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"Ayo Sonny! Have you heard anything from Sophia yet?" Usnavi called out, dropping the change into the hand of the customer. The customer thanked him before leaving the store. "She's officially an hour late."

"I don't know man, she ain't responding," Sonny replied, refreshing his text messages with her. His text remained unread. "This is real worrying for me."

"I knew that we couldn't trust her," Usnavi grumbled, looking at the long line that was now stretching out the door. "I swear, when I see her—"

"I'M HERE!"

The two cousins snapped their eyes at the door, watching Sophia barge through it with sweat beads against her forehead.

"About damn time," Usnavi shouted, motioning at Sophia to take his spot. Sophia rushed over to his position, feeling the daggers of his glare burn through her. "I ain't happy with you right now Sophia."

"When are you ever?" Sophia responded, retrieving the bottle of Coke the customer was purchasing. "I'm here now, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal?" Usnavi repeated through clenched teeth, trying to contain his frustration. "Sophia! You're an hour late to work! Where the hell were you?!"

Sophia kept quiet, angering Usnavi even more. Usnavi huffed in defeat and stormed out from behind the counter. He went to go restock the shelves to let off some steam. He wasn't having it with Sophia. First, she shows up late. Second, she doesn't even apologize for being late, and third, she doesn't even care to explain why she's late.

He forgave her yesterday for leaving after catching the criminal, but that was because he assumed she was going to take care of her black eye. The scene replayed in his mind, reminding him to cut her some slack, but at the same time, she just rubbed him the wrong way. As Usnavi was restocking the shelves, he caught a glimpse of the line that had magically shortened.

It seemed that Sophia had gotten through the line quicker than he expected. Usnavi continued his job, but paused as he overheard a deep, rough voice speaking to Sophia in a way he wasn't enjoying. Usnavi peeked around the corner, noticing a handsome young man talking to Sophia. His dimples seemed to be the kind to capture the women, but Sophia didn't seem to fall for it.

"Before I leave, can I catch your number?"

"Sorry man, but I have a boyfriend," Sophia simply replied, visibly crushing the heart of the man. "I'm sure he wouldn't like it if I gave my number out to random guys."

The man scoffed. "You're ugly anyways."

Sophia snorted as the rejected nobody angrily made his way out the door. Luckily for her, he was the last customer in line. The door slammed shut and Sonny ran up to Sophia, hugging her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Sonny shouted, pulling away and observing her eye. "How is your eye doing? You took quite the hit yesterday."

"It's fine," Sophia replied with a nonchalant shrug. "It wasn't the worst thing I've been through."

"Well, you beat that rush quicker than Usnavi usually does."

"Yo man, no need to drag me into the conversation," Usnavi snapped, walking up to Sophia and Sonny. Sophia rolled her eyes at his presence. "But coming back to Sophia, mind tellin' me why you were late?"

"I slept through my alarm."

"Yeah sure," Usnavi commented, shaking his head at her excuse. Sophia crossed her arms and glared at Usnavi. "That statement is as true as you having a boyfriend."

"Oh, so you're eavesdropping on my conversations now?"

"Wait, when did you get a boyfriend?" Sonny chimed in, raising an eyebrow. Sophia sighed and shook her head. She knew that he was about to bombard her with all the questions. When it came to her love life, Sonny always went protective mode. "What's his name? Where did you guys meet? What does he look—"

"I don't have a boyfriend Sonny," Sophia interrupted, making Usnavi cackle in a disrespectful manner. Sophia ignored his remarks and continued to speak to her best friend. "I had to get rid of the creep somehow, so I just pulled the boyfriend card."

"You're too self conceited to have a boyfriend," Usnavi declared, causing Sophia to scowl at him. "I knew it wasn't true."

"I'm guessing your girlfriend is just as cute as my boyfriend," Sophia retorted, a small smirk spreading across her lips. "Or is she nonexistence too?"

"For your information—"

"Cut it out you two!" Sonny blurted, pulling the two arguers back into the real world. "We have customers coming in anyways."

Sophia glanced over at the door, immediately recognizing the slick black hair of one of the men in the group. Sophia gulped dryly. Usnavi and Sonny were always welcoming to new faces. They both left the front counter and approached the group of strangers. They didn't know who they were, but Sophia knew exactly who they were.

Sophia slowly made her way behind the shelves. They were distracted by Usnavi and Sonny to be paying attention on who else was in the store.

"My cousin Sonny and I just wanted to welcome you guys to the De La Vega Bodega," Usnavi welcomed, offering them a warm smile. "Our employee Sophia over there also—" Usnavi paused as he saw that she wasn't at the register any longer. "Oh um, I guess—"

"Whoa whoa whoa, did you say Sophia?" The tall man with the darker tone of skin asked, receiving a suspicious look from Sonny. "As in Sophia Lopez?"

"No." Sonny interjected quickly, hoping Usnavi wouldn't give her away. "We don't know a Sophia Lopez, but we can keep an eye out for her."

"Please do," The strange man pleaded, furthering Sonny's suspicion. "Sophia ran away from home, and I just want to see my niece again. Her mother misses her deeply. As do I."

"Will do," Sonny lied, subtly leading them toward the exit. "It was nice meeting you guys."

The leader of the group nodded, leading the rest of the group to leave the store. As the door shut, Sophia released a breath of relief. Usnavi had some questions, but the phone rang before he could say anything to Sonny. Usnavi answered the phone, while Sonny made his way to the aisle that Sophia was hiding in. Sophia remained quiet as Sonny approached her.

"That man was lying," Sonny acknowledged, staring at Sophia in worry. "Your mother passed away when you were five," Sonny remembered. Sophia nodded, avoiding his gaze. "Mind telling your best friend why there's a group of people searching for you?"

"It's a long story Sonny."

"Well, we close at seven today," Sonny informed, looking up at the clock on the wall. "And I would love to have you over for dinner," Sonny continued, looking back at Sophia. "What do you say?"

Sophia didn't respond with any words except for a nod. She knew that she was about to make a big mistake, but Sonny was her best friend. She felt like she needed to tell someone. She knew Sonny well enough to know that he wouldn't tell anyone else. She was just glad that she was able to run into someone she trusted throughout this journey.