9

Amy

Where was she? I thought to myself as I typed yet another text message to Cat. We agreed yesterday that we'd try to make plans to hang out today. Usually if she got caught up with Shadow, she'd let me know. The fact that she wasn't answering my messages made my stomach roll. That girl always had her phone on her. Sure, she didn't answer everyone's messages, but she damn sure answered all of mine.

Sighing, I rose from the couch and walked down the hall to Papa's painting room. I knocked softly on the door. "Hey, I'm going over to Cat's. I may or may not be right back,' I yelled through the door.

"Alright, chiquita," Papa yelled in return.

I grabbed my jacket before I went out the door. I walked over to our neighbor's house and ascended the porch steps. After knocking on the door, I leaned against the railing and waited for someone to answer.

To my surprise, Sonic was the one who opened the door. He was barely dressed, only clad in his plaid cotton pajama pants. His curls were tousled on his head. His eyes were still narrow from sleep. The wounds on his face from the fight he refused to tell me about were gradually healing. The bruise around his eye had begun to fade, and his busted lip was barely noticeable. He leaned against the side of the doorway. "Hey," he said.

"Hi. Is Sonia here? I've been trying to get a hold of her since last night and she hasn't responded to any one of my texts."

"Nah she's not here. Last night, she mentioned something about staying over at her boyfriend's house so I'm assuming she's just not back yet." He shrugged. "Knowing her, she might just stay the whole day with him. She'll probably be home tomorrow after she gets off of work."

"Okay. Thanks." I turned to leave. I wasn't even able to take a step before his hand was around my wrist.

"Hey," he said softly. "You don't have to go. You can stay if you want."

I raised an eyebrow. "And hang out with you?"

Sonic offered a lazy smile. "Sure. It'll be like old times."

I shrugged. "Okay." She poked at his toned abdomen as I walked into the house. "Put some clothes on."

He closed the door behind me. "Why? We're in my house. I can walk around however I like." A grin tugged at his lips. "Are my muscles distracting you? I know they're nice, but I'm sure you can keep your little boyfriend in the back of your mind when they're out in the open."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't flatter yourself." I took off my winter gear and neatly set them around the coat rack in the hall. I walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

I sunk into the cushions, falling directly into the indent left by Sonic's body. The television was flickering with images of choreographed fight scenes from some action movie. I grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

"Hey," Sonic yelled. "I was watching that!"

"Not anymore. I was watching `Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta' when I was home, so we're going to watch that. They're having a marathon today."

Sonic narrowed his eyes. "I'm not watching that bullshit."

"Sounds like a personal problem." I smiled as Sonic tried to snatch the remote back. I moved my arm before he could grab it.

Sonic returned the sly smile - then, he hit me with one of the couch pillows. He grabbed the remote while I was stunned from the sudden impact. A chuckle escaped his lips as I yelled out in protest. He ran away from me, holding the remote high above his head.

I chased him around the living room for a few minutes. When I was close enough, I jumped onto his back and wrapped my legs around his ribcage. I climbed up his torso with my arm wound tightly around his neck. My other hand was reaching up to his, trying desperately to reach the remote.

"You're not gonna reach it, short stack," Sonic taunted.

"Shut up!" I replied. "Give me the damn remote!"

"No."

I lowered my hand down to his chest and twisted his nipple.

"Shit!" he yelled in pain. "Alright, now you're just gonna have to fight me since you wanna play dirty." Sonic tossed the remote onto the nearby coffee table.

He unwound my legs from around him and set me down. He turned to face me and shoved my shoulders. . With a grin, he put up his fists. "Come on, short stack. Give me a fair one since you always wanna play."

I giggled. I swung my small fists at Sonic's face, earning a few soft hits at his cheeks.

He easily grabbed my arms and stopped my movement. He used one of his

hands to restrain my arms and the other to hold me by the waist. He wrapped his leg around mine and flipped me to the ground. I took him down with me.

I rolled us over and straddled his hips. In my position, I gently slapped his cheeks and send soft punches to his chest.

Sonic grabbed my hands, flipping us over again. He used one of his hands to pin my arms down over my head and the other to tickle my stomach.

Laughing uncontrollably, I squirmed and wiggled underneath him. I tried to use my feet to push him away, but he refused to budge. "Wait, wait," I said between my giggles. "I can't breathe! I can't breathe! Stop! Stop!"

Sonic immediately ceased his attack. His eyes watched my chest heave up and down as I regained her breath. Grinning, he leaned his head directly over mine, his brown eyes boring into my green ones.

"You give up?" he asked.

"No," I replied between her pants.

Sonic raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly he collapsed down on top of me, allowing all of his weight to knock the wind out of me.

I coughed under his weight. "Sonic!" I yelled. "You're heavy! Get off!"

"No," Sonic said simply. "I'm not getting off until you say you give up."

"Alright, alright. I give up."

He smiled. "Fucking punk," he said as he finally rolled off of me. He retrieved the remote and changed the channel back to the film he'd been watching. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to finish this movie. You can either join me or I can put you on your ass again; I'll leave the

choice up to you."

I sat up. "What movie is it?"

"One of the fast and furious movies; I don't remember which one."

"Hmm, I guess I'll watch it. Just don't hog up the entire couch."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. With a straight face, he hopped over the

couch and stretched himself over the cushions.

I rolled my eyes, silently cursing him for being the annoying prick that he was. I grabbed a folded blanket from the top of the couch and sat in the small space left between his long legs. I leaned back against the couch cushions and turned all my attention to the movie.

Sonic fell asleep on me within the next half hour. I'd turned my attention to him to ask if he wanted something to drink when I noticed his light snoring. His eyes were shut, and his mouth gaped open. I shook my head at him. Leave it to him to ask for a hang out and then fall asleep. Watching him, a nap actually didn't sound too bad.

Cautiously, I scooted down the couch and lay my head down on his chest - a few inches below his heart. Sleep didn't take me, but I was able to relax for a few hours, basking in the warmth and safety of Sonic' body heat.

After a few hours, Sonic fidgeted under me as he slowly woke from his nap.

"What time is it," he asked groggily.

"It's almost three," I murmured. "We've been watching fast and furious movies for almost four hours now. At this point, I think we're too committed to stop."

"Hmm, well I'm getting cramps from laying on this couch so we'll have to take a little break." He slowly sat up.

I got off of him and leaned my head over the side of the couch.

Sonic slid one of his legs from around me and cracked his back. He stood up. "I'll be right back. I have to pee," he said.

"Don't miss the toilet bowl."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "I know how to aim." He winked at me. "At more than just the toilet bowl."

I grimaced. "Ew. Go to the bathroom, you weirdo."

Sonic chuckled as he exited the room.

In his absence, I checked my phone, hoping to see a message from Cat. Instead, I was met with an abundance of texts from Jet.

Jet: Hey

Jet: What are you doing?

Jet: Do you wanna hang out later? I can take you out to dinner.

Jet: Are you okay?

Jet: Hello?

Jet: Are you busy?

Jet: Are you napping?

Jet: When you wake up, give me a call.

I squealed as my body was lifted from the couch. My phone tumbled to the ground as my arms wrapped around Sonic's neck, clinging on for dear life. "What are you doing?" I yelled.

He smiled. "Startling you." He set me down on his lap as he took a seat on the couch. "So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?" he asked.

I shrugged. "There's nothing really to do. It's still cold out."

"It's not that cold out," Sonic replied. "How about we take a walk to the store or something? Are you hungry? I'm starving."

"Sure." I eased off his lap, moving out of the room to grab my coat and boots. Sonic followed me, grabbing his heavier coat off of the rack. He threw it on top of his hoodie.

We headed outside into the chilly weather and walked down the sidewalk.

"Where did you wanna get food?" I asked, glancing at Sonic.

He'd pulled his hood up, pushing his curls down against his forehead. "I don't know. Where did you wanna go? As long as I get food, I don't care."

I shrugged. "I could go for a good sub right now."

"We can stop at Vinny's. They have some good sandwiches there. How does that sound?"

I nodded. "Sounds good!"

We walked the short distance to the small corner sandwich shop. The store wasn't too small; it was furnished with a large counter, a hidden kitchen, and cushioned booths lining the perimeter. The shop wasn't too full at the moment. Most people used the place as a grab and go. It was known to have a steady influx of people, and having the best sandwiches

in the neighborhood.

Sonic nudged me with his elbow. "Tell me what you want so you can find us a table."

"A turkey sub with mayonnaise, lettuce, sweet peppers, and oregano would be great. Oh and let me get a bottle of orange soda and a bag of honey cheese curls too." I reached to unzip my purse, but Sonic set his hand on mine.

"I've got it," he said. He nodded towards the empty booths lining the opposite side of the shop. "Go find a table."

Complying to his request, I wandered to a booth in the back and took a seat. My phone buzzed in my pocket. Instinctively, I pulled it out, hopeful Sonia was texting me back. Unfortunately, it was just another text from Jet.

Jet: Are you up yet?

This kid really wasn't going to leave me alone, was he? Sighing, I started composing a reply.

Me: Hey, sorry I didn't respond! I was hanging out with a friend. Maybe we can hang out next weekend?

Jet: Who are you with?

Me: Why does that matter?

Jet: You're with him, aren't you?

Me: It's not a big deal.

Jet: How come you're always with him?

Me: Because we're friends. We've already talked about this.

Jet: Right. Okay.

Jet: Can you be all mine next Saturday night?

Me: Yeah, sure. Dinner and a movie?

Jet: If that's what you want, sure.

In my peripheral vision, I noticed Sonic's hands setting down a tray of drinks and food. I glanced up at him, expecting to meet his gaze. Instead, I noticed his eyes were on my phone screen, examining the small slew of messages between Jet and I. Quickly, I locked my phone and set it face down on the table. Offering him a feigned smile, I thanked him for our meal.

"No problem." He nodded to my phone. "Your not-so-secret admirer is bothering you?"

"He was just checking on me," I lied.

"So, are the two of you a thing now?"

I shrugged. "I guess. I mean, he's been making it pretty clear that we're not in the same situation we were before."

"How? By running his hands all over you?"

"No," I replied quickly. "He's just been a lot nicer – more romantic. He tapes flowers on my locker, buys me chocolates out of the blue, and we've been going out a little bit more – just the two of us. He's been really sweet."

Sonic shook his head. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. His eyes held mine, the familiar green flames rustling through his brown irises. "He's been very hands-on."

I mimicked his stance. "What is your problem with him?" I asked. "What's so awful about him that you catch an attitude every time I bring him up?"

"I don't like him."

"Why?"

"I don't like the way he looks at you – or the way he touches you. He's a fucking scumbag pretending to be a knight in shining armor. He's only being nice to you because he wants to get in your pants. That's all he's ever wanted." He paused, noticing the deep frown appearing on my lips. "Look," he said in a softer tone. "I just don't like him, alright? I didn't like any of the other shitheads you dated either, so it's not anything new. I just worry about you."

"I know," I murmured. "But you don't have to be an asshole about it. Jet is nice to me, and I like him; can we leave it at that?"

"Sure," Sonic reluctantly grumbled. "Just know I won't hesitate to kick his ass if he steps out of line or makes you upset."

A smile tugged at my lips. "I know." I uncrossed my arms and straightened my composure. I picked at the chips in the bag. "Enough talking about me. Let's talk about what's going on with you. Sonia said she found some college pamphlets on your dresser."

"Tell your friend to stop going through my shit."

I rolled my eyes. "So, what's the verdict? You're going to college?"

"Yup - University of Illinois. I'll be commuting to their campus downtown in the fall." He popped a Hot Cheeto into his mouth. "By then, I should have my car. I've been saving up to buy one the used cars from Mr. Deemer's dealership. With the hours Benny's been giving me, I should have enough money before the end of the school year."

"That's great, Sonic! Are you gonna drive me around in your fancy car? I'll give you a dollar to be my chauffeur for junior prom."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You're lucky if I don't 'accidentally' run you over." With a smirk, he threw a Hot Cheeto at me. Crunching on another one between his teeth, he leaned down in his seat. His gaze turned to the setting sun, the golden hues splaying against his brown skin.

Silently, I admired his irises as the sun's golden rays transformed them into sparkling emeralds. His full lips, pulled into a frown more often than not these days, sported his signature smirk. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed such a simple sight - or how many tiny fireflies it summoned to my stomach.

Sonic glanced at me, our eyes connecting for a brief moment. His smile threatened to grow, and an inch of his walls briefly fell. And just like that, the spark I thought we'd put to rest was lit again.