Chapter 28: SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN

It was December 17^th. A light snow was falling. Warren had just gotten off the phone with Sophia, and went down to talk to his Mom.

"Hey. Mom? Got a question."

"Shoot, honey."

"Would you mind if Sophia came over for Christmas?"

"Not at all, honey, but does her mother mind? Wouldn't she be more at home with her family?"

"Nah. There isn't anything with her family. Her brother and sister are going to be with their father, so her mother is going over her aunts and uncles house. She's invited both places, but Charlie is not her father, so she feels uncomfortable going there; and her aunt and uncle have no kids or anything so it would just be her, her mother, and them. Neither place sounds too Christmas-y. In fact, when I asked her if she wanted to come here if I could get approval, she got all excited. They're actually doing Christmas at her house on Christmas Eve, so she'd love to come here on Christmas day."

"Great, then. We'd love to have her. Now, I'm driving you guys to a party tomorrow night, right?"

"Yeah. Jessie and Crash, too-Crash is going to get dropped off here, and he's staying overnight here after the party."

"Oh, yeah, that's right."

"Mrs. K is going to get us on the way home from work, so it will be a very late night."

"Where's the party?"

"Over on Wickner Street. John Vassar's house."

"Didn't you used to hate John Vassar? Wasn't he one of the bullies at East?"

"I have encountered a lot of my old tormentors in Sophia's social circle," Warren said with a grimace. Peg laughed. "He's actually OK, and he's known Sophie since she was practically born, so he's accepted me because of her. He's not a bad guy. He's the one that helped me get her home that night she was plastered, and he willingly stopped hitting on a fabulous looking girl to help me out, so I got to give him some bonus points for that."

Peg laughed. "You hang around with people who used to bully you?" she said a bit more seriously.

"A few. John. Nick Papadopoulos. Hey, people change. Nick has really changed. But, then again, so have I."

"Nick was the one that helped you with your weightlifting, right?" Warren nodded. "How do you think you've changed, Warren?"

"I'm a lot more at ease in social situations. I'm more at ease with people than I ever have been."

"Well, you're dating a social butterfly." They both laughed.

"Yes, I am. And she has helped me with this immensely. Everybody thinks that I help her out with some of her shit-she helps me out just as much. I'm more at ease in social situations, more comfortable in my own skin, more confident. Thanks to Sophia. Long ago, John Vassar, in a fit of pseudo-cleverness, nicknamed me Wimp-Man. Y'know-Warren, Wimp-Man? Back at East, it used to bug me to the point of ridiculousness. He still calls me Wimp-Man. But now it's just a joke. And it's not just a joke because he's eased up on me, it's a joke because I take it as a joke. I just stopped being upset by that crap."

Peg smiled. "Listen, honey. I know, all in all, Sophia is good for you. I really do. As long as you don't have to give her any more post-hangover baths, eh?" They both laughed at that.

Jessie and Sophia were waiting for Peg to pick them up at Sophia's house.

"My parents were out last night." Jessie offered.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Crash came down." Jessie looked down. "I gave him an early Christmas present."

"What?"

Jessie blushed, but didn't say anything.

"Jessie, you're blushing! I've never seen you blush." Then light dawned on Sophia. "JESSIE! You didn't. Did you?"

Jessie just nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "He got me for Christmas. All of me."

"Wow. He didn't put any pressure or anything on you, did he?"

"Crash? Come on. Nope, this was mutual. We've fooled around, some, you know, but never did it. We were fooling around, and had gotten each other off with our hands, but then it just hit me-I want him. So, I told him-I want you. He actually almost tried to talk me out of it."

"Really?"

"Well, more like just making sure that I really wanted it. Boy, did I really want it. He worried about protection-you know my parents put me on the pill when I was with Aaron, not that that was necessary-so I reassured him about that. So we did it."

"How was it?"

"Well, Soph, you know the first time hurts. And it did, at first. He was as gentle as could be, but it hurt when he first went in. Then it stopped hurting. Oh boy did it stop hurting. It was great."

"You came?"

"Uh-huh. Like I said, I had gotten him off with my hand, so he lasted long enough. It was fantastic."

"But, today's the big test, you know. How do you feel about it today? Any morning-after regrets?"

"Y'know, I was almost expecting them. And they weren't there. It was fantastic and I feel great about it and I'm glad I did it, and I am especially glad I waited for him. He said the same thing, that he was glad Ally had never said yes."

"Jess... are you in love?"

Jess got a contemplative look, moreso than she usually did. "I think I am. If you ever tell anyone I said that, I will deny it and then I will kill you." Sophia just laughed. "But he told me last night. He said that he was falling in love with me. And I told him I was falling in love with him, too."

"Afterwards?"

"Actually, before."

"WOW. Then it means more."

"Uh-huh. Afterwards he fed me grapes, naked in bed, while he read love poetry."

Sophia cracked up laughing. "You're not kidding, are you?"

"Nope. I'm telling you, Soph, this is my kind of guy."

Just then Peg beeped her horn, and the girls went out and climbed into the car.

The Vassar's large house was decorated all up in Christmas lights. It was noisy and festive inside. John and Anne threw a Christmas party every year, and made sure it was a bash. There was even a live band, some of John's friends, playing, and they were quite good.

John opened the door. "Sophia!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Wimp-Man! Merry Christmas." He shook Warren's hand. "Glad you could make it. Hi, Jess!" He kissed her on the cheek.

"Playing the royal host, eh, John?" Jessie said with a smirk. "Oh, John, this is my boyfriend Jason. Jay, this is John."

"Nice to meet you," John shook his hand. "Where'd you find him, Jess?"

Jessie laughed. "Through Prep Boy, here," she pointed at Warren.

"Jason, aka Crash, here, is my best friend. We introduced them over the summer, and sparks flew." Jessie hit him on the arm.

"Your best friend, Wimp-Man? Goes to school with you?" Warren nodded. John tried to force a grimace, but it was plainly forced. "I'm so terribly sorry, but we have already reached our quota of Preppies at this here party."

Crash looked at Jess. "Damn, I knew I shoulda got that tattoo."

John cracked up laughing. "I'm just kidding. Come on in. Hang your coats over there, eats and drinks are in that room, and you can hear where the band is, no doubt. "