Chapter One: I Am Sophia O’Shea

After paying sixty dollars to get some gas, I counted the cash I had left and began pumping it into the gas tank of my old used hatchback while I shoved the remaining bills into the front pocket of my low-rise denim shorts. As I waited for the gas pump to finish filling the tank, I secured my hip-long, curly black hair with caramel blonde highlights in a high ponytail before tugging down the hem of my gray tank top again. After leaning against the side of my car, I noticed the laces on one of my second-hand canvas slip-on sneakers had come untied. I bent down to tie it, but as I finished typing my shoe, I felt a hand on my ass before I heard a guy behind me saying, “Damn, girl. You better be ready to take care of what you started.”

Just then, I heard the pump click, and after checking it, when I straightened up, I saw sixty-five dollars worth of gas had been added to my tank.

I continued to ignore the guy as I removed the pump nozzle and hung it back up on the pump before the guy yelled at me, “Hey, bitch, I’m fucking talking to you.”

I turned and swayed my hips as I approached him, saying, “Oh, I’m sorry, bitch, but I don’t fuck with scrubs.”

“What the fuck did you just say to me, bitch?” the guy yelled in my face after grabbing me by the hair.

“You better be ready to finish what you started, bitch.” I smirked before crushing his pride and joys twice with my knee.

I let him fall to his knees after I released him before climbing into my car and leaving. Six hours later, I backed into my parking spot to the two-bedroom single-wide trailer to which I had finally received my keys and began unloading everything I had in the back of my car. After carrying everything into the unfurnished trailer, I put my meager groceries away before blowing up my full-size air mattress in the master bedroom. I ensured that both exterior doors were locked before I unpacked my plastic dinnerware and the cheap cookware set I had bought that day. Once I was done unpacking the kitchen, I unpacked everything that belonged in my bedroom. Then I put my toiletries in the bathroom along with my makeup.

Even though I was exhausted when I finished unpacking, I took a long hot shower, made dinner, and ate before bed. Before I allowed myself to fall asleep, I put a reminder on my prepaid cell phone to check out furniture at the thrift stores in the area after school on Monday.

I became emancipated when I was only sixteen years old since my parents were both hard-core opioid addicts, and I was tired of working my ass off to pay their bills while they just stayed at home, getting wasted. So, I started saving up the money I made from doing odd jobs, showed a family court judge proof that I could take care of myself, and started working part-time. After getting my name changed and my driver’s license, I managed to transfer myself to a new school in a small town where Misty Anne Smith, the unfortunate Black Irish girl with two addicts for parents, didn’t exist, but the mysterious Black Irish orphan girl, Sophia Lynn O’Shea would finally begin making her own way in the world.

I started cleaning the trailer the following morning, bought a prepaid internet kit, and installed it before setting my little smart TV up in my bedroom. Still, since I had finished my daily chores, I watched some TV shows on the free streaming app that came with my TV. After taking a shower the following morning, I chose a black pair of boot socks, my high-heeled black leather knee-high boots, a dark blue pair of skinny jeans, an army green tank top-style overbust corset with a V-shaped neckline, a black cotton thong, my favorite studded black leather belt, and my black leather biker jacket. After getting dressed, I styled my hair and applied a little makeup before grabbing my backpack, cell phone, wallet, and keys and locked the door behind me as I left for school.

I was the first student to get there when I pulled into the parking lot, allowing me to park anywhere I wanted before I went inside to get my schedule, a map of the school, and the combination for my locker. Once I had my papers, I returned to my car to find the quickest routes to my classes, and by the time I was done, more students were quickly filling up the parking lot. When I checked to see what time it was, I noticed I had another half an hour to go before school started. So, I updated my pocket-sized finance ledger and organized my receipts. By the time I was done, I still had a little more than fifteen minutes before school started, and I began making my way to class.

As I walked into my first-period class, the room quickly became quiet, and their conversations didn’t start up again until I chose a seat at the back of the classroom. It wouldn’t surprise me if everyone was staring at me because of my figure like the kids at my last school did until they found out my parents were addicts because then, I was being approached as a prostitute or a dealer. It caused so many problems for me because whenever a student was caught with drugs in their possession, they would claim that I was their dealer. Then, I would have to spend hours talking to the police until I was finally released. Unfortunately, I would get a lot of people who tried to offer me sex for money because I was five-foot-two with black hair, pale gray eyes, caramel skin tone, a small waist, C-cup breasts, “child-bearing” hips, and a large firm ass that it wasn’t unusual for me to receive unwanted sexual advances.

There was one guy who refused to take no for an answer, but thankfully, a homeless former Navy SEAL, Tiernan O’Connor, saved me, and I managed to convince him to teach me how to protect myself. After teaching me how to fight, Tiernan started his own security business, and it was really taking off when I talked to him before I left the city to start fresh. I still checked in with Tiernan through text messages occasionally, and he would reply whenever he had the time. Tiernan was the first father figure I ever had, but I couldn’t ever figure out why most people were always so scared of him, and some of those people would even try to warn me away from him. His parents were Cherokee, but his grandfather was a quarter Irish, which was how he ended up with an Irish last name.

I had found out that Tiernan was mugged when he was visiting the city, and his car was stolen in the process, stranding him, but he’d been trying to get his life together again to get home to his family. Before I left the city behind, he had given me a leather biker jacket, and it instantly became my favorite clothing item in my wardrobe. Tiernan also helped me fix up my car after I bought it, and I was still working on it to, hopefully, have it looking and running like new again.

A few minutes after I sat down, a boy, easily a football player, approached me and said, “So, you’re the new transfer student.”

“Yeah, I’m Sophia O’Shea,” I replied.

“I’m Jordan Harrison, the football team’s quarterback.” the boy smiled.

“That’s cool. I’m actually a bit of a bookworm myself.” I said as another boy approached us and sat on the stool at the table in front of me.

“Oh, cool. I’m Trevor Johnson. You can usually find me in the library in the history section during lunch.” the second boy replied before I noticed another boy walking into the room.

He looked a lot like Tiernan and the boy in the picture he showed me of his family, but he wasn’t anywhere near as happy as the little boy in the picture.

“That’s Nathan O’Connor. He’s a freak, and the rumor around town is that his Dad, Tiernan, took off for New York after he got out of the military, but he decided not to come home because of how much of a freak Nathan is.” Jordan sniggered.

I glared at Jordan as I said, “Actually, I know for a fact that Nathan’s Dad is busting his ass trying to get home after getting robbed in New York. I became friends with Tiernan O’Connor after he saved my ass in New York, and he always talks about his family.”

“You know my father?” I heard another boy asking, and I looked up to see Nathan standing a few feet away, staring at me.

“Yeah, I do, and he’s a good man, Nathan. Tiernan’s like a father to me, and he’s nervous about coming home because he thinks you probably hate him for being unable to get home when he said he would, but he’s still coming back to you.” I replied as Nathan approached me.

Nathan hugged me and murmured, “Thank you, and if you’re still in contact with him, let him know that we’re not mad at him, just worried.”

I hugged him back and said, “I will. Your Dad loves you, and he’s proud of you, Nathan.”

“Nathan, what the hell are you doing?” a girl demanded behind Nathan.

After letting me go, Nathan hugged the girl and said, “My Dad’s okay, Sandra. This girl knows him.”

After Nathan let her go, I extended my hand to her, saying, “Sophia O’Shea.”

Instead of shaking my hand, Sandra gave me an accusing glare as she demanded, “So, what? You think you can flirt with my boyfriend, and I’d be fine with it?”

I scoffed at the brown-haired, green-eyed, curvy girl before saying, “Nathan’s Dad is like a father to me, Sandra; it’d be too weird for me to start flirting with him.”

“Oh, bullshit. White girls like you always try to get with Native American men.” Sandra sneered.

“I’m Irish, Sandra, and don’t ever lump me in with white girls like you again.” I scoffed.

“Bullshit, if you were Irish, you’d have red hair, green eyes, and be pale as fuck.” Sandra spat.

“Wow, you’re not only ignorant, you’re an idiot, too.” I replied in mock surprise, “Take a trip to Ireland and say that to someone there, Sandra. Not all Irish people have red hair and green eyes. Black Irish people have a darker complexion, black or dark brown hair, and typically dark brown eyes, but I was born lucky.”

“She’s right, Sandra. My great-grandfather is a quarter Black Irish, and you are ignorant.” Nathan scoffed at his girlfriend, “We’re done. Staying with you would just be an insult to myself and my family.”

As Nathan walked away, Sandra stood there dumbfounded, but deciding her new relationship status was my fault, she came after me, and I simply restrained her until Mr. Hartman came into the room, “Starting fights already today, Sandra? Principal’s office, now.”

I shoved Sandra toward the front of the room, but she decided she wasn’t done with me yet and came after me again. After quickly restraining her again, I asked Mr. Hartman, “Should I escort her there myself?”

“Go ahead, Sophia, and then come straight back.” Mr. Hartman replied as I escorted Sandra to the front of the room, where I was given her referral.

“Yes, sir,” I replied as I tucked the referral in my back pocket and escorted Sandra out of the room.

When we reached the front office, I took Sandra straight into the Principal’s office and sat her down in one of the chairs before handing the referral to Principal Davis, but when I turned to leave, Sandra jumped on me.

“Sandra, that’s enough.” Principal Davis yelled before I grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her off me as Principal Davis made a phone call.

A resource officer came in a few moments later and put Sandra in cuffs before Principal Davis said, “You can go back to class now, young lady.”

“Actually, I’d like to press charges against Sandra.” I replied as I noticed she tore my jacket, “I’m also going to sue her for emotional distress and damage to personal property.”

Principal Davis sighed, “Alright, you’re legally an adult; you do have the right and ability to sue. You’ll both have to wait here until her parents arrive since she’s still, legally, a minor.”

“Fine by me; I’m sure her parents will be thrilled to hear the news,” I replied as I crossed my arms over my chest after removing my jacket and leaned against the wall while Principal Davis called Sandra’s parents along with the police.

A couple hours later, a couple wearing business suits finally walked into the Principal’s office, and after a quick look around the room, her father asked, “What’s going on here, Principal Davis?”

The two police officers, who had already arrived, were standing next to Sandra, and one of them said, “This young lady is pressing charges against Sandra for physically assaulting three separate times this morning because Nathan broke up with her.”

“I’ll also be suing Sandra for emotional distress and destruction of personal property,” I added as I held up my jacket, ensuring they could see where she tore the back half off before setting it over the back of the chair again.

“You’re a kid; legally, you don’t have the ability to sue a piece of paper.” Sandra’s father scoffed at me.

“So that’s where she got her ignorance from. I had a feeling the minute I saw you walk into the room.” I replied with mock praise before saying, “Actually, I can sue your daughter because legally, I’m an adult, and you can try to bribe Principal Davis to make the security footage disappear, but the police already beat you to it. I’m sure the videos the other students made with their phones are already on the internet, and nothing disappears once it’s on the internet. So, I’ll see you all again in court.”

“Okay, fine. What do you want, kid?” Sandra’s father smirked, “I’m willing to settle with you here and now.”

“Two hundred grand,” I replied.

“That’s ridiculous.” Sandra’s father yelled.

“I thought you were willing to settle here and now, but I guess you were lying.” I shrugged mockingly.

“Here, two hundred grand.” Sandra’s mother said as she handed me a thick envelope, “Sandra will plead guilty to physical assault.”

After counting out two hundred grand, I shook her hand and said, “Thank you. I really hope Sandra’s learned her lesson today, ma’am.”

“Why the hell do you carry around two hundred grand in cash, Elsie?” Sandra’s father demanded.

“I told you when Sandra was in elementary school that she was going to eventually get herself into a situation like this, but you were adamant that wouldn’t happen, and she just proved you wrong, James.” Leah replied, “Just be happy this young lady is being lenient and isn’t demanding millions or even hundreds of millions. She’s obviously a lot smarter than she first appears, and lucky for you, we won’t have to file for bankruptcy, James. Now, Sandra will be lucky if she can get into a good college or land a job flipping burgers for the rest of her life with videos of her attacking this young lady, possibly being all over the internet, James.”

“I’ll ask around and see if anyone has posted videos.” I said before turning to Sandra, “I’m warning you now that the next time you put your hands on me, you’ll wake up in here after I carry you in here myself, and I won’t try to help you.”

As everyone stared at me, dumbfounded, I walked out of the Principal’s office and asked everyone I came across if they had videos of Sandra attacking me. Thankfully, anyone with a video of the incident hadn’t posted it and let me watch as they deleted it or let me do it. I checked the internet daily for a month to see if I could find a video, but thankfully, I never found so much as a post about it on social media. Meanwhile, I got my car looking and running like new again after buying second-hand furniture for my place.

I had a complete dining nook in the eat-in kitchen, a sectional, a much larger smart TV, a TV stand, end tables, lamps, a coffee table, and an oversized recliner in the living room. A dresser, two nightstands, a queen-sized bed, and a larger smart TV were carefully situated in the master bedroom. There was now a pull sofa, a vertical dresser, two nightstands, and my first TV in the second bedroom. The guest and master bathrooms had also been decorated.

I also worked out a written deal with the landlord to reduce my rent, and I would remodel my trailer. After removing the paneling throughout, I installed new insulation, put up drywall, taped, plastered, sanded, primed, and painted before putting up the molding before the first month’s rent was due. Not only was the first month’s rent credited, half of the second month’s rent was knocked off; but I quickly started replacing the cabinets in the kitchen and hired an electrician to make sure the current wiring and fuses could handle a running energy-efficient dishwasher along with the new refrigerator before having them installed.

I finished the kitchen before the end of the second month, which gave me until the fourth month before I had to pay rent. I started on the master bathroom by tearing out the tub shower combo, the sink, and the toilet. After tearing out the flooring, I replaced the subflooring where I needed to after redoing the plumbing to change the master bathroom’s layout. When I finished both bathrooms at the end of the third month, the toilet and sink were closer to the bathroom door. At the far end of the master bathroom, a glass shower wall and door separated the tiled half from the first half. Behind the glass was a shower and a free-standing bathtub. While remodeling the bathroom, I discovered a second window behind the wall where the bathroom mirror had been hung, but I opened it up and framed it before putting the new toilet in. I did the guest bathroom the same way even though there was only one window, and once I was done, they both looked much larger and brighter. The landlord loved the results so much that he took pictures to have the same thing done in his house.

With the old flooring already removed, I replaced it with vinyl plank flooring that looked like wood and replaced the lights throughout the trailer before adding accent walls in three rooms. I got to work after buying four boxes of vinyl flooring in six different colors, more molding nails, and two pieces of trim, I got to work. I mixed and matched the vinyl planks before applying them to the walls. I created the accent walls in the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and living room. I returned the flooring I didn’t use and bought everything I needed to replace the crumbling siding with stucco. After removing the crumbling steps, I applied the plaster before I began replacing the metal roofing with gray shingles and made some functional shutters while I waited for the stucco to cure. Once the stucco finished curing, I installed part of the shutter hinges before painting the exterior light gray, and the trimming and the accents were painted a darker gray.

Thankfully, it had been windy for the past few days, and the paint dried quickly, which allowed me to start building a covered wrap-around porch. I had just finished building the porch deck and the steps and was framing the roof when an unfamiliar pickup truck pulled up. After a moment, Tiernan, Nathan, and a couple other guys climbed out of the truck before Tiernan said, “It looks to me like you might need a hand, Sophia.”

“It’s been a while.” I smiled down at him from where I was perched, “I’m just getting the roof done before I add the railings to the steps, three-foot-tall walls to the sides of the porch, and then I’ll screen it in before I add the screen doors. Once the porch is done, I put the shutters on and replace the windows and exterior doors. I’ll be done with the remodel once the interior doors are replaced, but thankfully, I don’t have to worry about rent for next month, and the landlord will cut the rent in half to a hundred-fifty dollars a month, even if I resign my lease.”

As I climbed down, Tiernan asked, “Did you already finish the interior?”

“For the most part.” I replied as I removed my shoes and opened the front door before saying, “Kick off your shoes and come on in. I’ll show you what I’ve managed to do.”

Tiernan, Nathan, and the guys with them climbed the steps before taking off their shoes. As they came inside, Nathan asked, “You did all this yourself?”

“Yeah, I had to rig something up to help hold the drywall up until I had enough screws in to hold it in place, but everything except for the trailer’s metal framework is new,” I replied as I led them down the hallway.

I pushed open the doors to the guest bathroom and guest bedroom to let them take a look as Tiernan asked, “Where did you learn to do all this?”

“I watched videos on how to do everything and followed them to the letter.” I shrugged.

“How were you able to afford it?” Tiernan scoffed in amazement.

“Sandra’s father wanted to settle when I said I was suing the day she attacked me. Her Mom had the money with her already because she already knew the kind of person her daughter was.” I shrugged, “Thanks to Sandra, I found something I love doing, and I’ve been thinking about starting my own remodeling business.”

“You could make a lot of money doing it, too. Maybe I’ll call you after you start your business, and we have the extra money.” Tiernan chuckled before I heard someone knocking on the front door.

“Nah, I’d give you the family discount as long as you helped buy some of the supplies.” I chuckled as I slipped past the guys and went to answer the door to find two men in luxury custom-made suits standing outside, “Are you Sophia O’Shea-”

“What, is someone trying to sue me or something?” I asked, cutting him off.

“Not that I’m aware of. I was the attorney who represented all four of your grandparents until they died recently in a skydiving accident. They disowned your parents since they wouldn’t try to do anything about their…situations. As their only grandchild, they named you as the beneficiary in their Wills.” the older man said, “Your grandparents on your father’s side owned a pharmaceutical company, and your mother’s parents owned a construction company. They build research labs and office buildings. You’ll receive money from their life insurance policies, savings, assets, and investment accounts.”

“Okay, and what kind of advice can you give me?” I asked as I crossed my arms and casually leaned against the doorframe.

“Well, first, I would suggest moving somewhere with better living conditions than this place.” the older guy said, before the younger guy elbowed him in the side after noticing my clothes, and the older guy turned to him, asking, “What was that for?”

“Ma’am, I think what my mentor meant to say is that your home looks amazing. We can tell you worked very hard on it.” the younger guy chuckled nervously.

“Ignorant insults and flattery will get you nowhere.” I replied, “I know the place could look better, but I happen to think I did pretty damn good considering this was my first time remodeling. Take your shoes off on the porch before you come inside.”

I turned and walked into the living room as the two guys followed me. After their eyes adjusted, they looked around, and the older guy asked, “Is this really your first time doing a remodel?”

“Yes, it is. I still need to do a few things before it’s finished, but I wanted to finish the porch before replacing the windows and exterior doors.” I replied, “I’m trying to get everything done within six months before I graduate from high school, but I wonder how successful you think I’ll be if I start a remodeling business after seeing what I’ve managed to do in almost four months.”

“If this is what you’ve accomplished yourself within four months, I’d have to say you would be very successful.” the older guy replied, still looking around at the kitchen and living room, “I’d say your decorating skills could use some improvement, though.”

“Well, between my car, furniture, and the remodeling, I haven’t even spent a hundred and fifty thousand dollars yet.” I said as I pulled out my finance ledger and looked at what I had left, “Actually, I haven’t even spent a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“Then I would have to say you know how to get the most for your money.” the older guy said.

“Thank you, but what is your advice moving forward?” I asked as I gestured for them to sit and settle in the recliner.

“Well, I would suggest getting an accountant, but something tells me you don’t trust other people to help manage your money.” the older guy replied as he pulled some papers from his briefcase.

“When I moved here, I only had two hundred dollars left to my name, and I’ve been working part-time to pay my bills every month. So, I know what it means to struggle.” I replied with a confirming smile.

“Ms. O’Shea, my firm has been working with both sides of your family for several generations, and my boss wants me to find out. Actually, I’m just going to be honest with you. Yes, my firm has worked with both sides of your family for generations, but I’d like to know if you want to keep me on retainer for the foreseeable future or if you would rather cut ties.” the older guy said.

“Mister…” I trailed off.

“Oh, I apologize. My name is Wilson Donovan, and this is Michael Walsh.” the older guy replied hurriedly.

“Mr. Donovan, I tend to stay out of trouble, which I don’t plan to change anytime soon, and I’m not keeping either of my grandparents’ companies. So, tell me, without getting into trouble and no longer those companies, do you think I’ll need to call you for help often enough to spend thousands of dollars to keep you on retainer?” I smiled, “How much would I be spending just to keep you on retainer?”

“My typical retainer fee is ten thousand dollars a month, and you would be paying five hundred dollars an hour if you ever needed me to try to keep you out of jail or help you save your companies.” Wilson replied, and I smiled at him momentarily before he started getting nervous, “I can reduce my rates to a thousand and a hundred.”

“For a client who might only call you to develop a Last Will and Testament?” I asked with a slight tilt of my head.

“Okay, I can do two-fifty a month for the retainer and fifty an hour,” Wilson replied.

I slowly got to my feet and offered my hand, “It’s a deal then.”

Wilson quickly shook my hand and hurriedly adjusted the paperwork before we both signed it. He read the paperwork after I handed it back to him, and a stunned expression began forming on his face before he looked at me, saying, “You just schooled me.”

“You underestimated me, Mr. Donovan,” I replied as I settled in the recliner again.

After Wilson pushed past his shock, he went over the Wills with me and told me I would receive everything within two weeks before they both left.