"It's so late now. It isn't safe for a girl to be out alone."
Those words, and the tears fell before I could stop them.
Sophie was a girl. What was I, then?
I wiped them away hard and turned on my heel.
This time I didn't look back.
Once I was in the cab, I called the owner of Rodney's rival company.
"I accept the offer."
Years ago, when Rodney graduated and wanted to start his own company, I backed him with everything I had.
That little startup had gone from a team of three or four people to a company with a few dozen employees.
It wasn't big, but building it up in two short years was no small thing.
The rival firm in the same field had been trying to poach me for a long time, and every time I'd turned them down.
Now, though, it was time.
It was late, so I found the first hotel I could and checked in, planning to sort out the rest the next day.
But early the next morning, I was woken by knocking at the door.
"Sophie, please don't be angry with me anymore, okay?"
"Just come back, and I'll move out of the apartment right away. I promise I won't get in the way of your life again."
Sophie's words almost made me laugh.
"So what you're saying is, if I don't come back, you'll just keep living there with a clear conscience?"
"The apartment? Sounds like you already think of it as your home."
At that, Sophie's eyes went red at once.
"Melissa, I— that's not what I meant. We've been friends for so many years, you know me, I'm just bad with words."
"But I really don't have any other choice."
I raised an eyebrow.
"No choice? Haven't I already moved out of that so-called home of yours? Haven't I already given you your way out?"
"So what are you here for today? Do you actually expect me to forgive you?"
Sophie's tears came down in heavy drops, and her shoulders began to shake hard.
"Ever since college, my grades were never as good as yours, my work was never as strong as yours, and I was never as pretty as you."
"I know this is wrong, but I really am at the end of my rope. You know how it is, my family doesn't have money, there are so many of us kids, and if I want to stay in Chicago, all I have is you and Rodney to lean on."
"I have nowhere to go, Melissa. Can't you understand me?"
I took a step back, putting distance between us.
Seeing that, Sophie only cried harder.
"Melissa, can you really not forgive you? I honestly think of you as my friend."
"Hit me, yell at me. As long as it gets it out of your system, I'll do whatever you want."
"This whole thing is my fault. I'm willing to bear all the consequences."
I shook my head.
"You are in the wrong here, so I can't say I forgive you."
"But in all of this, the one who did wrong first is Rodney. It's not your place to carry the blame for him."
Seeing that I wasn't going to budge, Sophie stepped right up, grabbed my hand, and tried to slap it against her own face.
"Melissa, hit me. I know you're still angry."
"Please, just hit me. Then maybe I'll feel a little better…"
Her sudden move startled me.
I was about to pull my hand back when Rodney's furious shout reached my ears.
"Melissa Summers, what do you think you're doing!"
"If you have a problem, take it out on me. What kind of person picks on Sophie?"
"She was so worried about you she didn't sleep all night, and this morning she went hotel to hotel looking for you, and this is how you treat her…"
