[center][h1][color=dodgerblue]Sophia Reese[/color][/h1][/center][hr][hr]

"[i]That wasn't the reaction I was expecting...[/i]" She frowned at her siblings lack of enthusiasm that their sister had returned after three whole months of exile. The least they could have done was pretend. Riley ran away at first chance, Zoey didn't even look in their direction and James acted as if Kylie wasn't even standing right next to her. What a heart warming family she had. Kylie must be thrilled to be back. Sophia shot a side glance a Kylie, wondering how badly she would take it. Was her sister about to throw a huge fit, as per usual? She couldn't tell. Kylie had been acting very precarious on the ride home, maybe she wasn't a ticking time bomb anymore?

"[color=dodgerblue]Uhm, thanks James...[/color]" Her voice trailed off as she walked into the kitchen, taking a look at what James was cooking. "[color=dodgerblue]Georgie not awake yet?[/color]" She asked, referring to their youngest sister Georgina who was no where in sight. "[i]Maybe she'll be a little more excited...[/i]" 

As Sophia inspected the pancakes she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Wiggling it out of her back pocket, she smiled as she saw Elliot's name pop up on the screen. Surely, it was to wish her a happy birthday. Bringing the phone to her ear, she stepped away from the kitchen and into the attached Laundry room, shutting the door behind her for some privacy. 

"[color=dodgerblue]Hey Elliot![/color]" She sounded genuinely excited for the first time today. 

"[color=dodgerblue]Not much, what are you up to?[/color]" Why hadn't he immediately wished her a happy birthday and instead had asked her "what's up"? She still had to tell Elliot that Kylie was back, but this had thrown her off completely. 

"[color=dodgerblue] ...... What do you [i]MEAN[/i] what do I want for my birthday?[/color]" Her eyes glared at the washer in front of her, as if she were glaring at the idiot on the other side of the phone. 

"[color=dodgerblue]You haven't gotten [i]anything[/i] yet?![/color]" She purposely sighed heavily into the phone just so he'd know how disappointed she was to hear that. 

"[color=dodgerblue]Did you forget my fucking birthday?! You better be messing with me, Elliot![/color]" How could he? Sure, she hadn't mentioned it as often this year but really, did he need a reminder every day?! The one thing she had always wanted him to remember and he forgot. As soon as he began to say something sassy in response, she pressed the "end call" button and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. 

"[i]God, he's such an ass sometimes![/i]" She flung the door open and reentered the kitchen, frustrated with both Elliot and her family. All of them were so inconsiderate. "[i]I should cancel this party, what's the point, honestly?[/i]" The lingering thought of how easy it would be to get shit faced came back to mind, erasing that notion immediately.

"[color=FF3030]Riley, could you get the door. I'm kinda busy.[/color]"

Sophia raised a brow as James told Riley to get the door, who had been upstairs since the moment they returned home. Had everyone lost their minds today? "[color=dodgerblue]I'll get it...[/color]" She muttered, passing through the kitchen and to the living room where Zoey was still plucking at her violin, completely lost in her own world. 

Before opening the door, Sophia peeked through the peephole, eyeing the two figures just beyond the door. Jerry, the cop who had arrested Kylie and was now practically her probation officer. Of course he was here already, she should've known that he would be the first to know when Kylie returned. The blonde woman speaking next to him she recognized as one of their neighbors, the woman who Zoey had said was one of her teachers. Even though she had never met her personally, it was easy to tell she was an "odd one." Especially from the stories she had heard when Zoey occasionally felt like talking about it. 

Opening the door, Sophia put on a soft smile and let her tired eyes bounce between the two. "[color=dodgerblue]Morning, officer.[/color]" She let her eyes rest on him for a moment before turning to Zoey's teacher, "[color=dodgerblue]How can I help you two?[/color]" She immediately assumed the two were seeing each other, or were perhaps friends of some sort. Why else would they be coming together to her house? A strange pairing, though she had to admit that she barely knew Jerry. Perhaps he was an odd one himself. The neighborhood was littered with those and she was no exception. 

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