Save Her by Abigail Osborne (novel books to read .txt) 📗

the Stella, but Sophie called him back. He turned back towards her, curious. Ayaz had been Sophie’s friend since she had learnt to walk. He had brown skin and she had never seen him without a huge smile on his face. Everyone who came into the shop couldn’t help but be charmed by his infectious joviality.

‘How many sweets and chocolates can I get for this?’ She held out the ten-pound note with trembling hands. It was the most money she had ever had in her life. Money that was her own, to do with what she wanted. She didn’t really want to let it go and pulled it back, hugging it to her chest and clutching it tightly between her fingers.

Ayaz gave her a confused look but helped her to load her rucksack with as many sweets and chocolate bars as it could fit. Ayaz had always treated Sophie with kindness. She had always thought it was because her mother was his best customer, but the gentle way he had helped her today made her think he felt a bit sorry for her. Especially when he gave her back a five-pound note in change. His face creased into a warm smile, his white teeth sparkling against the background of his dark skin. He was a lovely man and Sophie felt tears rise. The amount of chocolate and sweets in her backpack was almost tipping her over backwards… there was no way she should have that much change.

She put the money back on the counter. But he opened her hand, placed the note into it and then closed her fingers around it, holding her small hand in his large hands. ‘Spend it wisely,’ he said and then ushered her out of the shop.

Sophie tried hard to act normal when she walked past the teachers counting in the students. Her heart was racing, and she swore everyone was looking at her differently, that they could sense she was bringing contraband into the school. Thanks to recent government changes trying in vain to solve the obesity crisis in children, the school meals were now junk-food-free and the children were subjected to vegetables and more vegetables with a side of fruit. Even those with packed lunches had only healthy snacks, any contraband would be confiscated by the lunch lady.

Sophie hung up her rucksack on her peg with great difficulty. Sitting at her desk, she had watched in agony as the clock slowly ticked away the minutes until their morning break. Surreptitiously, Sophie had filled the lining of her skirt with sweets from her bag. Outside in the playground, with Flora at her side, she took a deep breath and walked straight over to Melissa. Melissa was the richest child in the school – as she told anyone that would listen almost every day. She would bring money to school and buy food from the canteen and the vending machines for her select group of friends. This wasn’t as much of a bonus anymore now that the vending machine held only fruit bars and packets of carrot sticks.

‘Oi, Melissa.’

The queen bee was sat on a bench, flanked on each side by her two most loyal disciples, Lisa-May and Jennifer. They rose as Sophie and Flora walked up to Melissa, like very skinny bodyguards.

‘I’ve got something for you. I know you could afford it and no one else could.’

Melissa visibly preened at the mention of how much money she had. She leaned forward. ‘What is it?’

Melissa’s gang surrounded Sophie and looked at her with interest.

Sophie slowly pulled out the bars of chocolates and sweets and there was an audible intake of breath. Chocolate and sweets hadn’t been seen in this playground since the plague of the health kick had swept through the school last year. Sophie pulled out Snickers, Mars Bars, Galaxy as well as bags of Skittles and Maltesers.

She drank in the shock and awe on the faces in the group. Melissa’s eyes were hungry, and she stood up.

Sophie remarked, ‘I just knew that there was no point offering them to anyone else as I knew you had enough money to buy the lot. I’ve got more than just this.’ She was taking such a risk, there was every chance that Melissa could go running to the teacher and the plan would be ruined. She just had to pray that the queen bee’s greed would outweigh her spite. Sophie could almost hear the cogs turning in her head as she decided what to do.

‘How much?’

It took all Sophie’s restraint not to jump and shout all the way home. Fate had smiled on her. From that day on, she became a believer in fate. If she was meant to succeed at anything, fate would give her a sign. Melissa had been her sign from fate. She had bought all of the sweets and chocolate for £20. All day, Sophie had watched her bestowing chocolate on her chosen people, buying loyalty and cementing her control over her existing followers. Sophie didn’t care, she had more money than she had ever had in her life.

Instead of spending it on herself, she invested it in things that she knew people would want and slowly she became known as the ‘go-to’ girl who was the only person brave enough to bring things into school. Finally, she had found the one advantage of not having eagle-eyed parents to pack her bag and watch her every move. For once, her mother’s neglect was a reason to celebrate.

It became a stable income and Sophie replaced her school uniform and bought the pink sparkly pencil case and the scented gel pens. No longer did she have to rely on handouts from Flora. She was given respect by the other pupils instead of ridicule as she shed her second-hand clothes and washed her hair.

When Flora’s parents died, she was able to help Flora with things she couldn’t get because of her aunt. Slowly, Sophie realised that she was good at business. She branched