Killer

Chapter Eleven

Dean had just finished AP Human Geography and was heading to the Cafe building. Just as he walked out the door, he looked across the courtyard and saw Sophia in the same gray leggings he admired her in Thursday, but her tank was a navy blue. She smiled and waved before crossing the courtyard's cobblestoned path to him.
"Hey," she said as she tucked a strand of hair that fell out of her ponytail behind her ear. She shyly bumped her pinkie against his.
He curled it around her small wrist and pulled her in for a kiss, his teeth hurting. "Stop being shy around me," he whispered into her ear. "It's hurting me feelings."
She giggled and they walked into the lunch building, hand in hand.
"Hey guys," Lola gushed when Sophia and Dean emerged from the lunch line and settled at the girls' usual table. "So, now you're gonna sit with us?" she asked Dean.
He shrugged before turning to Sophia. "Guess so."
Sophia blushed before spotting someone far away, her face darkening. "You've got to be kidding me."
Everyone else at the table followed her gaze: Lola and Abigail dropping their jaw, Dean looking at the blond haired man in confusion.
"Who's that?" he asked.
"My mom's new boyfriend," she spat. "I can't believe he's here."
"Hey," the man said as he plopped a Subway bag on the table and sat down next to Dean. "How's it going?"
"What are you doing here, Peter," Sophia sneered.
"I just thought I'd stop by. Your mom gave me your schedule," the man named Peter replied with a grin that didn't sit well in Dean's stomach. He fixed his eyes on the man's head, trying to read his mind, but he came up empty. That's odd.
Peter turned to Lola and Abigail. "Hello girls. Are you Sophia's friends?"
"No, they're not," Sophia said sarcastically with an eye roll. Lola and Abigail did the same.
"Hey, Abs, do you smell trash?" Lola asked, sniffing the air.
Abigail immediately turned to Peter who was sitting right across from her. "You know what, Lo, I sure do."
Peter chuckled. "You girls are funny. Look, I'm trying to have us start off on the right foot. I really love your mother. I know I can never replace your dad and I'm not trying to. I lost my wife a few years back so I know what you're going through. I just wanna find love again and maybe get a daughter in the process," Peter explained.
Sophia face softened a little as did the girls. Dean still seemed a little skeptical of Peter.
"I'm sorry," Sophia said. "I didn't know you had a wife that died."
"Of course you didn't. I never told anyone," Peter replied. "I just want a fresh start. I really do love your mother. I didn't even love my wife as much as I love her."
"I am being a little insensitive," Sophia admitted.
"You had every right to be. If I was in the same position, I'd do the exact same thing," he said before sticking his hand out to Sophia who was on the other side of Dean. "Fresh start?"
Sophia gladly took it. "Fresh start, definitely."

After lunch, Sophia went back to PE. The only person she really talked to that had PE with her was Marshall and Oscar. I walked up to the two of them talking in the middle of the gym. Oscar's eyes lit up when he saw me.
"What's up?" he said as he slung his meaty arm over my shoulder.
"Do you want a beat down for real?" Marshall asked as he snatched Oscar's arm down.
"Sophia wouldn't let her boyfriend hit me," Oscar said.
"Who says?" I questioned as Marshall chuckled.
"Alright people!" Mrs. Larkston shouted as she emerged into the gymnasium. "We're gonna play some volleyball."
Everyone cheered including Sophia, Marshall and Oscar. "Team captains: Marshall, Oscar." The boys ran up to stand on either side of the teacher. "Marshall gets the first pick."
"Sophia," he said almost immediately as Oscar kicked the gym floor with the toe of one of his sneaker.
*****
After the school days ended Sophia told Lola and Abigail to leave school grounds without her; Dean would take her home. She stood on the bottom step of FLML, looking up at the dark green door. She looked through the windows and saw kids moving about, getting to their lockers and all in all just trying to get out of school. Dean was the first one to come out with his JanSport book bag on his back. He smiled when he saw that she was waiting for him.
"Hey," he said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I thought you left by now."
Sophia shrugged nonchalantly. "Where ya going?" she asked, rocking on her feet.
"Nowhere really, just home," he replied as he readjusted one of his book bag straps. "Why?"
"Just asking. Maybe you could take me home?"
He chuckled. "I'd love to," he said. "I actually wanted to tell you something."
They filed into his Jaguar and gunned out of the parking lot.
"Woah," Sophia said as she was pushed back by the force, gripping onto the handle above the window. Dean, however, was looking out the windshield as if he was going the speed limit and now about 100, it seemed, over. Dean put his arm in front of Sophia before abruptly slowing down to the speed limit once they were on the road.
"I. Didn't know. The car. Went that fast," she said breathlessly.
"So the something that I wanted to tell you," he said, ignoring her statement. He took a deep breath as if what he was about to say next was something very serious.
Before Sophia knew it, his car was tucked into the cul-de-sac in front of her house. He cut the engine and sighed, rubbing his fingers against his temples.
"There's something you need to know about me," he said, barely above a whisper. "Something no one knows except my parents."
Sophia turned her body so that her whole front was facing him. She placed her hand on his arm. "What's wrong?"
He reluctantly turned his head to look at her. "Promise me you won't scream?" he asked. She looked at him in confusion. "Promise me you won't run away?" She opened her mouth before shutting it again. She had no idea what he was getting at. "Promise me!" he pleaded.
"Uh, yeah, sure, I promise," Sophia stammered, nodding rapidly.
He licked his lips, trying to find his words carefully. She didn't want to read his mind; she wanted what he had to say to come out of his mouth. Before he could say anything, a knock sounded on her side of the car. Sophia turned to look out the window and saw Peter peeking in.
"Hey!" Peter called out. "Come on, I'm taking you and your mom to dinner."
"Oh," Sophia said. "Okay, I'll be there in a second."
"Actually I already made the reservations. We have to be there in 10 minutes or we'll lose our table."
He opened the passenger car door and gently pulled Sophia out. She spun around and grabbed Dean's arm. "What were you going to tell me?" she asked. "What were you gonna say?"
Dean just stared after her, his mouth parted as Peter tugged Sophia up the steps and into the house.
She heard his engine cut on and a squeal as he pulled out of her street and Peter closed the door after them.
"Hey!" Ms. Parker said cheerfully. "Peter said he came and visited you at school today and that you guys are actually starting to like each other," she explained as Peter clomped up the stairs.
"Uh," Sophia looked back at the door as if Dean would walk in any minute. "Yeah, we are starting to like each other," she admitted as she turned back to her mom. "How come you never told me about his wife?"
"I wanted him to tell you," Ms. Parker said. "He really is a nice guy, Sophia. I wanted you to see that."
Sophia nodded in understanding. "Sorry for being a brat about this," Sophia said. "It's just that....seeing you move on from dad....." she trailed off as Ms. Parker pulled her daughter in for a hug.
"Shhh," Ms. Parker soothed as she rubbed Sophia back. "I'll never forget your father. And I'm not completely over him. But I don't want to mourn over him forever."
Sophia said, twitching her nose as it started to itch, a sure sign that she was about to cry. "I know. Maybe I should move on, too."
"You don't have to," Sophia's mom said. "At least not right now. He is your father after all."
"Have you told Grandma and Grandpa about Peter?" Sophia asked.
Her mom laughed a little. "Sure did, stupidly," she replied. "I'm happy they're elated, but of course they are. He's not your dad."
"I don't understand why they never liked Dad," Sophia mused. "I've never been able to understand that."
Ms. Parker shrugged as she fixed the waist band of her dark blue denim jeans. "Let's not get into it anymore tonight, okay?" Sophia nodded. "Let's just have a nice dinner."
"Definitely."