Between The Lines

twenty nine

        I wave as Noah drives of, then unlock my door and shut it behind me. Sure, my night was wild and a bit fuzzy, but i can't complain. Buffy walks in and meows at me. I nod, knowing he probably is like

        ' The hell have you been women? I need food'

        I scoop a cup of IAMs and let him feast. I put him a few times then stand back up, only to see Grace sitting on my couch. I yelp in surprise.

        "Hello Sophia" she says, her arms crossed.

        "Jesus Gracie" I say holding my hand to my heart, "Thanks for knocking?"

        "Hush" She says, holding her hand up, "I know where you've been"

        "Okay" I say , shrugging.

        "I thought we were getting over Noah" She says, "Going home with him defeats the purpose"

        "How did you know i went home with Noah and not someone else?"

        "Because i know you" She says, "You wouldn't go home with anyone else other than Noah"

        She has a point.

        "Okay, okay fine" I say throwing my hands up, "I went home with him"

        "Sophie!" Grace yells

        "And now you act surprised" I snort. "Look, i think last night helped, it gave us a chance to talk"

        "Sex isn't talking" Grace says

        "After that" I say, my cheeks turning a bit red.

        "Sophie you are so much better then this" She sighs, "Noah has done to many things to you, to many bad things"

        "But it's the past" I defend, "It was much more complicated then"

        She sighs, "Sophie you are digging yourself in this hole, it's getting deep, your in to deep"

        "Maybe i just wanna live in a hole" I say, "I wanna be a mole"

        She rolls her eyes. I smile.

        "Bottom line is: He doesnt deserve you"

        "Maybe you just need to give him another chance" I say.

        "He's had to many already" She frowns.

        "I know" I sigh, "But i really like him"

        "But you need to like yourself, he is hurting you" Grace agrues. 

        "I need to pack" I say, standing from my spot on the couch. 

        "For what?"

        "I'm going to New York" I say. Grace scoffs

        "I can not believe this" She yells, "Why the fuck would you wanna go to New York with him?"

        " Because I'm only 22 once" I say, quoting her from the night before.

        She throws her hands in the air and stomps thru the room and out the door. 

        I sigh, I know shes pissed at me. But i told her i felt, and as a friend she should at least try and be supportive of me. I know what i'm getting myself into, i know the risks, but i'm willing to go thru even with the risks floating around me. 

        Was Noah really worth it though? Was he worth Grace being mad at me? Was he worth getting in trouble at work? 

        Yes.

        I know how i feel for him. It might be the dumbest thing i could ever do, but it could also be the best thing i've ever done.

        My phone rang, i picked it up to see Peter's name flashing again.

        "Hey" I say

        "Hi" He replies, "So what's the plan?"

        "I'm ready now" I say, "Grace has to work"

        I don't wanna tell him about this whole fight.

        "Alright" He says, "How does Santa Monica Pier sound? Maybe grab some hot dogs?"

        "Sounds great!" I say, "I'm on my way"

        The ride down to Santa Monica was long, not even Vance Joy could get me out of my sour state. I hate it when Grace is mad at me. I hate it when Noah plays these back and forth games. I hate how Britt always seems to piss me off. I hate how slow this damn minivan is going.

        I bring my sweater closer to my chest as i walk on the wooden dock. Peter stands at the edge, looking out to the coast.   I smile and tap his shoulder.

        "Hiya"I greet.

        "Soph!" He says, bringing me into a hug, "I missed you!"

        "I missed you to!" We begin to walk back to a hot dog stand by the little store with clothes for sale.

        "So how do you like California?" I ask.

        "I've only been here a few hours" He says, "But it's so much better then Indianapolis"

        "I can imagine" I laugh, "At least there is plenty of corn"

        "Ha Ha" Peter says, sticking his tounge out at me.

        I giggle and sip my lemonade. "If you take the job here, I think you'll really learn to love it here"

        "I already do" He says smiling at me. 

        The breeze from the ocean makes his blonde bangs fall onto his forehead and into his eyes. I smile and lean against the railing. His grey crew neck sweatshirt is a bit worn but he still looks great. 

        "Sophie" He says after a few moments. "Did you ever work things out with that guy from work?"

        "Oh" I stutter, "Um" 

        His eyes lock right into mine as i search for an answer. 

        "We haven't really made any final decisions" 

        Peter gives me a smile. 

        "Well" He says, "Maybe i could help you"

        "how so?"

        "I would like to take you out" He says, "It doesn't have to be a date type of thing, i just wanna hang out. Maybe it'll help you decide if you want to be with this guy"

        "Noah" I say.

        "Yeah" He says, "To see if you wanna be with Noah"

        I bite my lip and look out to the clear blue waves. Maybe this is a good idea. He said it wasn't a date. So what's wrong with going out with a friend? I got out to eat with Lucas all the time.

        "Sounds like fun" I say after a few moments. The smile grows on his face and he glances out to the water then back to me.

        "Awesome" He says, "I was hoping you'd say yes"

        I laugh and we walk around the pier some more. For an afternoon on a September Saturday, there wasnt a large amount of people there so we went from thing to thing, having an amazing time.

        The stereo system played songs on shuffle, i was surprised when Miley Cyrus' 'Time of Our Lives' came on. I sorta forgot about any song by her that was made pre-wrecking ball. But i suppose the song fit well. We ran around and goofed off on the pier. 

        The weird part was, Noah didn't pop into my head once.