‘Sophia, it’s so good to hear your voice. How are you?’
‘Well, my head hurts like hell,’ Sophia replies. ‘I felt sick as a dog when I came round yesterday, but they gave me an injection and that helped a lot. My leg looks like a tree trunk, and I think I’ll go insane if I have to lie like this for as long as they’re suggesting – but that’s not why I’m calling.’
For the first time Georgia catches an urgency in Sophia’s tone that causes her to grip the phone a little harder.
‘What is it?’
‘Dad showed me a photo, taken in the hospital. Then he and Mum had a belter of a row, but that’s another story. Anyway, this woman was snooping around here, the night after the accident, and he thinks it might be the person who drove into us.’ There’s a pause. ‘I’m worried he could be right, but first I have to tell you something.’
Sophia stops again. Is she preparing herself, or waiting for permission? ‘I’m here,’ Georgia says uncertainly. ‘Tell me.’
‘Look, I’m going to have to say all this in a rush, because Mum has hardly left me alone. She’s just gone to the bathroom, so I took the chance to call. That’s why I’m going to say sorry first, okay? I’m really, really sorry.’
‘O-kay. Sophia, I don’t know what—’
‘Sssh – listen. I need to tell you this. I should have told you earlier, but you’ll see why I didn’t in a sec. I’ve been seeing someone, Georgia, for about six weeks – and it was great, until a few days ago.’ There’s a brief silence. ‘Oh, shit.’
Georgia listens as Sophia’s voice becomes distant. ‘Yes, I’ve already taken them. No, I don’t need to go at the moment. Look, I’m just on the phone – can I finish . . .’
Then Sophia’s voice is loud in her ear again. ‘I’m gonna have to ring you later, the nurse is here and Mum will be back in a mo.’ Her frustration resonates down the line. ‘First chance I get, okay? Sorry.’
‘It’s the race today . . .’ Georgia starts to say, but Sophia has already gone.
Georgia sinks back against her pillow, replaying her friend’s words. How could Sophia keep something like this from her?
The irony surfaces in seconds. How had so many secrets sprung up between them in such a short time? Were Sophia’s feelings for this man as strong as Georgia’s for Leo? Did Sophia know what it was like? To feel yourself remoulded by someone else, to let the fragile promise of love make kaleidoscopic daydreams of your every waking minute, before it all collapsed into chaos as fast as it began? Does she finally have a friend who would see past the petty details and understand something of the nightmare she has been through?
She has to stop speculating on the unknown facts that Sophia hadn’t had time to divulge. Nor must she start guessing why Sophia had apologised, or she might get carried away.
Instead she turns her thoughts towards the day. She’s surprised that she has slept long and deeply, and a little dismayed at how groggy she feels. Nothing about the past forty-eight hours could be called ideal preparation for an endurance event, but she is out of time. A small voice is telling her to sacrifice the race, and beg for the sponsorship anyway – but she refuses to listen to it, no matter how insistent it gets. Just let me be on form today, she prays. And tomorrow I’ll take what comes.
She has tried to keep her race preparation and her emotions separate, but she’s not sure how long she can keep going. She has taken part in the interschool fell-running championships every year since she was twelve, and has never come away without a medal. She has been crowned the victor two years in a row – this is her one shot at a hat trick, something no girl has achieved before. This will be her last schools championship; next year she will go to university and join a new running club, and racing over the fells might be confined to breaks between semesters.