Home -Zach Dempsey-

chapter xv

-Sophia's POV-

Monday was the first day I saw Zach after the drama that occurred over the weekend. I was walking through the school hallway when I saw Zach wheeling toward me.

"Sophia, can we talk?"he asked, stopping in front of me. He looked like he hadn't slept well. But why should I care?

I just simply sighed and turned around, deciding to find another way to my locker.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know?"Zach called after me. I tried my best to focus my attention elsewhere. The past two days were full of text messages and phone calls and voicemails, all of which I dutifully ignored. There was nothing that needed to be discussed, especially if I wanted to move on quickly.

I noticed a familiar face coming towards me and let out a breath of relief. "Jeff,"I mumbled, hugging him.

He pulled away and smiled. "Hey, Soph. What's up?"

"Long story short, Zach and I are no longer friends. Please help me avoid him. I just ran into him back there so it's not going well so far."

Jeff glanced behind me and said,"Well he's not down that hallway anymore."

Luckily, Jeff and I had the exact same schedule so I knew I could count on him to keep me sane throughout the day.

After going to my locker, we walked into Biology. The bell had just rung, and Jeff and I laughed at our close call as we sat at a lab table together.

Zach kept his gaze on me, refusing to look away when our eyes met. The seat beside him was empty. That was my seat.

I turned to Jeff, who whispered,"Mrs. Adams looks like she's gonna lose it today."

I laughed, putting my hand on his arm. "Stop before she yells at us,"I whispered.

He smiled at me before facing the front again. Mrs. Adams is probably the scariest teacher I've met ever. Everyone is scared of her.

One of the football players walked in late and got a scolding as he sat beside Zach. Zach dapped him up, but didn't look happy about his seating partner. He looked at me again, and I quickly looked away.

We had to do a frog dissection, which was absolutely disgusting. Luckily, Jeff was willing to do most of the work.

"Soph, look at this,"he said, purposely holding up a frog organ close to my face.

I jumped back a bit, trying to maintain my composure. "Oh my god, stop." He grinned, moving it closer. "Jeff, I'm serious!"I exclaimed, trying not to be too loud.

Jeff laughed, finally stopping. "Okay, fine. But hey, want to go to the beach after school? I've wanted to go for a few days now, the weather's so nice."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I feel like we haven't talked properly in a while,"I said.

He agreed,"Yeah, you were helping Zach out with everything and I didn't want to intrude. What happened between you two anyways?"

"I'll explain later. Let's just finish this dissection quickly. The smell is disgusting."

At lunch, I sat with Jeff and some of his baseball buddies. They were incredibly nice, but I couldn't help but glance over at Zach's table every few minutes. Usually I'd be laughing with Justin and Jessica about stupid things.

My eyes met Zach's and I quickly looked away. He wasn't even talking to his friends. But why should I care?

"You're still down for the beach right?"Jeff asked, nudging my side.

I nodded, wrapping my hands around his bicep and leaning my head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I haven't been to a beach in a long time."

My eyes drifted towards Zach again, and I saw him still looking at me. His jaw was clenched as he turned his attention to Justin.

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After school, I headed home to get ready for the beach trip. I was excited to hang out with Jeff and see more of the city. With everything that has happened in the last while, I haven't really been able to explore Crestmont.

Jeff sent me a text that he was outside just as I had finished getting ready. I hurried outside and got into his car.

"Hey, Jeff,"I smiled, leaning over the centre console to give him a quick hug.

"Hey, Soph. You ready?"he asked.

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"Alright, let's get this show on the road then,"he said, turning up his music.

As we drove, we belted out the lyrics to every song that played. This was the first time I truly felt myself being happy and stress free in a while. I tried to take in every second of the drive.

Once we were at the beach, we found a spot close to the water and sat on a blanket that Jeff had brought. He had also brought some snacks so we ate as we talked.

"So, are you going to talk about what happened between you and Zach?"Jeff asked, looking out at the waves crashing onto the sand.

I sighed. "I don't know, Jeff. I trusted him and really thought he was a good guy. He asked me to be his girlfriend a while ago, and I said we should take things slow, and he was cool with it. But then he mentioned something about his ex and he was talking about her in such a demeaning way. I didn't expect that from him, and when I said something, he got mad and started yelling."

Jeff raised his eyebrows. "Really? Wow, that's surprising. You know I don't associate with the football players that much, but I've always thought that Zach was a good one."

"I did too,"I mumbled, grabbing a handful of chips from the bag.

"You know, if you need a new best friend, I'm always available,"Jeff grinned.

I laughed and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thanks, Jeff. But you were my best friend from day 1. I told you no one would take your spot."

He smiled and took my hand into his. "Okay, good. And just to let you know, if you decide you want a boyfriend, I'm ready to take that role."

I tilted my head as I looked up at him. "I'll keep that in mind."

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sophia.fernandez my bby💗 @jeff_atkins

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jeff_atkins you're the best❤️
↳ sophia.fernandez 🥺💕

jen.whitley hold up what ???
↳ sophia.fernandez i'll fill you in later

jessicadavis I am so confused...

courtneycrimson Cuties!☺️

montydelacruz Uh something's not adding up here @zachdempsey
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