by Frank Downey
Warren walked out of the store to pick up the lot. Sophia didn't know what to say to that.
It was close to the end of their shift. Sophia wanted Warren to walk her home, but was terrified to ask him to. What if Scott showed up? What a mess. She stepped into the back room to sip a cup of coffee. Warren was mopping the floor, chatting with Dora. Sophia heard someone come in, but figured Dora could handle it. Then she heard a voice-Scott's voice.
"Hey, pussy. I thought I told you to quit this job. I thought I told you to stay the fuck away from Sophia."
"And I thought I told you to go fuck yourself."
Sophia stayed in the back room, out of sight. She couldn't believe her ears. Was Warren trying to get himself KILLED?
"Listen, pussy, you want more like you got yesterday? I'm telling you to stay away from Sophia."
"Sophia's my friend."
"Sophia doesn't have any friends if I say she doesn't have any friends."
Sophia blinked. Warren was right. Scott just wanted to control everything about her.
"Well, nobody chooses my friends for me. Sophia's my friend. If Sophia doesn't want that, she can tell me. Since she just told me the opposite, then friends we stay."
Scott moved closer to Warren and growled in a low voice, "You don't seem to understand, faggot. Yesterday was just a preview. If you don't stay the fuck away from Sophia, I'll give you a beating that will make the one yesterday feel like a tickle."
Sophia tried to blink back the tears. What the hell should she do? How could she get Warren out of this?
"You are pathetic," Warren said. Sophia couldn't believe her ears. And Warren continued, "You just have to keep control over her. You have to keep her pinned under your thumb. You refuse to let her think for herself. And you keep doing this because you are terrified that if you let her think for herself, if you let her get out from under your thumb, she's going to wake up and realize that she is WAY too fucking GOOD for the likes of YOU!"
Warren, of course, ended up on his back, bleeding from his mouth. He expected that. Scott was just laughing at him, while Sophia stood in the back room, sobbing, terrified.
Warren pulled himself up, in horrific pain, but determined not to give in. Not to this scumbag. Not concerning Sophia. "And you know what, asshole? You can hit me over and over again and it still won't change the fact that Sophia is too good for you."
The next shot went to Warren's already bruised ribs. Dora went running back to tell Antonio to call the cops. Warren tried to catch his breath, kneeling on the floor, gasping. And Scott taunted him: "Want another one, pussy?"
"Better me than Sophia."
And Sophia, who had been hunched over, crying, stood up, with a start. She had always thought of Warren as a bit of a wimp-but here he was, standing there, taking a beating. For her. She was ashamed of herself for ever thinking that he was wimpy. If she ever had any doubts about whether or not he loved her, they were gone. And she knew something else as well.
She knew she had to end this.
She walked out onto the floor. "Scott, that's enough."
"Oh, Sophia! Come to watch me beat the shit out of your little friend here?"
"No, I've come to tell you to get out. Get out of the store, get out of my life. Now."
"Yeah, right, Sophia. What have I told you? You are mine. Get used to it."
Scott had turned his back to Warren to face Sophia, and Warren made a little cheering motion with his hands. Sophia caught it, drew strength from it, and marched right up to Scott.
"I am not your anything. We are through. I am done being a punching bag. Antonio is back there calling the cops. They are on their way. Warren is underage, you are not. Assault and battery of a minor will get you a little stint behind bars. And it will be two, because I've got some bruises I can show them, too. And, for a kicker, I can tell them you've slept with me, a fourteen year old, and you'll get statutory rape on top of it.
I am taking out a restraining order against you as soon as I can do it. I want you gone, I want you out of my life, forever. Do you understand me?"
Warren had managed to stand up, and was smiling and giving Sophia the thumbs-up. Scott walked towards Sophia, an angry grimace on his face, and swung at her. Warren was about to jump him, to do anything to help Sophia, but he didn't have to.
Just as Scott's hand connected with Sophia's mouth, the cops walked in.
Chapter 5 - A Turning Point
They ended up in the hospital. That punch to Sophia's mouth was accompanied by another to Sophia's already broken ribs, before the cops got in and grabbed Scott. Sophia and Warren had gone down to the police station to give their statements, but the cops did it quickly because it was clear that Sophia was in agony, and Warren wanted to make sure his jaw wasn't broken. The cops took them to the hospital.
They could come in later in the week and finish up their statements-the cops had gotten the basics.
Scott was behind bars, at least for now. They went to the emergency room, where the nurses called their parents. Sophia was badly hurt and extremely shook up, but felt strangely liberated. Even so, she refused to leave Warren's side. She even made the nurses put them in the same examining room. The nurses told her that she would have to take her shirt off in front of him, and she said, "I don't care. He stays." So he stayed.
It would make it easier on the doctors, anyhow-they could check them both out at once.
Sophia's mother was the first to show up. She was alternately hysterical and scolding. Warren was dumbfounded. Yeah, she was shook up at seeing her oldest daughter in the condition she was in, but a little support might have been nice. She screamed, and then cried, and then screamed, completely ignored Warren, and had Sophia on the verge of tears herself. They closed the curtain so the doctors could check Sophia out, and she shot Warren a look of utter despair. She would have insisted the curtain stay open if her mother hadn't been there, but she didn't need to give her mother another excuse to go off.
Warren was very glad to see his own parents. They were, of course, concerned-his mother Peg was, after all, a mother, and his father Jim was concerned in his own way-but they didn't get hysterical.
"Oh God, Warren. That doesn't look too good," Peg said.
"Mom, I'm fine. They don't even think it's broken. I'm just going to be talking a little softer for a few days.
That should be a welcome relief. You can just make me coffee milkshakes." They all laughed.
"What did the police say?" Jim asked.
"Oh, they think the asshole's going to be out of commission for a while."
"How do you get yourself involved in these messes?" Peg asked.
"Come on, Mom. How many messes, exactly, do I get myself involved in?"
"OK. Not many", Peg smiled. "But this one appears to be a doozy."
"No argument there."
Jim looked at his son and said, "I hope this girl is worth it."
Warren put his finger over his lips and pointed towards the curtain.
"Yes she is. You'll see," he whispered.
"She's in here?" Peg whispered.
"Yeah."
"Why'd they do that"?
"Soph insisted. She didn't want to leave me."
"What's all that yelling"? Jim whispered.
"Her mother. Wonderful, isn't it? Thank you guys for not doing that."
Sophia's mother emerged from behind the curtain and walked out of the room, not saying a word to anyone. Then the curtain opened.
"How you doing, Soph?"
"She'll be fine," the Doctor interjected. "Now, let's check you out."
Sophia elaborated while the Doctor checked out Warren's jaw. "My ribs are definitely broken.
I have to stay out of school and work for the rest of the week and pretty much stay in bed, and I'm going to be taped up for a while-but they think that's the extent of it. My shoulder is slightly separated, but will be OK, and my back is bruised-and they think that my left breast is just bruised and not permanently damaged, like
they thought before."
"Oh, good, that's a relief. That's an important part of the body not to be damaged."
"Pig." Sophia said, grinning.
"You know it."
"Will you shut up so I can finish this?" the Doctor interjected.
"Sorry."
"Besides, Warren," Jim said dryly, "You shouldn't talk that way in front of your mother."
Even Peg laughed at that. She wasn't a prude by any means.
"These are your parents, War?" Sophia asked. Warren gave her a thumbs-up. "Hi. I'm Sophia."
She shook hands with both of them.
Jim looked at the girl sitting in front of him-the young lady that had completely complicated his oldest son's well-ordered life-and said, "You're right, Warren. She's definitely worth it." And winked at her.
Warren burst out laughing-much to the consternation of the doctor-and Peg rolled her eyes at her husband. Sophia just stared, dumbfounded.
"That's my Dad." Warren said, dryly. "Translated, Soph, he thinks you're a babe. Of course, I already knew that." Sophia just sputtered. Warren's parents certainly were... different.
"Honey, you've embarrassed her," Peg said.
"I was just pleased that Warren has inherited his old man's good taste in women, that's all."
"Nice save, Dad."
"Thanks, Warren."
"Yeah, thanks Warren," Peg said sarcastically. "C'mon, Jim. Let's let the doctor finish up. We'll see you in the waiting room."
"OK." They left, with Sophia staring blankly at the door. "Those were your parents?"
"Uh-huh. Never a dull moment with those two."
Warren did not have a broken jaw. Sophia got some painkillers and a week of bedrest, and got to go home with her mother still carping in her ear. Warren went home and did some studying.
Sophia spent the rest of the week in bed; half the time hopped up on painkillers, and the other half of the time thinking. She had quite a bit to think about.
Friday afternoon, her phone rang. "Soph, it's Warren. You up to some company tonight?"
"I'd love it."
"Well, then, you have a choice. It can just be lil' ol' me, or, my buddy Crash was supposed to come down tonight with his girlfriend Alison, so we could make it a party. We'll even teach you how to play poker."
Soph giggled. "Actually that sounds like fun."
"Great. Let me call the Crashmeister, and we'll be there."
They got dropped off by Warren's mother at about 7:00, and greeted Sophia laden with sodas, Warren's "world famous chip dip" and other goodies, and a couple decks of cards. "We even brought some videos, if we get tired of poker." Warren said.
"Yeah," said Alison, bemused, "but Crash picked them out, so we got Caddyshack, or Animal House."
"Classic American filmmaking, I tell you, " replied Crash.
It got to be about 10:00, and Sophia realized something amazing. She was at home, not drinking, not on drugs-she hadn't even taken a painkiller-not having sex, with two preppies and one of the preppy's equally preppy girlfriend-and she was having a blast. Alison was sweet, and Crash was an experience.
She had always seen Warren's keen wit and humor, but Crash magnified it tenfold. Between Warren's superbly timed sarcasm and Crash's constant stream of one-liners, she laughed so much it made her ribs hurt more. She didn't mind. After Alison whipped them all at poker-"Cause she cheats", kidded Crash-they moved to the TV room and popped in Caddyshack. Sophia had never seen the film, and had to admit that it was funny-the humor being enhanced by Warren and Crash, who apparently knew every word and recited such right along with the movie.
Halfway through, the guys declared an emergency-"We're out of soda!"-and headed off to the nearby store to restock. They paused the movie, and Alison stayed to keep Sophia company. They were still goofing as they walked out the door, and Sophia was still laughing as the door closed behind them.
"Whew", Sophia caught her breath, "are they always like that?"
"Mostly." Alison smiled.
"Oh boy. The next time I have them both in my house at the same time, remind me not to have broken ribs. I've laughed so much it hurts."
"I keep telling them they should take their act on the road."
"I take it you're exposed to the act frequently."
"Yeah. I've been going out with Jay for almost a year, so I've gotten to know Warren pretty well. Of course, Jay and I are going out so Warren's not with us all the time"-they both giggled-"but he is Jay's best friend."
"I take it Jay is Crash's real name. I never knew that."
Alison giggled. "Actually it's Jason, but only his mother calls him that. Most people call him Jay. Only Warren calls him Crash. He drove his bicycle into the side of his house a while ago. Made a big joke about it, as usual-said Just call me Crash-so Warren does. That's the way they are."
Sophia giggled. Alison went on, "So, yeah, if we don't want to be alone, we hang out with Warren. We've been known to show up at his neighborhood parties, because they are always a blast. I have to say, though, that I used to get worried about Warren feeling like a fifth wheel. He worries about that. It's nice to see him have a girlfriend, finally-he deserves it."
Sophia blinked at that one. "Actually, I'm not his girlfriend. We're just friends. Did he say I was his girlfriend?"
Alison thought. "Actually, come to think of it, he never did. I just assumed."
"No, we're just very good friends. You know what happened to us, with my ex?" Alison nodded. "OK. Well, we have a strong bond, as friends, because we've been through a lot together. But we're not going out."
Alison thought for a minute. She was a smart girl, and was usually very good at seeing things, figuring things out. She had learned to trust her instincts. And her instincts right now said that somebody needed a push. So, she said, with a raised eyebrow, "Just friends, huh? Well you could have fooled me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What it means is this-I assumed you were going out. Warren didn't tell me that, I just assumed. Why? Because I've been watching you two all night. I have to tell you that anyone who didn't know you two and walked into this room and watched you would immediately conclude that they were watching two people who were madly in love with each other."
"Huh?"
"You heard what I said. Look, I figured out a while ago that Warren was in love with you, just by the way he talks about you. What I didn't know is if you were in love with him. Now I know." Alison smiled. "You are, in a big way. You got it bad for my little buddy, girl," she smirked.
"You don't know what you're talking about." Sophia snorted.
"Don't I. You think about it. I'll bet my right arm on this one."
"I'm not-I can't-be in love with Warren Kelleher!"
"Why not?"
"We're too different."
"Not really, you're not."
"Come on! He's a preppy! He doesn't party. He actually likes to study! He's a virgin. He doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, doesn't do drugs. We have nothing in common!"
"That's all surface junk. And you do have some surface stuff in common-he's told me that. You're both baseball nuts. You both like figure skating. You're both card-carrying Beatlemaniacs. You both like to read."
"True."
"And like I said, that's all surface stuff. Crash and I have less surface stuff in common than you do, except we both like poker. What counts is what's inside, Sophia. Look, none of that other stuff matters. Are drinking and drugs that important to who you are? Is preppy a dirty word?"
"No, I suppose not, on both counts."
"And as for him being a virgin, all that means is that you get to teach him!"
Sophia laughed.
"All I'm saying is, look into your heart. What's your heart telling you? I'm willing to bet that, if you listen, you'll discover that I'm right. And, I wish I had a camera, because if I took a picture of you looking at him, and you saw the way you look at him, you'd know I'm right."
Sophia sat for a minute, and then
said, "How do I look at him?"
"Like he's the center of the universe."
The guys walked in. They started the movie, and Crash and Warren went back into their routine, but Sophia was barely paying attention. She looked a Warren-looked hard at him-and let her heart speak. And she realized, right then, without a doubt, that Alison was right.
She was in love with Warren.
As the guys were cleaning up to get ready to go, Sophia called Alison over. "Would you mind if I got your phone number? I'd like to call you tomorrow sometime."
"Sure. What's up?"
"I need to talk. I need help with something."
"OK." She wrote down the number. "I should be home all day."
Back at Warren's house, waiting for Jay's father to pick them up, Alison had a brief talk with Warren.
"She's some girl, Warren."
"Yup"
"You guys going out?"
Warren snorted. "Be real, Ally. She's completely out of my league."
"I beg to differ."
"Yeah, right."
"Warren. She's in love with you."
"Naah. That's friendship, and gratitude. Why would she be in love with me, for goodness' sake?"
"Oh, I dunno. Some of us think you're all right, you know." Alison smirked at him.
"Yeah. For friendship. Not for dating."
"In my case, you're right. Of course, I am taken." They both chuckled. "But any girl that gets you is getting one hell of a catch, and even a friend like me can figure that out. Trust me. She's just about to figure it out, too. Because she's in love with you."
"Alison, you are nuts."
"Let me ask you a question, War. Are you in love with her?"
"Yeah. I have been for some time."
"Well, TELL HER, you goof!!!"
Warren sighed. "Ally, I know you mean well, but rejection gets real old, real fast."
"You will not get rejected."
"Easy for you to say."
Chapter 6 - The Man Of My Dreams
"Alison, it's Sophia Daniels."
"Oh, boy, am I glad you called. I had an interesting conversation with Warren while Jay and I were waiting for our ride last night."
"Really?"