Sweet Sofie

  “Don’t cry, Sofie,” he almost begged. “Angel’s gonna be okay.”

  “My dad’s gonna be so mad, this is the second fight he’s gotten into.”

  “Yeah, but the first one wasn’t his fault, remember? Even the principal said so.” Though with their school’s zero-tolerance policy, he’d been he’d suspended anyway.

  They reached Eric’s house, but he kept walking with Sofia. “You coming over?” she asked. “’Cause I’m pretty sure Angel’s not gonna be able to come out today.”

  “I know. I just wanna walk you all the way home.”

  Sofia smiled weakly, and wiped her eyes. She looked so sad—her cheeks all flushed and wet. Eric felt like hugging her. He pressed his lips together hard. That damn Brandon.

  He didn’t quite understand it at the time. He’d always seen Sofia as his best friend’s chubby little sister. He’d felt just as protective as her brothers did when anyone messed with her. But lately, he’d felt a different connection with her. She seemed to turn to him a lot now, to help her out when her brothers were being too domineering, and for some reason, he liked it.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Wonder Years

  Age 13

  Ever since the boys had moved on to high school, things had been different. Sofia finally had some freedom. A good thing too, because now that she’d lost a few pounds, boys were beginning to notice her. She could actually have a conversation with them during lunch without worrying about one of her brothers breathing down their necks. Even Romero, but mostly Eric, had gotten in on the big brother act. As if three brothers weren’t enough.

  Everything at home remained the same. Her brothers’ overbearing natures hadn’t changed at all. With them feeding off her dad’s old school mentality about the importance of the older brother role, their interferences began to reach new heights.

  Sofia waited for Angel to leave the kitchen before asking her mom about the after-school dance that Friday. Her mom chopped onions while Sofia helped with the guacamole. She glanced back to make sure Angel had walked out.

  “They’re having a Valentine’s dance this Friday after school. It’s just a two hour thing. I was thinking of going. Is that okay?”

  Her mom turned to her and smiled. “Did someone ask you to the dance?”

  Sofia shook her head. They weren’t noticing her that much yet, but someone had asked if she would be there. “No. It’s just going to be me and Tricia and some of the other girls from the running team.”

  “I don’t see why not.” Her mom rinsed her hands in the sink.

  Alex walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Sofia pressed her lips together, willing her mom not to say anything about the dance in front of him. But all her mental efforts were in vain.

  “Are you going to wear anything special to the dance, or is it just casual?”

  Sofia kept her eyes on the avocado she mashed in the bowl, but from the corner of her eye, she saw they n ahad Alex’s attention. “What dance?”

  “The Valentine’s dance at Sofia’s school,” her mother said matter-of-factly.

  Alex made a face. “You going to the dance, Sof? With who?”

  Trying her hardest to hide the attitude, Sofia didn’t bother looking at him. “With my friends.”

  “What friends?” Alex pressed.

  She turned around, no longer able to conceal her agitation. “Tricia and some of the other girls, Alex.”

  Alex frowned. “School dances are lame, Sof.”

  Sofia rolled her eyes, adding salt to the guacamole. “Well, I’ve never been to one. I just want to try it. Do you mind?”

  “Maybe I do.”

  “Alex, go throw the trash out and tell your brothers it’s time for dinner,” her mother said, dumping the onion she’d been chopping into the guacamole.

  Alex grabbed the trashcan and headed out the kitchen door.

  “Sofia, never mind your brother, let me know if we need to get you anything to wear. You go and have a good time.” She kissed Sofia on the head. “Just be sure you come straight home after.”

  Sofia smiled. Finally, her chance to mingle with boys, and her brothers wouldn’t be anywhere around.

  *

  Eric waited with Alex, Angel, and Romero outside Kennedy middle school. He wasn’t sure what to expect when Sofia walked out, but he was glad Alex and Angel were there. Any guy she might be with wouldn’t stick around for long after seeing them. Everyone knew about her older brothers, part of the reason he’d never had to worry about seeing Sofie with a boy.

  Over the years, Eric’s affection for Sofia had taken a bit of a scary turn. It had gone from being brotherly, to thinking of her in ways he knew he shouldn’t. It didn’t help that she was blossoming at an alarming rate. Most of her baby fat was gone, but she had more curves now than most of the girls Eric’s age. The nerves he’d begun to feel around her now were partly due his attraction, and partly for the fear of one of her brothers, especially Alex, noticing the way his eyes would involuntarily wander.

  Kids began spilling out of the front gate. Angel circled around in the street on his bike.

  Something caught Alex’s attention. “Is that Asia?”

  Eric followed Alex’s stare. “Yeah, that’s her.”

  “Damn,” Alex smiled, “hard to believe she’s only in the eighth grade.”

  Asia, one of the girls who had grown up with them on the same street, had moved several blocks away last year. She wore a mini skirt with boots es with bthat went to her knees. Her tight blouse and low neckline showed just how much she’d grown up in just one year.

  Angel stopped his bike and watched as she crossed the street. “That’s Asia?”

  “Yep.” Eric nodded.

  Romero circled around Eric. “What’s the big deal?” Just as he was going to pass by Alex, he added, “Yeah, she’s filled out pretty well for an eighth grader, but she ain’t got nothing on Sofie.”

  Alex kicked Romero’s tire, causing him to lose his balance for a second. “Don’t be stupid, ass. Sofie doesn’t dress like that.”

  Eric laughed and watched as Romero nearly lost it, but recovered last second.

  “I didn’t say she did. I just meant… ”

  Alex glared at him.

  Romero frowned. “Never mind.”

  “Yeah, never mind,” Alex muttered something else and Eric couldn’t help chuckling. Romero would never learn.

  Sofia walked in a group of four, but the fact that her two girlfriends were in front, and she was behind them with a boy, wiped the smile right off his face. She also wore boots to her knees, but with jeans, not a skirt. Her long, straightened hair made her look older.

  “There she is.” Angel started toward her. “I’ll go get her.”

  Eric waited with Alex and Romero. There was no hiding her annoyance as she realized they were all there waiting for her. Angel rode right up to her. She said something to him, then something to the boy, before climbing on Angel’s handlebars. Eric smiled. This was precisely what he was counting on.

  When they were close enough, Eric saw how annoyed Sofia really was.

  She looked right at Alex. “Mom did not say I had to walk home with you guys. All she said was to come straight home.”

  “We’ll take you straight home, Sof.” Alex grinned.

  They were all on the move now. She rolled her eyes.

  “Zat your boyfriend, Sof?” Romero asked.

  Before she could answer, Alex drove his bike into the back wheel of Romero’s bike. Again, Romero almost lost it.

  “C’mon!” Romero yelled, barely able to recover before hitting a tree.

  Sofia and Eric exchanged glances, then she huffed, “Of course not—like I’ll ever have a boyfriend with you guys always around.”

  “Good,” Alex said.

  Eric smiled. His thoughts exactly.

  Age 14

  The swing set in their backyard held so many memories. Sofia sat at their backyard picnic table, watching her brothers and h
er dad take it down. It was bittersweet to see it go, but it had been years since they’d used it for anything else but to sit on. The old rusted thing had become an eyesore.

  She remembered the time she jumped off the top of the slide, pretending to be Wonder Woman. Her forehead hit a sprinkler Angel had forgotten to put away, and she ended up with six stitches. Alex had been livid. At first with Romero, for being the one who suggested they jump off in the first place, then with Angel for having left the sprinkler there.

  Romero and Eric strolled through the back gate of her yard.

  “No way!” Romero stared at the piled up pieces of swing set on the grass. “Old Nellie’s finally seen her last days?”

  “Yep,” Alex said, throwing a pole on the ground with the rest of the set, “this thing was falling apart already.”

  Eric sat down next to Sofia and nudged her. “You sad?”

  Sofia smiled. “Nah, I was just thinking about all the memories we had on that thing.”

  “Oh, yeah,” he chuckled, “remember when Romero almost hung himself?”

  Sofia laughed. Poor Romero, he always learned the hard way. Angel and Romero joined in with more stories about the swing set. In just about every story, Romero didn’t fare well. He’d always been the reckless one of the bunch, and he’d paid the price.

  Once her dad’s truck was loaded with all the remains of the swing set, Alex, Sal and her dad got in, with Alex at the wheel. He’d only had his permit for a few weeks, and was eager to drive any chance he got.

  Angel and Romero played catch and Eric sat with Sofia. He’d been doing that a lot lately.

  “I’m gonna see my mom again.”

  Sofia turned to him. Usually, his amazing light brown eyes gleamed when he spoke to her. Right now, they seemed troubled. Eric had only met his mom in the past year. She left him and his father when he was just a baby. None of them really knew the story about his mom. All she knew was he lived with his dad, and his mom just wasn’t around. That is, until he told her about it a few months earlier when his mom suddenly showed up. He hadn’t even told her brothers, just Sofia. It made her feel special that he’d confide something so personal to her—it meant something.

  “You are? When?”

  “Tonight. She’s taking me to dinner. She wants to go to the movies, but I don’t know.” Eric turned his attention to Angel and Romero, who tossed the ball around.

  Sofia knew Eric was still hurt about his mother leaving them. “Why not?”

  He shrugged, “Still feels weird. I’ll do dinner, but I’m not sure about the movies. We’ll see how it goes.”

  “You nervous?”

  Eric’s eyes were back on her. “A little, but only about being alone with her. It’s uncomfortable.”

  The ball hit the bench next to Eric and bounced off, rolling near his feet. Eric bent over to pick it up.

  “You’ll be fine,” Sofia said as he stood up to throw it.

  He threw it, then turned back to her and smiled. “Yeah, I will.” He started to walk off toward Angel and Romero, then turned around. “Maybe I’ll come by after, if it’s not too late, and tell you about it.”

  Sofia smiled. “Okay.”

  *

  The drive home from dinner was quiet and uncomfortable, as was the usual case when Eric spent time with his mom. He asked her to drop him off at Angel’s house, said he needed to pick something up he left there earlier.

  “Eric, I don’t want to push. So you give me a call whenever you want and we’ll plan another dinner or lunch.” His mother paused as Eric opened the door to her car. “Or maybe breakfast. That way I won’t take up too much of your time. Okay?”

  Eric nodded and turned to face her. He smiled, not wanting to make her feel bad, but he wasn’t about to hug her, much less kiss her. “Okay, I’ll see you.”

  With that, he stepped out of the car and headed toward the front door. He could see the light was on in the garage. The guys most likely were in there working out, but they weren’t who he was here to see.

  Sofia opened the door before he even got to it. She must’ve just taken a shower because her hair was still wet. She wore shorts and a faded La Jolla High T-shirt. It was too big, but she still looked cute in it.

  “Hey,” she smiled, “how’d it go?”

  He made a face. “Same as the last time—weird.”

  Sofia opened the door all the way for him to come in.

  “Hi, Eric,” her mom said from the sofa in the front room.

  “Hi, Mrs. Moreno.”

  “The boys are in the garage.”

  Sofia gave him a knowing look. “But first you have to try some of my mom’s flan. It’s delicious.”

  Mrs. Moreno smiled, proud. “There’s plenty. Take some to your father.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once in the kitchen, Sofia was all business after serving him a heaping helping of the desert. She leaned against the counter in front of him. “So what happened?”

  The smell of the shampoo from her still-damp hair distracted him. Her big eyes waited in anticipation. He tried to concentrate. He told her about the small talk his mom had made at dinner and how he tried to make a joke and it toowike and tally bombed. Sofia laughed.

  He loved hearing Sofia laugh, even if it was at his expense. “I don’t know if it’s ever gonna not feel weird. My dad says it’ll get better with time.”

  “It will,” she said, sounding completely convinced.

  “You think?”

  “Of course. It’s only weird because she’s your mom. Think of all the times you meet someone for the first time at school. After a few times of talking to them, it’s like nothing.” She laughed. “The fact that you tried to make a joke says a lot. Remember the first time you said you didn’t feel like saying anything else but yes or no?”

  Eric smiled. He’d forgotten about that. He’d been mad at his dad for making him go. Sofia was right. Compared to then, things had gotten a lot better. They talked for a while until he finally got up and headed for the back door toward the garage. Before he walked out, he turned to Sofia. “Thanks.”

  Sofia smiled, holding the dish out. “You’re welcome. Remember, my mom said to take some to your dad.”

  Eric looked at the plate, then back at her. “Well, that too, but I meant thanks for the talk.”

  She smiled even bigger. “Anytime.”

  Eric took that to heart. From then on, Sofia was the only one he talked to in-depth about his relationship with his mother.

  Age 15

  Sofia fixed her mascara in the restroom of her family’s Mexican restaurant. Eric would be there any minute. She stepped back and examined the polo she wore. She was now a full C cup and she knew Eric had noticed. She’d caught him looking several times.

  Many of her friends already had boyfriends, but her brothers were still not having it. She thought as she got older, they’d ease up. Instead, it was just the opposite. They were worse than ever. It was infuriating. No one in her school dared ask her out. Worst thing now, her brothers had grown into these big guys, especially Alex, who spent more time in the gym than he did at the restaurant. He’d quickly become the biggest guy in school. Top that, with his legendary temper—no way would anyone come near her. She could literally feel the shaky nerves in the voices of any guy that spoke to her.

  Things were different with Eric. She got to be around him all the time. Lately, there’d been a change. Many times when they spoke, he gazed deep in her eyes no matter what the subject, almost as if he was trying to tell her something without saying it. Her insides would always turn to mush around him now. She liked it. It was exciting.

  As she walked out into the main dining room, her mother came toward her. “Oh, there you are. There’s a young man here to see you.”

  Sofia pinched her brows. A young man? “Who?”

  “I don’t know, but he’s out front by the entrance.” Her mom rushed into the kitchen.

  Sofia walked through the restaurant wondering where Alex
could be. Sal was away in college and Angel was hoe tAngel wme, but Alex was here somewhere. She didn’t want him embarrassing her. She turned the corner to the front of the entrance. Ah, hell.

  Ronald, a senior on her track team, stood at the front entrance. He was new to the school and apparently one of the few that hadn’t heard about the cavemen in her life. Alex spoke to him.

  “You’re kidding right?” Alex sounded almost amused.

  “No, why? Is that a problem?”

  Alex was as intimidating as ever. “Of course it is.”

  They were both about the same height, but Alex probably outweighed him by at least forty pounds.

  Sofia cleared her voice. “Hey, Ron.”

  Ronald turned at the sound of her voice and smiled. “Hey, Sof.”

  He walked away from Alex, coming over to where Sofia stood. He pulled something out of his pocket. “I went to Old Town this weekend. I saw this and thought of you.”

  He handed her one of the little tiny turtle bobble heads she’d mentioned collecting. She smiled, taking it from him. Alex came over and stood behind her.

  “Let me see that?” He took it from Sofia, examining it, as if he hadn’t seen all the ones she had just like it in her room. Then he asked, “How old are you, Ron?”