Sapo From On My Block Novels & Stories

"Sophia, our brand has completely exploded across the web! Look at this real-time follower growth metric—our numbers are on the absolute verge of overtaking Chloe Bishop's data!" Sophia’s mood had been exceptionally bright, but the exact millisecond her assistant’s lips uttered that comparison, her features dropped into a freezing, venomous scowl. "I am a professional entertainment artist," Sophia hissed, her voice dripping with pure ice. "Your office chooses to baseline my value against a corporate manager? Does your intellect calculate that the humiliation my system has harvested lately is insufficient?"

** **Sophia: The caption is some next-level gaslighting bullshit. **Me: I’m aware.** **Sophia: You okay?** Am I? I don’t even know anymore. **Me: I’m fine. At work. Can’t think about this right now.** **Sophia: Okay. But I’m coming over tonight with wine and terrible movies.** **Me: Deal.** I pocket my phone. Try to focus on the campaign brief in front of me. Target demographics. Engagement metrics. Things that don’t involve my ex-boyfriend parading his new relationship like a trophy.

Sofia says her first word on a Tuesday. Not "Mama" — that would be too expected. Not "Dada" — also expected. She's sitting on the kitchen floor, surrounded by wooden blocks, when she picks up a red square and holds it toward Celeste. "Oak," she says. Celeste freezes. The dog has been gone for over a year. The grave under the fig tree has settled, covered in ivy and wildflowers. We don't talk about Oak the way we used to — not because we've forgotten, but because grief has softened into something closer to gratitude.

The Spa parlor was not that far from the apartment, just three blocks away so both of them walked to the place. From the Spa parlor, Kayla was hyperactive and bragged about the new movie that she got them tickets for while Sophie was trying to dial Chris's number for the umpteenth time but he wasn't picking up. She tried to be involved with whatever conversation Kayla was dragging her into but the weirdness of that day couldn't leave her mind.

No, not something- someone Sophia Sophia's POV I wake up on the ground of someone's bedroom. my body is sore all over and I feel extremely weak. Smoke fills my nose and I Slowly get up. Empty gasoline bottles are laying on the bedroom floor. I walk as fast as my body will let me to the bed and I grab the bed spread. I cover my naked body and walk out of the room. I almost faint as I see the scene in front of me. Dead people are all over the place. It looks like they were attack by a beast. My focus returns when I piece of the roof walls down and it was on fire. I hurry to the staircase and move downwards. When I reach the entrance of the house I want to puke. Their are so many body parts and

Sophia agrees. I shake my head. “Alright. I’ll take out the ground beef. Dinner will be a little later.” “How late?” Lily asks, already suspicious. “Around six.” She scoffs. “That’s late.” “It’s barely four,” I say. “You’ll survive.” Sophia nods, satisfied, already pulling out her tablet. Lily follows suit. Silence settles in as I drive through the neighborhood. And then I see her. Sade. She’s stepping out of her car, lifting one baby, then another, setting them down gently like fragile glass. They’re so small. So young.