Holding Onto You (Never Letting Go) (8 page)

“Adam,” she touches my face and holds my hand. “Wake up my sweet baby. It’s time to wake up. I need you to come to me and never let me go. I know that I’m pushing you away but don’t give up on me. Don’t give up on us. I need you to come save me.” She leans in and kisses my forehead and laughs. “I know you can hear me right now so listen to me carefully. I forgive you.” She kisses my lips. “I love you so much.” She kisses the top of my nose. “Don’t ever let me fall, please catch me.”

I woke up and the sun was shining in my room.
I slowly opened my eyes and thoughts about Sophia. I smiled from the mind-blowing dream. She admitted to me that she loved me. I don’t care if it was a dream, it meant something. I touched my head and it was throbbing. There was a bandage on the side of my head. I sat up in my bed and saw Connor sitting on a chair, drinking coffee.

“Hey,” he said, getting up and walking towards me.
“You alright?”

I felt groggy still but Sophia’s words gave me the strength I needed
. “Yeah, just got a killer headache.”

Connor looked at me and looked concerned.
“You remember last night?”

“Yep.”

“And?”

“I know it was Kyle. The guy said to stay away from Sophia, and earlier Travis said I’m not one of Kyle’s favorites.” I grabbed the water and medicine on the nightstand.

Connor drank his coffee and studied me. “What are you going to do?”

I took a gulp of water and thought about the best solution. I couldn’t hit him or anything but I’d still go to practice and pretend like what he didn’t
phase me. “Just act normal.”

Connor drank his coffee
again and got up. “I figured. Alright, let’s go then. Practice starts in an hour.”

Lowering my head, I thought about Sophia. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. I needed to protect her even if I had to ignore Kyle’s actions. She didn’t deserve to be in the middle or know about what was going on. I reached down under my bed and pulled out the photo album of us. I flipped through the pages and saw her beautiful smile. This was the Sophia that I loved. I needed her to be this happy. I closed my eyes and remembered her
unforgettable voice. I couldn’t and wouldn’t give up on her.

Leaving my room, I saw that Connor had already left for practice. I looked at my watch and saw that I still had a good thirty minutes.
Weird. I left the apartment and headed out. It was still early but coach liked us to be up and ready so he could murder us during practice. I crossed the road and walked towards campus. I decided to take another route to the gym. I just wanted a little more time clear my head before I faced Kyle.

The sun started to rise. The red, orange, and yellow mixture of colors in the sky was beautiful. I wished Sophia were sitting here next to me so we could have watched the sunrise together. She was my reason and I wanted to be her reason, but I
wasn’t going to push too far. If Kyle could do this to me, who knows what he was capable of.

I found myself walking towards the bench where I saw her.

Sophia.

I stopped walking and looked at her. She was shaking her head. I quietl
y walked closer to her. There were a few trees behind the bench. I hid there and watched her from afar.

She looked beautiful. I had the need to go to her. Hold her. Kiss her on the forehead and let her know that I was
going to win her heart and we were going to be together. After a few minutes of watching her, I started to turn around and walk towards the gym.

“Mom.”

I stopped dead where I stood. She was talking. I turned back around and leaned against the tree to listen.

“Mom. I’m so alone. I wish you were here with me now.”

She was crying. My heart was breaking for her. I wish I could be the one to take away her pain.

“Adam’s back. He’s in my English class and I see him when I go watch the team’s practice. He’s so hot, Mom.”

I smiled. I was pretty hot.

“But it’s hard to have him near me. My heart feels like it will explode when I see him. We haven’t really talked. I think a part of me is still mad at him for never coming to get me, but Erin keeps telling me to go talk to him. She said that he’s here for a reason.” She stops talking and blows her nose. Her voice is full of sadness. “I want to know what I should do. I want him back in my life but I know Kyle will get mad. He’s not a fan of Adam. Kyle’s a good boyfriend though, but I know Adam will always be your favorite. He’s my favorite too. I love him, Mom. So much.” She’s crying harder. The sobs were taking over her tiny body and she was shaking. “I don’t know what to do. Please help me.”

I was about to go to her but then someone pulled me back. I turned around and saw Connor. He shook his head, “Come on.”

“Sophia,” I whispered.

“I know. I want to help her too, but now is not the time. Come on, let’s get to practice.”

We walked in silence. I’m not sure what Connor was talking about. “Can you explain yourself?”

“You don’t want to be that asshole who is trying to get with a girl who has a boyfriend.
Especially if the boyfriend is Kyle.”

At that
point, all I wanted to do is smash that kid’s face in the ground. “Man everyone keeps saying that! What the hell does this kid have that makes him so powerful?”

Connor shook his head.
“His rich dad. The fact that Kyle has the power to make people disappear.”

“Whoa.” I pulled Connor back. “Like kill people?”

“Nah, just making their life so miserable that they leave school and never come back. He’s ruthless. Travis was telling me that the kid Sophia was tutoring had an accident in the weight room and is back at home.”

“What kind of accident?”

“His leg broke.”

Opened mouth and wide eyed, “And Kyle did that?”

Connor shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Travis thinks so but no one will call him out on it.”

“If he did that
, do you think he’s hurting Sophia?”

“I asked Travis the same thing but he said not to worry. He loves Sophia and wouldn’t hurt her. But he will fuck you up so just let it be for now.”

I listened to Connor and nodded. We got to the gym and slapped up the rest of the guys. Travis looked at my head, “What the hell happened to you?”

I smiled and saw Kyle in the corner. “Nothing man. Some pussy tried roughing me up. No worries, I’m good. Here, pass me the ball.”

Travis bounced the basketball to me and I ran up to the hoop and dunked the ball. The guys cheered and it felt good knowing that Kyle saw me and saw there was nothing he could do to stop me. Connor passed me the basketball and I shot from the three-point line. Nothing but net.

“Simpson!” Coach called out. I looked up and saw him walking my way. “Kyle told me you had some sort of accident. You okay?”

“Accident? Nah some idiot tried to rough me up but the loser just slammed my head to a wall. It’s all good.”

Coach looked at my forehead and pats my shoulder. “Good man. I need you next week! This team is looking good thanks to you.”

I laughed, “Thanks, coach. I won’t let you down.”

He laughed and walked away. I saw Kyle standing a few feet from me. The scowl on his face made my day. “
Kyle, thanks for looking out for me but I’m good.” I ran up to the hoop and dunked the ball effortlessly.

The team cheered for me but Connor ignored all the commotion. I knew he didn’t agree with this and he wanted me to leave Sophia alone but he never understood my hold on her. I knew what I was doing and Kyle had nothing on me.

After practice, I went over some plays with coach and called it a night. He gave me a few tapes to look over and I told him I would. I went back to the locker room and saw my locker was opened and my stuff was gone. “What the fuck?”

I walked around the locker room but there was no one else here. I passed coach’s office and he was gone for the night. I walked out into the gym and it was empty.
It was weird that no one was around and my shit was gone. I pulled out my phone and walked outside when I saw Kyle holding my gym bag. I put my phone away and smiled, “Mind telling me why you have my shit?”

Kyle clapped his hands and smiled. “You know,” he started to say. “You were real cool when we first met but then I kept seeing you looking at my girl.” He walked towards me and I stood there waiting for him to say more. “She’s not the same anymore. She’s quiet and ignores me a lot. I don’t like to be ignored and she’s been pissing me off and it all started when you got here. Do
you
mind telling me what the hell is going on?”

“Nothing.
We used to be friends and then had a falling out. Now that I’m back, I just wanted to see how she was doing. Do you have a problem with me being friends with her?”

Kyle shook his head and looked around. He walked closer to me but I didn’t move. He didn’t scare me and I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me. “Stay away from her alright?”

“I’m not doing anything wrong Kyle. She’s a girl and used to be my best friend. What? You scared?”

He laughed and shook his finger in my face. “Funny. Me? Scared? You got it all wrong.”
He turned around and walked back to my gym bag. He kicked it over to me and turned around again. “Might want to get your shit washed. See you tomorrow.”

I watched him walk away and when he was gone, I picked up my bag and smelled
something awful. “What the hell?”
I opened my bag and saw garbage all over my clothes. “Funny.” Shaking my head, I carried my gym bag over my shoulder and laughed. “Oh this is going to be real fun.”

The next few months went by quickly. School was going well and the basketball team was on a winning streak. Twelve wins and zero losses. Optimax was growing and I found myself traveling every other weekend to California to meet with other representatives. Connor stayed behind in North Carolina and helped Joseph in the office. Father came with me a few times, even though Mother was against it. It was good to have spent time with him. I filled him in about Sophia and he told me to not let the chance pass me by and get her back.

I saw Sophia everywhere.
Every other day in English, basketball practices, and games. She took my breath away. I missed everything about her. The way she’d laugh and how her hair always got in her face made me smile. I wanted to be around her all the time. I purposely took the long way to classes so that I could pass the bench in hopes I’d see her. Unfortunately every time I saw her, Kyle was right there by her side. I fucking wanted to punch his cocky face and let him know that I was back and he could get the hell out of her life. Seeing them together pissed me off. When I saw his hands on her legs or on her face, the urge to get up and knock him out was all I could think about. He wouldn’t leave Sophia’s side so any alone time with her went out the window.

I sat in science class trying to go through my notes for the unit test. Between basketball, other classes, and
Optimax, studying was nonexistent. I was smart enough to bullshit my way through tests but I barely understood anything in this unit. I took my cup of coffee and took a few sips. Black coffee was the best. I reviewed the power point slide notes and it seemed to make sense.

Someone put their hand on my arm and nudged me.
“Last minute studying?”

I looked up and leaned back in my chair. “Erin.”

She sat down next to me and crossed her legs. She grabbed my coffee and drank it. “Ugh black coffee? Gross.”

“Why are you always taking my drinks?”
It was cute that she took my food and drinks. Sophia used to do the same thing.

She smiled.
“Because I can. So anyways, how’s mission ‘winning back Sophia’ coming along?”

I shook my head. “It’s not.”

“God, you suck at this crap. You know she has class in this building too, right? Well in like an hour. Dr. Murphy. World War II.”

My throat suddenly went dry. Dr. Murphy helped me a few times this semester and I haven’t seen him in a while. I needed to see her when she was alone. Even just seeing her smile would make my day better. “Thanks Erin.”

She grabbed my hand. “I believe in you guys. Talk to you later.”

“Later.”

Dr. Yaples came in and passed out the test so we could begin. “After you are done, please bring up your test and have a great day.”

I knew this. The test was placed in front of me and I started answering the questions. After almost an hour, I was done. Damn, that test was easier than I thought. I handed in my test and wished Dr.
Yaples a good day.

I headed down the hall to Dr. Murphy’s class. I took a deep breath and went in. He wasn’t in the class yet but Sophia was in her seat. She looked beautiful as usual. I stood there staring at her. I wanted to hear what was in her heart. I wanted to feel her soul. Her head popped up and our eyes connected. I smiled at her and noticed that her breathing seemed to deepen. My smile grew wider and my eyes lit up. The look on her face proved that she did miss me and wanted me around.
Dr. Murphy came to class and shook my hand. I asked if I could speak to him and he placed his hand on my shoulder.
When I walked out of class with Dr. Murphy, her eyes followed me and that was all I needed to know.

I waited until she was done with class. I went to the café and ordered another cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.
I went back to the building and looked at my watch. Just a few more minutes and Sophia would be done with class. I finished my muffin and drank my coffee. I saw some movement in the classroom and the door opened. I watched Sophia leaving class and followed her. I needed to talk to her again. I followed her and when we made it outside, I took my chance and jogged to get in front of her. I was walking backwards when I got to where I wanted to be. The expression on her face was priceless. She was shocked but was still beautiful in every way. Her big blue eyes grew wide and I stopped walked. Our faces were inches apart and I heard her gasp.

“Hey, Soph.”
I smiled at her and waited for her to say something. When I knew she wouldn’t respond, I took her hand and looked into her sexy eyes. “It was good seeing you in class. Sorry I couldn’t talk but maybe next time.”

She fought back a smile, thought I wasn’t sure why. Her hair was in her face and her blue eyes matched the crystal clear ocean in Miami. There was something else in her eyes, I noticed. This was our story of a broken heart, but this was my second chance.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Before she had the chance to say anything, I let her go and walked away.

I was tired of walking away from her and I had to have her back.
Soon, Sophia. Soon you’ll know what’s in my heart and you’ll be mine once again.

I went to the gym and worked out for a few hours. After I was done, I was exhausted.
I ran on the treadmill and worked on my legs. I got my gym bag from the locker room and headed home. I walked into the apartment and saw Connor watching some of the past games on TV. “Hey,” I said closing the door and putting my bag down.

Connor turned his head and looked at me. “So you’ll never guess who I just had dinner with.”

I walked over to the couch and sat down. “Who?” I was curious who he would’ve seen. He looked happy. “A new girl?”

Connor shook his head and
paused the game. “Sophia.”

My body went tight and I tensed up. Connor had dinner with Sophia. I wanted to know everything she said and how it went. “Tell me everything.”

*****

Another sleepless night as I tossed and turned.
I couldn’t sleep and needed to get out of bed. I picked up my sweat pants and red hoodie. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and I washed my face. I gave myself a look in the mirror and walked out of the apartment. I needed to run or do something. There was pent up energy and frustration in me that I didn’t know how else to release. I walked on campus and studied how quiet it was. I kept walking but then I saw her walking. Her back was to me but I knew it was her. I walked a little faster to catch up to her. “Good morning.” I said with a smile on my face.

She whipped her head to me and started smiling. That’s my Sophia, let me in now baby.
“Morning,” her voice is casual but there seemed to be a slight hint of excitement.

“I heard you had dinner with C
onner last night. How was it?” I winked at her and saw her body relaxing. There was something in her eyes and I tried to study her more. She seemed different and opened.

“It was so fun!”
I laughed at how cheerful she seemed. “We talked for a little and he ate my food.” She laughed and looked at me again. “How’ve you been?” We stop walking and she turned to face me. There we were, in the middle of campus just staring at each other. My thoughts flew to what I wanted to do. I wanted to kiss her and feel her all over. She tilted her head slightly to the left and waited for my answer.

“Good, real good, and yourself?”

“I’m ok. What are
you looking at?” she lets out a laugh.

I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair
. “Nothing, I’m glad I decided to come to this school.”

She
touched my arm and my whole body went into near shock. Something was very different. Why was she touching me and why was she smiling at me. The fear she had with me before seemed to have disappeared. “I’m glad you decided to come here too.” We continued walking in silence. There was a lot I wanted to say to her but I couldn’t find the words. It felt good walking with her and being so close to her. We walked a little more until we came across a building. “Thanks for walking with me today. It was fun.”

Without thinking, I took her hand into mine
. “I hope we can see each other soon. Have a good day, Soph.”

“You too Adam,”
I leaned in and wanted to kiss her lips but I decided to kiss her cheek and when I brushed my lips against her cheeks I heard her sigh. Patience indeed worked. I let her go and walked away. This was it; the start of me and Sophia.