“If you need to talk to someone about it, I want you to know that I am here for you,” Gemma said, blinking away tears.
“Er… thank you. Are you okay?”
Gemma nodded and let the other girls lead her away, all of them glaring over their shoulders at Sofia as if she was personally responsible for making their friend cry.
“Pathetic,” Denise muttered.
“What? I thought that was kind of her. Is she going to be alright?” Sofia asked.
“She was trying to scare you away.”
“By crying? That’s original. Back home we usually give each other snarky comments and occasionally there’s hair pulling,” Sofia said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Honey, are you okay?” Marlene asked sympathetically. “Those girls can be a little…mean.”
Sofia shrugged and munched on her pizza, slowly becoming aware of the silence surrounding her. She looked up. “What?”
“You’re taking this amazingly well.”
“It took me five minutes to figure out what sort of a guy Jock is.”
“She’s not pretending to be heartbroken, you know,” Claire said. “She’d been after him for two years before they got together.”
“That’s not Sofia’s fault,” Denise argued.
“Still makes him a jerk,” Sofia said.
“I think her main reason for dating him was that he’s best friends with Thomas anyway,” Denise said and ate another fry.
“You’d have to be pretty dumb to fall in love with someone like Jock,” Sofia agreed and swallowed the last of her pizza. “Believe me, my heart is not in any danger. It’s nice not to have to take the bus, though. I’ve been meaning to ask you, how do I apply for a learner’s permit?”
“Could you knock it off?” Jock said irritably and swung the bat.
“I’m just saying you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into,” Thomas insisted.
“Come on, Iceman. I have more experience with girls than you do.”
“Not with girls like her!”
Jock smacked the ball into the fence so hard that Thomas had to duck to avoid being hit in the face by the recoil. “You know, if I didn’t know better I’d say you were jealous.”
Thomas paled. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it? You were never this concerned when I was dating Gemma. Or Sally. Or Liz.”
“Well, that’s because you never really cared about any of them,” Thomas defended himself.
“How would you know?”
“Because you wouldn't shut up about them! It was like you were trying to convince yourself how great they were. Now you walk around with a smirk on your ugly mug. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
Jock threw back his head and laughed. “Never major in psychology.”
“I’m serious. You’ve been following her around for a week and you haven’t told me anything.”
Jock shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. She keeps insisting we’re not dating, I keep pushing. It’s…” he thought about it for a second. “It’s nice. I like her.”
Thomas shook his head as he walked up to swing. “That’s why I’m worried.”
“Whatever, man. It’s been a week. It’s not like we’re engaged like you and Rachel.”
Thomas startled and swung wide. “We’re not engaged.”
“That’s not what she said.”
“She told you we were engaged?”
“She told her friends that, and I quote, ‘you were both going to wait with setting a date until you had your baseball scholarship sorted.’”
Thomas’s heart stopped, then picked up at twice its previous speed.
“When did you hear this?”
“When Gemma cornered me two days ago and tried to convince me to go out with her again. Rachel is loud.”
“We’re not engaged.”
“But you’d like to be, right?” Jock said with a shake to his head. “I shouldn't have told you. It’s going to mess with your head.”
“Do you think I should ask her? To… to marry me?”
“What? No! You’re seventeen. Marriage is for old people.”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
“Why?” Jock asked and did a double take. “You knock her up?” he whispered.
Thomas choked. “What? No! Absolutely not! We’re… we’re waiting until we’re married.”
Jock turned back to his bat. “No wonder you’re so eager to pop the question.”
“That has nothing to do…”
“Jefferson! Preston! Focus!”
“Yes, coach!” they called simultaneously.
For the next couple of minutes they concentrated on swinging.
“I’m taking her out tonight,” Jock said.
“Who?” Thomas asked, still pre-occupied with thoughts of the future and not sure if he was more eager or terrified at the idea of spending all of it with Rachel. Eager, of course. Had to be.
“Sofia. You should come.”
“Wouldn’t you rather be alone with her?”
“I would,” Jock agreed. “But she invited three of her friends and Wayne so I’m bang out of luck anyway.”
“Jefferson! Preston! I’m warning you!”
“Sorry coach!”
They focused on improving their swings for another couple of minutes.
“Why would she do that?” Thomas asked.
Jock grinned. “I told you. She likes to have things her way. Of course, I like to push her my way. You tagging along would actually be the perfect way to pay her back for turning our date into a group thing.”
“How d’you figure that?”
“She doesn’t like you at all.”
Thomas’s hand tightened around the bat. He didn’t know why Sofia not liking him would upset him. It didn’t. It couldn’t. He didn’t like her either. “Why do you want to piss her off?”
“She’s gorgeous when she’s mad. Her whole face lights up, it’s like magic. I try to make her angry as often as I can.”
Thomas shook his head, but couldn’t help grinning. He couldn't say he’d mind paying her back for some of the aggravation she’d caused him this week.
“I’ll ask Rachel if she wants to tag along.”
Jock groaned and Thomas smacked him over the head.
“Fine. Bring the ball and chain, but if she’s rude to Sofia I’ll…”
“Why would she be rude? Rachel’s never rude.”
Jock stared at him as if he’d taken too many balls to the head. “Dude, Rachel can be nasty. And she’s spent the whole week harping to me about how great Gemma and I were together…”
“Rachel is not nasty.”
“If you bring her, you’re responsible for her. First dumb thing that comes out of her mouth, you’re taking her home.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
“I mean it.”
“That’s it!” the coach yelled, walking up to them, her face red with anger. “Jefferson! Preston! Laps!”
Jock and Thomas groaned, but they put their bats down and took off around the field at a run.
“Don’t exhaust yourself, Jock!” Wayne called as they passed him. “I need you to be awake enough to watch me steal your girlfriend later!”
“Cooper! Join them!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Wayne said and ran after them.
7
Only in the Movies
Sofia was concerned that her parents were getting a bit too enthusiastic about her meeting her friends in town. She was just meeting them to watch a movie and her parents were acting as if she was going to prom.
“Are you meeting them here? Are they picking you up?”
“Jock’s picking me up, we’ll meet up with the others in town,” Sofia told them over her shoulder as she looked through her brand new wardrobe.
“Jock? Who’s Jock?” her father asked suspiciously from her bed where both her parents had taken up residence as she was busy trying to decide what she was going to wear.
Sofia rolled her ey
es. He’d been picking her up and dropping her off the entire week, but had so far avoided being seen by any of her parents.
She wondered if parental avoidance was a talent he’d been born with or if it was a skill he’d developed. “A skill,” Tessa had said when she’d discussed it with her the last time they’d Skyped. “Definitely a skill. He’s had a lot of practice, hasn’t he?”
Sofia reached for a black, long necklace flung over her desk as she considered the best way to explain Jock. “He’s my friend. We’re meeting Denise, Wayne, Marlene and Claire in town.”
Her father frowned. “Why isn’t Denise picking you up?”
Sofia studiously avoided meeting his gaze. She wasn’t sure if she ought to tell her parents that she’d suggested exactly that and that Jock had replied with threatening her to come to her house two hours early to make sure he was the one to drive her. She snuck a glance at her father who was already on high alert. Nope, she definitely shouldn’t tell him about that.
“Denise lives on the other side of town,” she said instead.
“Still, I don’t…”
“I think it’s great that Sofia has already made so many wonderful new friends,” her mother said.
“Yes, of course, but does she have to make friends with boys?”
“Dad! Stop being sexist!”
“I’m just saying, you’re new here and vulnerable and we’ve all seen the movies,” her dad said and suddenly perked up. “Am I going to have to get a shotgun?”
“I can take care of myself,” Sofia snapped. “If you don’t like me riding in cars with boys you can get me a scooter, or better yet, a car of my own.”
“Wasn’t that a movie?” her mother said with a pensive expression.
“What?”
“Riding in cars with boys? I think there is a movie called that. Something to do with teen pregnancy.”
“Mom!”
“That’s it. There will be no movie night for you,” her father said, getting up from the bed.
“Fredrik,” Sofia’s mom said patiently. “What are the feminist dad’s rules to dating? I know you know this because it was printed on the t-shirt I gave you for Christmas last year.”
Sofia’s dad folded his arms over his chest, but dutifully recited “It’s not my rules and it’s not your rules. It’s her rules because it’s her body.
“There you go.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that, I simply think that she might need help upholding her rules. A shotgun would help,” he said, grinning at Sofia. “I can be your sheriff. We are in the Wild West, after all.”
“We’re in the Midwest,” Sofia corrected and headed into her ensuite bathroom.
“Same thing. Besides, guys here expect dads to be tough.”
“Oh, come on dad. You never had a problem with Folke or Niklas back home.”
“They are good kids.”
“So is Jock,” Sofia called out to them, glad that Jock couldn't hear her say that. “Mostly. He’s funny. And smarter than anyone gives him credit for,” she added to herself and slid into a black pair of jeans and a dark green, silky top.
“That looks lovely,” her mother said, beaming when she stepped back into her room.
“I still don’t…”
There was a knock on the door and Sofia took off towards it as soon as she saw the glint in her father’s eyes. She might not want to date Jock, but she did want to see that movie with her friends. She also didn’t want to die from mortification while her dad read Jock the riot act.
“Don’t run down the stairs!” her mom called, rushing out after them.
Neither Sofia nor her father was paying her any attention. Sofia overtook her dad on the landing, but he caught up to her halfway down the stairs. Sofia laughed as she pushed ahead again.
She and her dad had been racing each other for as long as she could remember. She looked over her shoulder and he grinned at her as he sped up. They reached the door at the same time and he rudely pushed her aside to open it.
“Hey!” Sofia protested when her father pulled the door open to reveal a surprised-looking Jock.
Jock blinked, his gaze shifting from the panting Sofia to her glaring father.
“Erm,” he said.
“Dad,” Sofia said. “This is Jock, Jock this is my dad, Fredrik.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Jock said, holding out his hand.
Fredrik Hansson folded his arms over his chest as he looked Jock up and down. Sofia elbowed him. He ignored her.
“What are your plans for this evening?” he asked.
Jock lowered his hand, but didn’t look the least bit put out. “We’re going to meet some friends to see a movie, sir.”
“And then you’re coming straight home.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sofia shook her head. Her father had clearly been watching too many American movies. He had never done this to any of her friends back home. Or maybe he could see exactly what type of guy Jock was.
“Hello, Jock. How lovely to meet you,” her mother said, carefully shoving her father to the side and reaching out to hug a stunned-looking Jock. “Would you like to come in?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Sofia cut in before Jock could do more than blink in confusion and turn his most charming smile on her mother. “We need to go.”
“Okay, honey, you go have fun.”
“Not too much fun,” her father grumbled.
Sofia shook her head, grabbed her jacket, slipped into her shoes and slid past her parents. “He looks like trouble,” her dad told her in Swedish. “Are you sure you want to go with him?”
“He’s very handsome,” her mother said. “And you used to be trouble as well.”
“I know. That’s why I’m concerned.”
“Would you stop speaking in Swedish, it’s rude,” Sofia hissed at them. “I’ll be fine, I’ll text when we’re in town.”
“And when you’re heading back!” her dad demanded, still in Swedish, as she and Jock made their way over to Jock’s car. “Is that car safe?”
“Bye!” she called back.
“What were they saying?” Jock asked as he turned the key and they drove away.
“Hrrm?” Sofia said, busy listening to the noise his car was making. “Did you have the fuel-dispenser checked out? The engine’s still sounding off.”
“I had someone over at the garage take a look and they said it was fine.”
“It doesn’t sound fine to me. I’ll take a look at it sometime. I don’t want it to break down.”
“You care about my car?” Jock asked with a grin.
“So long as it’s my ride to and from school I do.”
Jock’s grin widened and he winked at her. “I like the thought of you getting down and dirty with oil and cables and stuff on my car.”
Sofia fluttered her eyelashes at him. “If you’re a good boy I’ll let you watch.”
Jock’s chin dropped and the car veered dangerously on the road.
“Look where you’re going!”
“Sorry,” Jock said, righting the car. “I didn’t…” he cleared his throat. “What did your parents say?”
“My dad thinks you’re trouble and my mom thinks you’re hot.”
The car swerved again.
“Should you be driving?” Sofia asked him.
“I’m fine. So your mom thinks I’m hot, huh?”
Sofia rolled her eyes at him and picked up her phone to see how far Denise, Marlene and Claire had gotten.
“The others are already at the movies,” she told him, typing a quick reply. “I told them we’re on our way.”
“Great. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you think I’m hot or trouble?” he said as he turned in on the parking lot in front of the mall.
Sofia tilted her head as she looked him up and down, before grinning at him and leaning forward. “I think you think you’re hot and I know you’re trouble.”
She t
ousled his hair and got out of the car.
“Hey, wait up,” Jock said, rushing up to her as she walked across the parking lot. He put his arm around her neck, pulling her closer.
“Are you trying to strangle me?” Sofia asked, shoving his arm away.
“Depends. Are you into that sort of thing?” Jock quipped and placed his arm around her shoulders instead. “Are you cold? It’s windy tonight. You can have my jacket if you want, the one you have on looks thin.”
“Nah, I’m fine. I’m used to living near the Arctic Circle,” Sofia said and smiled at him. “But thank you.”
“Over here!” Denise called out to her as they made their way inside the movie theatre. Sofia froze as they crossed the threshold and would have come to a complete stop if Jock hadn’t kept his arm around her, pushing her forward.
“What’s the matter?” he asked as they continued to the couches where Denise, Claire and Marlene were waiting for them.
“I was just… overwhelmed,” Sofia explained. “I didn’t know it was going to be this big. Or crowded.”
“It’s a Friday, the first Friday back since school started. Of course it’s crowded,” Denise said, overhearing her comment. “Do you want some popcorn?”
Sofia grabbed a handful, still feeling dazed. There were people everywhere. On the walls, giant screens were showing trailers of upcoming movies. In between were shelves and boxes of candy. Nothing new about that, back home it could also be difficult to tell if one had entered a movie theatre or a candy store, but this was on a different scale.
She put some of the popcorn in her mouth and nearly spit it back out. “What is this?”
The others looked at her with surprise.
“Er… it’s popcorn.”
“It’s sweet!”
“Yeah, caramel toffee. It’s my favorite,” Denise said and took another handful.
“They’re supposed to be salty,” Sofia protested.
“Says who? You can get salty too, but you’ll have to get your own.”
“I’ll get them for you,” Jock offered.
“No, thanks. I’m good. I was merely surprised,” Sofia said and cleared her throat. “Unless you want to get anything for yourself?”
Jock grinned at her, grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the virtual mountain of popcorn boxes over in the corner.
Fractured (Unreel series Book 1) Page 6
