Wren

S. Part 6

Over the next weeks, Wren and Matteo were amazed by the change.

Sophie was careful about how she treated Wren. She didn't belittle him for getting worn out easily or getting a headache when the light hit his eyes the wrong way. She didn't badger him about training; instead they sat down and talked.

Sophie sat beside Wren on the couch, her hand in his as she fought back tears. "I guess the reason I wanted to train so bad is because I really admire Bear. He's so strong, and everyone is able to depend on him and he never lets them down. I want to be like that for someone."

Wren squeezed her hand. "I didn't really understand that. I just thought you were being a rebellious teenager." They both laughed. "But Sophie, princess. . . if you really want to train with them. . ."

Sophie gazed at him hopefully.

"I guess you can. But you have to promise me you want get into trouble, or put yourself in dangerous situations just because you think you can handle it."

She threw her arms around him, snuggling into his warm sweater. "Thanks, Dad."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

"Again!" Dace shouted.

Sweat beaded on Sophie's skin as she swung another punch. Every muscle in her body was on fire; but she was in heaven. It had been two years since Dad had allowed her to train, and she'd become one of the best fighters. But she'd had to work extremely hard for it, and she'd had many bad days where she felt like she was failing, but now that she'd made it, she couldn't be more proud of herself.

She threw an uppercut he wasn't expecting, knocking him back a few steps. He grinned and shook his head. "Alright, tiger. Let's call it a day."

Sophie smiled and walked to the edge of the ring, unstrapping her gloves as her eyes swept around the gym, watching all the men training. 

She hopped down and headed to the locker rooms, taking a long shower to wash off the session. She got out and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt of some band, pulling a grungy green bomber jacket over her shoulders. As she walked she fiddled with the patch of the LGBTQ flag she'd attached to the jacket several years ago, when people were making offhand comments in school about her family. She skipped steps as she headed up the stairs to the main levels of the house. 

She wanted to go visit Papa and Dad before she headed out. She climbed the stairs to their floor, walking down the familiar hallway. She knocked on the door, smiling to herself when she heard them call, 'come in!'

She laughed when she saw them. Wren was on his hands and knees, halfway under the bed, swiping his hands through the carpet as he squinted to see. Matteo was in the closet, on his tiptoes and struggling to dig through a bin on the top shelf.

"What on earth are you guys doing?" Sophie set down her satchel and walked over to Wren, watching him in amusement. 

"Lost my damn glasses again," Wren's muffled voice came from under the bed. 

"And we're trying to find them." Matteo finished for him.

Sophie laughed as Wren wiggled backwards, struggling to get out from under the bed frame. "Any luck in the closet, Matteo?"

"No. I thought maybe they fell in while you were packing that bin, but they're not here. Under the bed?"

"No. Thought maybe they fell--" Wren said to himself, straightening his jeans and sweater as Matteo came out of the closet. He stood behind Wren, towering over him as he drooped down onto his small shoulders. 

"Did you guys check the bathroom? You might've worn them when you went to take a shower--" Sophie headed to their bathroom, taking a few moments to rifle through their drawers, where she found the wire frames mixed with hair gel and lip balm and combs.

"Here, Dad." She handed the glasses to him, smiling at his shocked expression. "I'm headed out, going to a new bakery downtown. You wanna come?" 

"Aw, we'd love to, SoSo, but we had some. . . other things planned." Wren smiled at her, his cheeks tinting pink. 

"Ew, guys. Okay. I'm leaving."

They laughed as she left the room, but once the door was shut, she laughed too. She was happy her parents had such a strong relationship, especially after everything Dad had been through. 

She headed out to her car, which she'd got just a few months ago, and hopped in. It was a black lexus, sleek and clean. She loved it. 

* * * 

The bakery smelled like heaven. It was decorated super cute, in pinks and blues and pale yellows. There were a few people here and there, sitting at the little tales, enjoying their treats. She walked up to the counter, her eyes glued to the glass cases. Everything looked so good--

"Hello! Can I help you?" 

Sophie looked up, and felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. A cute girl around her own age, dressed in jeans and a cute sweater with cats on it, her wispy blonde hair in space buns. She wore a name tag, 'Eden'. A small pin on her apron of the same flag on Sophie's coat. 

"Oh-- Hi, yes." For quite possibly the first time in her life, Sophie was at a loss for words. She dug around in her pockets for her credit card. "Can I have that, please?" she pointed to a blueberry scone that looked like a cloud of sugar. 

"Of course!" Eden said as she grabbed the plastic tongs in the display. "Good choice, it's one of my favorites." 

Sophie smiled. She paid and went to sit at one of the tables, one where she'd have a good, yet discreet, view of the cute girl behind the counter. 

She had a feeling she'd be returning to this little place.

        Part Seven Coming Soon