like, ever.” My shoulders slumped.