Sofía was not someone who trusted easily. She never warmed up to people after a few meetings, never let anyone close without time and proof. The invisible walls she kept around herself were tall and unyielding, built brick by brick over years of loss and hurt. Alfonso was the only person in this world she trusted completely.
Because she didn't socialize, she spent most of her time alone and when loneliness lingered too long, she found herself talking to herself just to fill the silence.
Work was exhausting that evening. Mondays always were. Customers poured in relentlessly, orders stacking one after another until time slipped through her fingers unnoticed.
By the time her shift finally ended, it was already late into the night. Noelia had left earlier. Alfonso locked up the café, the metallic click echoing softly as they started walking together down the dimly lit street.
Alfonso had been working there long before Sofía. He was the one who had helped her get the job. He had been her friend since she was fourteen more than a friend, really. She thought of him as an older brother, the kind who watched over his sister with quiet vigilance. He was twenty now, protective to a fault.
More than once, he had urged her to sell her apartment and move closer to his place. Her neighborhood wasn't safe, and he worried constantly. But she had always refused. That apartment was the last piece of her family, the last thing her grandfather had left behind. She couldn't let it go.
Because of that worry, Alfonso walked her home every night after her shifts ended. It had been his idea for her to dress like a boy during those late walks because a girl, even walking beside a man, wasn't safe in that part of the city after dark.
Sofía wore the oversized hoodie Alfonso had gifted her on her last birthday. Her hair was tucked away, her face mostly hidden beneath the cap. The cloth tightly wrapped around her chest was the part she hated most. It made it hard to breathe, squeezing her ribs until every breath felt shallow.
Her bullies called her fat.
Her chest was large, and to pass as a boy she had to bind it tightly breathing like a dying cat just to make herself smaller.
They walked quietly past a group of men loitering beside their bikes, bottles clinking as they drank. The men didn't even glance their way. Relief loosened something tight in her chest.
When they reached her apartment, Sofía turned to Alfonso. "Thank you," she said softly. "But you don't have to do this every day."
She felt like a burden just saying it.
Alfonso smiled and promptly flicked her forehead with his stone-hard finger.
"Ow!" Sofía winced, rubbing the spot as she glared up at him. He was taller, always looming slightly over her.
"Shut up, Sofía," he said, rolling his eyes.
"You hit my forehead again and I—I will never make sponge cake again," she threatened.
His jaw dropped.
"Don't you dare," he said dramatically. "I can't live without your homemade sponge cake!"
"Then don't hit me," she muttered.
He laughed. "Fine." He ruffled her cap affectionately and motioned for her to go inside.
She smiled softly, nodded, and gave a small wave before slipping inside and locking the door behind her. Only after the lock clicked did she hear his footsteps fading away down the street.
Sofía went straight to her room and immediately peeled off the hoodie then the suffocating cloth around her chest. The moment it loosened, she sucked in a deep breath and sighed in relief before pulling the hoodie back on.
Freedom.
Living alone meant she could wear anything or nothing at all.
It was comfortable.
She freshened up in the bathroom, then wandered into the kitchen to make dinner. It was far too late to cook anything elaborate, so she settled for a simple sandwich. After eating, she double-checked the door lock once, then again before padding back into her bedroom.
She collapsed onto the bed with a heavy sigh.
One exhausting day down. Many more to survive.
Later that day, Sofía sat in the library, finishing a pending assignment during her free period. Once that was done, she pulled out her notebook and began listing groceries—everything she needed now that the month had ended. She carefully wrote down prices beside each item.
When she totaled the amount, a small smile crept onto her face.
It was under budget.
And there was still a little left over savings.
Satisfied, she packed up and left the library. The corridors were crowded with students heading to their respective classes. Her thoughts were still wrapped around grocery lists and budgeting Sunday was six days away, and between school and work, she barely had time during the week.
A sharp yelp tore from her throat when she slammed into something solid.
For a split second, her mind went blank. Her body tipped backward
A rough grip seized her arm.
She screamed as she was yanked forward, her body slamming back against the wall.
She didn't open her eyes.
The grip tightened, pain shooting up her arm, forcing a wince from her lips. When her eyes finally flew open, the first thing she saw was a wolf.
Not alive.
A pendant steel and cold shaped like a viciously growling wolf.
Her gaze shot upward.
Her breath caught violently.
Green eyes.
Forest-deep. Sharp. Unforgiving.
Mr. Ruiz.
A chill raced down her spine as she stumbled back two steps, terror flooding her expression.
"I—I'm s-s-sorry," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. Unable to withstand his dark, intense stare, she dropped her gaze to the floor.
She was afraid of him.
Who wouldn't be? He was large, intimidating, dangerous looking everything about him screamed power.
"Look where you're going," he said coldly.
Her throat tightened. She lifted her eyes to explain, but his expressionless face and piercing gaze silenced her instantly.
Without another word, he walked past her.
Only after he was gone did reality sink in.
She bent down to pick up her fallen bag and froze.
Several students were staring at her.
"This nerd is so lucky," one of the girls near the lockers sneered. "She practically felt him up."
Sofía's heart dropped into a hollow pit of disgust.