Games of Fire by Airicka Phoenix Page A

fighting to keep it together. She hurried to the closet and busied her shaking hands finding her small, leather jacket. The thing stopped at her ribs, but it covered most of the bare parts. She tucked her phone and house keys into the tiny pockets. Next she snatched up her strappy sandals and crept to the door. Carefully, she pried it open. The quiet murmur of voices rose up from the stairway as she strained to listen for the signal.
    “My mom would love that!” She heard Lauren say. “Do you think I could take some home?”
    She couldn’t hear the rest of her mother’s response, but the voices began to fade as if they were moving away. Sophie took this as her cue and bolted for the stairs. She gripped the banister tight as she descended the steps, so careful not to trip. Her mom and Lauren were nowhere to be seen when she reached the landing, but their voices carried from the kitchen. Sophie took this as a good sign and moved quickly to the front door. She twisted the knob, feeling like a burglar in her own home, and threw herself into the soft, cool mist outside, bare-footed.
    She sprinted for the Coop parked at the bottom of the driveway. Her hands shook as she fumbled for the handle. She yanked the door open and threw herself into the backseat. She was breathing hard and plastered with sweat by the time the adrenaline wore off enough for her to realize she’d done it. She’d actually snuck out of the house. She was free!
    The giddy sensation wore off when she heard the front door open and raised voices split the night. She ducked into the seat, keeping herself as low as possible until she heard the driver’s side door open and Lauren slide into place behind the wheel. She tossed her bag into the passenger’s side seat and stuck the key into the ignition. Neither girl said an ything until the car sputtered to life and they were rolling down the street.
    “Did we make it?” Sophie squeaked, raising her head just enough to see the side of Lauren’s profile.
    “Hold on. Just stay down.” Sophie did, staying that way until they rounded several corners. “Okay. I think we’re good.”
    Sophie uncurled herself and sat back in the seat, heart thumping wildly in her chest. She dared a glance back through the back window and exhaled when she didn’t see her mother sprinting after them, terminator style.
    “That was intense!” she breathed, strapping her feet into the sandals.
    Lauren chuckled, the sound strained and weak. “ Tom Cruise couldn’t have pulled that shit off!”
    “What did you tell her?”
    She saw Lauren’s shoulder jerk in a shrug. “That you were studying. I mentioned you being tired and wanting to go to bed early. She seemed to buy it, said you were probably still upset about yesterday.” She caught Sophie’s eyes through the rearview mirror. “What happened yesterday?”
    Sophie shook her head, feeling her cheeks flush. “Nothing. It was stupid.”
    Lauren didn’t press her. “So she said she’d let you sleep and check on you in the morning.”
    And it had been that simple. It seemed a little hard to believe, yet at the same time, she was stuck with a shot of guilt at how easy it had been to trick her mother in the first place. Playing on her trust wasn’t something Sophie ever did.
    It’s just this one time! She would no doubt never get invited to another party and if she did, maybe she and Brian would be dating and her mother will have met him and it wouldn’t be as much of a problem. She liked that thought. Her, dating Brian. It was almost enough to push away the guilt eating at her.
    Jessie was waiting for them by the door when they pulled up in front of her house. Sophie crouched out of sight, on the off chance Mrs. Bishop was looking out the window. Jessie jumped into the passenger’s side seat and tossed her and Lauren’s bags into the back narrowly missing Sophie’s head. 
    “Oh, Sophie!” Jessie gasped, twisting around in her front seat to glance back at her as the