Liam and Sophia drove in silence. After leaving the fire station, he’d gone back to the office to do the paperwork associated with today’s events. Sophia had sulked in the office chair next to his desk. Now they were on their way home.
He didn’t relish leaving Sam and Bella. But they were with friends who would keep an eye on them. Not to mention the people at the church, who would take care of their physical needs. He needed to leave their safety in the Lord’s hands.
“Sophia.”
“Huh,” she mumbled.
“We need to talk some more about you sneaking out of the house.”
“Do we have to?”
“Yes. Not only was it against the rules, but it’s dangerous.” He’d seen a lot of things in his career.
“Whatever.” She laid her head on the window.
“You’re new in town. You don’t know these kids from school. What if they’re into something dangerous?”
“Seriously, they’re just teenagers like me.”
“Yeah, teenagers who were vaping in the bathroom, talked you into pulling a fire alarm, and were sneaking out. If they told you to jump off a building, would you do that too?”
Was he seriously using something he’d heard from adults when he was her age?
She sighed. “No.”
“You don’t have to give in to peer pressure. You can say no. It doesn’t make you a loser or dumb.”
“Are we really having this conversation right now?” She turned in her seat to look at him.
“Yes. What exactly were you guys out doing?” His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel.
“For the last time, we were just hanging out.”
“And why weren’t they in school?”
“What do I look like, their parents?” She huffed.
There was more to this story than she was saying. They hadn’t just skipped school to hang out.
“What is it going to take to make you realize you’re going down the wrong path?” How could he get it through her head that the road she was on would only lead to more trouble?
“How many times are we going to have this conversation?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“As many times as it takes for you to start making better choices.”
He pulled into their driveway.
“I wish Mom was still here. She wouldn’t be so uptight.”
Pain shot through his chest. That’s because his sister had been too busy making her own bad decisions to worry about what Sophia was doing.
“I’m only doing what I think is best for you. I don’t want to see you end up hurt or in jail.”
“Whatever.” She jumped out of the vehicle and ran inside.
Liam leaned his head against the steering wheel.Lord, help me. I don’t know what I’m doing. Give me knowledge and discernment. Help me reach her. In Jesus’s name.
He sat up and noticed Sophia’s backpack was still on the floorboard. Should he search it? She was a minor, and he was her guardian. She didn’t really have any expectation of privacy. Except, searching her bag could make everything worse. But what if she was hiding something?
