Hey, sorry I couldn't update fast been really busy with stuffs 🙍🙄.

Hope you will like this chapter, please vote and comment.

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"Sister Sophie, sister Sophie wake up," chorused Mandy and her cousins pushing Sophie who had a smile plastered on her face to wake up.

Sister Sophie was the song that woke Sophie up from the wonderful dream and after saying 'thank you' in her mind, she picked up her phone which showed she had a message from Francis saying "Good morning" she sent a "good morning and I want to see you before I leave for school, come to my house around 10 this morning please," text.

Then she jumped up from her bed ready for a new day.

"Mamy wants to see you immediately you have your shower," Mandy said, immediately Sophie dropped her phone picked up her towel and went to have her bath.

"Okay, I will be done in about ten minutes," Sophie said entering the bathroom.

Mandy curious about seeing her sister texting someone in the morning, picked up her phone and went through her messages, dropped it when she heard the door to the bathroom open.

Sophie came in dripping wet with a towel and was putting on her top, when Mandy out of the blues asked about Francis.

"Who is this Francis?" Mandy asked.

"How do you know him?" Sophie asked goggling at her sister.

Mandy picked up Sophie's phone and waved it in front of Sophie.

"How dare you go through my messages?" Sophie snarled at her sister.

Do you like him cause he sure loves you?" Mandy asked smiling and teasing her sister.

"Yes I like him," Sophie said wearing her trouser.

"But he loves you, so do you love him?" Mandy asked taunting her sister.

"See the question this small girl is asking, will you get out of here and go help Mamy," Sophie sputtered giving her sister a nasty glance.

"Well I believe you do cause you didn't give me an answer," Mandy replied leaving the room.

When Mandy left, Sophie had the urge of answering the question her sister asked.

"Yes, I love him," Sophie muttered to herself not happy cause she promised herself that she will never have anything to do with a guy especially falling in love with one.

She looked at the time and saw that it was half past eight, she went to the dining.

"I thought you won't come downstairs today," Mamy said.

"Good morning Mamy, I'm  sorry I was busy," Sophie said sitting down.

"Yes, you really were busy," Mandy said mummuring.

Sophie gave Mandy a nasty stare.

"What did you say?" Mamy asked looking at Mandy.

"Nothing," Mandy replied looking at her food.

"Better," Sophie said in a hushed tone.

"What is going on between both of you. Is there a kind of joke I'm  missing?" Mamy snapped looking at them both.

"No Mamy, we are fine," they both chorused looking at each other and smiling at Mamy while eating.

After eating, Sophie excused herself from the dining and went to her room, picked up her phone and called Cathie.

"Hi, Cathie," Sophie said wondering why the urgent message.

"What the hell do you think you are trying to do?" Cathie asked.

"I told you to call as soon as possible," Cathie added.

"I'm  sorry, I had things in my mind and I forgot," Sophie said surprised by the outburst.

"Yeah, busy scaring him off," Cathie said still angry.

"Scaring who?" Sophie asked surprised.

"Francis. What were you thinking saying what you said last night?"Cathie asked.

"I'm  conf......,"

"Your what?" Cathie said slicing Sophie's words short.

"Stop deceiving yourself, you love the guy but why do you keep pretending, I know you have gone through a lot with guys but you don't have to push a guy who sincerely loves you and who you love away just cause of an ugly experience with your dad at least give him a chance," Cathie snapped at Sophie.

"You don't tell me how to live my life,who I welcome and who I kick out of my life," Sophie gushed.

Cathie opened her mouth to reply but Sophie kept on talking.

"And it's not just an ugly experience but a nightmare and a part of me, I can't erase,"   Sophie said sobbing and hanging up.

Sophie was so angry that she cried until she had a splitting headache and her eyes were swollen red.

She went to the sitting room opened the fridge took some tablets of Panadol and drank it with a cup of milk, then she caught a glimpse of the time realized it was nine-fifty.

She quickly went to her bathroom, washed her face and took a look at her face at the mirror, realized she looked haggard, cleaned her face went to the dressing mirror, combed her hair, applied powder and lip balm, straightened her clothes and forced a smile even though she felt horrible.

She heard the door bell ring, she checked herself in the mirror once more smiled and went downstairs.

"Hey," Sophie said smiling as she opened the door and saw Francis.

"Hey," Francis said staring at Sophie.

"Please come in," she said.

"Thank you," he said.

"About last night,I .......," she started.

"Forget it, let by gone be by gone," he said interrupting her while having his seat.

"I need to apologise about my outburst last night,I'm  so sorry," Sophie said turning her face away from him so he couldn't see the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I'm  not angry, you were right to have scolded me cause I had no right to say the things I said," he said.

"The only thing that hurts more is  that we are just only friends," Francis said in a muffled tone.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sophie said, trying to change the conversation.

"No don't worry," he said smiling.

"Are you sure?" she asked, returning a the smile.

"Yes, thank you. Where is everyone?" he asked looking around.

"Oh! Mamy went to work, Mandy and my cousins are in school," she said sitting near him.

"You know I love you, right?" he asked, checking her reaction.

"I know, you have told me several times," she said smiling.

"And how do you feel about that?" he asked nervously.

"I don't know, good, uneasy, strange. I really don't know," she said considering how she really felt about it, but not knowing.

"And you know I meant what I said last night, about waiting for you for God knows when," he said looking deeply into her eyes.

"I know but I wish you wouldn't," she said but secretly wishing he would.

"When are you going back to school?" he asked standing up.

"Today, I have a test this afternoon," she said escorting him to the door.

"Okay, see you in school, "he said pecking her and closing the door behind him.

As Sophie closed the door, she released the breath she knew she had been holding since Francis came in.

She was happy it went well between both of them.

'Gosh! I'm hungry and I need to pack my bag for school'.

She went to the kitchen made a sandwich and took a cup of orange juice, packed her bag, took a shower again, got dressed in the school's attire, packed some provisions.

She wrote a quick note saying she was 'off to school early, got test this afternoon' clipped it on the fridge, picked up her bag, kept the keys to the house with a neighbor and left to school.

In school.

After the test, the bell rung for end of lesson for the day, Sophie took her bag inside the hostel and was greeted by her hostel Matron, Ma Rebecca who was very happy to see her.

After siesta, Sophie went to her class, she opened her locker and saw a folded piece of paper which wasn't there earlier, she unfolded it and in it was a scribbled note in a scrawly handwriting with just two words 'welcome back'  turning to the back of the paper to check if the mysterious person wrote a name, not seeing any Sophie tore up the paper and threw it out the window.