Sophie

    Sophie's life was insanely tough, and she was glad that she could see where her life might be going. If she could just get rid of her major problem, and not let anyone know about it until it was over, her life would be ten times more easy than it is now. She knew she had to stop, and she knew it wouldn't be easy. But she was wiling to give up her unknown obsession for her family; the needed her more than she needed it.

    The first day of school had arrived, and the summer had been the hardest she could remember since she moved here. She was glad she could be back with Louis and Jessica, but hated having to leave her mother and sisters where they were helpless. As soon as she turned sixteen in two years, she would drop out and take care of all of them.

    She was going to drop out weather her mom liked it or not. Her mother didn't see that she needed help; but Sophie saw how bad she was getting, and she vowed to take care of her until she passed. Maybe she could get a job at a local market, or at a fast food restaurant. After she gets the money, they could get a small apartment, or tailor, or even live with Jessica and her father paying rent. They just needed to get out of this place: a small yard with a tarp connected to three trees as a roof. The only things they had was a mini fridge filled with a few groceries and a few fruits and water bottles, a few toys, her mother's chair, two lawn chairs, and three hammocks. Her mother stayed in a sun-bathing chair, and didn't move unless she had to use the bathroom, witch was a port-o-potty near the back of the property. Her two sisters slept in the hammock, and Sophie slept in a lawn chair next to her mother on some nights, and in the hammock on others. To bathe they had to go to motels and sneak into rooms to use the showers. As hard as life was, she knew that someday it would get better after it was at it's worst. 

    Sophie's day was long and uneventful. At lunch she found Jessica and Louis and they went to go get some food and check up on Sophie's mom. When they got back to class, Louis, Jessica, and Sophie parted, and Sophie felt that lonely empty feeling again.

    When the final bell rang she rushed home to check on her family again. When she got there she had noticed her mother had been sleeping, for probably what had been all day. Her eldest, but younger sister, Jaime, who was six was laying limply at the foot of the slide in their very small yard. Her youngest sister, Rosie, who had just turned three was playing with her doll by her mother. Sophie hugged Rosie, and checked her mother's forehead to see if she was hot. She noticed Jaime, and asked Rosie if she thought Jaime was okay, she only shrugged. So Sophie slowly walked over and noticed there was something wrong with Jaime, when she tilted her head she saw a large lump and a trickle of blood on the side of her head, as well as a very large open wound; Sophie realized shed probably cracked her skull She fell to her knees and picked Jaime up. Rosie came over and put a hand on Sophie's shoulder, Sophie needed to get Jaime some help, she didn't know what to do. So sh shook her mother awake, placed the limp Jaime on her mothers lap, and ran full speed to Jessica's house.

    When she got to Jessica's house, all of the lights were off, but her father's old Cadillac was still in the yard. She banged on the door until she saw him appear at the window. He saw that Sophie looked shaken and upset so he unlocked the door quickly and asked what was wrong

    "I came home from school, and my sister Jaime, she's hurt real bad sir, I don't know what to do. Can you bring me to the hospital er somethin? You're the closest person I know who own a car. Please.." Sophie explained quickly.

    Jessica's father was very understanding and kind so he sped through two blocks and when they gt to the small yard Sophie leaped out, told her mother they'd be right back, kissed her on the cheek and scooped up Jaime. After what seemed like a decade ride in the car with Jaime on her lap, Sophie felt a wave of relief when they reached the hospital. Jessica's father didn't bother parking and ran out. Sophie followed suit and raced to the doors of the ER. A doctor took Jaime in right away, and Sophie sat dazed in the waiting room.

    The next day was tough, and Sophie had a hard time getting through it. She went for a walk at lunch, instead of finding Jessica and Louis; and after school, instead of going home, she went straight to the local park, to try to sort things out. After she cried for a while, she thought about how things were going to change, and how things already have. She knew that Jaime didn't fall down the slide, and she knew that someone had been to their yard before she had. Something popped into her mind as she shot up from a bench and ran to the small alley. When she got home she saw that her mother had looked a lot better and rested. Jaime was still in the hospital due to possible brain damage and infection, so she had no need to worry; she was in good hands. Rosie was fed and sitting quietly on her hammock, and Sophie's mother was wandering around, picking up. Sophie hugged her mom and kissed Rosie's cheek, and started investigating.

    "Hey Mr. Mendez, is Jessica home?" Sophie called their house from a pay phone.
    "Yes she is, please hold on for one moment" Sophie heard Mr. Mendez yell to Jessica in Spanish, which always made her feel uncomfortable not knowing what they were talking about 
    "What's up?" Jessica said into the phone
    "My yard," Sophie didn't call it a home, "has been robbed."
    "How do you know?" Jessica asked skeptically
    "Jaime is the only other one besides me where I keep the money, if she tried to defend it, the robber wouldn't let a six year old stand in their way."
    "Well is the money gone?" Jessica was still processing the thought of someone hitting a six year old and she cringed.
    "Yeah, I was thinkin' about it, and I'm missing the twenty dollars I mooched of Louis for food," Sophie felt the sting of tears in her eyes, seeing that she didn't know how she'd get food for her family, "That was all the money we had left, I don't know how we're going to eat"
    "Oh Soph, you know you can always have some money at any time. We may not have much, but we know that you need it more than we do."
    "I'm not asking for money... I'll find a way to get more. I just needed to see if someone would believe me if I told them what I thought. If it did get stolen, and Jaime was hurt on purpose, I need someone as a witness or somethin'"
   
Sophie and Jessica hung up, and Sophie walked to her yard alone. She was thinking to herself that things we're getting worse and worse in Oakland, and that soon it would be pure luck if they got by.

Author's Note

ignore minor typos.