Hourglass

Chapter 9

Fighting back tears, Sophia pounds on the door and then presses the white button. Persistent, loud, melodic rings follow.

"Jeez, you're gonna break it," Nathan says.

"Cliff stood me up again," she storms past him with her blonde hair bouncing behind her and enters the kitchen, "I'm so done with his crap; I am not answering when he calls." She snatches a bottle of water from the fridge.

Nathan attempts to conceal a smile but fails, "Didn't you say that, two weeks ago?"

She smacks her gum, "That was completely different. This time, I mean it," she unscrews the lid, flips it in the trash and takes a huge gulp. "Besides, I had to get out of the house; my neurotic mother is driving me mad." She props her elbows on the counter and cups her chin in her hand.

"Yikes, that's not a far destination."

"Hahaha you're about as funny as she is. Since I got dumped tonight she suggested family time playing mon-o-po-ly. Is that not the craziest thing you've ever heard? Handing me her credit card at the mall is quality time. Not a board game. And yesterday she told me to take the trash out right after I got up. Like that's gonna happen. I didn't even have my makeup on."

"Oh my God, she didn't."

"You're a guy. You don't understand."

"Who's going to see you in your front yard?"

"That's exactly what she said. And I told her, you never know and that's why it'll never happen." She pauses for a second as if considering her dilemma, "You don't know what it's like, your dad works evenings. You're so lucky."

"Yeah, couldn't handle seeing him every night, but a hot meal once in a while would be nice."

She rummages through the freezer, "Oh, yum, look what I found. Pizza rolls. I'm starving."

"So am I."

She pries out the package and pops them in the microwave.

He rocks back on his heels with his hands in his pockets, "Heard there was a major collision in the cafeteria today. Apparently, Marci's tray flew out of her hands like a spaceship and launched into Lindsay. Spaghetti and milk splattered everywhere. It was in their hair, clothes, shoes...," His eyes brimmed with suspicion.

She yanks two plates from the cabinet. "Yeah, heard something similar," she grabs a fork and tosses it on Nathan's plate. He wouldn't consider eating finger food with his hands.

"Really Soph? Did you happen to be there?"

"Guess I got there right after it happened. Not really sure," she slams the silverware drawer shut.

"Kinda odd, don't you think?" he asks.

Geez, if I wanted an interrogation I would have stayed home with my mom. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, I don't know, for a couple of cheerleaders, to be so klutzy, for one thing."

"No, not really," she divides the rolls, pops one in her mouth, grabs her plate and heads to the family room, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

The conversation solidifies his doubts. He shakes his head and follows, "Oh, come on, Soph. Who do you think you're kidding? That stunt has your name all over it. You hate those girls." He was sure she'd instigated other mishaps at school and let it slide. But she'd gone too far this time, "Exposing your powers is risky."

Heat rushes to her cheeks. She resents his insinuations even if they are true. She hates failing him, can't bear the disappointment in his eyes; it makes her feel crappy. She looks as if she's going to protest, but thinks better of it and plunges into a series of excuses.

"Nathan, you just don't get it," she releases a deep breath; "They mimic me, and make fun of the way I walk, talk, move, basically everything I do. They're nothing but gossipy, conniving hoes. Their greatest enjoyment in life is humiliating me with endless pranks. I've tolerated their crap for years. I can't do it anymore. There's a point where you have to stand up for yourself."

"They're just jealous. You don't have to resort to their childish tactics."

Nathan resists the urge to flaunt the obvious. Sophia's never one to accept responsibility in the equation. If she doesn't want to top their hate list, she needs to stay away from their boyfriends. The more you play, the greater you pay.

Brushing off his offensive remarks is usually easy, but Sophia despises Nathan when he's condescending and plays the noble, maturity card, insinuating that she's melodramatic. Her mother claims she has a love-hate relationship with him. Maybe she's right. Their fondness for one another has certainly diminished over the years. Nathan can be a pompous ass, but she can't imagine her life without him. He's her best friend. Always has been.

Determined to stand her ground, "That's easy for you to say, Nathan. You're not the brunt of their jokes. I wanted to rip their eyes out so that little, bitty incident was tame considering--And who are you to judge? What about Billy, Ricky, and Tommy? Need I go on?"

"That was in junior high."

"Noooo, it was in ninth grade, Nathan. Ninth grade. You slammed Billy into his locker and used magic to pulverize Tommy and Ricky at the same time and...."

"Whoa..." he interrupts holding his palms out in a settle-down gesture, "Okay, chill Sophia, maybe it was ninth grade, but we're seniors now. It's wrong to use magic for self-gratification. You're setting yourself up for consequences. You know what it does to your body."

She huffs in awkward silence. He always wins. "Oh, all right. Sorry." She recalls that glorious moment and giggles. "But ya should have seen them tripping and falling over each other like idiots. Totally awesome! It would've won first prize in, "World's Funniest Videos". I'm telling ya and the expression on their faces. Oh, my God, red as the spaghetti sauce in their hair.

Talk about Kodak's precious moments. Everyone in the cafeteria split a gut. And I mean everyone. Even the cooks loved it. And that cashier, ya know, the one that never smiles, could not stop laughing. Those skanks got what they deserved, and everyone knows it."

He couldn't hold it in any longer. "Hahaha kinda sorry I missed it, to tell the truth. Leave it to you to entertain the entire school. That stunt spread like an online virus."

Nathan knew Sophia orchestrated the timing so he'd be in class. She'd never pull that crap in front of him. He knows her so well. They are on the same wavelength, which is why deceiving one another is nearly impossible—nearly.

"Well, those bitches won't live that down for a long time. I'm telling ya; it was worth the agony I felt afterward. And that's saying a lot cause my head felt like it was gonna explode." She hates hiding secrets from Nathan, but some things are too dangerous to share with anyone.