Before We Say Goodbye

Chapter Ten: Only To Save Me Some Face

Chapter Ten - Damon

I stare at the screen of the T.V., not really paying attention to the show they’re playing. My mind drifts to Sophie.

It’s been doing that a lot lately.

I’m lucky Ricky is such good friends with Paul, otherwise I don’t know what I’d have done when I found Sophie passed out at the table. Paul said she didn’t have any alcohol, but I don’t know if I can trust him. I need to ask her about it when she wakes up.

She could’ve just been tired. She did look pretty zonked out last night, after all.

I tap my fingers on the arm of the sofa irritably, unable to keep still.

Is she awake yet?

I don’t know why I even care. I don’t like Sophie. Even if she’s kind of pretty. And nice. And cute. And funny. And easy to tease. That doesn’t mean I like her. No sir.

I feel annoyed at the thoughts that force their way into my head. I don’t think any of those things. She’s ugly, annoying, boring, plain and stupid.

Yeah right.

I scowl angrily.

“Damon?” a whisper makes me look up.

Sophie stands awkwardly in the doorway, her hair ruffled slightly from sleeping. She looks terrible.

I frown. “What’s wrong with you?” I demand. “Are you ill?”

She hurriedly shakes her head.

I raise an eyebrow expertly. I used to practise that in front of the mirror. I thought being able to raise just the one eyebrow was seriously cool back when I was younger. Some skills you never lose.

“No, I’m fine!” she insists.

I nod my head in a way that clearly shows I don’t believe her, but I’m going to humour her. “Of course you are. Do you want me to take you home now?”

She bites her lip. “Only if you haven’t got anything else to do,” she says uncomfortably.

I sigh. “I’ll take you. But you better know the way.”

“If you take me to your house, I know the way from there.”

We head out into the cold morning air. It bites at our cheeks.

I instinctively put an arm around her shoulders.

She smiles up at me. I scowl back.

“Thanks Damon,” she says, looking straight ahead.

I feel a little guilty.

She will chase you around for a while, but there’s going to be one day when she stops running around you in circles. She’ll get over you, and that day, you’re going to wish you had let her catch you.

My brow wrinkles up. Firstly, I don’t like her. Secondly, she doesn’t like me. Thirdly, she’s not running around me in circles. Fourthly, she wouldn’t want to hang out in public with someone like me anyway.

But she did kiss me.

Only to save me some face.

That’s half the point.

“What’s wrong with you?” Sophie says, with something of an evil grin.

“Nothing,” I grumble.

“Sure, sure,” she says in a patronising tone.

“I’m serious!” I protest.

“Of course you are.”

“Shut up,” I mutter. “I get the point.”

“So will you stop asking what’s wrong with me now? And if you do ask, will you just accept it and suck it up when I say I’m fine?”

“Okay.”

“I’m going to hold you to that. If you ever ask me what’s wrong again, I get to slap you. Deal?”

“No!” I snort.

“Please?”

“What are you, stupid? Wait, don’t even answer that.”

She sticks her tongue out at me.

“Mature.”

“You need to get over yourself Damon,” she snaps.

I remove my arm from her shoulder, and fold my arms. She copies me. I smirk.

“What?” she says through gritted teeth.

“Nothing,” I reply, equally coldly.

We walk on in silence.

*

We’re standing outside my house. Sophie knows the way on from here, but I’ve got manners, me. I can’t just let her go. Mum would kill me if I didn’t invite her in.

“Wanna come in?” I ask grudgingly.

“Okay,” Sophie says brightly, seeming to have forgotten about our ‘argument’ earlier.

I hold back a frustrated sigh. She narrows her eyes.

“You invited me, Damon. Don’t go all grumpy on me.”

I ignore her, walking up the path and unlocking the door to my house.

“Mum!” I yell.

“You’ve been out a long time,” Mum says, coming down the stairs, looking suspicious. “What have you two been doing that took all night?”

Her message is clear.

I cough, trying to hide what she said. Too late. Sophie blushes a deep red.

“Mum!” I hiss. “Sophie fell asleep, is all. I wasn’t going to leave her in some random person’s house, was I?”

“Oh.”

She at least has the decency to look embarrassed.

“Sorry, kids. It’s just, Damon hasn’t been out in a while, so you can understand…” she trails off.

Sophie nods quickly. “No, it’s fine, Mrs…”

“Heyworth. But you can call me Jodie,” Mum says, smiling warmly.

“It’s fine, Jodie,” Sophie replies.

“Can we have some…tea, or something, Mum?” I ask, interrupting their little chinwag session.

Mum nods. “I’ll go get the custard creams.” She winks at Sophie. “They’re his favourite.”

Was that supposed to embarrass me? Because it really didn’t.

I lead Sophie after Mum into the warm little kitchen, where the radio is playing some old Busted song.

Mum sings along cheerfully.

“And I’m glad I crashed the wedding, it’s better than regretting, I could’ve been the loser kid, who ran away and hid,” she chants tunelessly. “Come on!”

She waves her arm. I roll my eyes and open the fridge.

But Sophie, to my surprise, starts singing too.

“Coz true love lasts forever, and now we’re back together, as if he never met her, so looking back, I’m glad I crashed the wedding!” she laughs.

I freeze. Her voice is so pure and sweet and clear, even in this song. It’s beautiful…

I shake myself.

No.

But it is. It’s amazing.

I could listen to it all day.

All freakin’ day.