Hello? (Sophie)

Sophie tilted her head. ”Disgusting isn’t the word I used,” she pointed out quietly. If she were being honest she’d say this was the type of house she wished she’d grown up in. It looked lived in, like a home rather than a house. Then again, it was awfully small. She couldn’t imagine avoiding her siblings in a place like this.

~~

Charley nodded at Josh’s request. ”Yeah, go ahead,” she said. ”I’ve got to go back to work in a little bit I’ll try to stick around and keep an eye on her until mom gets back.” She smiled brightly as though she had the first idea on how to handle a situation like that. The way this girl was looking at her didn’t seem to make it much better.

”You work?” Sophie blurted out, seeming genuinely surprised.

”Yes,” Charley said smugly. ”I like to take care of myself. Something you would know nothing about. Now run along back to your internet world. Heaven forbid you go more than 10 seconds without posting on Snapchat.”

Sophia kept a curious gaze on the brunette girl as the two boys headed upstairs. Her cousin. That was a strange thought to Sophie, who already had a complicated relationship with the family she did know. She'd barely been aware she had an aunt until her father announced he wanted her to spent the summer with one. She really needed to figure out why he'd chosen here of all places. There had to be something going on in the wings, or else he would have kept her close enough to call back if anything attracted the press.

"I don't have a Snapchat." she said eventually, flipping her phone idly in her hand. Her father wouldn't allow her such an easy way to mess up his public image. Instead she hid behind the guise that she thought such platforms were disgusting. She'd told plenty of people the line that follows. "I don't need the world discussing every event in my life."

The brunette scoffed at that. "You misinterpreted me," Charley said. "You see, I really don't care about what you do as long as you sit back down and shut up. I've had a long day and you're more of a child than the ones I was babysitting earlier."

Sophie smiled. Good. Anger was good. She didn't have her game plan worked out, but the more upset they were with her, the more they'd play into whatever method she figured out to get away from here. She heard one of the boys calling from upstairs and smirked. "Whatever. Run along, your friend is summoning you."

~~

Charley wanted to grab this girl by her shoulders and shake her. Would nothing get through? Instead, she whirled around and headed upstairs to help Josh. "Yeah, I'm here." she said softly. She slipped into Carter's room and sat on the bed beside him, gently grabbing his hand. "Carter. Look at me." she said firmly. "This is going to get itself worked out and she'll be gone. Don't give her the satisfaction of a reaction like this."

Charley shook her head. "I know, I don't like her either," she said. "We'll figure it out. Once mom gets home we'll figure it out." She sighed and pinched her eyes shut. She didn't know what she was supposed to do, especially if her mom didn't get back in time. "I'm only on a break right now. I have to get back soon."

~~

Sophie sat back on the couch and began trying to decide exactly how to get out of this. Somehow, she didn't think it would be easy, but she was off to a good start. Once Grace got home she could probably get the boy, Carter, to yell at her again, then she could be justified in stalking off and getting a hotel room instead. And from there... Well she wasn't sure. Going back to England without her father telling her to wouldn't be a good idea. She may as well have been exiled.

She crossed one arm around her torso and let her nails dig into her skin, focusing on that instead of her anger towards her father. That wouldn't do any good. She had to think this through. Obviously she would need to attract his attention. If she could prove this was the wrong place to send her, it could only be through his first language: money.

Her phone buzzed on the couch beside her and she glanced down at it. It was her boyfriend again. She pinched her eyes shut, not really feeling like talking about him, but she picked up her phone anyway. She snapped a picture of herself against the cleanest background she could find and sent it along with a message. Living in style as always. Don't worry, I landed safely. I'll be home soon enough. She glanced at the picture, surprised to find how tired she looked. Her makeup mostly clung to her face, she'd touched it up before getting on the airplane, but it was definitely faded.

Her vain musings were cut off by another message. Want to call? I miss you already! She didn't. Sorry baby, I'm shopping rn can we chat later? It was a lie, but it was far from the first she'd told him. Have they got anything good over there?

Sophie hesitated before typing I got something I think you'll like Then she heard the door click open for the third time and saw Grace herself walk through the door. Finally. Srsly gtg tho

~~

"Carter! I'm home!" Grace called up the stairs, then she spotted the girl on the couch. "And who are you?" she mused. She hadn't really been expecting anyone.

"Sophia" she replied. "Daddy said you should be expecting me."

Grace froze. She hadn't really expected Sophie to be coming yet and she wasn't prepared at all.

Charley shook her head. "She wanted to pick a fight, it's not your fault you didn't keep your cool." she countered. Before she could say anything else their mother got home and Carter rushed out of the room. She followed him downstairs and leaned against the railing, watching her mother silently.

~~

Grace heard Carter coming down the stairs, saw his expression, and frowned. "Carter, Charlotte. This is my brother's child, Sophie." she began. "My brother isn't the best at communication. We haven't talked in years, but he reached out to me about a month ago. Until then I didn't even know he had kids. He mentioned wanting to send Sophie here for the summer."

"But your father didn't tell me to be expecting you today." she said. She had to admit this wasn't exactly out of character for her brother. She'd only talked to him once about a month ago, but the fact was that she owed him a favor for borrowing some money back when she first left Carter and Charley's father and he always called in his favors eventually.

Sophie shrugged, not seeming to care very much about the inconvenience. "I'm just doing what I was told ma'am." she said, a bit mockingly. "When I got home from school daddy told me to catch the right flight and sent me off." Grace frowned. That was definitely her brother. Who needed socialization or human comforts when things would work out just as well if he made the plans and assumed everyone would play along.

Grace frowned. She didn't get the best first impression from Sophie, and based on her history with her brother she doubted she was a very good person, but Carter's reaction seemed a bit extreme. "It's not like she's a stranger, I knew she was coming, just not so soon." she replied.

"Consider her an exchange student," she said. "I still have to call the school to get you enrolled for the rest of the year." she added.

"What?!" Sophie blurted out. "No way did daddy send me here to go to some second rate school! Even he wouldn't want that getting out!" This couldn't be right. She'd finished her school year. If he wanted to keep her distracted it wasn't like a few classes would be enough to do it.

Grace shrugged. "I just know what I was told. I think he talked to the school a bit too." She tried to look like she knew what to talk about, but with Edward it was hard to know what he had in mind. "Now Carter, you have to at least give her a chance. She is related to you... technically."

~~

Sophie scoffed. She wasn't any more interested in staying here than Carter seemed to be. "Don't worry, I don't have to stay here." she promised. "I'll get a hotel somewhere if it's such a big deal." She hoped she'd been mean enough that Carter wouldn't have a change of heart just because his mom told him to. If he wanted her gone there was a good chance she could get Grace to just send her back.

From her spot on the stairs, Charley watched the exchange, not sure what she herself thought. She stayed silent, observing the three arguing parties

"I didn't think she'd be here for months!" Grace snapped, lifting a hand and running it through her hair. But, in that brief moment when she lifted her arm, Charley could have sworn she saw something flicker across Sophie's face. It was a brief shock Charley herself had felt enough times to recognize it in anyone else. A surprising wave of sympathy flowed through her. Maybe Sophie's life hadn't been so easy.

"If I may..." Charley interrupted, not wanting to listen to this exchange much longer. "Mom, it's not like you have much sway here. Just give it to us straight, when is the soonest she can be gone?"

She watched Grace's face for a moment as the woman hesitated. "If she wants to go to a hotel instead, she can," Grace eventually relented. "I can't send her back to England, though. My hands are kind of tied"