Gone Phishing

by Bowes, K T

  “Tell me about those options, Sophia,” Bob said, his voice gentle. “List them for me.”

  Sophia hesitated but the sight of tiredness in Dane’s face drove her on. “I can go back to Edgar. He might not sell the house or he might decide not to leave. I know he doesn’t give a crap about me anymore but I can stomach it for seven more months and then go off to university or get my own place. I never have to speak to him again after that. Or I can throw myself on Sal’s mercy. I’m sure she’ll be delighted.” A hardness crept into her tone and she felt her jaw clench with bitterness. “The other option is to go to school tomorrow and get their help with family services. They probably have all kinds of resources at their disposal.”

  “And what about now?” Bob asked. “What about right this moment in time, Soph? Where do you sleep?”

  She shrugged and looked at Dane, drawing her body straight and stiff. “Right now, I go back to Achilles Rise and sleep in my bed. I can’t think straight beyond that; I’m too tired.” She stepped around the table and walked into the hallway, pushing her feet into her sandals and then taking them off again. The blisters on her toes and heels began their sharp needling pains and she tucked the offending sandals into her rucksack.

  “I’ll drive you,” Ellen offered. “Let me get the car keys.” Bob stood but his wife waved him down. “I’ll only be a moment, dear. It’s best you stay with Dane.”

  Sophia pushed her arms into her jacket sleeves and wrenched it on, bone tiredness turning her to stone. Bob wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “You should’ve come for help in the first place,” he chided. “I’m disappointed you felt you couldn’t.”

  “Dane wanted to,” she replied, tugging her hair from the collar of the jacket and flicking it over her shoulder. “I didn’t let him because what Edgar’s doing is embarrassing. Anyway, you won’t have us both here and I don’t blame you. Dane doesn’t have choices and I do.” She forced a smile onto her lips and let Bob kiss her cheek, swallowing down fear and misery and working to keep both hidden.

  Ellen went ahead to the garage outside and Sophia waited on the porch. Dane stood beside her, his aura silent and foreboding. “I thought we agreed you’d let me decide,” he said, sounding tired.

  Sophia shook her head. “No, you thought I’d stand by and watch you fall on your sword. Did you really believe I’d wait while you cleared out your room and then hop into the bed while you parked your car in a layby and tried to sleep?”

  Dane shrugged and gave a small smile. “It was worth a shot.”

  Sophia punched him on the arm. “Idiot boy!”

  Ellen’s rear lights twinkled on and Dane turned towards Sophia, panic in his face. Bravado dropped from his guise like plaster from a quake shook house and she saw the fear spread outwards from his heart. “Can I hold you?” he whispered and she nodded, pushing herself into his arms like the weekend never happened.

  Chapter 29

  Full Circle

  “Soph?” Edgar heard her key in the front door and ran to the top of the stairs, his eyes searching her face with eager anticipation. “How did it go?”

  She shook her head and slid her eyes away, circumnavigating him and walking along the hallway to her bedroom.

  “Did you have a good time?” He followed, undeterred by the slamming of the door in his face. When he tried the handle, he found it locked.

  Sophia waited until he gave up before using the bathroom down the hall. She ran hot water over her exhausted body and washed her long hair. Feeling clean and snuggly in her pyjamas she crept to the family room and mounted the stairs to Edgar’s bedroom. Voices resonated in the tiny hallway outside and without shame, Sophia pressed her ear to the door.

  “I worked this morning,” Edgar said. “I sold that Volvo the boss wanted rid of.”

  “Oh, Eddie, you’re so amazing at your job.”

  Sophia pulled back in confusion but then realisation came and she leaned closer, hearing the catfish in person speaking to her father. Anger tugged at her and she balled her fists by her sides.

  “I didn’t get a new phone. I needed Soph with me because the guy at the shop confused me. She would’ve understood all his jargon.”

  The woman asked a question and Sophia frowned, hearing muffled static.

  “No, I don’t think it went well,” Edgar said, his voice louder than a normal conversation level. “She came home from Sally’s about half an hour ago and won’t speak to me.”

  “I can’t cope with a hormonal teenage girl.” The female voice sounded tinny and digital, travelling through the internet and becoming distorted. “It’s best she doesn’t come with you. You promised you’d encourage her to go to her mother’s. This is our time, Eddie.”

  “She’s not hormonal!” Edgar’s voice sounded tense in reply. “She took ages to come right after Sally left. This is hard on her.”

  “You need to decide, Eddie!” The tone sounded clipped with pique. “Make up your mind and let me know.”

  Sophia heard Edgar swear under his breath and she pulled her face away from the door, scurrying back to her bedroom and locking herself in. Leaning against the door she wished someone would send her real father back, the man who’d ridden his Harley to work after Sal left and watched chick flicks with her on a Sunday afternoon. “Adults are morons,” she grumbled to herself, falling face down on the comfy sheets and closing her eyes. The sting of Edgar’s betrayal slipped with her into her dreams.

  The gentle knocking woke her but Sophia took time to orientate herself. Her toes felt like ice cubes and a button from her pyjama top stuck to her face. The eyes staring at her through the bedroom window made her gasp until she recognised Dane. She staggered to the door and slid it open, leaving him to close it behind him with care. “What did Edgar say?” Dane asked, kicking his shoes off on the mat and sitting next to her on the bed.

  “I overheard a conversation between him and his new woman. He thinks I played right into his hands.” She shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

  “What do you mean?” Dane pushed her hair back from her face, the wet curls dried at weird Medusa angles on her head.

  Sophia put her finger to her lips and padded across to the bedroom door, opening it and peering out into the hall. Darkness greeted her and she closed and locked it again. Pulling the long curtains across the window she turned out the lamp and slipped into the double bed, putting herself closest to the wall. “Get in,” she whispered. “Then we can listen out for him and still talk if we’re quiet. He sleeps at the other end of the house but I don’t trust him anymore. ”

  “Tell me what happened.” Dane slipped under the covers and turned towards her, his breath smelling of minty toothpaste and cigarettes. When Sophia reached up to touch his hair, she felt damp curls beneath her fingers.

  “Is it late?” she asked and heard him nod against the pillow.

  “Yeah. I couldn’t sleep. Grabbed a shower and then felt wide awake. I kept thinking about school tomorrow and how awkward it might be between us after everything that’s happened. Needed to check in with you first, I guess.”

  “Are we good?” Sophia dragged her fingers along his prickly cheek, feeling the stubble tickle her palm.

  “I am if you are.”

  Sophia giggled. “That sounds like a riddle.” She let her fingers stray to his lips and felt the silky softness, pushing herself closer and stealing a kiss.

  “Talk,” Dane ordered in a hushed whisper, pulling her roving hands around his waist and cradling her head against his chest.

  Sophia settled into a comfortable position. “I overheard him talking to her on my laptop so I listened for a few minutes. She wants him but not me. He tried to tell her I didn’t enjoy it at Sal’s and she cut him off; told him to choose and hung up. Me moving to Palmy with him was never an option.”

  “Geez, I’m sorry, Soph. That sucks. At least it’s confirmed they have other ways of talking as well. I doubt they use video though; she seems super careful about
not showing her face. I bet she called through the Facebook app and did voice call only.” He heard Sophia’s sad sniff and squeezed her. “I don’t wanna make it worse but did you see what’s outside?” Dane pressed his lips to her forehead.

  “Outside where?”

  “The house. There’s an auction board on your front lawn. I saw it as I walked up the drive.” Dane moved his hand and rubbed at his crotch. “I need to stop climbing over your fence. I think I’m making myself sterile.”

  Sophia snorted and put a hand over her mouth. “Sorry.” She tilted her head back and looked at the space where she thought his eyes might be. “So, he’s done it; he put the house up for auction? What’s the date on the sign?”

  Dane sighed and then held his breath. Sophia felt his chest tense. “End of this month, Soph. Four weeks and it will all be over.”

  “That’s only May.” She swallowed and her breath caught in her lungs. Forcing herself to inhale through her nose, she pushed the breath back out with more control. “I can’t think about it now. What did Bob say after I left?”

  “Not much.” Dane chewed the inside of his lip and it made a curious sound in the darkness. “He went real quiet, man, like angry kinda quiet.”

  “Did you ask him not to say anything to Edgar?” Worry infused her voice. “I feel embarrassed about that poor lady at the garage. She thinks I’m nuts.”

  “Course. He said he wouldn’t but I could tell, he’s not happy.”

  Sophia nodded and sighed. “What a bloody mess.”

  “Yeah, I reckon everyone over twenty is like, really effed up, don’t you?”

  “For sure.” Sophia yawned and Dane stiffened.

  “I should go. Don’t suppose you’ve got a key to that gate? One more fight with that climbing rose and my balls will be adenoids.”

  Sophia snorted. “It’s padlocked. Edgar’s got the key. Sorry.”

  “Just my luck. I’ll come with you to student services tomorrow, Soph. Yeah? We’ll make them help you.”

  Dane leaned forward and kissed her lips, lingering to offer comfort. The thought of the next day overwhelmed Sophia and she panicked, gripping hold of his tee shirt and hauling him closer. “Stay,” she whispered. “I need you to stay.”

  Chapter 30

  Helping the Helpless

  Sophia woke early just as dawn broke, pushing its yellow daylight through the chink in her curtains. Smushed against the pillow, her face felt numb and unreal. She moved and Dane sighed behind her and rolled onto his back, a forearm wedged around Sophia’s neck in a stranglehold. Pulling hair from her mouth and tossing it back over her shoulder, she turned on her side and watched him sleep. The god of body hair saw fit to sprinkle it across his pectoral muscles sometime in the last year and Sophia peered at the result with curiosity. The memory of their blunder in the tent rose to the forefront of her mind and she winced, wondering if they’d get beyond it. She pushed herself into his armpit and sighed, watching the hairs move against her breath.

  “What’re you doing?” Dane’s voice sounded lazy and Sophia watched the tendons in his neck grow taut as he moved his head around.

  “Just watching you,” she whispered. “And examining your chest hair.”

  “No!” He snorted, covering his chest with his hand. “That’s just wrong.”

  Sophia bit her bottom lip and ran a questing hand over his stomach, wincing at the sharp feel of his belt buckle. “You could’ve taken your jeans off, it wouldn’t matter.”

  “Behave!” Dane grabbed her by the wrist and refused to let go, smirking at the curious look in her eyes. “I should leave before your dad wakes. How will you get your car from Calli’s?”

  “I’ll walk round before school.” Sophia screwed her nose up and pouted. “I want to sleep with you all the time,” she grumbled. “I like waking up with you next to me.”

  Dane nodded and his face grew wistful. “I know. I feel the same.” He stroked his finger in a line down her lips and finished on her chin. “I need to stick around Hamilton because of Maisie and Will but would you be interested in flatting with me next year? We could get something together with other students.”

  “As individuals or as a couple?” she asked, searching his eyes for truth.

  “As a couple, idiot!” he replied, turning on his side and pulling her into him. “Forever. For proper. I’ll get you that ring.”

  Sophia’s eyes moved to his chest and she sighed, sadness engulfing her. “They won’t let us.”

  Dane rolled onto his back and pulled her on top, enfolding her in his strong arms. “They can’t stop us.”

  Sophia let him hold her and enjoyed the few moments of sanity, relieved at their more secure footing.

  Chapter 31

  Loose Ends

  “I tried an experiment today,” Dane said, lighting up a cigarette and holding it out the window. He took a drag and blew smoke into the clear blue sky. “I asked Calli to message your Facebook profile and then I replied as you. I deleted the conversation but she could still see it. She and Declan repeated it between them and Calli checked on her phone and her computer at home to see if it worked. She saw the message from you and the one from Declan, but we couldn’t see either of them.”

  Sophia leaned on the windowsill and breathed fresh air. “So someone’s using Melody Foxhall’s Facebook profile and deleting the messages in case she comes across them. Clever.”

  “Yep.” Dane breathed out smoke and Sophia coughed.

  “Can I have my phone back yet?”

  “Nope.” Dane took another drag and she reached across him for the cigarette.

  “Can I have some?”

  “No!” He looked horrified, holding the burning white stick above his head and almost catching it on the curtains. He swore and switched arms, keeping it too high for Sophia to reach. “Do you wanna die a slow painful death, hacking your guts up?”

  She jumped up on the spot. “You seem to want me to. Every time we’re alone you light up and then breathe over me. It’s like kissing an ashtray. I’d rather have it first hand and see what the fuss is about.”

  “Okay, okay!” Dane put his hand between them to keep her at arm’s length, leaning sideways and stubbing out the cigarette on the brickwork below the window ledge. Then he stuffed it back in the packet. “I’ll stop,” he conceded. “I’ll get rid of these, but not here.” He winced. “Bob asked me not to smoke on the property.”

  Sophia rolled her eyes. “You mean you’ll smoke them somewhere else so I don’t know. And it’s not nice to abuse Bob and Ellen’s hospitality.”

  “I know.” Dane stuffed the packet into his jeans pocket and put a hand over his mouth, sniffing his breath. He wrinkled his nose and turned to leave the room.

  “Where’re you going?”

  “To clean my teeth. You should go downstairs; I’m not allowed girls in my room either.”

  They went for a walk and Dane dumped the cigarettes in a rubbish bin on Victoria Street. He performed the act with confidence and finesse but Sophia saw the fear in his eyes as he made a conscious decision not to revisit his addiction. “You gave up before,” she said, her voice soft. “Is it worse the second time?”

  Dane shrugged. “Knowing my luck, yeah.” He put his arm around her and pulled her into his side, kissing her soft temple. “I’ll just kiss you instead whenever I get the urge.”

  Sophia snorted. “That should be fun in English class.”

  “I can’t see a problem with it,” he replied. “If I light up in class, McClintock will go purple but if I just lean across and snog you, he might be okay with that.”

  “I doubt it.”

  They wandered hand in hand through the main street of Hamilton and then back to Bob and Ellen’s house on expensive Awatere Drive. Sophia stopped next to her car and leaned up for a kiss, twirling her keys in her hand. “Did Bob say anything about the other night?” she asked, biting her lip and staring towards the house. “Edgar’s said nothing so I assume he didn’t ring him or try t
o tell him he’s dating a fake.”

  Dane shrugged. “Bob’s in Christchurch this week and next. He’s defending a big case so he won’t be able to think straight until the end of it. You can bet his mind’s working though. We don’t have long to fix this thing before he gets involved.”

  “Did you ask him not to?” Sophia asked, her face hopeful.

  Dane nodded. “Yep. And he asked me not to smoke in the house or have girls in my room.”

  Sophia sighed. “Great. Thanks for that.” She turned and pointed the remote key at her car and listened to the satisfying sound of the central locking deactivate. “I’ll go home. I should talk to Edgar.”

  Dane gathered her into his arms and kissed her forehead, sighing as she snuggled into his neck. “Soph,” he said, his voice gentle. “I saw your mum earlier, before you arrived.”

  Sophia shot back, almost overbalancing off the curb. “You what?”

  He gripped her wrists and tempered his speech to a slow, even pattern, needing to get through to her. “She turned up here after I got home from school. Ellen saw her at the supermarket and let it slip I lived with them. Sal wanted me to speak to you for her.”

  A spiteful sneer tugged at Sophia’s lips giving her a harsh appearance. “I don’t want to hear it!” she snapped.

  Dane nodded and cocked his head at her, forcing her to look at him before he spoke. “Fair enough,” he said. “I told her whose side I’m on and said I wouldn’t be her middle man. But I needed you to know.” His thumb made tantalising circles against her right wrist as he kept eye contact.

  Sophia swallowed and nodded. “Thanks,” she said. Dane let go of her wrists and stood back as she escaped around the front of the vehicle and dropped into the driver’s seat. She started the engine and pulled away from the curb, watching her boyfriend in the rear-view mirror. He stared after her with sadness in his eyes before patting his jeans pocket. Finding nothing there to take away the craving, he dropped his shoulders and walked up the driveway to Bob’s house.