The One I Loathe

Chapter 11

At the end of November, the cold weather began to set in. I began to stay inside more, and took to talking on the internet as a means of communication. One Thursday night when I logged on I was immediately bombarded by messages.

rebel_w/o_a_cause: Hey baby, i thought u were dead or something

Audrey. I hadn’t called her in a week.

long_live_rock: no not dead, just busy planning ur arrival in 2 weeks...

Then another message popped up.

super_chic_chick: hey what are u doing tomorrow night?

I already knew what she was asking.

long_live_rock: no i won’t go to hilary’s play with you.

super_chic_chick: aww come on please! i’ve got 2 tickets, so it’ll be free!

long_live_rock: no

super_chic_chick: i don’t wanna see it either!!! tell u what, we can sit in the very back and make fun of it all night. how bout that?

That was a tempting offer.

long_live_rock: ok fine see u tomorrow night. i’ll pick u up at 6:30

rebel_w/o_a_cause: What?

Uh oh.

long_live_rock: sry, wrong window.

rebel_w/o_a_cause: who are u seeing tomorrow night?

Yeah...this could be bad. Audrey would kill me if she knew about Sophie!

long_live_rock: just a friend

rebel_w/o_a_cause: a MALE friend?

To lie or not to lie...

long_live_rock: of course!

Lie.

rebel_w/o_a_cause: o ok, well i’ve g2g so i’ll c u in 2 weeks!

long_live_rock: u bet

rebel_w/o_a_cause has logged off at 10:47pm.

Whew. Dodged a bullet there.

super_chic_chick: trent? well...?

long_live_rock: i’ll pick u up at 6:30

super_chic_chick: oh thanx trent! ur the best!

long_live_rock: so they tell me, hey I g2g I’ll talk to u later.

super_chic_chick: ok, till tomorrow

super_chic_chick has logged off at 10:48pm.

~*~

After I got off the computer, I called Hilary.
She answered the phone.

“Hilary! It worked! Your plan worked!”

Hilary had intentionally put me down for two tickets, even though I told her one, in the hopes that Trent would go with me. I wouldn’t tell her the deal I had to strike with him though.

“I told you it would! Now you and Trent have a romantic evening with front row seats for West Side Story.”

Again, I wouldn’t tell her about the whole sitting in the back thing.

“Yep! Thanks for all this, Hilary.”

“No prob. Y’all are going to have a great night.”

“I sure hope so” I yawned, “Hey Hill, I’m going to go to bed pretty soon, talk to you tomorrow!”

She said goodbye and I hung up. I never had particularly loved musicals, but now I couldn’t wait till tomorrow night.

“The Hills are alive with the sound of music...” The music swelled from radio, as ten year old Trent and I sat on a blanket on the ground in front of the drive in movie screen with our families.

I wasn’t looking at the screen though. I stared down at my lap, completely conscious of how close Trent and I were. He was so cute! And I was so...repulsive! I was chubby, had frizzy hair, braces, and huge glasses. I’d never been shy around him before. It was different now though. Every time I tried to talk to him, I got tongue tied and it came out sounding like gibberish!

“I never liked musicals,” he said as he turned to look at me.

Say ‘Me neither’! SAY IT!

“uh..uh..yeah..uh huh...Ne Meither...i..i..mean...Me...Neither...yeah,” I stammered out.

Oh my gosh, I was such a dork!

Instead of making fun of me though, he just grinned and turned back to the movie. He probably thought I was a total loser. I focused my attention on my lap again. I’d just avoid talking to him as much possible from now on!

I curled up in bed, and fell asleep dreaming about tomorrow night.

~*~

The next day at school, word spread like wildfire that Jeremy had been suspended and kicked off the football team. Actually he had been suspended since that day last week when he’d tried to pummel me and Sophie, but rumors went around that he was just terminally ill. And although, that sounded like a way better option then the truth, eventually someone spilled the beans that morning. Needless to say, the whole situation had been blamed on me. So, for the whole day I was getting dirty looks from the general student body.

All except one student though. I noticed Sophie’s smiling face through the sea of frowns, yards away, as I walked through the hall at the end of the day. She came running up to me.

“Hey Trent! Can you give me a ride home? Hilary has to stay after for the play tonight,”

“Yeah, sure.” I replied.

We walked together to my car, both of us receiving dirty looks as we passed.

“I’m surprised you’re still talking to me, apparently nobody else is,” I told her as we got in my car.

“Oh you think it’s been peachy for me too? I've become a social pariah because I turned down Jeremy’s invite to the Winter Formal, which is apparently a deadly sin!”

I laughed at that. “Well, at least we’re outcasts together!”

She laughed too and agreed.

“What’s so funny?” Abby asked as she climbed in the backseat of the vehicle. Oh right, I’d almost left her.

“Nothing Abbs. How was your day?”

She scoffed, “Better than yours I’ll bet! I've heard what everyone says you did to Jeremy.”

“Which is what? I never quite heard myself.”

“They're all saying that after Jeremy asked Sophie to the dance, you came up and threatened to beat him up in a jealous rage.”

I rolled my eyes. Jeremy probably told them that story.

When I got home, I invited Sophie to come in for a snack or something since her parents weren’t home yet. She agreed and we went inside. Before we could get to the kitchen though, Abby grabbed Sophie and pulled her aside to talk.

What could Abby possibly have to say to Sophie? They had never gotten along as long as they’d known each other! Gathering I wouldn't be welcome if I followed them, I remained in the kitchen, wondering what they were talking about.

~*~

What could Abby possibly have to say to me? She was probably going to chastise me for turning Jeremy down.

“What’s up, Abby?” I asked her, as she pulled me in her room and shut the door.

“Look,” she began, “I know I’ve been rude to you, since, well, forever, and I want to apologize.”

Ok, I liked where this was going.

She went on, “The truth is I was only rude to you because I was jealous. I mean, you were pretty, popular, and had a gorgeous boyfriend. You had everything I wanted!”

I thought I saw where this was going.

“But, that’s not all that’s important in life, Abby,” I began.

“I know, I know, let me finish!” She insisted.

I nodded, she went on.

“Anyway, remember on my first day of school when I was talking to Jeremy? Well, after you chased him off, I was so mad at you! I mean, he never even went near me again! But now, when I think of what he almost did to you...” She stopped and sniffled a bit. “Oh, Sophie, thank you so much for that! You had the total right to let me fall into his trap. I would’ve believed every word he said to me! But you didn’t. You stood up to him, and that took guts...so thank you.”

By this time, both of us were dripping tears now! Who knew? The Tin Girl had a heart after all.

“Can you keep a secret, Abby?” A 7-year-old- I asked her.

“Yes!” She responded wide eyed in wonder.

“Well... I have a boyfriend!” I said excitedly.

She gasped and squealed, “Who?”

I wondered if I should tell her or not. I decided to. Besides, she was only six, she wouldn’t know HOW to spill a secret.

“Okay...It’s Trent!” I said quietly.

Her face turned from excitement to disgust.

“But, he’s my brother!”

I didn’t understand her point.

“Yeah, so?” I asked her.

“No! You can’t have him! He’s my brother, mine!” She yelled at me, right before running out of my room.

“Wait!” I called after her, “Where are you going?”

I hoped she wasn’t going where I thought she was.

“Oh Trent....!” She called while knocking on Will’s door.

Trent answered. Oh no.

“What is it Abbs?” He asked her.

I looked on helplessly from my doorway.

“Sophie told me that you were her boyfriend! Is that true?”

Suddenly, I heard laughter erupt from Will in the back of his room.

“No! I hate Sophie!” He yelled.

Then he slammed the door, and my heart broke in two.


Me and Abby hugged right before going downstairs to the kitchen for a snack. Trent noticed our splotchy red faces and asked curiously, “What’s going on?”

Abby and I glanced at each other and she simply said, “Girl talk,”

He rolled his eyes and offered us Pizza Bites.

After 16 years I’d finally managed to become friends with both Bennet kids. It was a good feeling.

After about an hour of talking and laughing, decided to get home and get ready for the play that night.
Trent volunteered to walk me home, I accepted.

“So what did you and my sister talk about?” He asked again.

“Jeremy,” I answered simply.

I swear his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“What?” He asked, flabbergasted.

I smiled at his response and clarified.

“She was thanking me for deterring Jeremy from her on her first day of school,”

His face showed his comprehension.

“She’s really matured, you know?” I told him.

He nodded, “I know. I’m proud that she had a fantastic girl role model like you to look up to.” He said, looking down at me, his face completely serious.

I stopped. We’d reached my front door. But neither of us seemed to want to go.

“And she’s lucky that she has a wonderful older brother who’ll always protect her,”

We both were silent for a while, I’d just called him wonderful, and he had called me fantastic. When that thought sunk in both of us, and we quickly said good bye and went our separate ways.

What was going on here? As I got ready for the play, I couldn't help but feel that same nervous excitement I always had before I went on a date! But this wasn't a date...Was it? I mean, I guess it was in the sense that we were going somewhere by ourselves and he was picking me up. But this was a school play...not a dinner and a movie thing!

Ok, this was getting way too complicated.

Before I knew it, I heard Trent ring the doorbell. I nearly melted when I saw him, He obviously got the “dressy-but-not” memo, because he looked spectacular. Trent’s normal style consisted of vintage tees and cargo pants. That was it. But tonight he had on an un-tucked white oxford button down shirt, and a pair of jeans that weren’t too baggy nor to tight. Plus, he’d actually put some sort of gel in his scruffy mane of dark brown hair, to make it look like every guy should where his hair like that.

The whole ensemble floored me. When I approached him, all that could escape my lips was, “Wow,”

He laughed. “Thank you..?”

That pulled me out of trance. I gave a quick grin and added, “You clean up pretty nice,”

He laughed again, and turned and offering his arm asked in a phony French accent, “Mademoiselle, might I escort you to the theatre this evening?”

I giggled and played along, “Oui, Monsieur. You may.” I said while slipping my arm into the crook of his.
This evening was going to fun. I could tell already.

~*~

When we got there, the auditorium was almost completely full. We slipped into the last row just as the curtain was going up. Fortunately there weren’t many people sitting around us.

As soon as it started, I knew it would be a long night. Musicals were never really my forte.


“I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad...”

Ok, all these songs were making me nauseous.
Not to mention, Sophie was acting really weird! I’d never known her to be shy before. But, now, she hardly said anything to me. The only reason I came tonight, instead of going to the baseball game with Will and our fathers, was for Sophie.

“Hey Soph-” I stopped when I saw that she was asleep.

She had her knees tucked up and rested her head on them. When I spoke though, she rolled her head over to where it was leaning on my shoulder.

I gulped. I’d never been this close to her before.

“Good night Trent...” she said in her sleep.

I smiled a slightly goofy grin and rested my head on hers.


“So, let me get this straight,” I whispered to Sophie, “They’ve know each other for 10 minutes and they already have decided they love each other?”

She laughed quietly and responded, “Hey, I didn’t write this! Hilary makes a great Maria though,”

I didn’t admit that I thought her Puerto Rican accent sounded something between French, British, and Chinese.

~*~

I never thought in a million years, that I, Sophie Jameson, would be sitting next to Trent Bennent, having a completly wonderful time.

But just when I thought, I couldn't be happier, something happened.

It wasn't something as huge as Trent delcaring his undying love for me, and planting a huge kiss on me in front of everybody.

It was small, but to me, it spoke volumes.

He put his arm around me.

Not even like a cheesy pretend-to-stretch-but-really-trying-to-get-your-arm-around-the-girl-thing.

I was cold, so instinctivly, I scooted closer to him, and crossed my arms. Then it happened.

Just as natural as could be, he reached over and put his arm around me.

Trying to surpress the huge gasp that I wanted to let out, I simply leaned into him more, and enjoyed his wonderful musky smell.

My natural instinct would be to analyze this situation. What did this mean? Why was he doing this? What should I do in response?

But I just ignored all those questions, and simply savored the moment.

~*~

After the show, we met up with Hilary and congratulated her on her performance. She invited us to go to the cast party with her but Sophie and I both heartily agreed that we’d had enough theatre for one night.

“We're going to go ahead and get home, Hil.” She told her.

Hilary gave an ‘ahh’, and flashed a knowing grin at Sophie.

I had the feeling I was missing something.

On the way home though, we both couldn’t stop laughing. The whole play was ridiculous. From the fake Puerto Rican accents to the cheesy plot lines, it was awful! But, being there with Sophie made it better. She really made the night worth it. I’d never considered her a good friend until tonight. I loved that I could laugh with her and be serious as well. She really was the total package.

I walked her up to her door when we got to her house. I just stood there for a moment wondering what I should do. If this was a date I would’ve kissed her. But it wasn’t. But before I could wonder anymore she put her hands around my neck and gave me a hug.

When she pulled back, she smiled and whispered, “Good night Trent,”

With that, she walked inside and left me on the porch wondering what had just happened.

~*~

I sighed slowly as I walked through the door. That was one of the best nights of my life. And it wasn’t because Trent and I discovered our long lost romantic feelings for each other or anything, we’d become really good friends. The thing was though, it could’ve been romantic, but it wasn’t. And I didn’t want it to be. Sure I may have complicated feelings about him, but I didn’t want to compromise this new found good friendship for that.

It wasn’t how I was expecting to end the evening, but it was still wonderful. I trusted him. And that was saying something considering my tract record when it came to guys!

But even with the sudden realization that we’d become friends. I still couldn’t stop thinking about the queasy, yet wonderful, feeling in my stomach I had when he put his arm around me.

I had a decision to make. Did I compromise a friendship to pursue something more or did I keep what we had now and try to ignore my feelings?

It wouldn’t be easy, that’s for sure. But I knew what the right answer was. I just hoped my heart could take it.