Chapter 6: Sophie
I woke up to the sun shining thought the window. I sat up and yawned. Naomi was still fast asleep beside me. I stroked her fur a few times then got out of bed. On my way to the bathroom, I remembered I was supposed to meet Justin at the basketball courts at noon. I glanced at my clock.
"I have time," I said to myself as I began to take my clothes off. I turned my shower on and stepped inside. The hot, steaming water ran down my back. It was calming, and I felt relaxed. My mind wandered to the night before; to the news story on Kimberly. How was her dad taking all of this? What if that had happened to me? Or Zoey? I thought the chances of it happening to me were slim to none. The detectives said he probably left the area by now since he hops around a lot. Part of me wondered what it was like to think like a criminal. Did he think his actions were okay? And what really happened inside that house?
I shut the shower off, clearing my mind. Those kinds of questions were the ones I shouldn't be thinking about. I knew everyone was though. Those questions raced through everyone's mind. A murder that brutal really rocked this town. We didn't get many murders- those usually happened more up towards Tampa. Not here in Bradenton. I can't remember the last time I saw a murder, let alone a rape and murder, on the news. It was unimaginable to me and made me feel on-edge.
I got dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie then brushed my hair and put it up in a messy bun. Makeup definitely wasn't necessary- I would sweat it all of anyway. I slipped on my old sneakers and grabbed my keys.
"Be good," I told Naomi, rubbing her head. She licked my hand and I walked out the door, locking it behind me.
The drive to the basketball courts wasn't too far away, but I turned on the radio anyway. I listened to the weather, traffic, and finally the breaking news.
"Police and FBI are still looking into the horrifying murder that shook the small town of Bradenton. All officers are advising any females from the ages of seventeen to twenty-five to keep to the nine o'clock curfew that has been set. They want everyone in the area to make sure all security measures are being taken when it comes to keeping homes secure. There have been no leads on the criminal who has committed this awful crime, but investigators will stop at nothing until this man is put to a stop. They say he..."
I pulled into the parking lot of the basketball courts and shut off the radio. Justin's car was nowhere in sight, so I sat in my car and waited. My mind drifted to the news story on the radio. I wondered if he had left town and was already looking for his next victim. Or was he still here? In hiding? Maybe he found his next victim here? It sent shivers down my spine to think that, but part of me really wishes he got away and left town. It would mean the rest of us are safe- I didn't know if Bradenton could handle another murder, let alone a serial killer stalking the town.
A shadow loomed over me from my window. I jumped and looked up. Justin stood there smiling at me with a basketball under his arm. I grabbed my bottle of water and opened the car door.
"I didn't see you pull up," I said, slightly apologetic. "You scared me."
"You seemed to be on cloud nine," he laughed.
I sighed. "Just thinking." I closed my car door and followed him to the courts. We opened the gate and saw there was no one else there. It was quiet, and the air was chilly and brisk. It was still wet from the previous night's rainstorm. Our sneakers echoed as we stepped on the black pavement. The sun beat down on us, keeping it warm despite the cold weather.
"Ready to get your ass kicked?"
"I've been mentally preparing for it, but I'm still gonna try," I said, smirking. Justin being a basketball star at school didn't help in my favor. He was good- anyone could see that. It didn't hurt my pride to admit it, it was just the truth. It would still hurt to lose though. "Don't go easy on me."
"Wasn't planning on it." He set his water bottle down and began dribbling. I set my water next to his and jogged over to him. We started playing, moving around each other, and trying to shoot the ball into the hoop.
I didn't know all of the official rules to basketball, but I wasn't dumb. I grew up with Justin always playing it, and I've gone to more games than I could count. I was never into sports, but I went with Zoey to support him, especially when the school went to the championships.
The excitement of the crowds at sporting events is contagious. More than a few times I found myself cheering loudly along with the people around me. It was fun for me, so I always looked forward to going to any game Justin was playing in.
A thought hit me. I went back to what Zoey kept saying about Justin's feelings towards me. I wondered if she was just saying that, hoping for Justin and me to get into a relationship. Part of me felt that wouldn't be the best idea. I would be worried that it could ruin our friendship. I'd been through his relationships with him ever since middle school. Not once had he ever shown romance showed me, but I helped him through numerous breakups. Ice cream can be a hell of a factor when it comes to cheering someone up.
I was dribbling the ball towards the hoop after I had somehow managed to get it away from Justin. Nearing it, I heard him come up behind me, so I quickly moved and my body to fake which way I was going. He must've known, because once I turned I crashed into his chest, falling back and losing the ball. My back hit the hard asphalt and I groaned. I opened my eyes to see Justin hovering over me. The sun was blinding behind him, but I could just make out his sweaty face.
"Ouch," I mumbled, sitting up slightly. Justin didn't move from leaning over me. I looked up at him. "What?"
He was staring at me so intently. His face was serious, which made me nervous.
"Justin, what-?"
His lips slammed into mine. My eyes widened and my body froze. I felt his hand reach behind my neck and pull me in closer to him. His kiss wasn't desperate, or even forced. It was passionate and sensual. My face grew warm. The butterflies in my stomach were going crazy. My need to deepen the kiss intensified, so I moved my free hand to the back of his head and pulled him into me. My fingers intertwined with his soft, blond locks.
Zoey was right about Justin having feelings for me. How long had he felt this way? He wasn't the only one who hadn't shown any romantic tendencies towards or friendship. I hadn't shown any either. For as long as I'd known him, I'd never even thought about him in that way. But after he kissed me, my feelings were starting to change.
We pulled apart, panting, and staring at each other. I wasn't sure what to say, and I didn't want to say the wrong thing. I had a feeling he didn't either because it felt like minutes before either of us could say something.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I whispered breathlessly.
"I was afraid you'd friend-zone me," he chuckled, breathing hard. I laughed with him, pulling him into a hug. We stayed like that for a few seconds, then he pulled me onto my feet. My elbow was sore and badly scraped, and my back was killing me. "Come on, I have a first-aid kit in my car."
I let him lead me out of the basketball courts and towards his car. He opened his trunk and pulled out a white box with a red cross on it. I sat on the hood of the car and let him look at my bleeding elbow.
"Why would you think I'd friend-zone you?" I asked him, watching his face carefully.
He was quiet as he bent my arm, making sure there was no further damage other than the scrape. He opened an alcohol wipe and started cleaning the wound. I winced from the sting and tried not to pull away.
"You never seemed interested," he finally said. "So I just... I don't know... I tried to date other girls. You've always been my best friend. I didn't want to jeopardize that."
I almost sighed in relief. At least I wasn't the only one who was thinking that way. But it made me wonder, did he really try to forget about me by dating the girls he did? There was one girl in our sophomore year that Justin dated- Olivia Grady. She had been a senior, and for some reason wanted to pursue Justin. They dated through all of her senior year, and I thought he loved her. She said she would wait for him to join her in college, but that promise didn't even last a month before she was seen with an upperclassman. It broke his heart to find out the way he did, and I remember he didn't even want to play basketball after that. However, after some support from the people around him, he found his passion again and went back to his normal self.
"How long have you felt this way?" I asked quietly.
"Ever since we got fake-married in second grade," he said, laughing a bit.
It made me smile. The fake wedding in school was a traditional second-grade thing when Q married U. Every student in each class played a part in the wedding whether you were one of the bridesmaids, groomsmen, the father giving the bride away, or just a guest attending the wedding. It just so happened that Justin was Q and I was U. We were required to dress up and everything, so my mom bought me a flower girl dress and a princess tiara. Justin's mom bought him a suit, which looking back was adorable on him. Then it hit me. "Really? Ten years?"
"Yeah."
Guilt washed over me. "Justin, I..."
"Don't," he interrupted. "Don't apologize. It's not something you have to apologize for. And if what just happened made you uncomfortable, just tell me and I won't do it again. I just thought I'd give it a shot."
He finished wrapping my elbow with the gauze and slowly lowered my arm. "No, it's not that it made me uncomfortable," I started.
"Sophie, it's fine." He smiled, but it was obvious it was forced. "I just took a hell of a shot. Sorry for tripping you, by the way. I didn't plan it that way."
I laughed, rubbing my sore arm. If he didn't plan it that way, that means he had planned it one way or another.
"Anyways, did you want to keep on playing or-"
I cut him off, grabbing his sweat-stained shirt and pulling him towards me. Our lips slammed into each other, and it felt good. My romantic feelings for Justin were emerging- ones I didn't even know were there. But now all I knew was that I wanted him. In every way. I wanted to make up for the ten years I didn't notice his feelings towards me.
His hands found my cheeks and he slowed the kiss, turning it from desperate to passionate like our first one. His thumb slowly rubbed my cheek as we stood there, embraced in each other.
We pulled apart and he rested his forehead on mine. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent. Justin made me feel safe like he always did. But this time, I needed him. His kiss was intoxicating. Why didn't we do this until now?
"Let's try it," I finally said, looking up at him.
His mouth curved into a curious smile. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I've had feelings for you too, I just didn't realize them until now. I've always wanted to be one of those girls who dated her best friend."
He laughed. "You've been watching too many Hallmark movies."
"What's a girl supposed to do all day when she's home alone?" I said, joining in his laugh.
He kissed my forehead and stroked my hair. "Come on, I'm going to take you to lunch."
"Okay." I gave him one last hug and pecked him on his cheek. "I'll follow you?"
"Yeah. Go to Pete's."
My smile grew wider. He knew Pete's was my favorite place to go. Their brick-oven pizza was to die for. It took the pizzas over forty-five minutes to cook, but it was worth the wait. And the breadsticks were pretty famous, too.
I walked to my car and got inside. Justin pulled out of the parking lot and I followed behind him. I looked in my rearview mirror and noticed a black SUV parked in the very back of the parking lot under some trees. It was almost unnoticeable because of the cover of shade the trees gave. Had it been there the whole time? It looked like the one that I had seen multiple times before; at school, on my way home, and even in my neighborhood. Suddenly, the butterflies I had got from Justin's kiss went away and the feeling was replaced with a nervous one. Was that car following me? Whether it was or it was just a coincidence, I didn't want to stick around to find out.
~
The hostess sat us in a booth and said our waitress would be right with us. Suddenly, I was feeling self-conscious about the sweats we were wearing from playing basketball. We were both sweaty, and my hair was probably all over the place.
"We look like monkeys," I said, trying to fix my hair.
"You look beautiful," he said. He sipped his water and winked at me.
I felt myself blush. "Don't get all cliché on me now, Reynolds."
We both laughed. The waitress finally came up to us and took our drink order.
"Sweet tea, please," I said sweetly.
"Me too." Justin closed his menu. "We'll also go ahead and order a large BBQ chicken pizza with an order of breadsticks."
"Alright, I'll put that in for you. I'll get your drinks and breadsticks. Your pizza should be out within the hour." She smiled at us and took our menus, then walked away from the table.
"You know me so well," I sighed, playing with my straw. He knew BBQ chicken pizza was my all-time favorite at Pete's.
"You only order it every time we come here."
I laughed softly, then something bright flashed into my face. I glanced out of the window we were sitting next to and froze. The same black SUV was driving by the restaurant slowly. I watched as it circled the parking lot and drive out of sight. Justin must've noticed my uneasiness.
"What's wrong?" he said, looking from me to the window.
"That SUV," I stammered. "I keep seeing that black SUV. It was at school, and then it was following behind me when I was going home one day, and then I saw it parked down the street from my house. And even today, at the basketball courts, it was parked in the back of the parking lot."
Justin shifted in the booth so he could see out into the parking lot. "Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?"
I thought for a few moments. "I might be. I'm trying to convince myself it's just a coincidence. I guess Kimberly's murder has me on edge," I finally admitted.
"I think it has everyone on edge, especially since it involves the FBI."
"Yeah." I glanced back out to the parking lot to make sure the SUV didn't show up again. Maybe Justin was right. It had to be a coincidence. There wouldn't be any reason someone was following me.
The waitress came back and set our drinks down, and then the breadsticks. The warm, garlicky scent wafted around us and made my mouth water. I bit into one and moaned. "Yum."
For the time we waited for our pizza, Justin and I talked about memories from the past. The fake wedding in second grade, the school dance in eighth grade, and even homecoming last year. It was nice to just sit and talk to him. I felt like we hadn't talked like this in forever.
It took about an hour for our pizza to get to our table. When the waitress set it between us, we dug right in. We continued to talk while we ate to keep the conversation going.
"So," Justin said, swallowing his food. "What does this make us?"
I took a sip of my sweet tea and set it down. I assumed he was referring to our kiss from a little while ago. "I'd like to be your girlfriend," I finally said. I never thought I'd say those words to him, but it felt good to say them.
"Yes," he said as if it was a victory. "I finally get the girl."
I giggled. "Zoey is going to flip."
"I don't want to be there when that happens," he expressed quickly. We both laughed and then focused on our pizza.
Once we were finished, we took the rest of the pizza to go and left the restaurant. Surprisingly, the sun was already starting to go down. The sky was becoming a strawberry-orange color, and the air was getting colder.
"So, what are your plans for the rest of the night?" I pondered.
"I'll probably just play some video games," he admitted, scratching the back of his head.
"Actually," I said nervously. "I was wondering if you wanted to sleepover tonight. Have another movie night."
He smirked. The look on his face was playful, and I instantly became embarrassed.
"Not like that!" I shouted, pushing his chest. I knew Justin and Olivia had quite a few "sleepovers" during their relationship, but from my standpoint, I had never had any unless it was with Justin. "I just... I don't want to be alone tonight."
His playful smile softened. "Is it about that SUV?"
I didn't want to admit it, but I forced a nod.
He put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to kiss my forehead. "Always so paranoid," he sighed. "But of course I will. Let me go home and get a shower first. I'll be at your house later tonight."
I smiled and lifted my head to kiss him. It already felt normal to kiss him goodbye. "Thank you."
"Go," he said, motioning me towards my car. "I'll see you later."
"Bye."
I got into my car and started it up. Before pulling away I watched Justin get into his car. I couldn't shake the nervous feeling I had. I didn't want to be alone, and I wasn't sure why. Justin was right- I was probably just being paranoid.
I pulled out of the parking space and glanced in the rearview mirror. The black SUV was parked in the very back of the parking lot. I rushed out of the parking lot, not looking back.