Chapter 523
Traveling sounded great, but right now Barry was keeping such a close eye on her that it felt impossible to leave. If she weren’t still so young, he probably would have squeezed even more work out of her. Just looking at the doctors in the lab made it obvious. They all had huge dark circles under their eyes, like they’d been pulling all- nighters for centuries.
“Why do we have to wait until August?” Sophia let out a dramatic sigh. She wanted to go on a trip with Claire right now. Whenever she was with Claire, she felt safe because both of them could handle themselves in a fight. Plus, the grades weren’t out yet, so they could just cut loose and have fun without worrying about anything. After the results came in, things would be different. If they did well, they could celebrate however they wanted. But if their scores were bad, how could they relax or even enjoy themselves?
“I still have a lot to take care of. To be honest, I might not even be free in August,” Claire said, not sugarcoating it.
Sophia slumped. “What could possibly be more important than a graduation trip?” She pouted, obviously not happy about the answer.
“I’ll try to find some time,” Claire added quickly. When she saw how hopeful Sophia was, she couldn’t bring herself to say a flat-out no. Sophia didn’t have many friends at school. She was bold and outgoing, but she never really clicked with the other girls. Most of them spent their days chatting about makeup, outfits, nails, or their favorite celebrities—all of which Sophia couldn’t care less about. Honestly, she was more of a tomboy, always feeling like an outsider among the girls. But it wasn’t like she was close with the guys either. She actually fought with them so often that they ended up avoiding her. Everything changed after she and Claire became seatmates. The two of them formed a special bond, and Sophia started to depend on Claire a lot.
“You really have to try, okay? I want to see Coralia, and the grasslands, and if
nothing else, we could go to Montara,” Sophia said, listing off the places she’d been dreaming about.
“I’ve already been to all those places,” Shirley chimed in, grinning. “What about a ten-day trip to Europe p>
Sophia wasn’t convinced. “Europe’s kind of boring. Why don’t we go see the pyramids?” Len suddenly suggested, as if struck by inspiration.
Sophia shot him a look. “Why not just visit a rainforest tribe while you’re at it p>
Her suggestion suddenly felt way too plain compared to how adventurous the others were.
“I mean, sure,
but
I like living,” Len replied. He didn’t have Sophia’s fighting skills, and he definitely wasn’t as clever as Claire. And honestly, Sophia always reminded him not to underestimate Claire’s ability to defend herself, either.
“If we actually go, I can only spare a few days. I won’t know for sure until tomorrow,” Claire said. She’d
originally planned to take a couple of days off before heading to the hospital lab, but now it looked like she’d have to go in tomorrow.
“Okay, then we’ll all just wait and not plan anything until you decide,” Sophia said right away.
Shirley immediately raised her hand. “You have to take me p>
Len jumped in. “Then I’ll be your bodyguard and make sure everyone stays safe p>
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. With those flimsy moves of yours, I could flatten you in no time. What kind of bodyguard are you supposed to be p>
“Hey, don’t put me down. If it’s just you three girls, you’ll draw attention. But with me around, people will think twice,” Len insisted. “I am a guy, after all. Even if J just stand there it’s better than nothing. He patted his chest with fake confidence.
Sophia just looked away, not bothering to argue.
Actually, Claire thought Len had a point. “Len coming along really would help, but don’t go thinking you have to play the hero if anything big happens p>
“Alright, it’s settled!” Len said with a huge grin. He looked genuinely proud.
Claire just sighed and shook her head. “Don’t celebrate yet. I’m not sure I can even make it p>