“Where do you think you’re going at this hour? It’s nearly midnight!”
“Mum, I told you! It’s Lucy’s birthday, and we’re just meeting at the café. Ill call a cab straight after, I promise!”
Claire stood in the hallway, arms crossed, blocking her seventeen-year-old daughters path. Lily, already dressed up in a new frock with makeup done, shifted impatiently from foot to foot.
“A cab at midnight? Are you mad? It’s Fridayjust meet in the afternoon. Youre not going, and thats final.”
“But mu-um!” Lily whined, her voice trembling with unshed tears. “Everyone else gets to go out! You dont trust me, do you? Still treating me like a child?”
“I trust you. I dont trust the city after dark for a teenage girl. End of discussion. Go to your room and change.”
Lily shot her a furious glare, spun on her heel, and stomped off. The door slammed so hard the china in the cabinet rattled. Claire exhaled sharply and headed to the kitchen, her pulse still pounding from the argument. She knew Lily would sulk all night, but letting her go was out of the question. The fear for her only child outweighed any desire to be the “cool” mum.
She filled the kettle and sank onto a stool. The evening was ruined. The phone rang, shattering the quiet. Claire grabbed it, bracing for complaints from her mum or another favour from the neighbour.
“Hello?” she muttered.
“Claire? Oh, Claire, is that you?” A voice, achingly familiar yet unheard for years, cracked through the line. “Its Sophie. Harrison. Do you remember me?”
Claire froze. Sophie Harrison? Her best friend from uni, the one life had pulled away from her fifteen years ago. First, the calls grew rare, then just New Years cards, then nothing.
“Sophie? Of course I remember. Whats wrong? You sound”
“Claire, Im so sorry to call this late,” Sophie sobbed. “Ive got nowhere else to turn. Something awfuls happened…”
Between gasps, the story tumbled outher partner of ten years had thrown her out, saying hed met someone else. The flat was his, Sophies job was under the table at his firm, so now she was stranded at Kings Cross with nothing but a duffel bag.
“Im sitting here, Claire,” she whispered. “I dont know what to do. Everyones turned their backs, and I cant crawl back to my parents in the village. Im so ashamed.”
Claires chest tightened. She pictured Sophiebright, dazzling Sophie, the girl whod turned heads at every partyhuddled on a grimy station bench, lost and alone. The anger at Lily and the days exhaustion melted away.
“Where exactly are you? Stay put. Get a cab and come to me. Ill cover the fare.”
“Claire, I dont want to impose”
“Dont argue. Do you remember the address?”
“Oak Lane, number twelve?”
“Yes. Flat forty-five. Ill wait.”
Hanging up, Claire rushed to prepare the guest bedthe worn but comfy sofa in the lounge. She fetched fresh linens, a quilt, a pillow. Her heart raced, but there was a strange lightness too. This was right. Who else would help an old friend in trouble?
An hour later, the doorbell rang. On the threshold stood Sophie. Claire barely recognised the exhausted woman with hollow eyes and a tear-streaked face. A rumpled designer jacket, tangled hair, a sports bag clutched like a lifeline.
“Claire…” Sophie choked out before collapsing into her arms, shaking with silent sobs.
“Shh, its all right,” Claire murmured, stroking her back. “Come in, youre freezing.”
She led Sophie to the kitchen, poured tea. Sophie sipped, hands trembling.
“Thank you. If it werent for you, I dont know what Id have done.”
“Stop. Were friends,” Claire said simply. “Are you hungry?”
“No, I couldnt eat. Can I just… lie down?”
“Of course.”
She guided Sophie to the sofa bed.
“Make yourself at home. The loos down the hall.”
“Thank you,” Sophie whispered again before sinking onto the mattress.
Claire shut the door softly and checked on Lily. Her daughter was already asleep, curled under the duvet. She kissed her forehead, the earlier spat forgotten. Her thoughts were only for Sophie now. How had life battered her so badly? That fiery girl whod had every bloke wrapped around her fingerreduced to this.
At dawn, Claire woke before sunrise. The flat was still. Tiptoeing out to make coffee, she froze. Her bedroom door, which shed shut tight, stood ajar. A faint rustling came from inside.
Her heart skipped. Lily? No, Lily was in her room. Sophie? What was she doing in there?
Creeping closer, she peered through the gap. The sight rooted her to the spot. Sophie knelt by the dresser, drawers pulled open, methodically rifling through Claires thingsfeeling under folded clothes, peering into corners. She pulled out the old jewellery box where Claire kept her mums earrings, a thin gold chain from her late husband, a few silver rings. Sophie flipped it open, scanned the contents, then set it back with a disappointed twist of her lips. Next, she moved to the documents drawer.
Claires vision darkened. This wasnt real. Her friendthe one shed taken in out of pitywas pawing through her belongings like a thief.
She didnt know whether to storm in screaming or slip away unnoticed. She chose the latter, retreating silently to bed. Under the covers, she trembled. What had Sophie been after? Money? Jewels? Why leave the box?
The rustling stopped. A soft creak as the door closed. The sofa springs groaned. Silence.
Half an hour later, Claire forced herself up. Sophie sat at the kitchen table, gazing out the window, weary and sad. No trace of guilt.
“Morning,” she said, turning.
“Morning,” Claire replied flatly, switching on the kettle. Inside, she seethed. “Sleep well?”
“Like a log. Sorry if I woke youI was up early.”
*I bet you were*, Claire thought acidly. Aloud: “No harm done.”
She buttered toast, watching Sophie sidelong. The woman chatted easily about her exs betrayal, vague job plans. Too easily.
Lily emerged, blinking at the stranger.
“Lily, this is Aunt Sophie, my uni mate. Shes staying a bit.”
“Hello,” Lily said coolly.
“My, youve grown!” Sophie simpered. “I remember you in nappies.”
Lily ignored her, chewing toast while studying Sophie with narrowed eyes. When Sophie left for the loo, Lily leaned in.
“Mum, whys she here?”
“Shes in a rough spot, love.”
“Shes weird,” Lily whispered. “Her eyes keep darting about.”
Claire sighed. So it wasnt just her.
Over the weekend, Sophie played the perfect guestcleaning, cooking, probing about Claires life, her late husband Daniel.
“You never remarried after Danny?” Sophie asked while dusting shelves.
“Didnt work out,” Claire said shortly.
“Shame. He was a gem. Remember how he wooed you? All the girls were jealous.”
Claire said nothing. Dannys heart attack ten years ago still ached.
By Sunday night, tension lingered. They watched telly together, Sophie laughing too loudly at the jokes. Claire pretended normalcy, but the way Sophies eyes roved their modest flatassessing, cataloguingmade her skin crawl.
That night, Claire locked her bedroom door for the first time ever.
Monday morning, as Claire left for work, Sophie clung like a shadow.
“Claire, mind if I stay? Id feel odd alone here if someone calls…”
“Fine,” Claire lied, handing over the keys. Sophie snatched them eagerly.
At work, Claire couldnt focus. That imageSophie, digging through her thingshaunted her. Why? If she wanted to steal, shed have done it. Unless she sought something specific. But what?
At lunch, she rang their old uni mate, Olivia.
“Liv, listen. Sophie Harrisons turned up at mine.”
“*Our* Sophie? Blimey! Wheres she been?”
“Says her bloke kicked her out.”
A pause. “Claire… be careful with her.”
“Why?”
“Shes always had a streak. Remember the trip money that went missing?”
Claire frowned. Theyd never proven who took it.
“Liv told me later she saw Sophie pocket it. And last year, I bumped into her in townshe looked rough. Said she was drowning in debt, dodging loan sharks.”
Claires blood ran cold. Debts. Collectors. That explained it.
She left work early. The flat was silent. Her bedroomempty. Then she checked Lilys room.
Sophie sat at the desk, flipping through papers. Lilys schoolbooks, sketchesand an old photo album. Dannys album.
“What are you doing?” Claires voice couldve cut glass.
Sophie jumped. “Just tidying! Lilys desk was”
“Put. It. Down.”
Sophies face hardened. “Fine. I was looking. So what? Im desperate, Claire! Youve got a home, a job, a kid. Danny always bragged about his coin collection. I thought maybe…”
Claires head spun. Danny *had* collected coinsworthless old pennies in a shoebox.
“You lied to me. Used me to rob me?”
“What choice did I have?” Sophie spat.
The front door clickedLily home from school. She took in the scene, frozen.
“Mum? Whats”
“Pack your things,” Claire told Sophie, voice deathly calm. “Youve got ten minutes.”
Sophie shoved her clothes into the bag, smirking. “Bye, *friend*.”
Claire held the door open until she left. Then she slid to the floor. Lily crouched beside her, arms tight around her shoulders.
“Mum, dont cry. Shes not worth it.”
Claire wiped her eyes. “I just dont understand, Lil. We were mates…”
“People change,” Lily said softly. “Especially when moneys involved.”
Sitting there, holding her daughter, Claire felt something liftsomething dirty and unwelcome leaving their home. She looked around their shabby hallway, at Lily smoothing her hair, and realised: her real treasure wasnt in boxes or trinkets. It was right here, holding her close.
