Gone Phishing Read online

  Gone Phishing

  K T Bowes

  K T Bowes

  Copyright K T Bowes © 2016

  Published by Hakarimata Press

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  “You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it.

  You say you love sun but seek shelter when it’s shining.

  You say you love wind but when it comes you close your windows.

  So that’s why I’m scared when you say you love me.”

  Bob Marley

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  Chapter 1

  Bombshell

  “No! Dad, you can’t do this.” Sophia backed away from her father, a strange heat filling her chest cavity and making it difficult to breathe.

  “I don’t have a choice.” He sounded resigned as though nothing she said would make a difference. “It’s work.” Edgar tilted his head and pursed his lips. “And a fresh start for us both.”

  “I don’t want a fresh start!” Sophia’s chest heaved and anger replaced fear. “I’m happy here! This is my exam year and I’ve got Dane.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. But you’ll be okay in a new school, Soph. And there’re more fish in the sea.” He winked and Sophia’s stomach clenched at her father’s insensitivity. She reversed further, shaking her head and feeling the coolness of the plasterboard contact her fingers behind her back. A sense of being torn sent stabbing pains through her heart and the colour drained from her face. He didn’t care. Edgar didn’t care.

  Her father took a faltering step towards her and reached out, his eyes reflecting the realisation of the pain he’d inflicted. “Aw, sorry Soph. I know you and Dane are tight but we need to go. I have to get away from Hamilton and your mother.” He chewed his lip, glancing around him at the house they furnished together before Sal abandoned her family for a quick bunk up and more cash.

  “I’m not coming!” Sophia spat the words and watched Edgar’s expression cloud. His face reflected the thought processes he ran through in that single moment of decision. He shrugged.

  “I hoped you’d want to, Soph. We’re a team, you and me. I’ll be the sales manager of this high end garage down south, earn heaps more money and Palmerston North’s a great city with lots of opportunity for kids your age. You’ll love it.”

  “I’m not coming!” She repeated herself, dragging out the words in the hope Edgar got the message. His eyes glittered with pleasure as his new future spread before him and Sophia saw his hopes and dreams in them. She knew the loneliness he suffered and saw the scars her mother’s disappearance inflicted on his confidence. “This isn’t the way,” she pleaded. “This isn’t how you heal, Dad. You’re running away and I can’t go with you, not like this. Just wait a year and I’ll come. There’s a great university in Palmy and I’ll be interested then. But not now. Not right now, please Dad. Don’t make me.”

  Edgar’s jaw set in a hard line, the stubble pressing through his skin. A good looking man, he rose to his full height and spread his hands in front of him. “Ask your mother if you can live with her then,” he said.

  Sophia swallowed and gaped, no words coming to aid her. She wanted to shout and scream but nothing came. Rejection engulfed her, adding to the fresh wounds of her mother’s desertion and left her speechless. The sickness arrived in waves and she grappled for the door handle, one outstretched palm sliding along the walls towards the bathroom and the other covering her mouth.

  Edgar stood in the doorway and watched, sweating from a conversation he’d dreaded. “Why are you sick? I hope you’re not pregnant,” he shouted after her. “That really would take the biscuit!” When she didn’t answer, Sophia heard him call her name and start to follow, his footsteps quick and heavy. “Soph!” he cried. “Soph? Are you?”

  Self-pity enveloped her and she slammed the bathroom door in his face, sinking to her knees in front of the toilet. “You don’t even know me,” she sobbed. “You know nothing.”

  Chapter 2

  Fallout

  “I don’t know what to do.” Sophia wiped her eyes with yet another tissue and balled it on the bed beside her. “I can’t believe he’s done this.” Her chest hitched and she swallowed mid-sentence, sounding pathetic and forcing out more tears.

  Dane’s voice floated into her ear through the cell phone, calm, collected and filled with assurance. “It’s okay, babe. We’ll sort it out.”

  “How?” Sophia gave a disgusting sniff, followed by a heart rending shudder. “How can we sort it out?”

  “Dunno yet.” Dane spoke to someone else with him and came back on the line. “Calli asked if you’re coming in today. You’re meant to be speaking at the Year 9 assembly during second period.”

  Sophia let out a wail of misery and caught sight of herself in the dresser mirror; fat red eyes and a blotchy complexion. “I can’t! I can’t even think straight let alone talk to a group of children about loyalty. What do I know about loyalty anymore?” She sobbed and didn’t understand Dane’s next sentence but a female voice spoke into her ear.

  “Soph, it’s Calli. I’ll ask Declan to speak to the Year 9s. What’s going on, chick? Are you okay?”

  “No!” Sophia sniffed and reached for her tissue, finding it already soaked. It stuck to her fingers and she flicked it off, her lips curling in disgust. She opened her mouth to issue her list of complaints and then remembered Calli’s circumstances and stopped herself. Her own problems paled in comparison. “I’m okay. I’ll come in later; just had a row with Edgar is all.”

  “Need me to bash him?” Calli giggled but Sophia suspected she meant it.

  “Na. He’s scared of powerful women.” Sophia sniffed again and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her school pullover. “I’ll come in later if I feel better. Apologise to Declan for me. Being head boy and girl really sucks. I’ve no idea why they picked me.”

  “Because you’re cool, clever and classy.” Callister Rhodes snorted and the phone made static noises before Dane’s voice resumed.

  “See. One problem sorted already.”

  “Thanks.” Sophia swallowed and allowed herself a small smile. “I’ll catch you later, maybe.” She disconnected the call and flung the phone onto the covers, face planting in the soft fabric. “Dad,” she whispered into her mattress. “How could you think I’d get pregnant?” Edgar’s lack of faith in her stung and she nursed the sense of injustice like a new seedling. Lying on the bed in her uniform seemed ridiculous and after a while Sophia sat up and acknowledged she wouldn’t be going to school. She stripped off the constricting skirt, pullover and blouse and crawled into bed in her underwear, pressing her face into the pillow and formulating possible plans in her head. Each one seemed more stupid than the last and exhaustion swept her into a fitful sleep.

  The noise woke her with a start and Sophia sat up in bed, dark hair mussed on one side and her left cheek damp. Her first thought was that Edgar had arrived home, desperate to talk and smooth out their fight. Her rational mind told her he wouldn’t knock on the front door. She stood up and pushed her hair out of her face, eyes scratchy and sore from the crying. The noise came again, an urgent knocking behind her and Sophia jumped and screamed.

  Dane’s face peered through the glass, his dark fringe flattened against it. Mischievous blue eyes glittered from an olive complexion and Sophia exhaled in relief. She unlocked the ranch slider and hauled it open, already reaching for Dane as he stepped over the threshold. He supported her wit
h one hand and slid the door closed with the other. “Hey.” His voice sounded soft and reassuring and Sophia felt the tension loose from her muscles. He enfolded her, placing gentle kisses on her shoulder and neck but saying nothing. Seventeen years old and over six feet tall, Dane McArdle reached and crossed the line between boy and man, his coming of age taking place too soon. Hardship and responsibility shaped him into an adult even before his age reached double figures and Sophia held onto him, her arms wrapped around his neck in a strangle hold. Dane arched his back and lifted her off the floor with little effort, keeping her suspended along his body. “Wanna put some clothes on?” he asked in a whisper and Sophia groaned.

  “I took my uniform off and crawled into bed.” Her voice sounded muffled in his shirt collar. “I’m in my undies aren’t I?”

  Dane tilted his head sideways and took a long look at the shapely buttocks nestled in the polka dot knickers and the lithe, tanned back and legs protruding from them. “Pretty much,” he said, betraying the smile in his tone. “But you look good.”

  Sophia heaved out a sigh. “Now I’m embarrassed as well as miserable.”

  “I’m neither.” Dane peeked again and bit his lower lip. “Pretty ecstatic actually.”

  “Turn around.” Sophia released her fingers from the back of his neck and slid down his body, ignoring her effect on him. “It’s too late now.” Dane stood back and eyed her matching polka dot bra, one eyebrow raised with interest. “I’ve seen it already and I can’t un-see it.” His lips quirked upwards. “I don’t even want to.”

  “Please!” Sophia snatched at the bed sheet and held it up to her chin. “Leave me one last shred of dignity.” Her eyes prickled with tears and Dane turned around on feet leaden with disappointment.

  “Fine,” he grumbled. “But you’ve put ideas in my head now.”

  “Well, keep them there and you’ll be fine.” Sophia scooted as far as the sheet allowed, pushing her fingertips into the middle drawer of her dresser. She yanked out a white tee shirt and let go of the sheet long enough to haul it over her head. From the drawer below came a pair of jeans. Dane snatched them from her hand, surprising her into letting go. He held them above his head laughing and she felt exasperation burgeon in her chest at his boyishness.

  “Stop being an egg!” She lurched for the jeans and caught them, dragging them from his fingers and wrenching the bedroom door open. Her feet pounded along the hallway and Dane shook his head in amusement.

  “I don’t have to chase my women!” he called after her, slumping onto the bed. Sophia heard the springs creak beneath him and snorted, turning just as the front door opened. To her horror, the top of Edgar’s head appeared downstairs in the hallway, his motorcycle helmet in hand.

  Running back to the bedroom she cursed every creaking board, closing her door and locking it behind her. Wide eyed and terrified she faced Dane. “He’s here!”

  “Who?” Dane stood, his body tensed ready to fight. Strong fists balled at his sides and the determined look on his face would intimidate any opponent.

  “Dad!” Sophia squeaked and looked around the room in panic. “Hide!”

  Dane gaped at the unexpected reply. “I’ve seen your dad heaps of times,” he protested. His blue eyes widened in realisation as Sophia hopped up and down, shoving her slender legs into her jeans and yanking up the zipper. “Ohhh, yeah. I get it.” He pointed towards the ranch slider and took a step in that direction but Sophia froze at the sound of Edgar’s heavy footsteps climbing the stairs.

  “Wardrobe, wardrobe!” she hissed, pushing him in and closing the door on his alarmed face. Kicking her school clothes under the bed she flopped onto the rumpled sheets and snatched up her phone, pretending to be reading something on its blank screen.

  The handle jerked down and then up again and Edgar knocked on the door. “Soph, let me in.”

  With a snort of disgust which came from the heart, Sophia stalked across the room, turned the mechanism and flopped back onto her bed, not bothering to open the door to her father. He tried the handle again and pushed his head around the frame, his face lined and his eyes sad. “Why aren’t you at school?” he asked.

  Sophia snorted again. “Did they call you? What did you tell them, Edgar? Did you admit that you upset me so bad I couldn’t face it today?”

  “Yeah, they called,” he said, taking tentative steps into his daughter’s lair. “I didn’t tell them anything.”

  Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “You must have told them something,” she snapped. “Did you lie, Dad?”

  “No!” He seemed flustered, eyes darting around the room as though he suspected Dane hid a few metres away. “I didn’t lie. Where’s your laptop?”

  “Why?” Sophia sat up, heart thudding at the realisation she’d stowed it in her school bag in the wardrobe.

  “I wanted to borrow it. I forgot to take it with me this morning.”

  “Take it where?” Suspicion leaked from her voice. “Are you checking up on me? I can open it now if you want and let you see everything. If my word’s no good to you anymore, we can do that instead.”

  Edgar’s shoulders slumped and he let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’m not checking up on you, Soph. I borrow it sometimes when mine at work breaks.”

  Sophia’s back stiffened. “You don’t have a laptop at work.” Her mind worked through frequent memories of misplacing her device and finding it in weird places around the house. “How many times have you borrowed it?”

  “Once or twice. Where is it?”

  “Dane borrowed it.” Sophia fixed her dark eyes on Edgar’s face and pushed the lie into reality, crossing her fingers behind her back and hoping her father believed her. He looked disappointed.

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll head back to work. Glad you’re feeling better.” He turned to leave, his motorbike leathers rustling on his body.

  “Dad, who rang you from school?” Sophia asked, keeping her voice light.

  Edgar walked out into the hallway, his arm waving behind him in dismissal. “That new principal, Mrs What’s-her-name. Just asked if you were sick and I bluffed my way through an excuse.” He glanced back, waved and fixed his hand on the door handle to pull it closed.

  “How did you know it was her?” Sophia asked, fixing a look of innocence on her pretty features.

  “Because she said so!” Edgar snapped. His eyes roved around the room again and Sophia froze, waiting for him to stampede back in and haul Dane out of the wardrobe. But he didn’t find what he sought and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

  Sophia sat on the bed like a manikin, waiting for the moments to crawl by. When she heard the roar of the motorbike on the driveway she tore out through the ranch slider and ran to the side of the house, peeking around the corner as Edgar’s Harley Davidson rounded the final bend and turned left onto Discovery Drive. Her steps back to the bedroom felt laden with a mixture of emotions.

  “He’s gone,” she stated, closing the ranch slider. “You can come out.”

  Dane emerged from the wardrobe, a flowery scarf draped around his neck. He looked at it in confusion and pulled it free, laying it across the bed and sitting beside it. “Geez!” he exclaimed, running a hand over his face. “What was that about?”

  “Weird, huh?” Sophia sat next to him, their thighs touching. Snuggling into Dane’s side she felt gratified when his arm snaked around her shoulders. “I thought he came home to apologise.” Sophia rested her head against his shoulder and stared at the back of the bedroom door. “But he wanted my laptop.”

  “Did he say the principal called him about your absence?” Dane said, sounding confused.

  Sophia nodded. “She never calls for stuff like that. Lackeys do her administrative bidding.”

  “Apart from the fact she’s with the hockey team on their tour of the South Island.”

  Dane chewed his bottom lip and Sophia sat up and stared at him. “She is too. Why would she call him about me? How would she even know?”

  Dane shook hi
s head and his blue eyes sparkled like gems. “I don’t think she did, Soph. Old Edgar just lied to your face.”

  “But why? And why isn’t he sorry for what he said? He suggested I live with Sally and accused me of being pregnant and he didn’t even mention it then.”

  “What? Pregnant?” Dane craned his neck away from her and his bottom jaw hung slack. “Who’ve you been doing it with?”

  Sophia slapped his stomach and pressed her face into his neck. “Nobody. It’s a left over reaction from Sal leaving; when I’m stressed, I get this awful stomach pain. He upset me and I puked, so he jumped to conclusions.” She stared up at Dane’s face in disbelief. “Why not even mention it?”

  Dane kissed her temple, his tenderness absorbing some of Edgar’s sting. “Dunno, Soph.” He thought for a while and then asked a pertinent question. “Does your dad not have his own laptop or computer?”

  Sophia shook her head. “He’s never been interested. There’s a desktop one he uses at work for customer quotes and emailing but he never wanted one at home.”

  “So you have the only one?” Dane chewed his bottom lip and Sophia nodded.

  “Yeah, I do homework on it and Facebook. But you know what school’s like; nothing’s safe unless it’s on your body and sometimes not even then. After Declan got his nicked, I stopped taking mine to school. I email my work to my school address and use the computers in the lab.” She jerked her head towards the wardrobe. “Our internet went down last night in that storm so I couldn’t email out. I decided to take my laptop today and ask Mr Moeras if I could hook it up to the printer and grab a copy of my speech for the assembly. Then I planned to put it back in my car.” Sophia glanced towards the printer in the corner of her room. “Dad promised to get more ink a week ago; I think he’s forgotten.”

  Dane watched her lips move and his pupils dilated. He leaned forward and covered her mouth with his, teasing and nibbling until she groaned. His tongue invaded and Sophia inhaled through her nose, questing fingers seeking the soft skin of his stomach. Dane pulled back first, his pledge of self-control causing him physical pain. “We should stop before we do something you’ll regret.”