Sophia, Marisa Redhead16 [phonics reader txt] 📗

me half an hour to get everything done. I watched Jazz and Girlfriend play-wrestle. It made me want Sophia. My cell phone rang. My ringtone for Sophia's number. She slipped it into my pocket when she kissed me. I wish. I actually asked Nina for it. It was Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me". "Hello?" I asked. "Tobias? It's Sophia." "I know." "I heard what happened. I think it's about time to break up with Billy, but I'm scared." "Why?" "Meet me at the mall today and I'll tell you." "Ok." "I'll drive you." Mom said. I blinked and blushed. I'd forgotten I still had it on speaker.

"So why does she want to break up with him?" Mom asked. I gave her ten reasons why. She nodded. "I don't know why she would be scared. Billy's not harmless, but he's not....you know...." l tried to explain. "But she must be scared for a good reason." Mom said. "You never know."

She waited for me in her brother's car. We walked towards the mall together. She wore skinny jeans, black flats, a white shirt, and a pretty pink scarf. Her beautiful hair was extra straight and she applied a little more makeup. I noticed that she always wore something extra and stood up a little straighter when she knew she was going to see me. We bought frozen yogurt and sat down. She told me about her relationship with Billy and why she didn't like him anymore. "Sometimes I think it's my fault," she said, tears building up. "Listen to me, Sophia. It's not your fault. He has a lot of problems with his life right now. Why else would he torture me other than the fact that I'm a dork?" I said. "Hey Tobias Grass. Sophia Martinez." We turned and saw this girl who likes to get people in trouble and cause drama with people who are on the A list or B list. She was recording us. Sophia rolled her eyes and turned back. "He knows you are attractive and that you like me. I like you too, Tobias, but....my life is just too hectic right now to break up or get another boyfriend." I kissed her hand. "I love you so much....I'll be waiting when you're ready. If I have another girlfriend by then...screw me. Literally." She giggled. "I don't know what I would do or where I would be without you, Tobias." she said. My baby winced. "I'm not sure if I can...never mind. We're both young, and super serious relationships usually start at sixteen. But people who say we don't know true love just because we're young are way wrong." I kissed her wrist. "I can't live without you, Sophia Martinez." "I know. I'm as old as Juliet and you're...what? Wasn't your birthday in July?" I nodded. I felt so content, so protective around her...an ugly fat guy with a beautiful girl...I knew that Billy couldn't kill me, because if he did, she would torture him and throw him in jail herself. People stared at us. People took pictures.

We stayed a little longer than planned. She wanted a necklace and a casual dress, so I waited. And I needed boxers and jeans, so she waited while I found my size. She waited a lot shorter than I did with her. "That was short. Why do guys hate shopping?" she asked. I gave her several reasons why. She shook her head and I could tell she didn't understand them. I also noticed my shirt was getting tighter, but my jeans were looser...weird. I was losing weight in my hips, and it was all going to my tummy. We got a lovers photo because she wanted to brag to all her friends. She grinned when she saw the pictures. "You have a nice smile." she said. "Thanks. You do too." She blushed. She gave me a few pictures. I put them in my wallet. Little did I know we were being watched by an unexpected visitor.

I found myself pinned against the wall. "I knew it. You're trying to steal my girlfriend you fat loser!" Billy said. "Stop it. Leave him alone, he's not doing anything." Sophia said. Billy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pistol. That's when she started crying. "Billy....stop...leave him alone..." And the other girl was still filming. She'd been filming us the entire time. People took pictures. My body was thinking faster than my brain. I've taken self defense classes before, I just never used them. I ducked underneath his arm and pulled his arms together like he was being arrested. "What are you?!!!!!" Billy screeched. "I'm a black belt," I said. So he got arrested and banned and I got named the hero. The manager gave us a huge coupon. Seventy percent off anything we bought today or next time. "We could use you at the station, kid, but unfortunately you're too young," said the cop in charge.

I ended up hating myself later. Sophia was going to be mine finally, but I hate being the center of attention sometimes. They showed everything on the news. Guess what else? Mom got called by Oprah herself. The national news got a hold of a copy. My stomach hurt every time I saw it or heard about it. Tony bragged to his friends about his brave brother, and Dad called a couple times to make sure I was okay. I wasn't, but I wasn't about to tell him that. Mom filed a lawsuit against my rival, despite my pleas. I knew she just wanted to protect me. Whenever Dad stopped by, to get some food or get something, he always checked on me. I stayed in my room most of the time, reading or sleeping or watching some cheesy love movie. Sophia and Nina called. Nina was proud of me but mad at her sister. She said she should have done something, and Sophia said that she know what to do. Besides, I had the bully under control. I told a reporter my secret over the phone. "I tightened my gut, legs hip width apart, and had my elbows propped perfectly. I let my chest breathe. My....what? My testicles? I kept them where they were..." He started to make me uncomfortable, so I ended the conversation. A woman from Marie Claire interviewed Mom.

At school, I was the new hero. Sophia was the heroine. Almost everybody said something about it. Sophia was happy to brag about it, but I wasn't and no one could understand why. Glen, Mr. Reed (science), Mr. Kurl and Mr. Johnson showed the tape. I overheard Glen talking to Miss Ridda about starting a self-defense course. Which he did. God, it was so embarassing. I hated him for a while. I think he knew that. He was so proud of me. He ruffled my hair whenever I did a kick or punch right. Which was every day. Billy got put on probation by the law and school. And Ruth and Chloe were even more turned on. Ruth looked a heck of lot better. No braces, no acne, no glasses, no disgusting hair, nothing. And she wore makeup for the first time ever.

"Can I sit here?" Sophia asked one day. "Of course." I said. We didn't say anything for five minutes. Suddenly she looked up. "Oh, help us, Jesus." she said. I turned around. Michael and Billy were fighting. The jocks were on one side, Billy's cronies on the other. Mr. Reed (history) was trying to keep them apart. Several other teachers yanked them apart. Mike and Billy tried to hit each other. No luck. They were taken away. Sophia and I finished eating.

"I wonder whose fault it was?" she said. "Probably Billy's." I said. "True." she said. "So what do you think of the self defense class?" she asked. "I hate it honestly. Just because I saved myself from getting shot in the gut that doesn't mean everyone has to make a big deal out of it. I don't even like the girl that recorded us." I said. "No one does. She's pretty annoying and you can't trust her much. She doesn't have very many friends." she said. I gazed in her eyes. People knew we loved each other now. My stomach still twisted and my head still spinned when I saw her. "So do you want to go to the next dance if everything works out?" she asked. "Who wouldn't want to go to the next dance with you?" I asked. She turned away. "Kalonice." she muttered. "Who?" I asked. "Kalonice," she repeated. "He goes to a different school. We met on Espin, which is basically a teenage dating site. We went out on a date. He was cute, smart, funny...basically the whole package. Or so I thought. The first few months were perfect. Then something happened. He changed. I saw his true side. He'd been drinking one night. We prepared to have sex. I felt beautiful. I'd bought condoms. I'd also been drinking a little. He leaned forward and said 'Sophia, you are the most beautiful girl ever. I want to be with you. Will you go to this dance with me?' Of course I said yes. I felt like he'd asked me to marry him. And of course we were at his house and I'd met his parents and he'd met mine. My parents are always working or partying, so it was a huge deal. Suddenly I heard a noise. He told me to get under the bed. I did that, but not before kissing his beautiful curly hair. A drunk girl that reminded me of a mix between Chloe and Ruth stomped in. She shouted 'What are you doing with another girl!?' He said, 'We broke up four months ago! Get over it!' She suddenly grabbed me out from under the bed and started hitting me. He yanked her off and told her to leave. She shouted 'WE BROKE UP FOUR HOURS AGO!' and hit me again. She finally left. But I was confused. I asked him what happened, and he said he couldn't lie. He told me that he'd been dating her for two years, then lost interest because she was extremely jealous. Heck she got jealous of his cousin. He went looking for another, found me, dated me, and broke up before we went to his friend's party. He said he couldn't live without me and wanted me to be with him. I just called Kevin and left. I later heard he broke with a third girl two days later. He also went to the dance alone." She wiped at her eyes.

"I felt like I'd been shot in the heart. That was the first time I'd been truly upset about a relationship. My stomach hurt like heck. Then I met Billy." she concluded. I kissed and hugged her. I felt her arms around my midsection and I felt her warmth. Her satiny shirt rubbed against my polyester shirt. Her jeans rubbed on mine. Her cotton bag rubbed on my arm. "You're so much smaller than me. SO much skinnier. And so beautiful. DON'T blame yourself for what HE did. I know how much cheating hurts. Relax, baby, relax..." We went to our next class together. The bell rang just as we sat down. "You are so lucky." Mr. Johnson warned to...a lot of people, strangely. I remembered that the music didn't play. They always play "Dancing Queen" or "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" a minute before the bell rings. It's becoming tacky, although everyone secretly likes those songs, including me.

He had us finish the stupid posters. Sophia finished her drawings and glued them on. I finished the facts and glued them on. Time went by fast. People stared at us all day. Sophia reminded me that people would lose interest in a