Thanks for the reviews guys, i really appreciate them. If i spell something wrong then let me know, English isn't my first language so i'm bound to make a lot of mistakes.
"Soph have you got all your stuff packed for Ryan and Taylor's?" Sandy asked, rapping lightly at the door of his 17 year old daughter's frosty pink room, before walking in.
"Like I need much. I have a stash of clothes there that Ryan and Taylor buy for me." Sophie replied, tossing her long blond silky locks over her shoulder. "I don't understand why I couldn't stay with Seth and Summer though?"
Sandy sighed as he perched himself down on the end of her bed. "Because Summer only had Marissa a couple of weeks ago sweetheart. There still adjusting to the baby and I'm sure they want time alone with her." Sandy explained, watching as Sophie glumly picked up her IPOD and slid it into her designer handbag.
"Why don't you want to stay with Ryan and Taylor? They spoil you rotten and you know Ryan adores you beyond belief."
"I know that." Sophie agreed sinking down onto the bed beside her father. "And I love Ryan to pieces and Taylor too of course, despite her weirdness… But James is beyond irritating."
"He's a good guy." Sandy retorted, placing a comforting hand on his daughters back. "And he can't take all the blame for the amount of fights you two have, your both as bad as each other, you wind each other up."
"Dad he -"
"No excuses Sophie you know its true."
"Whatever." Sophie shrugged, getting to her feet again to have a last look around and make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. "Why couldn't I have just stayed at Ashley's?"
Sandy released another deep sigh, tired of hearing his daughter's reluctance. "Because me and your mother would feel a lot happier knowing you were staying with family. " He explained. "Besides Ryan and Taylor would be very upset thinking you didn't want to stay with them." Her father admonished. "And I don't want you and James giving them trouble either young lady, they don't need it."
"I know." She admitted half heartedly.
"Think about the time you'll get to spend with your brother and the twins." He threw in as compensation and was relieved to see her face brighten a bit at the prospect as he picked up her bags ready to take them downstairs and load them into the car.
- -
Sophie threw down the glossy celebrity gossip magazine she'd been reading onto the glass coffee table. Releasing a deep sigh she looked around the room for something to alleviate the boredom.
She turned on the television, flicking through the channels barely taking notice of what was playing, declaring a monotonous repetition of the word 'crap,' before switching it back off.
She flipped open her cell phone to see whether there were any missed calls or messages she hadn't heard come through but the screen only displayed the large logo of the network company.
She stood up, preparing to go to another room in the house when she tripped over an object destructing her path. A pair of sneakers. A pair of James' sneakers… A wide smile tugged at her lips when her evil plan formulated.
Ryan had informed her before he'd rushed off for work, when she'd arrived this morning that Taylor had taken the twins on a play date and that James was in bed sleeping and probably wouldn't surface until late afternoon per usual to his routine.
Well, she thought, we'll see about that.
She made her way upstairs quietly, before coming to a stop outside James' bedroom door. She braced herself, taking in a deep breath, before pushing open the door as loudly as she could.
Sophie was disappointed to see James sat up in bed, shirtless and smoking a cigarette, his window open to let out the smell.
However she was surprised to see Kelly Jenkins, head cheerleader and girlfriend of a water polo player, lying in bed beside him, looking back at Sophie with wide eyes like a dear caught in the headlights.
Kelly pulled the sheets up tightly around her body whilst her eyes frantically searched the floor for her clothes.
James turned his head to look at Sophie with an air of indifference, taking one last drag of his cigarette and then stumping it out, he didn't take any notice of the panicked girl next to him.
"What do you want?" His voice was gravely and raw from the nicotine and a late night fuelled with too much alcohol.
"Do Ryan and Taylor know that you whore it up in there house?"
James shrugged, handing Kelly her bra that had been hanging on the headboard with a smirk.
The girl had the good grace to look embarrassed before scrambling to get into her clothes without revealing too much of herself.
"Sophie please don't tell anybody about this!" She pleaded desperately kicking back the covers of the bed and getting out. "I'm begging you! If Brett found out he'd finish with me and the girls would kick me off the squad for cheating on him, there all looking for any excuse to take him from me. Everyone would hate me and I don't want to be unpopular."
"Whatever Kelly I don't care about cheerleading, or Brett Claywell… Or you for that matter." She informed the petite girl. "You can go." She dismissed.
Kelly took one last lingering look at James, who seemed to think the whole ordeal was boring and uninteresting, before fleeing out of the room.
Sophie turned back to the bed to see James stood up, the snap of his boxer shorts telling her that he'd just put them on.
"What the fuck James!"
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" He cocked an eyebrow at her teasingly, and then leaned over to pick up a pair of jeans off the back of his desk chair. He knew Sandy and Kirsten would throw a fit if they heard her using a profanity of any kind.
"Eww you pervert that's incest! She exclaimed, extremely disturbed by his comment.
He rolled her eyes at her whilst searching the floor for his T-Shirt. "It's a figure of speech sweetheart.
"Don't sweetheart me you sick freak." Sophie stood with her hands on her hips, full of attitude and a mean glare marring her beautiful features.
"You have got to be one of the most mentally challenged people I've ever had the misfortune to meet." He declared, tugging on the creased shirt he'd found lying on the floor underneath a towel he'd used the night before. "And for your academically impaired mind, that means you're unintelligent, dense, stupid, pick your synonym."
"Your such an arrogant bastard you know that?" She snapped, blowing a hair away from her face before continuing with her barrage. "I'm not as slow, thick, brainless, 'pick your synonym,' as you think." She mocked. "I just don't feel the need to brag about it to make up for my other inadequacies."
"Good job because you'd have a hell of a lot of inadequacies to try and hide, it'd be near to impossible." He dug around in his pockets in frustration, trying to find his packet of cigarettes to ease the tension and stress he felt growing rapidly within him.
Why did he always get the severe need to drag on a cigarette when he was within twenty yards of this girl?
"Well with you it would be certainly impossible." She leaned over and grabbed the cigarette packet from his bedside table and threw them over to him wordlessly.
He caught them and looked between them and her confused. "How did you…" He trailed off. "I'm not saying thank you!"
"That's because you have no concept of manners." She sniffed.
"Me?" He exclaimed. "You're the one who came barging in here uninvited!"
"Kinda like you did four years ago?" She jibed; examining her finger nails to avoid the harsh glare he threw at her.
"Are you still on that? Just get over it already, you spoiled bitch."
"Man Slut." She threw back. "I mean Kelly? That girl is a major skank! You must be desperate, then again you're probably crawling in STDS. I guess you have to take what you can get now." Sophia sniped.
"James" "Sophie" came the chorus of children's squeals, followed by Dean and Grace barrelled into the room on there unsteady feet. James and Sophie both plastered on fake smiles and prayed their small innocent ears hadn't heard the torrent of abuse.
Taylor appeared at the doorway a couple of seconds later and sniffed at the air. "James no smoking in the house, you know that." She reprimanded.
"Sorry." He replied having the decency to sound genuinely apologetic as he scooped up Grace, who was clinging onto his leg.
"Sophie!" Taylor exclaimed, noticing the girl for the first time and enveloping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry sweetheart; I completely forgot you were staying here."
"O is that not okay? Because I can go stay with one of my friends, Ashley's parents said it would be totally cool to stay with them."
"Don't be silly, I love having you here. I'm surrounded by boys, and Grace, who is such a tomboy at heart and spends all her time idolising James. It'll be nice to have another woman around the house for a couple days." She gushed." oooo I'll take you shopping, I want to buy young fashionable clothes for somebody!" She looked nostalgic and excited at the thought.
"Taylor what are you talking about? You're insanely fashionable, you shop in Paris! You always have the latest trends a year before they even hit Newport and walk around looking like you just stepped out of Vogue."
"Well that is true." Taylor agreed with a giggle.
"And that's my cue to get the hell outta here." James declared.
"We'll go, it's your room." Taylor insisted, reaching over to take Grace out of his arms, the little girl's lips started to tremble and her brown eyes filled with watery tears.
"Wait what were you two doing in here?" Taylor asked, suddenly aware that two hormonal teenagers had been alone in a bedroom.
James' gaze instantly settled on Sophie, waiting for her to reveal how he'd had a girl in his room and rat him out, just so she could relish in the possibility of him getting kicked out of the house and out of her life.
But she didn't take it. "O I came to get his history notes, I left mine at home and we have an essay to write."
"Oh." Taylor responded, seeming to accept the lie. "Well you can do that later, Come on; fill me in on all the gossip." She hooked her elbow with Sophie's and led her out of the room, the door clicking shut behind them.
"How's your brother?"
"Ryan? You tell me, you're married…. cohabiting, partnering with him, whatever it is you two are calling it." Sophie waved her hand around unsure of what they were referring to there unmarried coupledom life together as this week.
"No. Seth." Taylor corrected. "I haven't seen him and Summer much lately; I'm trying to give them time with Marissa."
"Oh no I'm trying to avoid them, since the baby they've turned extra weird."
"How so?" Taylor pressed.
"Whilst you guys spoil me with lovely material possessions, Seth's gifts to me, and I quote this directly from my dear brother are, 'words of wisdom wrapped in sarcasm.'" Taylor could actually picture him saying those exact words in her head. "Summer has less time to work with George now she's had the baby and so is on a one woman mission to direct me onto the path of global interest and away from a life of' luxury, with designer clothes and accessories'. When I pointed out that she was wearing Donna Karen and living in a McMansion she said it was okay, because she cancelled it out through all her work for nature." Sophie nodded.
"Sounds about right." Taylor laughed. "So…. Are you and James gonna be okay living under the same roof for a few days?"
Sophie contemplated giving an honest answer for a moment and then remembered her father's words to her from earlier in the morning. "Sure." She agreed. "We'll make the best of it. It could be interesting right?"