Reaching Out for You (7 page)

As he strokes my
back he asks, “When are you going to open your eyes
Soph
?”

The question
makes me think. “I want him back Connor.” My face is on his chest. I need to
know he feels the same way before I can risk my heart again. I take in a deep
breath.

Connor pulls
away from me and looks down. “Then tell him.”

“I know and I
am. Thanks for being here.” I get up on my
tippy
toes
and kiss his cheek. “I miss my best friends. Please don’t tell Adam yet. I want
to take things slow because messing up isn’t an option.”

He blushes. “I
miss you too
Soph
. No more running and I won’t say
anything.” We hug again and go our separate ways after I assure him I’m ok.

I get to the
building and walk inside. Dr. Joseph Henry is one of the presidents of
Optimax
,
however
his passion is in teaching and honing the minds of young society so they can
take on the world. It’s a pleasure to get to know the inventions and tools the
company has in the works.

I make it to the
meeting just in time and take a seat before Dr. Henry arrives.
 
I keep wondering what the meeting can
possibly be about. I look around the room and see a nervous expression on
everyone’s face.

Dr. Henry comes
in and leans against the desk in front of the room, “Good afternoon everyone.”
He nods at each of us. I’m feeling a mix of being nervous and anxious. “Now I
know you’re all wondering why I called you here today.
Optimax
is pushing forward with a new project and needs to bring some more people on.”
He pauses and looks at all of us. I can see the shimmer in his expression and start
to feel tense. “Now I’ve watched each and every one of you and wish I could
bring you all onboard but we can only accept two people. It was a difficult
decision to make, but please put your hands together for Steven Hart and Sophia
Burns.”

My mouth drops;
I can’t believe out of everyone I’m the one they want! I look over and see
Steven’s face. He looks like he’s ready to pass out. I try to get his attention
by tossing a paper ball at him, when he turns around
I
mouth “Congratulations.” He smiles back at me but I can see how nervous he is.
I don’t want to show my excitement too much since there are many upset faces
around me, but I can’t help but smile, because of all the countless hours and
research
I
put into this group. I deserve this opportunity and I will make sure I do well.

“Now I just want
to say thank to everyone for your participation in this group. Your hard work
has not gone unnoticed and if anyone would like a letter of recommendation
please come see me. That will be all for today. Have a great rest of the year
and good luck to you all.” The rest of the group begins to pack up their things
up and hug us with congratulations before heading out of class. Steven and Dr.
Henry talk for a brief moment as they shake hands before he leaves.
 
I can’t move from my seat, “Surprised Miss
Burns?”

I look up and
see Dr. Henry nearby smiling, “A little. I don’t know what to say, other than
thank you so much.”

“It’s my
pleasure Miss Burns but you should be thanking yourself. You worked very hard
this semester and I am very pleased with you. My colleagues are very interested
in meeting you and Mr. Hart very soon. Please ensure you are checking your
email frequently since I will be sending each of you a business task that needs
to be completed and presented to the company in a few months.”

I slowly get up
from my chair, walk over to him and shake his hand, “I won’t let you down sir.”

He starts
shaking his head, “I believe in you Miss Burns.”

“Thank you
again,” I beam. I pick up the rest of my things and start heading back to my
room. This is unbelievable, a new and clean slate. I hope this is the beginning
and I can prove myself. I feel a little confident and great about myself.
Everything I did-all the research, the studying and staying up all night with caffeine
has paid off. I take out my cell phone and call my dad.

“Hi honey!” He
says excitedly.

“Daddy, guess
what?” I’m beginning to feel anxious. I want him to be proud of me.

“What is it
Sophia?” He asks slowly.

“
Optimax
selected me! I’m officially hired!” I shriek in the
phone.

“Sophia! That’s
such great news honey. Oh I am so proud of you. If only your mom could be
here.” There’s a pause in our conversation as a tear falls from my eye.

“I know daddy.
She would have been proud of all of us.” I smile as I look up to the sky. I can
imagine my mom looking back at me smiling.

There’s another
pause and I wonder what my dad is doing. “
Soph
, why
didn’t you tell me Adam transferred to your school? We were together today and
you could have told me.”

It’s surprising
he brings up Adam. I’m afraid with what he’s going to say next. What is he up
to? “Um w-what,” I stutter.

My dad begins to
laugh. “I ran into
Lydia
last week and she said he was back from
Boston
and transferred back in August. Why
didn’t you tell me? Have you talked to either Adam or Connor?”

I’m not sure how
to answer him. “Oh yeah here and there you know. They’re on the basketball team
with Kyle and we’re all so busy.”

“Sophia you
three were inseparable. I don’t have a memory without the three of you.” I know
my dad is going to get serious on me. “He was your best friend. Be the bigger
person. If memory serves me correct you were the one who broke off the
friendship.”

“Ugh, whatever
Dad,” at this point I want to get off the phone with him. I don’t know why he
would bring this up to me now. The feeling of annoyance eats at me. I kick a
rock near my foot and am about to say bye when my dad says something else. “He
came back. That means something.”

“I know Dad.” I
take my hand and pull it through my hair. “I have to go, I’ll talk to you
later, love you.” I didn’t want to sound sad or cry on the phone with my dad. I
try to hide my emotions. I hate this feeling.

“I love you too
honey. Have a good day and congratulations, again.”

I see a nearby
bench and sit down thinking about what my dad just said to me. He’s right;
Adam’s back and it does mean something. He could have stayed in
Boston
or have gone to a different college but
he’s here at the same college as me. He did tell me he’s happy he’s here.
Everything happens for a reason. Since he’s back, I need to take the next step
to build our friendship. Since I’m the one that put an end to our friendship,
it does make sense that I take the first step to mend it. My level of fear
soars but I have to take this chance or else I’ll always wonder.

I still remember
the night that I lost him. The memories play back in my mind often and each
time it did I feel guilty. It kills me to have these memories play through my
mind. The pain rips my heart into pieces and I fall apart. I was so mad at
everyone and didn’t know what I was doing. I wanted to push everyone out of my
life including the one person that I truly loved. That night I went over to
Adam and Connor’s and started screaming for Adam to come outside. When he came
out I started hitting him, “What’s wrong with you?” Adam yelled.

“You’re the
worst person ever! Why didn’t you stay with me after the funeral? I needed you
Adam. You’re supposed to be my best friend!” I slapped him across the face.
When he looked back at me, I saw the break in his face. I didn’t know why I was
doing this but I was so mad. I was mad at everyone and I didn’t care anymore.

“
Soph
, I thought you wanted to be alone and be with your dad
and Sarah. I’m sorry but you need to calm down.” He came closer to me to try
and hold my hand but I slapped it away. “You are my best friend. I don’t know
what else you want from me?”

I pushed him
again. “You’re such an asshole Adam!”

He looked hurt.
“How am I being an asshole? I thought giving you some space to spend time with
your family was the right thing to do. This is too much to handle
Soph
. You’re all over the place. One minute you’re happy
and then you’re mad! What’s your problem? I didn’t do anything wrong to you! I
gave you space and you should know that I would be here if you needed me. Stop
being such a crazy bitch!”

I pointed my
finger in his face. “See! Asshole,” I got right up to his face and wanted to
punch him.

“Sophia!” He
tried to bring me in for a hug but I pushed his arms away. I know he’s worried
about me but where was he when I needed him?

 
“No.” I pointed my finger to his chest. “You
do
not
have the right to touch me! I
don’t have anyone. My mom is gone and you left me Adam,” I was crying so hard I
didn’t realize that I punched Adam in the face. Suddenly I felt arms around me
pushing me away, “Connor what the fuck?” I clawed at his arms so he would let
me go.

“Sophia, go
home. You’re drunk and we didn’t do anything wrong,” Connor helped Adam get up
from the ground, “We’re supposed to all be friends, so why are you doing this?”

I couldn’t hear
anything that they were saying and I walked away never looking back.

 
*
* * * *

I’m in the
library looking up more information about
Optimax
.
The company started a little over four years ago. I try to look up the founders
but can’t find anyone’s name. “How weird,” I whisper. I click on a few profiles
and see Dr. Henry’s information but everything else seems to be a mystery. It
says the company was started up by one person and grew. It says it is a
privately owned company and the CEO wishes to be nameless. I conducted an
internet search for the CEO of
Optimax
but nothing
came up. I wonder why everything is a secret.

My phone
vibrates again for the millionth time. Kyle’s been calling and texting me
non-stop. I keep pressing ignore and delete but he doesn’t get the point. I finish
my research, grab my purse and head back to my room.

It’s getting
dark out and my walk back to the room is a little further from the library.
There are a few people out and about on campus but nothing too crazy. I feel my
phone vibrate and take it out to read the text message.

Kyle: Why do you keep ignoring me? We
need to talk. I’m still your boyfriend.

Ugh! Doesn’t he
get it? I put my phone back in my purse when I hear footsteps behind me. I
start getting panicky because I know it is Kyle. I walk a little faster,
“Sophia.” He says loudly. This is it. I have to tell him to leave me alone. I
turn around and look him in the eyes. “Kyle, leave me alone. It’s over.” My
voice is shaky but I can’t back down.

He reaches out
for me and I jerk my arm away. “Sophia, stop this now.” His voice is raw and
nasty. He gestures for me to come back to him.

“I am not your
pet Kyle! You need to leave me alone. I’m done with you!” My voice is getting
louder and I hope that someone will come save me from this idiot. “I don’t want
anything to do with you anymore Kyle. Just leave me alone!” My eyes shift
nervously. I’m good at acting and hope he can just believe me and leave. He
comes closer to me. His eyes are dark and empty with no emotion. No heart,
nothing.
He swiftly captures me in his
arms before I can move away. I struggle in his arms and push him away but he’s
too strong for me. “Kyle! Let me go!” I scream at him.

“I can never let
you go,” he whispers in my ear. His insidious voice makes me cringe. I hate
him. I hate how close he is to me. “Don’t you know how much I love you Sophia?
You’re my world. I’m so sorry for everything. I’m getting help for my anger
issues. You don’t deserve to be in pain anymore. Let me take you away. We can
go anywhere. My dad will let us take the company jet to
Italy
. Remember? You always told me you wanted
to go. Now here’s our chance.”

His voice sends
shivers down my spine. I can hear the darkness and I want him to go away. I
don’t stop struggling to get out of his arms. He holds me tighter as he rests
his chin on my head. He tries to hold me closer but I keep thrashing around. I
look around and there is no one around us, “Kyle, no. No
Italy
, nothing. You need to let me go now!”
I’m screaming and hoping someone hears me.