Chapter 45
"Kyle! Hi!" she said, walking up beside him.
"Hey Sarah...how's it going?" Kyle said, smiling at her.
"Everything is going great. How about you?" she said.
"It's going okay for me too." he said.
"Just okay?" she asked, slightly teasing him.
Kyle laughed a bit. "Okay...it's going great...even if our professor just dumped a ton of work on us." he said.
"I'm sure it'll be a walk in the park for you." Sarah said.
"That's easy for you to say...if you haven't noticed, I'm not a genius like your highness!" he said, referring to her name which meant princess from an old language.
"Thank you!" said Sarah laughing along with him when they heard someone call out her name.
"Hey Sarah...wow, you look good today!" Neil said, walking beside her.
"Thank you Neil...by the way, this is my friend Kyle...we have a few classes together." said Sarah as Kyle nodded at Neil while not getting a response from him.
"Hey." Kyle said.
Neil didn't pay him any attention. "Hey I was thinking of inviting you over for lunch at the cafeteria." he said.
"Yeah sure!" said Sarah. "Kyle can come along right?" she said.
"Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing when he walked up to us." said Kyle.
"Well too bad for you, I asked her first." said Neil.
"It's because I was talking to her." Kyle answered back, trying to stand his ground even if he was becoming nervous since Neil was taller and bigger than him.
"We're both talking to her man! So why don't you get back to your little friends." said Neil, staring Kyle straight in the eye.
"Uh guys...cool it will you? It's just lunch!" said Sarah, feeling the tension between the two.
"I'm cool alright...it's this guy who needs to scram." Neil said before pushing Kyle.
Kyle was surprised and took a bad step, making him fall on his back and making Sarah scream at the confrontation between the two while some of the people on the hallway noticed the small commotion.
"Neil! Why did you do that!" Sarah yelled before going down to help Kyle out. "Kyle are you alright?" she said.
"I think I hurt my back a little bit." said Kyle as he picked up his glasses and put it back on his nose before touching his back.
Sarah helped Kyle on his feet before facing Neil. "Why did you do that!?" she yelled, channeling the Nebraskan heritage she got from her mother.
"If your boyfriend can't defend himself, then what makes you think he can defend you huh?" Neil told Sarah, slightly surprising her.
"He's not my boyfriend! And neither are you, so stay away from me!" Sarah yelled back at him.
"Well you better tell him that, because that's clearly his intention." Neil said, before walking away. "I'm outta here." he said as the other people looked at him before going back to whatever they were doing.
"Ave you alright?" Sarah asked Kyle.
"I'm okay Sarah...thanks." he said, giving her an awkward look. "I'm sorry about this." he added.
"I should've known he was trouble but I hung out with him anyway." said Sarah. "Is it true? About what he said?" she asked.
Kyle bowed his head, slightly ashamed of being put in the situation. "I'm sorry Sarah..." he said.
Sarah took a deep breath and tried not to freak out, keeping herself from saying something which might hurt Kyle. "Kyle...I don't know what to say..." she said.
Kyle finally summoned whatever courage he had left. "Sarah...I know you're still sixteen and Tom was right, I'm just gonna get myself in trouble for this and if you don't want to see me anymore, I'll totally understand." he said.
Sarah stood back and lightly threw her hands in the air. "Kyle...I'm gonna go now...I just need some air." she said before walking away.
Kyle sighed and leaned his back against the wall, feeling conflicted about his feelings for Sarah. He decided to go to the men's room to splash some water on his face before going to his next class, hoping that it'll distract him for a while.
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Later that afternoon...
"Hey sweetheart! How was your day?" Penny said while putting her arm over her daughter's shoulder.
"I'm tired mom...is it okay if I take the passenger seat?" said Sarah.
"No problem sweetheart." said Penny before getting in the car. "Are you alright?" she asked, noticing the glum expression on her daughter's face.
Sarah put her seat belt on and sat back. "Mom please, not now!" she said.
Penny gave her a weak smile and tapped her shoulder. "It's one of those days huh? Okay...I'll leave you alone for now." Penny said before putting the in gear and driving off the parking jot.
They were driving for about fifteen minutes when Penny suddenly drove off the road, slightly surprising her daughter.
"Uh where are we going?" asked Sarah.
"I'm gonna get some frozen yogurt...do you want some?" asked Penny while smiling at her daughter.
Sarah sighed, amused by how her mother tries to cheer her up. "Fine...I want strawberry." said the young lady.
"Okay sweetheart...do you want some toppings with that?" asked Penny, knowing what her daughter likes.
"Do you really need to ask that question?" Sarah said, smiling a bit.
"Hey...I'm just trying to cheer my daughter up!" Penny said, glad that her daughter was already opening up.
Sarah sighed. "Fine...thanks mom...but I'm still not telling you anything..." she said.
"Fine sweetie...your father and I are gonna find out anyway..." Penny said as she stopped the car, rolling down the window to get their order in. After a few minutes, they were back on the road with Sarah enjoying her cup of frozen strawberry yogurt topped with some chocolate sprinkles.
"Thanks mom." Sarah said, earning a smile from her mother.
"You're welcome sweetheart...your dad and I just want you and your brother to be happy." Penny said. "But if you don't want to tell me anything, then it's fine...just make sure to think it over before you make a decision okay? You don't want to make the same mistakes I did when I was your age." Penny said.
"I know mom...you don't have to keep reminding me of how 'interesting' your teenage years were." said Sarah, making Penny laugh.
"Well...'interesting' is a good way to put it." Penny said while laughing a little as she continued driving on the road.
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Meanwhile in New Jersey...
"I hope you're hungry babe..." William said as he went inside Erin's apartment, finding her with a few classmates huddled around the coffee table, working on their school stuff. "Uh...hi..." he said.
"I'm sorry babe...but we already bought a couple boxes of pizzas..." said Erin. "We're trying to finish this...our deadline is in a few days." she said.
"Erin...check this out." said Bobby, one of Erin's classmates who was sitting beside her.
"That might work...why don't you try this color instead?" said Erin, getting the mouse from Bobby and clicking on the screen.
Bobby did what Erin said. "Wow...this looks much better now...thanks Erin." said Bobby, giving Erin a high-five.
"No problem." she said.
"You know what, it's alright...I'll just eat alone in my apartment." William said as he turned around and pulled the door behind him.
Erin quickly stood up, knowing that William wasn't glad of not spending time with her. "Hey babe...are you mad?" she asked as she ran after him outside the hall.
"No I'm not...you just finish whatever it is you're doing." he said, trying to hide his jealousy. "I'm fine...don't worry about it." he added, kissing her cheek before turning back to his apartment.
"We'll hang out later okay?" Erin said.
"I'm a little tired Erin, I'm just gonna eat and go straight to bed." said William.
Erin smiled at him. "Okay...we'll hang out tomorrow then." she said before kissing his lips.
"Yeah sure." he said before going to his apartment while Erin did the same, joining her classmates back in her apartment.
Once inside the apartment, William went straight to the bathroom, splashing some water on his face and trying hard to control his emotions, trying to tell himself that Erin would never cheat on him. He remembered the time when they fought after running in with her ex-boyfriend Ronny. He shook himself and decided to eat his dinner and wash up afterwards to sleep early.
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Back in California...
"Sarah...wait up!" Kyle said as he ran up to her toward the exit of their building.
"Hi...I haven't seen you in two days." Sarah said, hoping it wouldn't get weird between the two of them.
"I had some stuff to do." said Kyle. "Listen Sarah...can we talk for a few minutes?" he asked.
Sarah nodded. "Okay, sure." she said as she followed him to the side. "What is it Kyle?" she asked, having a slight idea of what he might say.
"Sarah, I'm sorry for what happened the other day and I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore...I know we're just friends and I would like us to stay friends but if you don't want to then it's also fine with me..." said Kyle almost to the point of rambling on.
Sarah smiled and touched his arm to stop him from rambling on. "Kyle...slow down...you're not making any sense." she said.
"Oh...sorry about that." he said, giving her an awkward smile.
"Kyle...you're a nice guy and I would like to stay friends with you." she said. "It's just that I kinda told myself that I wouldn't date guys 'till I'm eighteen...it's not about you or anything, it's just something I want for myself...and besides, I want to focus on school first." said Sarah.
"Oh? Okay...I understand." said Kyle.
Sarah smiled at him. "Thank you Kyle...and please, I don't want things to get weird between us..." she said.
"Sure...no problem...no more weird and awkward stuff." Kyle said, making Sarah smile. "Friends?" he said, offering her a fist bump.
Sarah laughed and bumped her fist with his. "Friends."
Kyle smiled back, feeling a great sense of relief after clearing out the air between him and Sarah. "Well...as your friend, would it be okay if I walked out with you to the gate?" he said, making her laugh.
"Yeah sure...my mom is already waiting for me at the parking lot." said Sarah as they start walking out.
"Why don't you just borrow her car so she won't have to drive back and forth every day? Might save you guys some gas money." Kyle said.
"Do you want the short answer or the long answer?" Sarah said, making him laugh.
"You know what...you don't have to answer, I kinda have an idea why." he said. "And besides, if I chose the long version, I might as well come with you so you could tell it to me over dinner at your house...which would be so weird." he said, making her laugh.
Outside on the parking lot, Penny saw her daughter from afar, talking and laughing with Kyle as they were walking toward her direction. She decided to hide behind a tree and observe them, knowing that her husband would want to know what their daughter is up to, especially with her social life. She looked at her daughter and Kyle and can't help see herself and Leonard when they were younger. She was then startled when someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her jump from her 'hiding spot'.
"Mrs. Hofstadter...I'm sorry for scaring you." said a lady, much less the same age as she was. "I'm Mrs. Chen, one of Sarah's professors." she said.
Penny took a deep breath. "Huh...you scared me to death." said Penny, shaking her hand. "May I ask how my daughter is doing in her classes?" she asked.
"Well...you should be very proud of your daughter...she's exeptionally smart for her age." said Mrs. Chen.
"Wow...that's good to know. Thank you." Penny said. "What about her attitude? Is she giving anyone of her professors any grief or something?" asked Penny.
"Well...you can say that's certainly what makes her stand out...she's young, she's smart...and full of sass." said professor Chen, making Penny sigh and bow her head.
"Oh god...not again." Penny said, making Mrs. Chen laugh.
"I guess she was like that from the beginning huh?" said professor Chen.
"Yeah...why do you think my husband's hair has turned grey for the past decade?" Penny said.
"Well, it's not like your daughter is a bad student or anything...it's just slightly amusing to watch her when she's on full Nebraskan-mode...I heard her say that once." said Mrs. Chen, making Penny laugh.
"Yeah...you can put that blame on me." Penny said, making Sarah's professor laugh when Sarah and Kyle walked up to them.
"Mom...Prof. Chen...hi." said Sarah.
"I was on my way out when I saw your mom." said Mrs. Chen.
"Listen Sarah, I gotta go...bye Mrs. Hofstadter...bye professor..." Kyle said, waving goodbye to them.
"Bye Kyle...see you tomorrow." Sarah said while waving at him.
"I think I'm gonna go too. It was nice talking to you Mrs. Hofstadter." said Mrs. Chen.
"Bye professor!" Sarah said as she followed her mother towards the car.
"His name is Kyle right?" Penny asked her daughter.
"Yeah." said Sarah as she opened the door and got inside.
"Hmm...he seems like a nice guy." Penny said, earning a glaring look from her daughter.
"Mom, please stop it!" said the young lady.
"What!? I'm not doing anything!" said Penny, clearly teasing her daughter and trying to find out more about Kyle.
"I'm a genius mom...I know you're trying to know more about Kyle." Sarah said. "And to quell your curiosity, we're just friends." she added.
Penny nodded and gave her a goofy smile. "Friends...gotcha...that clears things up a bit." she said.
"Mom please cut it out!" Sarah protested.
"Okay fine, I'll back off." said Penny before putting the car in gear and driving out of the parking lot.
After almost an hour of silence in the car, Penny and her daughter arrived home, finding Leonard in the living room drinking a bottle of beer with Marty sitting by his side.
"Hey guys! I got home early, What's up?" he said as Penny sat beside him and kissed his lips, while Sarah looked on, slightly disgusted and Marty running up to greet her big sister.
"Eww...so gross." said Sarah as she picked the dog up in her arms and walked straight to the stairs. "Hey boy...did you miss me?" she said as Marty tried to lick her face, excited in being with her again while wagging his tail.
"How's school honey?" asked Leonard as Penny snuggled to his side and took the TV remote, looking for a good show.
"It's fine dad." said Sarah.
"Sarah was talking to a boy." Penny chimed in, making Sarah grunt at her mother.
"Mom!" yelled Sarah, slightly surprising the dog.
"Who was she talking to?" asked Leonard, looking at his wife and daughter.
"Do you remember when she invited some of her classmates over here to do some school stuff? You know the guy with the glasses...Kyle?" said Penny as Sarah walked away stomping her feet.
"I'm not gonna stay here and take this! I told you we're just friends!" Sarah said, almost yelling as she went upstairs to her room.
The couple stayed quiet and looked at their daughter as she threw a tantrum, slamming her bedroom door and venting out her frustration while stomping her feet.
"What was that all about?" asked Leonard, slightly amused by his daughter's blow out.
"I saw them coming out of the campus, laughing and talking with each other...so I decided to hide behind a tree and observe them." said Penny, making Leonard laugh.
"You spied on them?" he asked.
Penny gave him a playful smile. "You know me!" she said, proud of what she did.
"Come on...I wanna know more." Leonard said.
"So I was hiding behind this tree when one of Sarah's professors saw me...Mrs. Chen...I was so scared that I almost peed my pants." Penny said as Leonard laughed.
"Now I'm getting confused...I thought you were spying on your daughter?" he asked.
"I was...but then her professor came up from behind me and startled me." said Penny.
"Okay...did she tell you anything about our precious daughter?" he asked, making Penny laugh.
"Nothing out of the ordinary...how smart she is...and her sass going all over the place." said Penny as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Well she is your daughter after all." he said, laughing a bit.
Penny faced him and smiled. "Hmm..." she said before moving up to kiss him. They were then surprised when Sarah suddenly came up behind them.
"I knew you were spying on me!" yelled Sarah while cuddling Marty in her arms.
The couple quickly turned around. "How long have you been standing there?" asked Leonard.
"Long enough to know that you're talking about me." said Sarah, giving her parents a stern look.
"Okay fine...we'll stop sniffing around your affairs...happy now?" asked Penny.
Sarah pouted her lips before turning around. "Thank you." she said as she walked away. "I'm sorry for scaring you Marty...let's get you something to eat." she added, making Marty bark at her, grateful for his sister's affection and care.
Penny looked back, making sure the coast is clear before kissing her husband again. "Don't worry honey, I'll tell you everything later after sex." Penny said, making Leonard laugh.
"Hmm...sounds exciting." said Leonard. "Now let's make some dinner...we need a lot of energy later." he added, making Penny squeal as he nuzzled her neck.
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Back in New Jersey...
"Hey babe...I hope you're hungry." Erin said as she stepped inside William's apartment carrying a paper bag with their food inside. "How's work?" she asked.
"It's fine I guess." he unenthusiastically said.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" Erin asked, touching his forehead.
"I'm fine Erin." He said.
Erin faced him and folded her arms. "You're clearly not okay...tell me what is it?" she said. "Don't tell me you're still mad about last night?" she said.
"Let's just eat." said William, trying to dodge Erin's question.
"Oh my god...you are mad about last night." she said. "Why are you mad at me for doing school stuff?"
"I told you, I'm not mad." he said.
"Then what is it?!" Erin asked, almost yelling at him. "Don't tell me you're jealous again?" she said, looking him in the eye. "You are jealous!" she said.
"I'm not jealous Erin." William said.
Erin sighed and held his hand. "Come here." she said, leading him to sit on the couch. "You don't have to be jealous of my classmates?" she asked as William slightly bowed his head. "Look at me." she said, touching his chin.
"I'm sorry...I can't help it sometimes." said William.
Erin took a deep breath. "Babe...you have to stop this jealousy thing or this will break us up...when are you gonna start trusting me?" she asked.
"I do trust you Erin...it's just that sometimes I can't help myself, especially when I see you with other guys." he said.
Erin gave him a weak smile, seemingly seeing the young boy in front of her. "Come here." she said, pulling him in for a hug.
"I'm sorry." William said, grateful for his girlfriend's understanding.
"Look at me...I would never cheat on you." she said before kissing his lips. "Okay?"
William nodded. "Okay...the food's getting cold." he said, making Erin laugh.
"Let's eat..." she said while unpacking the food on the coffee table. "...and later we'll have sex so you can show me how jealous you are." she added, making William blush.
"That's not funny." he said.
Erin took a dumpling and shoved it into his mouth. "It is funny to me." Erin said, laughing at how cute William can sometimes be as they start having dinner.
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Later that night, the young couple laid naked in bed, breathing hard after having sex.
"So...we almost had a fight because of my jealousy issues and we somehow ended up having sex?" asked William as Erin laid her head on his shoulder.
Erin moved up and looked at him. "Are you complaining?"
"No...we should probably fight more often." he said, laughing out loud.
Erin didn't like what he said and punched his arm. "You're an idiot!"
William hugged her tight. "I'm only joking babe...come here." he said.
"Hmm." she mumbled as she pushed her face onto his neck. "Let's get some sleep...I have to be early to class tomorrow."
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In California...
Sarah was getting ready for bed when she heard Marty whimpering outside her door. She opened her door as the dog darted and ran inside, excited in joining his big sister.
"Let me guess...you want to sleep in here, right?" Sarah said to the dog. Marty barked and jumped while running excitedly around her. "Okay fine...but you have to promise not to make a mess around my room." she said as the dog sat on the floor, looking at her while wagging his tail.
"Come here..." she said, letting the dog jump onto the bed to join her. "Something happened in school today..." she said as Marty looked at her, barking softly. "A couple of guys has a crush on me..." she said as Marty crawled toward her and licked her face.
Sarah was slightly tickled by her dog's affection. "What do you think Marty...do you think I'm ready to have a boyfriend again?" she asked.
Marty suddenly growled, slightly surprising Sarah. "Okay fine...I get it...you don't want me dating another guy again..." she said as she sat up and turned off her bedside lamp. "You know I can always give you back to the pet rescue center right?" she said as Marty suddenly whimpered, making sad noises at the notion of his sister putting him up for adoption.
Sarah laughed and pulled Marty close, sniffing his fur and letting him snuggle to her side. "Don't worry...it would take the end of the world before I give you up for adoption." she said as she she pulled the blanket over her, glad that her dog never fails to make her feel better even if he wouldn't actually understand what's going on in her mind.