Adopted by Beetlejuice: The Cast

Chapter 9

 Sophia's POV

I rushed to dinner in a blur and spent 20 minutes trying to figure out where to park. I wanted to see Quinn so bad I couldn't even keep my own body under control. A relief so strong I didn't think it was possible had washed over me when I found out Quinn was going to be okay. She was going to stay around the Theater, she was going to stay with Kerry, and she was going to stay with me. Somehow Quinn had become the part of me I didn't know I was missing, with her amber eyes and freckles, I couldn't bear the thought of her leaving. I pulled into a parking lot and quickly glanced at the street sign. I was going to have to walk a few blocks. I dashed down the sidewalks, just short of a run. I don't slow down enough to give anyone time to recognize me and want to take a picture, I needed to see Quinn.

I burst through the diner door like a madwoman and glance around, scanning the room for my people. Only Leslie, Kerry, Joey, Dana, the girls, and Quinn were at the booth and it was already getting pretty crowded. I smiled. Quinn looked gorgeous, her auburn hair was straightened so it reached a little longer than usual and it was pulled back by a silver clip. I could see the top of the dress she was borrowing and, even with only the top visible, I knew it looked great on her. She was smiling at something Segi had said, happiness was a good look on her. I blushed a little, straightened out my clothes and hair, and walked over to them. Sumaya sees me first and her little face lights up. "Hi Sophia," she grinned happily.

"Hi Sumaya," I said back brightly. Quinn turns around and our eyes meet. She is smiling lightly and I can't help but smile back. It's a fraction of a second but it feels special. I sit down in the booth, squeezing between Segi and Quinn.

"We won," Quinn whispers to me quietly as I get situated in the cramped space in the middle of the loud restaurant.

"We did," I whisper back. We find each other's hands under the table.

The rest of the cast doesn't take much longer to arrive. Some of them arrive together and others show up separately but by the time everyone has arrived the space is quite literally filled to the brim with people. Everyone is talking to someone and many different conversations are taking place. The environment is overwhelming and overflowing with joy, gratitude, and light happiness. Someone orders a fair amount of food which comes to the table pretty quickly. Whoever ordered definitely ordered enough. We laugh and smile and eat way too much. The food is quickly finished but no one seems eager to go anywhere. The happy chaos dies down to calming chats. Quinn glances over at me and my heart jumps a little.

"I guess I probably owe you an explanation about how we won the case," Quinn started, a bit nervous. No actually, a lot nervous. I had never really seen the girl this rattled, even when her psycho brother burst into my dressing room with a gun. "It's not my favorite story to tell," she looks down "so promise me you won't look at me any different. She shifted her gaze to meet mine. I give a skeptical but curious nod. "I'd just rather you hear it from me then someone else," she sighed. I sit, dead still for at least 5 minutes just listenting to Quinn. When she is done I am appalled. There was no way. There was no way the happy, kind Quinn I met in a coffee shop in Queens has lived through everything she has just explained. I feel my vision go out for a second and I have no idea what to say. What do you say to a person who was raped by their brother for 4 years? Instead I take a few deep breaths, steady myself, and squeeze her hand. I see her blush and then smile a little. I try my best not to blush, to no avail. For the rest of the night, we sit. Hand and hand, silent, listening to the sounds of happiness from everyone. Peace had set in across the group and peace had set into me, even if just for a moment.

Quinn's POV

After the joyful dinner, we drove home to the soundtrack of Frozen. Segi and Sumaya both bounce in their carseats, singing off pitch along to the music. Kerry sings along with them and Joey, grinning, and keeps one hand on his wife's knee. I just watched. It was almost fascinating to me, this was what a functional family looked like. And it was my functional family. My hand still felt the touch of Sophia's and for some reason, I couldn't shake it. I try my hardest to push that aside and just enjoy the beauty of this moment. I had two parents that loved me and two younger sisters I adored. I was home and I was safe.

Sophia's POV

That night, I drove home slowly. I take in the lights of the city, smiling up into the beauty. My hand could still feel Quinn's and it almost made my knees weak to think about. Almost. Everything seemed brighter, somehome after seeing Quinn, after knowing she was going to be okay. And then it hit me. I felt something for Quinn. This realization hit with a wave of intense confusion. I'd never thought about attraction to women, but I think I was falling for her. I was falling in love with Quinn.