After a speedy ride in Zack's black Dodge Charger, we arrived at the park. The pathways were dotted with soccer moms fast walking and kids running around in the wide open grassy area.
I could already see Sophia making friends here. I could also see her making fun of the other kids' clothes, but I can work on that.
"So how do you know about this park?" I asked Zack as we walked the stone path around the area.
"I come to check out the hot moms every once in a while." He casually said. His attitude was starting to become predictable. I just had to roll with it.
"Let me guess. You try and flirt with them but get shut down for being an ass?" If he wanted to be a sleazeball then so could I.
"Actually, I brighten their day." He corrected me.
I rolled my eyes and mumbled, "Whatever you say."
He turned to me as we walked and asked with a hint of challenge behind his voice. "Oh what? You don't believe me?" He crossed his arms and stopped walking.
"Believe it or not, I don't," I said with fake surprise in my voice.
"And why is that, Hot Stuff?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ignoring the awful nickname, I told him about himself. "For starters, the air around you radiates with arrogance. Girls don't like that." I informed him. "You give us ridiculous and slightly rude nicknames," I said, referencing to what he calls me. "And, in general, you are not a good example for kids." I finished off.
"In my defense, you are the only one I've given a nickname." He started. I was about to ask why but he kept talking. "And why does it matter if I'm a good influence on kids?" He asked like it didn't matter.
When he asked me this, I was actually worried about his awareness. He knew he was talking to mothers, right? I'd hope they cared about his influence on their kids.
"You do know who you're talking to, right?" I asked him.
"Yeah, hot moms." He reiterated.
"Moms that care about their children, I'm sure," I explained to him. "Moms don't want some conceited jerk being an influence on their precious babies."
He thought about my point but only shrugged. "My behavior hasn't affected my chances yet." He defended.
I rolled my eyes and continued walking. He was a lost cause to convince.
The park was fairly large. There's plenty of grassy areas perfect for running around. We passed a small playground occupied by children and there was even an ice cream truck driving its way around the park. I could take Sophia here for a picnic one day.
Zack pointed out where kids played the most and where the moms usually sat and watched. We walked a few of the paths that thread throughout the park and past several climbable trees.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket to see one of my alarms going off. It was the reminder to pick up Sophia from school. Shit.
"We gotta go. Like, now." I told Zack, turning around to head back to his car.
"Why?" He asked, confused but speed walking next to me.
"I've gotta pick Sophia up from school," I explained. "And there is no way she is riding in your car."
"What's wrong with my car?" He complained.
"Well, I guess it's not your car. It's you." I told him.
"Well, then what's wrong with me? Last I checked, the little squirt liked me." He defended.
I had forgotten he had already met Sophia. I was still mad at Sky for that.
"You're driving isn't exactly the best," I told him. "Plus, I'm one of the moms that don't want you around their kid."
"My driving is perfectly fine." He said, ignoring my other comment.
"It only took us five minutes to get here. It should've taken at least ten." I told him.
"So I'm a little fast, big deal." He complained.
"Just get me back home so I can pick her up, safely." I reiterated.
"You aren't gonna make it on time." He stated.
Looking at the time on my phone, he was right. The school was at least 15 minutes away. Even with Zack speeding, we'd be late if he dropped me off first.
Sighing, I said "Fine. But the second I feel like you are driving too recklessly with Sophia in the car, you're pulling over and I'm driving."
He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine."
We reached his car and drove away from the park. I complained about his driving, but he reminded me Sophia wasn't in the car yet. As much as I wanted to make him pull over, he was right.
We pulled up to the school right as the kids were running out the door. I spotted Sophia's blonde hair, looking around for my car.
I climbed out of the charger and called her name. Her face lit up and she ran towards me.
"What happened to your car, Mommy?" Her high voice asked me. "Did it break?"
I chucked and said "No, my car didn't break. It's at home." I clarified for her.
"So how did you get here?" She asked me. As soon as she said it, her face fell. "You didn't walk here, did you? Because that would mean I would have to walk back too."
I rolled my eyes at her laziness and said "No, I didn't walk here. And even if I did, it wouldn't hurt you to walk a little." I told her.
She placed her hand on her chest and sighed with relief. Drama Queen. "So what, you flew?" She asked me with sarcasm dripping from her voice.
"In a way," I mumbled, referencing to Zack's speed. "Zack was nice enough to give me a ride here. So make sure to say thank you when we get in the car, okay?"
She nodded her head then grabbed my hand. I walked her back to Zack's car and opened the back door, realizing something that I should have long ago. Zack didn't have a car seat.
"What's the holdup?" Zack called from over his shoulder.
"You don't have a car seat," I told him.
"Well, no shit. Why would I?" He replied.
"Don't use that language around Sophia!" I snapped at him. "How is she supposed to ride in here? She needs a car seat."
Sophia tugged on my shirt to get my attention. "I'm a big girl. I don't need a car seat."
"Yes, sweetie, you do. It's dangerous to ride without one." I explained to her.
"You don't ride in a car seat." She pointed out, crossing her little arms.
I rolled my eyes at my sassy four-year-old and went back to the situation at hand. "I can't let Sophia ride without a car seat. It's too dangerous."
"She'll be fine this one time, won't you, Squirt?" Zack called out to Sophia.
"Yeah! See? Zack's okay with it." Sophia said.
"Zack's not your dad," I told her.
"Well duh, I know that. I don't have a dad." Sophia said, her chin held high.
My heart clenched when she said that. I hate that Sophia doesn't have a father figure. But her father wasn't exactly the best guy for the job. At least I don't have to worry about him now. I have a different issue to face raising her. I'm her mother and father.
Zack must've noticed my state of absence so he spoke up. "Look, just sit her in the middle of the two seats and buckle her up. It's the safest place in the car."
Seeing there wasn't another option, I let Sophia climb into the backseat of the car.
I was grateful that Zack didn't bring up anything about Sophia's dad on the way home. Instead, he asked her how her day was. She'd return with the latest kiddie gossip and Zack ate it up. He kept chuckling and the smile never wiped off his face. It kind of made me think he was actually human for a second.
"Mommy, can we get a cool car like Zack's?" Sophia asked from the backseat.
"Maybe someday in the future. Not today, though." I replied.
I was still spaced out, I could feel it. I wanted to pay attention to Sophia but one awful dude blocked my mind instead. I could still picture those cold brown eyes in my head. I'm glad Sophia got my eyes, otherwise, she would be a constant reminder of what happened.
Sophia kept talking the whole ride. I think she was just talking to talk though. She's never quiet. Zack threw in a few comments but I just couldn't bring myself to pay attention.
We had been in the car longer than usual. It only takes five minutes to get back to the apartment building. We should've been back by now. There wasn't bad traffic at all, in fact, there was hardly anyone on the road. Confused, I looked at Zack's speedometer. He was going five under the limit. He must've taken my threat seriously.
We pulled into the apartment parking lot and entered into the lobby. Sophia ran to the elevators as usual and repeatedly pressed the up button.
"Wanna talk about it?" Zack asked as we approached the elevator.
"Not with you." I shot back. It was none of his business. I can vent to Sky later.
He didn't press the matter farther, which was a shock. I expected him to be an ass about it.
The ride up wasn't necessarily quiet, but extremely awkward. Not only did Zack now know personal information that he didn't need to know, I knew I'd probably hear about it from him again.
Sophia continued to ask Zack questions until we reached our door. Why she was so curious about him was beyond me.
"Why are your eyes green?" She asked him as a final question.
"That's just how my genes came out, Tiny Tot." He replied, ruffling her hair.
"Jeans? I thought those were pants." She questioned.
Zack and I both chuckled at Sophia. She looked confused at what we were laughing at but shrugged it off.
"Mommy, can I unlock the door?" She asked me, tugging at my pocket.
I fished the apartment key out of my pocket but held onto it tight when she tried to grab it.
"What do you say?" I asked her, holding the key higher so she couldn't reach it.
"Please!" Her high voice asked. I handed her the key and she went to work on the lock.
"It might be a minute until we get in," I told Zack, who was still waiting in the hall with us.
He shrugged and leaned against his door frame. He kept his pretty green eyes locked on mine.
Usually seeing those eyes irritate me. But now, they didn't look at me like I was a piece of meat. They weren't full of pity either. They were just there, staring back at mine. No emotion attached to them.
"Got it!" Sophia squealed as she pushed open the door. "Look, I got it fast!"
I broke my eyes away from Zack's and moved them to Sophia. "You sure did, sweetie. Go inside and get your homework out." I told her.
She ran inside, taking off her bookbag in the process. I wish my homework was still coloring like hers.
I walked into my doorway and turned back to Zack, who was still leaning against his door frame.
"Thanks for showing me the park. I'm sure Sophia will love it." I told him. I turned and entered the apartment.
Before I could close my door. Zack yelled, "Have fun at IHOP tonight!"
"Bartender!" I yelled back at him, closing my door the rest of the way. I heard him chuckle from the hall.
Rolling my eyes, but not bothering to hide the small smile on my face, I went to help Sophia with her homework.
As I sat down next to my daughter, she immediately sprang up out of her chair and towards the door.
"Sophia!" I called. "Where do you think going?" I stood up and chased after her.
She opened the door and crossed the hall to Zack's door. Her tiny fists banged on the door at rapid speed.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the door. What has gotten into her?
"Sophia, you cannot go running out of the apartment like that!" I scolded. "Or beat down our neighbor's door!"
"I'm sorry, Mommy. But I never said thank you." She vaguely explained.
Confused, I was going to ask her what she meant. However, a door unlocking and opening stopped me.
Zack looked at me and then Sophia. A confused look plastered his face just the same as mine.
Sophia gestured for him to come closer to her. He squatted down only to be tackled with a hug around his neck. Zack's eyes grew with surprise and then softened.
"Thank you for picking me up from school today!" She said, holding onto him.
He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, stood up, and spun her around. Sophia laughed and it warmed my heart. I loved hearing her laugh like that. A good genuine laugh sadly doesn't happen often.
Zack sat her back on the ground and said with a smile "Any time, Squirt."
Sophia's eyes grew and began rambling. "So does that mean you can pick me up every day? Your car is like super cool and I liked riding without a car seat."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Sophia," I spoke up. "I don't think that's what Zack meant, anyway." I grabbed her hand and began walking her back to our own apartment.
"Sorry, Squirt. I got a job too, you know. I was just off today." Zack shrugged. "But if I could, I'd even let you drive." He teased.
Sophia's face lit up and mine grew with fear. Before Zack could offer an even more absurd idea, I pulled my eager daughter back into the apartment and yelled "Goodnight!" As I shut the door. I didn't care that it was still early in the afternoon.
"Oh come on, Mommy. You're no fun." Sophia complained as she made her way back to the table with her homework.
"Better safe than sorry." I breathed with relief. I did not need Zack putting even crazier ideas into this little girl's head.