So a little something happens in this chapter that some of you have been wanting to happen for a while. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Twenty Three
Sophia did what she did best. She ignored the other kids. Their stares. Their whispers. Their quiet laughter. None of it mattered today. She had ridden to school with Damon, who had parked his car just a half a block away from her house the night before. They had almost been late. No one saw them come in together.
Lunch was a different story though. It was another nice day so most of them were eating outside at the picnic tables scattered about the grounds. As she made her way past the table where Sara and her friends were sitting she saw the glint in the dark haired girl's eyes. Before the girl could say anything, however, there was a heavy arm suddenly draped over Sophia's shoulders. She glanced over and saw Sara's eyes widen and then she looked away quickly.
"You did that on purpose," Sophia smiled without even looking over at him.
He sat down at the same table they had occupied the first day that Piper had talked to her. That felt like a hundred years ago.
Piper and the other two boys were walking towards them, grinning. Piper looked odd walking between the two boys. Neither of them were quite as tall as Damon but Piper was barely five feet tall with her boots on so they towered over her. It didn't seem to matter. She was a huge presence.
"Square," she nodded and sat down next to Sophia. "What's with ditching me the other night, dick?"
Sophia shrugged. "Sorry about that. It was just a rough night."
Piper shot Damon a look. "A rough night?" She cocked a fiery eyebrow at him. "I told you to be gentle you fucking ogre."
Damon and the other guys laughed but Sophia turned three shades of red. "Jesus, that didn't happen."
Piper sighed. "I figured as much. How's your bitch dad treating your mom now? You wouldn't fucking believe the shit Daryl was saying to him. Then I was pretty sure he was gonna kill him so I had to intervene. I'd give you details but you aren't worthy. I can't believe you two ditched school and didn't tell me."
"Wasn't really planned," Damon said, yawning loudly and shaking his head.
Sophia felt guilty that he was so tired. He had been awake when she woke that morning. When she asked if he had slept at all he had simply shrugged and said he'd slept off and on. It was her fault he was as exhausted as he was. She hadn't known that he had planned on staying awake all night long.
"Stop worryin' about it," he muttered without even looking her.
She scoffed. "Worried about what? You?"
He smiled and finally turned his head, bumping her shoulder with his. "I'll get some sleep sometime today."
"You should have slept last night," she muttered, glancing around to make sure that Piper and the others were in deep conversation themselves.
"Couldn't. You snore."
She gasped. "I do not!"
His smile widened. "Nah, you don't. But you do mumble and shit in this whiny voice. That kept me entertained. And your shorts were seriously short. That helped."
She shook her head, knowing he was just trying to make her feel better about being the reason he was so tired. After she had fallen asleep she had slept so hard that she hadn't even dreamed. She started picking at the weathered wood of the table, avoiding his eyes. She wanted to ask him if he'd stay again, but she wouldn't. She would just keep her door locked. She should have done that to begin with. If Ed tried to come in she just wouldn't let him.
She glanced over and felt even more guilty when she saw that he had crossed his arms on the table and laid his head down, his eyes closed. He hadn't even bothered brushing his hair before he climbed out her window this morning so he'd put a knitted hat on in the car to hide his obvious bedhead and now it was pulled low over his eyes.
"What's with Damon?" Piper asked, eying him worriedly.
Sophia glanced up. "He didn't get much sleep. I don't think he got any sleep at all actually."
Piper's eyes were wide. "How would you know?"
Sophia sighed. "I'll tell you about it later."
Piper nodded but the look she gave her told Sophia that later meant as soon as they had a moment alone. Sophia hated waking him up but he'd just smiled sleepily, squinting at her from under his cap, causing her to laugh. The rest of the day flew by. She had covered for him, doing both of their assignments in both classes that he was in with her while he slobbered on his desk as he slept through them.
He seemed much more alert by the time school was over and he grabbed her hand on their way out the door. "We still job hunting?" He asked, lacing his fingers through hers. Her mom already knew that she was going with him after school, regardless of what Ed had said.
"You sure you don't just want to go home and sleep?" His black tee shirt was still rumpled where it had lain on the floor all night.
He shook his head and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "Hell no. I want you and your mom the fuck outta that house. If you're both bringin' in money then that'll happen faster. You're ass is getting a job today."
She smiled. "I hope so. I can't-" Her voice trailed off and she nearly stumbled. Ed was standing there, not even twenty feet away, his arms crossed over his chest and he had seen them because he was glaring so hard she was surprised that she didn't bleed from the daggers that look was throwing at her.
Damon either hadn't seen him or didn't know what he looked like because he just pulled her along by the hand towards his car... and towards Ed.
Ed pushed away from his car and stormed towards them. Damon saw him then and stopped walking. They were on the sidewalk now. So close to his car that if they hurried they could actually get in before Ed made it to them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ed barked loudly, drawing the attention of several people. Sophia saw Daryl's truck just then and felt a measure of relief. That relief didn't last long however. She saw him getting out. Saw him lean his back against the front of the truck and cross his feet at the ankles. And then he just watched as Ed approached them.
Damon didn't look intimidated as he sized Ed up and she realized why once Ed finally stopped a few feet away from them. Damon was a few inches taller and much better built than Ed.
"I was going to put in some job applications today. I talked to mom about-"
Ed took a small step towards her and Damon dropped her hand. "I don't give a shit what your mom said. You know what I said. Get your ass in the car, girl. You aren't gonna embarrass me."
"I... I'm not going home with you," she said, shaking her head quickly.
Ed's eyes burned a hole through her and she wanted to run. Behind Ed, a few cars away, Daryl was there, Piper standing in front of him now with his arms draped over her shoulders. Both of them were simply watching calmly. "You think I'm gonna just let you run off like some little whore?"
"Watch your fuckin' mouth," Damon finally snapped. "You say another word to her and..."
Ed sneered. "What? What in the hell are you gonna do to me, boy? You have no idea who the hell I am do you? The connections I've got?"
Sophia frantically glanced between them. "Damon, let's go," she almost begged.
Damon didn't look like he even heard her. He looked more dangerous now than he had last night when he had climbed through her window. "Old man, you picked the wrong one. You need to get back in your car and get the hell outta here. She ain't goin' no where with you." Damon glanced down at her. "Sophia, go wait in my car."
"You little son of a bitch. She's my goddamn daughter, not your slut, and she's comin' with me. Now!" Ed hissed. That was when he made his move. He reached out, grabbing Sophia by the arm like he had done her mother a hundred times and yanked her towards him.
She yanked her arm away and as soon as she stumbled out of the line of fire Damon was on Ed. When his fist crashed into Ed's jaw she heard a sickening crunch and she found herself praying that it was Ed's jaw breaking and not Damon's knuckles. She covered her mouth with her hand and watched on in morbid fascination.
Ed stumbled backwards, yelping in pain and that was when Damon slammed his boot into Ed's knee, causing him to fall gracelessly. Before Ed could hit the ground Damon had him by the shirt, hauling him back up and hitting him again, splitting his lips and sending blood flying. He leaned into Ed's face, speaking low. "You ever touch her again and I swear I'll tear your goddamn throat out with my teeth you sick fuck," he spat. He drew back to hit him again but a piercing whistle had him faltering. He looked up just as Sophia did and to her surprise Daryl shook his head.
Damon hesitated for a moment but Daryl raised his brows and then Damon let go, stepping away from Ed. Daryl opened the door of the truck and climbed in, nodding once at Damon. As soon as Piper was in the truck he pulled out but he was speaking into his phone and didn't even glance back.
"You're gonna pay for that you little bastard," Ed yelled but the words sounded jumbled, the threat lost as blood trailed down his chin.
"You okay?" Damon asked once he finally turned towards her.
She felt her hands shaking but she nodded, looking down at Ed one last time before looking at him. Damon was watching her carefully and she couldn't help but feel like this was some sort of test for them already. How could she get in the car with someone that had just unleashed that much violence on another person? But when she met his eyes all she saw was concern there. He hadn't done what he did because he was a bad person. Not like Ed. He had done it because even though he hardly knew her, he was willing to do almost anything for her. "I'm okay. Let's just go."
He kept his gaze steady on hers. "You sure?"
He thought she wouldn't want to go with him now. As Ed pulled himself off the sidewalk Sophia reached up and touched the side of Damon's face, offering him a small smile. She nodded and grabbed his hand, the one that wasn't marred with Ed's blood, and walked with him to the car. She flinched when Ed bellowed her name but other than that she didn't acknowledge him.
I know that so far Daryl has been sort of on the sidelines when it comes to Sophia. That isn't why he didn't intervene in this chapter. There's a certain respect that these men have to show one another and this wasn't his fight. It was Damon's fight. You'll understand more the deeper we get into the story but I didn't want any of you to think that he just don't care about her. It simply wasn't his place to step in. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! Thanks again for reading!