When Sophia returned to her apartment she realized it felt a bit lonely without Tim around. She shook her head to clear the thought. He had work to do, and so did she. They couldn't be together all the time. Sometimes you [i]needed[/i] to be alone for the while. Besides, he would be over tomorrow afternoon for Thanksgiving dinner. That reminded Sophia. She needed to call her mom and let her know of her plans.

Pulling out her phone Sophia unlocked it and dialed her mom. The phone rang a few times but finally Renee picked up. "Hey, mom," Sophia greeted, smiling a bit as she paced the living room.

"Hey, sweetie," Renee replied. "Enjoying your time off."

Sophia nodded without thinking about it. She caught herself and said, "I am. Been hanging out with my friend Tim."

"So you two are getting along well then?"

"Oh yeah," Sophia answered as she grinned happily.

"Do you know if he's going to see his family tomorrow?"

Sophia grimaced a bit as she recalled the story of Tim's mom. She couldn't tell her own mother that so all she said was, "Nah, he doesn't have any family around here."

Even though they were over the phone Sophia could tell her mother was smiling as she declared, "Then bring him over here! No one will mind, and he seems like an awfully sweet boy."

Ah, here was the hard part. "About that," Sophia started off a bit slowly. "I've already invited him over to my place for dinner. He's actually really shy and kind of bad with people. I don't want him to feel crowded, but I also don't want him to sit home alone on Thanksgiving, ya know? So I thought we could do something simple together." Sophia felt bad for not going to dinner with her family, so she quickly added, "But I'll still come see y'all in the morning! I hope that's ok?"

Renee let out a light chuckle. "That's my daughter," she said happily. "Ever the thoughtful one. Don't worry about it, sweetie. You two have fun. If you like I'll make a nice cake or pie for you to take home with you after your visit tomorrow. Does that sound good?"

Sophia's face split into a wide grin. Her mom was so kind and understanding. "Sounds great! Thanks, mom. Listen, I need to get working on some school work now. I'll see you tomorrow. Tell dad I love him."

"Will do, baby. Good luck on your work. See you tomorrow."

The call ended and Sophia couldn't help but keep grinning. She was relieved that her mother understood her reasons--though she always had--and also if she was honest she was really excited that her mom would make them something for desert. Feeling utterly blissful, Sophia stripped down and went to take a shower. After washing off and changing clothes she sat down at her desk in her room, powered on her computer, and started to work.

It was late evening now and Sophia had just finished all her work. She stood up from her chair and stretched, glad that she was finished but happy that she had been productive today. "Alright!" She declared to herself. "Time for some supper!" Taking out her phone she looked at it to see if she had any messages. There was nothing of importance. Looking at her old messages Sophia decided to text Tim, just for the heck of it.

[i]How are things going?[/i] She asked. [i]I just finished all of my work! ^_^ Time for dinner now![/i] Sophia typed even as she walked across her bedroom. She stopped before her closed door to hit send, then put her phone in her pocket. She opened her door and found herself looking out--not at her living room--but at a corridor of rock embedded with sparkling gems.

"[i]SONUVABITCH![/i]" Sophia shouted angrily, quickly slamming the door again.