Sorry this has come out late. I've been super busy and I was sick as well.
Nothing too exciting in this chapter, just a little bit of back story...
There are typos here and there because I haven't fully reread this chapter... I just wanted to get it up for you guys as soon as possible!
Once again, comment/vote/fan and all that jazz. Let me know what you guys think. I also want to thank all the people that are reading this story! It means a lot to me. If it weren't for you guys, I don't think I would of wrote much past chapter one. So, thanks! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I would love to hear feed back!
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The English teacher paced across the front of the room. Several eyes were fixed on her – or rather her snug auburn dress suit skirt and slightly unbuttoned blouse.
A few kids around the room were dozing off and daydreaming. The young teacher knocked a piece of white chalk against the black board three times, glanced over her shoulder, then proceeded to write “Happiness,” in overly loopy cursive,
A folded scrap of paper was tossed on Connor’s desk. He opened it up. Inside was familiar handwriting:
Is Sophia seeing anyone?
Annoyed, Connor tilted his head back to look at his buddy, Rick. Lips pressed together and curled down on one side, eyebrows furrowed, Connor opened his mouth but hesitated, “no,” he mouthed and shook his head.
“What is happiness?” A voice echoed in the silent room. “Is happiness money? Popularity?”
Rick passed down another scrap of paper onto Connor’s desk. Before he could read it, the older woman who had been speaking swiped it. “What is happiness to you Mr. Von Welt?” He shrugged.
“You can’t put a price tag on the feeling, but you can put a price on things that make you happy.”
Rick flipped another note onto Connor’s desk as the teacher had her back turned to them. Just as his arm was pulled back, she snatched the second note from the desk.
Clearing her throat dramatically, she began, “Do you think she’d go out with me?” The woman looked between the two boys. “I’m sure she’d me more than willing to go out with you,” her eyes rested on Rick. Flushed, Rick looked at her boredly, trying to play it off as though he didn’t know what she was talking about. “But keep the socializing for after my class.”
“So dinner at seven? I’ll pick you up,” Connor joked.
She chuckled, “So happiness. What is it?” Her eyes lingered around the room. “Love?” Sophia shifted in her seat trying not to catch the woman’s eye. “Sophia,” it was too late.
“Damn it,” she thought.
“What is happiness to you?” She could feel her peers’ eyes on her.
Sophia’s eyes glanced down at her desk. For a few brief seconds, the swirls of the wood, and the prominent scratches on the surface had absorbed her attention. Uncomfortably uncrossing then crossing her legs, Sophia glanced back up again.
Her jaw was tight. Forcing herself to relax, she answered, “Happiness is an illusion.” There was a pause, “It is a matter of perception.” Unintentionally, she felt her hands clench into tight fists in her lap and the rest of her body slightly tense up.
Thoughtfully the English teacher nodded, “Care to elaborate?”
“No,” Sophia thought bitterly. “What makes one person happy does not necessarily make someone else happy.”
The woman in the front of the room nodded, “This will be your assignment. I want it by the end of the week. Define happiness.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “My time’s up.”
“Come with me to lunch?” Connor stood towering over Sophia in her seat. She looked at him skeptically. “I won’t bite you. If I wanted something decaying inside and out then I’d eat you, but I don’t.”
Cocking a brow, Sophia responded, “You want me to get lunch with you but you’ve got an attitude like that?”
He put his hands up in a mock surrender, “It’s a reflex to insult you.”
Picking up her bag and standing up, Sophia got up and headed toward the door. She glanced over her shoulder and, with her head, motioned for Connor to follow. They walked in silence for a few minutes. The noise around them was slowly swelling as they approached the dinning hall.
“So happiness is an illusion?”
Sophia kept her eyes fixed forward, “As far as I’m concerned… yeah,” she shrugged.
“Well that’s pretty morbid,” Connor side glanced at the brunette. Her features were unchanging. They reached the entrance of the dinning hall and Connor stopped in his tracks. Only a step a head, Sophia leaned back on her back foot, turned on the heel of her foot, and gave him a questioning look. Opening his mouth, sound refused to come out.
“What?” She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.
He shook his head, “Nothing.” Once they paid for their food and sat down Connor started picking off of Sophia’s plate.
“Knock it off,” she slapped at his hands. Their friends joined them. Much to Sophia’s dismay, the friends that she had managed to make, they were in the same social circle as Connor.
Rick sat across from Sophia, beside Connor, at the rectangular table, “Hey mate,” he nodded at Connor, “Hey Sophia.”
“Hi,” looking up from her food she smiled at him gently. He watched as Sophia’s fork fought off Connor’s from her plate.
“Why didn’t get you get the chicken pasta if that’s what you wanted?”
“I just want to try some of yours,” he wined.
“You know how it tastes!” She snapped.
“Sophia,” she looked up at Rick. “What are you doing after classes?” Sophia stopped fighting off Connor’s fork and jabbed at a piece of fruit with her fork.
“Nothing, why?”
“I was wondering if you could help me with that assignment we got today… that what is happiness…?” Sophia nodded slowly.
“Sure, after classes right?”
“You can’t,” Connor blurted. A few of their other friends that had joined them stopped their chattered and looked at him. “Lacrosse practice today,” he shrugged sympathetically. “Nice save,” Connor thought to himself.
All practice, Rick and Connor had been getting extra rough with one another. Connor shoulder checked Rick. “What’s your deal?” Rick shoved Connor back.
“Nothing, just playing the game. Can’t handle me?”
“We’re on the same team, idiot.” They both had red practice jerseys over their padding. Connor ignored Rick.
Toward the end of practice Rick gave Connor another hard shove causing him to stumble. He caught his footing. With his eyes fixed on Rick, Connor threw down his stick, and came charging.
The head coach blew his whistle several times and pulled two bodies apart. “Von Welt! Grizzle! If you two block heads keep going at each other instead of the ball, I’m going to bench both your asses.” The older, heavily built man was red in the face. He was only inches apart from Rick and Connor. “Have I made myself clear?”
They both mumbled and nodded. Soon as the coach turned his back, they both gave each other another good shove.
In the locker room, they showered and changed. As they put away their padding, Connor spoke to Rick without looking at him; his eyes fixed on his bag, “Hey man… about today…”
“Don’t worry about it…”
After a long silence Connor worked up the nerve to ask, “So, Sophia, huh?”
“Yeah…” Rick looked up at his friend, then down at his own things. “I can back off if you want.”
Connor wrinkled his forehead, “What?”
“You like her man.”
Connor snorted at the idea of it, “As if…”
Rick shook his head in disbelief, “Whatever you say… If you don’t like her, then don’t go stopping every other guy.” The two stared each other down. Finally, Rick shrugged, “Not all guys are as nice as me.” Picking up his bag, he left.
“You’re crazy,” Connor said under his breath.
After classes, Sophia went to a coffee shop in town and sat in one of the corner seats. She opened up a new file on word document and stared at the screen. Her left elbow rested beside the laptop keyboard and propped up her head as she took a sip of hot chocolate.
”What are you working on there?” A familiar voice asked. A body sat down opposite of her on the wooden chair. Looking over the top of the laptop screen, her body tensed.
Her eyebrows twitched, “Nathan, right?”
“Call me Nate,” his voice was low and the corners of his lips curled upward in a mischievous manner. “It’s Sophia, right?”
Sitting up, she nodded.
Nathan began to apologize, “Sorry about our last encounter… it was …”
“Creepy?”
“That wasn’t intentional... A friend of Conner’s is a friend of mine,” he winked playfully. She searched his green eyes for some truth. Looking away, Sophia turned back to her laptop. Resting her finger tips on the keys, she tapped them lightly, but not actually press down. “What are you working on?” Nathan tried to peer over the top of the laptop screen. Sophia quickly closed it.
“Nothing,” she answered quickly.
“What you working on? Anything I can help with?” Nathan stared back at her intently.
After a moment, Sophia gave in, “It’s to define happiness.” He cocked a brow. “That’s the assignment.”
Nathan was silent as he watched her fidget under his gaze. He got up, “I think I still have that assignment on my laptop at my place."
Hesitantly, she followed him. He unlocked his car and opened the passenger seat for her.
“We are going to my apartment near my school.” He glanced at her. Her eyes remained on the road; taking in the buildings near by. Parking, Connor led Sophia up to his apartment. Knocking on the door, twice, no one answered. Pulling a set of keys out of his pocket, he fumbled with them for a second before getting the right one. Opening the door, he motioned for Sophia to go first. “Welcome to my humble home.” The apartment was modestly decorated. A couch was in the living room in front of a large flat screen. To one side was the kitchen, a basket of fruit sat on the counter, and the table was wiped clean. Nate strolled over to the fridge, his head buried in it while he rummaged through. His head popped up, “Anything to drink?” Sophia shook her head.
Looking around, Sophia wandered into one of the open bedroom doors. As she walked along the walls, she ran her fingers over the tops of everything literally feeling the room out. The thread count on the comforter was through the roof. It was cool and silky as she ran her fingers along it. The night stand and desk tolerated no dust. Looking above the desk was a cork board. A few notices and schedules were scattered across the board. One thing that stood out was a worn out old photo. Refusing to pry her eyes away from it, she reached out to pull it off the board, but just as she touched the corner of glossy picture, Nathan interrupted, “Sure, make your self comfortable. Touch my things.”
Surprised, Sophia jumped. Tension shot through her body, and she tried to relax. Leaning against the door frame casually, Nathan watched Sophia. Taking a sip from the cold can of soda, he made his way toward the desk. Sitting down, Nathan turned on his laptop. While waiting for it to log in, he glanced at Sophia who was still awkwardly standing by the desk. “My brother sure knows how to pick ‘em…” Nathan thought.
Pressing her lips together into a thin line, Sophia hugged her arms to her body, and glanced around – clearly ignoring Nate’s gaze. Her eyes, again, rested on the old picture on the cork board. In the picture, a little boy and girl were sitting on a red and white checkered picnic blanket looking up at the sky, their arms hooked with one another. The faces of both children were fuzzy in the fading picture. The little girl had long dark hair and was wearing a navy blue sailor like dress. The boy had short buzzed hair and was wearing a white sailor suit. Both were holding ice cream cones; clearly dripping on their hands.
Nathan watched her silently as she looked over his old photograph. One hand pulled at her earlobe, a habit he felt like he had seen some where before. “Is that you?” She broke his thought process.
He glanced at the picture. Getting the picture down he looked at it and held it gingerly, “Yeah.”
“And the girl?” She motioned toward the picture with her chin.
“I’m not really sure.” Nate’s eyes scanned over the blurry picture over and over again. He handed her the picture and turned back to his laptop.
“But you keep her picture?” After she took the photo in her hand, she sat on his bed and her eyes raked over him try to get some sort of emotional reading out of him.
“She was my first love… so I’m told.”
She turned back to the picture. “You were told?”
Nathan nodded. “I don’t know. I’ve just always had the photo. It just doesn’t’ seem right to just throw it away…It was a long time ago.” He turned his attention went back his desk. Sophia leaned back, her legs dangling over the edge; the photo held, with both hands, above her face.
Scrunching up her eyebrows Sophia wanted to ask, but didn’t quite know how to phrase it,” Why?” Nathan raised an eyebrow. She continued, “Why … How…” The words seemed to sound awkward even in her head, “ How do you know … Why do you think she was you first love?” Sophia propped her self up by her elbows to get a look at Nate.
“I…” He couldn’t find a place to begin. He never thought about it. No one ever asked. He never had to explain. He shook his head, “ I don’t know what to tell you, honestly…” He searched the corners of his memory try to gather information and piece together the proper string of understandable words. Again, turning back to his laptop, he found the file he was looking for and attached the file to an email. “What’s your email address?” She answered in a monotonous tone. He side glanced for a second; she put the picture on his night stand. Pressing send, he looked back over at his bed. Sophia had slipped off her shoes and was properly lying on his bed. Her head rested on his pillow, her hands were clasped on stomach, and she turned to face him. He admired her tan legs covered by knee high socks; they were casually crossed at the ankles.
He got up and sat down beside on the bed near where her knees where. Moments passed as they watched each other in silence. “I want to know still,” she voiced her thoughts. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling, “If she was your first love -- who were your other loves?”
Nate wrinkled his eyebrows, “Aren’t you just a nosey kid. Are you asking me if I’m single?” He teased.
Wrinkling her nose, “Hardly the case. “ She couldn’t pull her eyes away from his green orbs. “You’re not my type.”
“…and Connor is?” He wanted to ask but kept the thought to himself.
“Scoot over.” He pushed her gently in one direction. Sophia complied and wiggled to the right. “There haven’t been other loves, or any all as far as I remember.” Sophia watched his profile. His features unsure of what his next words were, “I don’t know her name.” Connor’s head rested on the pillow beside Sophia; hands rested on his stomach as well. Both of them faced forward, their eyes on the ceiling. Nathan spoke again, “I vaguely remember her… I remember spending summers with her,” he paused; searching for what to say next.” I don’t know where the picture was taken. I was probably five or six. I remember always being with her, constantly. There was this one time she scrapped her knee and I had to give her a piggy back ride back home. She wouldn’t’ stop crying,” he chuckled at the memory. “We were best friends. I remember it … kind of. When she said she was my best friend,” he clarified. “We were playing with sparklers – those firework things – and she looked at me and told me I was her best friend.”
Nate played the scene in his head. They were waving sparklers on the beach in matching overall shorts. They were drawing squiggles in the air with them, and she gave him a toothy grin. He remembered thinking she had dimples and he wished he had them as well. The wind blew off her hat and he chased it down for her. Upon returning it, she had said to him he was her best friend, and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek but he turned in surprise, and ended up kissing him on the lips. She was mortified. Crying, she said through winded breaths that he had stolen her first kiss. Apologizing profusely, he gave her his sprinkler. Completely forgetting what had upset her, she rejoiced in holding the second sprinkler. “That was my last summer with her.” The room was engulfed by silence.
“Why?” The question lingered.
For a while, Nathan mulled the thought over in his mind,”I don’t know…”
Sophia rolled on her side; Nathan could slightly feel her breath on the side of his face. They stayed silent for a minute. He could feel her eyes trying to tear into his brain. “You never asked why you never got to see her again? Why you never visited again?”
“I didn’t care…”
Still lying on her side, Sophia propped herself up on her elbows, her other hand reached out and touched Nathan’s arm. First his head turned to look at her, then he mirrored her position. “Why?” She rocked her head gently in the palm of her head in disbelief.
Nathan searched her dark brown eyes framed by long dark lashes. Freckles dotted along the bridge of the her nose to tops of her cheeks. “She met my brother and thought he was me.”
“So it’s not just me,” she thought to herself.
"I tried to convince her I was her best friend, but she said I was a liar." He looked into the distance. "It was like I wasn't good enough." A heavy sigh escaped his lips.
“But you seem so much older,” she commented.
His green eyes darkened, “That’s because I’m not as carefree was him.”
Sophia processed his words, “Is that why … You are a year ahead in studies and all that because you…” She chose her words slowly, “ … you want to prove you’re better.”
He shook his head and chuckled, “Don’t looks so deeply into it.” She didn’t say anything, her eyes watched him intently and pressed together her lips and licked them.
His attention was fixed on her pink lips, and then trailed down to her neck. The collar of her uniform was perfectly pressed, but the first few buttons of the shirt were undid and the tie was loosened and hung low.
“Do your parents know what the little girl’s name was?” She broke the silence.
He shrugged. “I don’t see the point in asking. I like I said, it was a long time ago.”
“I think it matters.”
“Humor me.”
“Your first love is important.”
He chuckled and rolled back onto his back again, “Are all broads as sentimental as you?” Just moments after he finished his sentence, he felt a brute force on his stomach.
“What’s that suppose to mean?” Sophia raised her voice, an expression of amusement on her face as she attacked Nathan. Using her hands, she leaned her weight down on his abdomen.
“Ugh,” taken by surprise, all the air in his lungs came out all in one rush. Catching his breath, he lunged forward and pinned her down beneath him; her head at the foot of his bed and now their feet were beside the pillows.
Wrinkling her nose, “You don’t scare me!” The dimples in her cheeks were apparent as her lips stretched into a smile as she spoke. He kept himself on his knees, pinning down her hips. He grabbed at her waist to help her up. She squeaked.
“Are you ticklish?” Raising an eyebrow he looked at her mischievously.
“No!”
“Oh really?” Sarcasm dripping off each syllable,” So this wouldn’t bother you?” He tickled her. Trying to push his arms away, she failed.
“Stop,” she said through laughs. “Or… or…”
“Or what?” He smiled from ear to ear.
Sophia craned her neck out and came up to his face. Within that split second, she licked him; along his jaw up to his ear. A shiver went down his body. Lying back down, she looked up at him defiantly.
"You're disgusting." He wiped the saliva on teh shoulder of his shirt.
“I warned you,” she teased. Nathan looked down at the girl under him. Her hair was wildly tossed around and a few more buttons her on shirt had unbutton themselves under their rough housing. The top of her pale pink, lacy bra peaked from opening. He shifted from one knee to the other, her legs between his rubbed against his thigh. He cleared his throat and unpinned her. She sat up and stuck her tongue out at him. There was a knock on the front door. He rolled his eyes and got off the bed.
Looking down at her shirt, her face reddened realizing how she looked. Quickly button up her shirt, she walked out the bedroom door. A huddle of guys were sitting around the kitchen counter and living room couch.
One guy looked up, “Towel girl!” All the other heads whipped around.
“Superman…” She muttered under her breath with no enthusiasm at all.
“Sophia,” Nathan motioned her over to stand beside him. Glancing around, but not really noticing much, she walked over them shyly. “Boys, this is my friend Sophia, Sophia these are the boys,” he said coolly.
“Hey,” she forced a smile. She wanted to shrink down and slink away. Someone had brought boxes of pizza and the aroma filled the air.
“Come on,” Nathan nudged her side. Holding two plates of pizza, he led her to the couch. A couple of guys moved around and made room for them. They were watching a sports game. Late into the evening, they polished off the pizza and Nate looked over at Sophia. Her weight pressed up against his side. She had fallen asleep on him.
“Well aren’t you two cute?” Superman mocked.
“Get out of here, Tommy.”
Tommy snapped a picture of the two on his phone. “What are you doing with that?”
“Nothing,” Tommy grinned. Nate threw a pillow at his friend as he sauntered out of the room.
“Sophia,” Nathan tried to wake her up.
She mumbled something inaudible and wrapped her arms around his bicep. He sighed, picked her up, and tucked her in his bed.
“…More trouble than its worth,” he mumbled as he tried to make himself comfortable on the couch.
“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Sophia shouted. She ran through the apartment trying to gather her things.
“Ugh,” Nathan groaned. “Why are you yelling?” He sat up from the couch.
"Shut her up!" A male voice called from one of the other rooms in the apartment.
“I’m gonna be late for class!” Nate watched as she hobbled around trying to get her shoe on. “Oof,” she fell on her butt. Throwing her head back to get the hair out of her face, she tried to re tie her tie.
“Relax, I’ll drive you.” Nate grabbed his eyes from the counter. “Come on,” he grabbed her book bag. She trailed behind him looking down at her shirt still trying to properly do her tie.
“Oof,” She ran into him.
“Get in the car,” he rubbed his face trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.
Finally getting to the school she looked down at her watch, five minutes to spare.
Opening the car door, she looked over at the driver’s seat. “Thanks for the ride.”
Nathan rolled his eyes, “Hold on.” He jogged to the other side of the car, and stood at the opening of the door with his hands in his pockets. Sophia got out and stood in front of him with her eyebrows raised; questioning what he was doing. Without saying a word, Nathan undid the crooked knot and redid the tie correctly. “Can’t tie a tie,” he muttered. “Hopeless,” he said quietly.
Finishing he looked up at her surprised face. Her dimples were showing again, “Thanks!” She gave him a quick squeeze and sprinted off. Glancing back she waved at him one last time but stopped in her tracks. “You got to tell me,” She shouted. “Did you write about that little girl?” Nathan put his hand up to his ear to saying he couldn’t hear her. “Your happiness… Did you write about the little girl?” She tried again.
He shook his head, “No.” Looking a little dissatisfied, Sophia turned back toward the school building again.
In class, Connor slid into his seat next to Sophia. She had her long dark brown hair pulled into a messy bun in the back of her head. The rise and fall of her chest was just starting to slow down as she took deep breaths. Stray strands of wavy hair framed her face. The sleeves of her button up shirt were rolled up at her elbows, her collar was wrinkled as well was her skirt, and the only thing that seemed to be in order was her tie. She stood with her bottom slightly resting on her desk, one leg propped her up, the other leg was bent with the weight rested on the front tip of the shoe. Both of her arms propped her up against the desk as she spoke to a shorter girl in their class. As if feeling his eyes on her, Sophia looked Conner’s way. She raised both dark eyebrows questioningly. He shook his head to dismiss her.
The night before, he saw a picture of his brother and her on facebook. The caption read, " One more notch for the belt!" The thought alone made his fists clench.