Chapter 14: Braving The Elements 2

Things got a little better after that. Nick pulled up a chair, and was quickly joined by his girlfriend Missy, who Warren remembered from East like he remembered Karen, a nice girl who was always friendly to him.

Karen joined them, as did Jessie when she wasn't being, as she put it, "the Royal Hostess." Nick realized Warren was a nice guy, and actually knew as much as Nick did about baseball, something Nick would have never believed. A joint came passed around, and nobody gave Warren a hard time when he refused it. Sophia smiled, and refused it, too. Some people were surprised to see Sophia there with Warren--she was lying with her head on his lap, so there was no mistaking it--but didn't give them any shit. Not with Nick--not to mention Jessie--glaring at them to make sure they didn't.

But the night wasn't over yet. Alexandra walked in.

Ignoring the glares from Nick and Jessie, she marched right up to Sophia and looked down at her. "Happy birthday, Sophia. Here's a birthday present I know you'll enjoy. Scott's out of jail."

Sophia shot Jessie and Nick an "I'll handle this" look, then said to Alexandra, "Oh, is he, really?"

"Yeah. A bunch of us raised his bail money. I picked him up earlier today. Then we went to my house and had great sex."

"That would be a first."

"Oh, really? I never heard you complain when you were with him."

"That's because I was stupid."

Alexandra just laughed. "Sure you were. No, Sophia, you blew it with him. And now you're trying to cover with this..." she pointed at Warren..."this ridiculous wimp here."

"Yup, I'm so upset."

"You should be. Scott is the best lover ever."

"Sure he is. If you prefer bruises over orgasms, that is." Sophia said. Jessie sniggered.

"Oh, he would never do such a thing like that to me."

Sophia laughed. "Alexandra, you might be a conniving, contemptible bitch, but, still, I hope you never find out the hard way what Scott is really like."

"He's not like that, at all--now that he's going out with someone who really appreciates him. I wish you could see how he treats me. I wanted him to come here--to show you how happy we are--but he didn't want to rub your face in it that badly." That made Sophia sit up straight in the seat, trying to reel in her mounting fury.

"Oh, fuck that, Alexandra. He didn't come because I have a fucking restraining order on him. He can't come within a hundred feet of me, and, since everyone here knew this was a birthday party for me, if he got within shouting distance of the driveway he'd be back in jail."

Alexandra looked surprised at that. Sophia went on, "Let's not forget, dear Alexandra, that he's only out on bail. He's still got a trial. He's still accused of a whole laundry list of stuff. So, hopefully, he will be back behind bars some day very soon. So, if I were you, I'd go enjoy as much of that 'fantastic loving' of his as you can get before the trial. Shit, Alex, maybe, if you're really lucky, that asshole will give you a separated shoulder and four broken ribs like he did me!" Warren rubbed her back, and she relaxed a little bit.

Alexandra looked confused. "He told me that he was in jail for breaking Wimpy's ribs! I thought all he did to you was hit you in the face once."

"Oh, look! He's lying to you already! No, Alex, he gave Warren a black eye. The broken ribs, the separated shoulder, the enormous cut in my mouth--before that, the black eye and the almost-broken cheekbone--that was all me. Oh, yes, I am so regretful that Scott is out of my life. I really miss being a fucking punching bag."

Alexandra was dumbstruck. Warren said, quietly, "Sophia's upset. This is her birthday. I think you should leave now." She did.

The group got quiet for a minute, as Sophia breathed heavy, on the verge of tears. Warren pulled her in close, rubbing her back. "Relax. It's over. She's gone."

"Shit, he's out of jail."

"He comes near you, I swear to God, I'll kill him."

"I've got a really sharp pocketknife," Nick added helpfully, which broke the tension somewhat.

"Cool." Warren smiled. "Of course, I'd probably be too much of a Preppy to use the thing, so you can play backup, Nick."

"Gladly."

Sophia stood up. "I need to go out. I need a cig. Jessie, come too?"

"Sure."

"Me, too," added Karen.

"You want my muscle out there covering your back?" Warren asked.

Sophia laughed, "No, dear heart. If anything happens, I'll scream, and you and Nickie can race to see who can come to my rescue first." Nick and Warren both laughed. "Meanwhile, Nick, Missy, keep an eye on Romeo, here, would you?"

"Surrrre."

The next hour or so was quiet. Nick and the rest had wandered off to socialize, and Sophia and Warren were cuddling on the loveseat.

"Hold my place, Romeo, got to go pee."

"OK."

Warren sat alone, and looked up to see a girl and two guys approaching him. Oh shit, he thought to himself, I didn't know they were part of this crowd. He hated Anne and John Vassar. They had spent most of grammar school torturing him, especially John, who was two years older. Anne was his age.

"Oh, Jesus Christ. Warren Kelleher? What the fuck are you doing here?" Anne said. "Hey, John, look! It's Warren Kelleher!"

"Warren Kelleher? John turned around. With him was his best friend Rob James, another real nice guy. "Wimp-man Kelleher! Who let you in here?"

"Jessie did, seeing as it's her party."

"Oh, Goody! The entertainment! Jessie let you in so the rest of us could play with you, eh?" John sat next to Warren. "This is gonna be fun."

"Umm... that seat is taken."

"Yeah. By me. Now. You got a problem with that?"

"Yes." Warren refused to be intimidated. "And the regular occupant of the seat will definitely have a problem with it."