"Sophia?"
Sophia whipped around. She had a sudden feeling of dejavu, seeing as Craig had said the same thing to her early yesterday morning. But the brown haired boy wasn't Craig. It was JT. A smile spread across her face, but his stayed as gloomy as a dark cloud on a little girl's birthday.
"JT! Hey!"
She ran up to him and through her arms around his neck in a hug, and pecked his cheek when she let go. He didn't bother to return the hug. She didn't notice.
"What are you doing here?" She motioned with an arm to The Dot, which they were standing outside of.
"Just…going to get some food." He said flatly. "You?" He asked.
"Oh, me and Craig were celebrating!"
"You. And Craig. Celebrating. Celebrating what exactly."
Sophia caught the disdainful tone in his voice and took a tiny step back.
"We both got fours on our AP Exams!" She looked like a balloon about to burst.
"oh. Congratulations. I knew you could do it." Although she knew it was the thought that counted, she wondered what was wrong with him. He was never so…emotionless. So cold. She put her hands in her pockets as the wind blew, flipping her hair in her eyes.
"Listen, I know we haven't see much of each other in the last couple days, but -"
"It's okay. Really. Why don't we just hang now?" He suggested, with a tiny bit of enthusiasm.
"Okaay, sounds great. Let's go to my place."
They didn't exchange more than glances as they made their way through Sophia's house and into her living room. She flopped down onto the floor, obviously exhausted. JT sat next to her heaving body Indian-style. She turned onto her side and propped her head up with her arm so she could look at him.
"So….anything new?" JT asked, feeling awkward not talking to his girlfriend. He still seemed a little off to her.
"Um, not much. Just been hanging out with Craig.." She saw JT roll his eyes. She stood, wanting to change the subject.
"You wanna see my room? It's pretty awesome I hear."
He stood and nodded his head. She grabbed his hand and led him to her room, opening the door in a dramtic fashion.
"Tada!"
JT seemed to be studying everything in there. All the posters, the decorations placed sporadically everywhere. It looked like a record store and Pier One Imports merged and then blew up in her room. He walked up to a sand painting of the band Incubus. He ran a hand over it, ever so lightly. She smiled to herself.
"It's great, isn't it? It's my favorite. Craig's too."
JT dropped his hand and turned around. He walked over to her desk and scanned it. He picked up a picture. It was of her and Craig. Very recent. She was on his back, giving him a noogie. They were both screaming in laughter. Thoughts over took JT's mind and he squeezed the picture frame. Sophia smiled when she saw JT looking at the picture. She obviously couldn't see the expression on his face. He tilted his head to her, and she caught something in his eyes that frightened her.
"What's wrong, Craig?" She said quickly, worried. She obviously didn't know she said Craig instead of JT. That was the last straw. JT chucked the picture across the room. It hit the wall with a loud SMACK. Sophia jumped back quickly, but not quickly enough. JT was on her already. Squeezing her shoulders, he shook her with every word.
"'I'M JT! YOU'RE BOYFRIEND. NOT CRAIG. NOT ANYONE ELSE. JUST ME. YOU STUPID BITCH!"
He pushed her backwards and she hit the wall. She wasn't going to stand for this.
"JT, get the hell out of my -"
JT brought up his left fist and backhanded her. She went to the ground, landing in the corner, hand on her face now, cradling the new bruise that was forming. She looked up at him with broken eyes. His face was cold and unforgiving. His eyes were blank. He spoke.
"Learn your place in this relationship. Your time is spent with me. Not some other guy. And don't try to tell me what to do, bitch. I wear the pants here, not you."
He turned and left, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Sophia pulled her knees close to her and began to cry. She was so confused. She liked JT. A lot. 'Do I love him? I think I do. I know he loves me. I know it. That was just…an accident. I shouldn't have made him mad.'
She pushed herself up using the wall and walked to the bathroom. Wondering if her mom was home, she shut and locked the door behind her. She looked in the mirror.
"Whoa. train wreck." She whispered to herself. Make-up was all blotchy from crying, and her left cheek was blue, black, and yellow. It disgusted her to look at it. It disgusted her to look at herself. With one swift movement, she drove her fist into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. She watched as they all reflected her broken spirit. Her hand was now bleeding, but she couldn't feel it. Sophia pulled open a drawer and took out some gauze pads and a wrap around bandage. After rinsing her hand, she applied the gauze pads to her knuckles and secured them with the wrap around bandage, which was then secured with a safety pin. There wasn't much she could do about her face, so she washed it, getting off all of the make-up. Now her cheek had puffed up. Coming out of the bathroom, she quietly walked to the kitchen, looking around corners to see if her mom was home. No sign of her yet. Nearing the refrigerator, she opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice pack. She rapped it in a dish towel and put it on her cheek. Then she went back to her room and laid down, thinking of how to explain all of this to her mom. No matter what it takes, she had to protect JT. He was hurt inside, and to Sophia, it wasn't his fault. It was her fault. 'It is always my fault…'
Sophia whipped around. She had a sudden feeling of dejavu, seeing as Craig had said the same thing to her early yesterday morning. But the brown haired boy wasn't Craig. It was JT. A smile spread across her face, but his stayed as gloomy as a dark cloud on a little girl's birthday.
"JT! Hey!"
She ran up to him and through her arms around his neck in a hug, and pecked his cheek when she let go. He didn't bother to return the hug. She didn't notice.
"What are you doing here?" She motioned with an arm to The Dot, which they were standing outside of.
"Just…going to get some food." He said flatly. "You?" He asked.
"Oh, me and Craig were celebrating!"
"You. And Craig. Celebrating. Celebrating what exactly."
Sophia caught the disdainful tone in his voice and took a tiny step back.
"We both got fours on our AP Exams!" She looked like a balloon about to burst.
"oh. Congratulations. I knew you could do it." Although she knew it was the thought that counted, she wondered what was wrong with him. He was never so…emotionless. So cold. She put her hands in her pockets as the wind blew, flipping her hair in her eyes.
"Listen, I know we haven't see much of each other in the last couple days, but -"
"It's okay. Really. Why don't we just hang now?" He suggested, with a tiny bit of enthusiasm.
"Okaay, sounds great. Let's go to my place."
They didn't exchange more than glances as they made their way through Sophia's house and into her living room. She flopped down onto the floor, obviously exhausted. JT sat next to her heaving body Indian-style. She turned onto her side and propped her head up with her arm so she could look at him.
"So….anything new?" JT asked, feeling awkward not talking to his girlfriend. He still seemed a little off to her.
"Um, not much. Just been hanging out with Craig.." She saw JT roll his eyes. She stood, wanting to change the subject.
"You wanna see my room? It's pretty awesome I hear."
He stood and nodded his head. She grabbed his hand and led him to her room, opening the door in a dramtic fashion.
"Tada!"
JT seemed to be studying everything in there. All the posters, the decorations placed sporadically everywhere. It looked like a record store and Pier One Imports merged and then blew up in her room. He walked up to a sand painting of the band Incubus. He ran a hand over it, ever so lightly. She smiled to herself.
"It's great, isn't it? It's my favorite. Craig's too."
JT dropped his hand and turned around. He walked over to her desk and scanned it. He picked up a picture. It was of her and Craig. Very recent. She was on his back, giving him a noogie. They were both screaming in laughter. Thoughts over took JT's mind and he squeezed the picture frame. Sophia smiled when she saw JT looking at the picture. She obviously couldn't see the expression on his face. He tilted his head to her, and she caught something in his eyes that frightened her.
"What's wrong, Craig?" She said quickly, worried. She obviously didn't know she said Craig instead of JT. That was the last straw. JT chucked the picture across the room. It hit the wall with a loud SMACK. Sophia jumped back quickly, but not quickly enough. JT was on her already. Squeezing her shoulders, he shook her with every word.
"'I'M JT! YOU'RE BOYFRIEND. NOT CRAIG. NOT ANYONE ELSE. JUST ME. YOU STUPID BITCH!"
He pushed her backwards and she hit the wall. She wasn't going to stand for this.
"JT, get the hell out of my -"
JT brought up his left fist and backhanded her. She went to the ground, landing in the corner, hand on her face now, cradling the new bruise that was forming. She looked up at him with broken eyes. His face was cold and unforgiving. His eyes were blank. He spoke.
"Learn your place in this relationship. Your time is spent with me. Not some other guy. And don't try to tell me what to do, bitch. I wear the pants here, not you."
He turned and left, slamming her bedroom door behind her. Sophia pulled her knees close to her and began to cry. She was so confused. She liked JT. A lot. 'Do I love him? I think I do. I know he loves me. I know it. That was just…an accident. I shouldn't have made him mad.'
She pushed herself up using the wall and walked to the bathroom. Wondering if her mom was home, she shut and locked the door behind her. She looked in the mirror.
"Whoa. train wreck." She whispered to herself. Make-up was all blotchy from crying, and her left cheek was blue, black, and yellow. It disgusted her to look at it. It disgusted her to look at herself. With one swift movement, she drove her fist into the mirror, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. She watched as they all reflected her broken spirit. Her hand was now bleeding, but she couldn't feel it. Sophia pulled open a drawer and took out some gauze pads and a wrap around bandage. After rinsing her hand, she applied the gauze pads to her knuckles and secured them with the wrap around bandage, which was then secured with a safety pin. There wasn't much she could do about her face, so she washed it, getting off all of the make-up. Now her cheek had puffed up. Coming out of the bathroom, she quietly walked to the kitchen, looking around corners to see if her mom was home. No sign of her yet. Nearing the refrigerator, she opened the freezer door and pulled out an ice pack. She rapped it in a dish towel and put it on her cheek. Then she went back to her room and laid down, thinking of how to explain all of this to her mom. No matter what it takes, she had to protect JT. He was hurt inside, and to Sophia, it wasn't his fault. It was her fault. 'It is always my fault…'