“No, it’s halftime.” Eric said
Angel put two slices on a paper plate then grabbed another for himself. Alex and Eric were already eating their pizza leaning against the counter. Sarah was thankful for the interruption, but her relief quickly turned into dismay.
Angel set the plate down in front of her then grabbed a soda out of the fridge.
“So, Sydney’s a musician uh?” He handed her the can of soda.
She took it and nodded, refusing to refuel the conversation. He came around and sat back down next to her. “What does she play?”
She took a long drink of her soda and looked at Alex and Eric. They were both eyeing her. “Saxophone.”
“Really?” Angel seemed surprised.
“That’s a turn on.” Alex said, just as Romero walked in.
“What’s a turn on?” Romero asked. He took a slice a pizza and stood next to Alex.
“Her friend plays the saxophone.” Alex said.
“Really?” Romero asked. “A girl?”
She was about to shake her head, but didn’t get the chance. “Of course, ass.” Alex shoved Romero. “Like I’d say that about a dude.”
Angel and Eric laughed. Sarah wanted to groan. The testosterone in the room was suffocating.
“Really?” Romero said “A chick that really knows how to blow huh?”
The guys all laughed. Sarah sunk in her seat. This was a nightmare, now they were all in on her lie. She felt Angel rub her back. He mistook her look of despair for annoyance. “Easy,” he said. “That’s her best friend.”
Romero peered at her “Oh yeah? Well, introduce.”
“She likes playing the saxophone Romero, not the piccolo Pete.” Alex grinned.
Eric almost spit out his food and even Sarah had to laugh.
“She’s in Arizona,” Angel said, getting up for more pizza. He looked through three empty boxes before finding one with any in it. “We’ve gone through three pizzas already?”
Alex looked at him wide eyed. “You guys are fat. Those were extra large too. There’s only four of us.”
“I had some too.” Sarah said, holding her hand up.
Alex looked at her plate unimpressed. “Sweetheart, I had two slices before the pizza even made it to the kitchen.”
Romero walked over and leaned on the sink in front of her. “Arizona, uh? Well, have her come down for a visit.”
“Dude, get the hell out of here!” Alex said
“What?” Romero protested.
“No, I’m serious. Get out of here." Alex said.
Angel laughed sitting back down next to Sarah. “Yeah, get out of here I gotta study.”
Romero leaned over closer to Angel and looked at him very seriously. “Donde estan mis bolas?”
This time it was Sarah that almost spit up her food. Angel rolled his eyes.
Eric had already walked back to the den. “It’s back on!” he yelled.
Alex and Romero each grabbed a slice to go. They weren’t even out the door when Angel was all over her again. She sat there kind of limp. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You feeling tired?”
“No.”
Just underhanded and deceitful
.
He pecked her a few more times. “Maybe Sydney can come and visit sometime. We can all go out. Don’t worry I’ll handle Romero.”
Sarah hoped he didn’t hear her thunderous gulp and forced a smile. “Yeah, maybe.”
Not in a million years.
This was totally out of hand. She had to think of a way to fix this. Fast.
CHAPTER 13
Angel scored an eighty on his Spanish quiz and was happy to be in the game that week. It was an important one, too. They were playing their rivals, and both teams were in the running for the playoffs.
Sarah sat in the stands with Sofia, Valerie, and Valerie’s friend Monica. Angel’s parents had flown out earlier that evening to Florida for Alex’s game the next day. Sofia was Angel’s responsibility until they got back. Rather than leaving her alone at the restaurant tonight, Angel got the go ahead to close up early and have her tag along with them.
Sarah didn’t mind having her along for the night. She liked Sofia, and ever since Sarah started practicing with the track team they’d gotten a lot closer. Sarah felt bad though. The relay team never even came close to the times Sarah put on the board when she stood in for the fourth place runner during practice. The coach was always going on and on about how heartbroken he was that she wouldn’t be sticking around for next semester. She’d started to keep some of the comments to herself because Angel would get so annoyed by them.
The entire week had gone without incident and now the game seemed to as well. There were a few guys from another school who sat near the girls. One of them was hitting on Sofia, making Sarah a little nervous. She’d looked out onto the field several times but as far as she could tell Angel hadn’t noticed anything.
When the game was over, Sarah stood against Angel’s Mustang in the parking lot. Valerie and the girls, including Sofia, talked to the guys they’d met at the game over by Valerie’s car, parked just a few spaces over.
Angel had given Sarah the keys to his car in case she and Sofia wanted to sit in it while they waited for him after the game. Sarah had the door open and the radio on. She motioned to Sofia to come over, and she did right away. “What?”
“You’re making me nervous,” Sarah whispered, trying not to sound like a nag.
“Why?”
“You don’t think Angel is gonna be mad if he sees you hanging out with all these guys?”
“That’s Alex,” Sofia smiled. “Angel’s not so bad. He won’t be thrilled, but he wouldn’t do anything unless the guys are being stupid and they’re not. They’re really nice.”
Within seconds, Sarah regretted having called Sofia over to her. The guy who seemed most interested in Sofia followed her, while everyone else followed him. Now they were all standing around Angel’s car, five guys and four girls. Although none of them were nearly as intimidating as Angel and his friends, with two of them being short and chunky, and another looking like he was too young to be with them. Sarah knew Angel still wouldn’t be happy about it.
The one interested in Sofia, was the taller, better looking of the bunch. Sarah noticed Valerie was a little miffed about it. Sarah looked up and saw a group of guys walking toward them. It was dark and they were still pretty far but Sarah could tell it was Angel, Eric, and Romero just by the way they walked.
When they got close enough, Sarah made eye contact with Angel. He glanced at her then at the group of people standing around his car. Sarah was the only one standing away from everyone, he raised an eyebrow, but smirked.
She knew he couldn’t possibly think she’d be dumb enough to stand around his car flirting, but was still nervous for Sofia. She was off toward the front end of his car talking to the guy who had been hitting on her all night.
Romero made the first comment. “What is this, a fucking party?”
Sarah saw Eric speed up when he saw Sofia talking to that guy. “What are you doing over there, Sof?”
Angel hadn’t noticed Sofia until Eric said it and turned to them with a frown. The other guys stepped away immediately to let them get by.
Angel walked straight to Sarah and kissed her. “What’s going on?” His voice was hushed. “Who are these crumbs?”
Sarah turned toward the group. “I don’t know them. They’re just some guys the girls were talking to at the game.”
“The girls?”
She smiled and hugged him hard. “Yes, the girls.”
“Who’s that with Sofi?”
“I dunno.” She shrugged. “But they all seem nice enough. She said you wouldn’t be mad.”
Angel frowned looking over at the boy Sofia smiling. “Yeah, well, her ass better get in the car before I do mind.”
Sarah didn’t have to hear it twice, she turned in Sofia’s direction. She was going to tell her they were leaving but Eric was already there. She couldn’t hear what Eric said but whatever it was it made the guy she was talking to angry.
“Who are you?” the guy asked, with an attitude.
“Who the fuck are you?” Eric barked back.
Sofia jumped in between them, and in a second Angel and Romero were there. At first holding Eric back, then having to be held back themselves, when they saw the other guys headed toward Eric.
The girls tried holding them back. Monica helped Sofia with Eric, who was the most adamant. The poor guy tried not to, but still looked terrified. The guy’s friends managed to get him away before he got hurt.
Sarah struggled with Angel pleading with him, “Stop it, Angel. He was just talking to her, for God’s sake.”
When the guys were finally far enough away, Sofia let go of Eric, disgusted and walked to Angel’s car. She climbed in the back seat and slammed the door.
Angel’s head spun around and he was about to say something to Sofia.
“Let’s go,” Sarah said.
“She slammed my door.” He looked at Sarah exasperated.
“Let’s just go, please.”
Angel and Sarah walked back to the car. Romero and Eric followed.
Once in the car, Angel turned and glared at Sofia. “What’s the matter with you?”
“What’s the matter with
you
?” Sofia shot back.
Sarah sunk in the passenger seat. Eric stuck his head in Sarah’s window. “Who was that, Sof?”
“Nobody,” She crossed her arms in front of her.
Romero stuck his head in Angel’s window. “What happened?”
Sofia's exhaled loudly sounding more like a groan.
“What’s that about?” Angel asked.
“How many brothers do I have anyway?”
Angel was about to say something, when Sofia put her hand over her face and shuttered. “Sofi?”
“Is she crying?” Eric stuck his head in further.
“She’s crying?” Romero asked.
“Alright!” Sarah sat up. “That’s it. All of you out.” She pushed Eric’s head out the window and shoved Angel to get him out of the car. His head clunked as it hit Romero’s.
“Ouw!” Romero yelped.
“Well, move your ass,” Angel said.
Angel got out and they all walked away grudgingly. Valerie and Monica were still there and they joined them.
Sarah turned around to face Sofia. “Are you okay?”
Sofia shook her head, her hand still over her face. Sarah reached over and rubbed her knee. Sofia’s big chest rose high as she inhaled and fell as she exhaled slowly. “They mean well.” Sarah offered.
“I know,” Sofia sighed. “But just once I wish I could be like any other girl and hang out with guys, without all of them turning into cavemen.”
Sarah chuckled. “They’re just not used to it, they still see you as their little Sofi. They’ll get used to it eventually.”
Sofia rolled her eyes and wiped her face. Sarah handed her a tissue. Sofia blew her nose and sat up. “You know what the stupidest thing is?”
“What?”
“They have nothing to worry about anyway.”
Sarah wasn’t so sure about that. She’d seen the way the boy looked at Sofia. “What do you mean?”