Run Away Child

Ollie did what?

I didn’t know what to do or say.

“What’s wrong?”

“We are at the hospital. They can’t find the heartbeat.”

I started to cry.

“No no no. They have to find that heartbeat.”

“They can’t find it. My baby might be dead.”

“She is not dead! They will find-”

“Sophia!”

“What?”

There was silence then laughter.

“It’s okay. They found it. My baby is going to be okay.”

I started breathing again.

“I hate you. I am crying right now.”

“I'm sorry. You were the first person I called because you are the only person I can go to about stuff like this.”

“Well I'm glad and going back to this game. We are winning by the way.”

“Tell Jordan that I'm proud of him.”

“I will. I love you three.”

“We love you too.”

I hung up and walked back wiping the tears off of my face. I walked to the drinks and got myself a water. I was walking back when I saw a few people that I didn’t think would ever come here. It was Nick and his friends. I walked over to them.

“Hey guys. What are you doing here?”

“Hey Sophia, just watching the boys and I wanted to check up on you.”

“That’s sweet but I'm doing great.”

I showed him the ring and his face was shocked and happy.

“Are you engaged?”

“It’s a promise ring and in a few years it’s going to be an engagement ring.”

“Wow. Congratulations!”

“Thank you. I'm going to head over to my spot and watch the game.”

“Alright.”

He looked closer at my face.

“Were you crying?”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. What happened?”

“My older brother is going to have a baby! And we thought she had a misscarriage because they couldn’t find the heartbeat. So he called me crying and freaking out which caused me to cry for him to then tell me that she is going to be okay.”

“Well that is good and it’s not good that you cried.”

“Well it’s a baby Nick.”

“I know but still.”

“Okay but I really have to head back to my seat.”

“Okay.”

I waved at the rest of them and walked away. I got back to my spot and the second quarter had already started. Brandon was running the ball then got tackled. But he got a first down which is a good thing. The game continued and we were doing really good. 

Jordan got tackled and I freaked out. Once I saw him get up I calmed down. The next play was pretty easy but this dude hit Jordan even after he threw the ball which is illegal. The coach started yelling at the refs and one of the boys ran over to Jordan. I was about to hop over the bleachers and run to him but I couldn’t.

I looked at Nick and I saw that he was scared. I looked back at Jordan and I started shouting.

“It’s okay! Come on Jordan!”

Jordan was walked to the bleachers and called Kyle over. A second later Kyle looked at me and ran over to me.

“What’s wrong?”

“He said to tell you that he is going to be okay and that you need to breathe because he feels your anxiety from all the way over there.”

“Well tell him I said that he better be or else I'm going to make sure that he isn’t later because I will kill him.”

He laughed and ran back. He told Jordan then he turned and looked at me. He shook his head and I started laughing. Jordan sat out for a little while then he got up and started stretching. He walked over to the coach then was sent to the field. Everyone started cheering as soon as he was back in shape.

It was almost halftime and I could see that Jordan was happy that we were winning. The other teams players were getting mad that they were losing and I could tell by how mad their coach was and their reactions. Jordan was snapped the ball but when he went to throw it he decided to run it. Everyone chased after and the boys made sure no one hit him. He ran all the way down to the end field, he got a touchdown. 

He ran past me and blew a kiss. I smiled and continued cheering. We were winning thirteen to nothing and I was proud. Our kicker missed but that’s okay because we were doing great. It was halftime show so the cheerleaders went out and did their little routine while the football players had to get their parents or girlfriends to give them a flower. 

It was our school's tradition because it was a way for them to say thank you for supporting me and helping me get to where I am. Jordan looked at me and pointed to the end of the field where I am supposed to meet him. I sprinted over to the end and as soon as I got there he picked me up and spun me around. He set me down and took his helmet off. He kissed me then took my hand. We walked to the station and when Jordan’s name was called we walked to the center of the field.

“Junior Jordan Hernandez, quarterback and his girlfriend who is also a Junior, Sophia Jones.”

As soon as we got to our spot I heard some of our friends.

“Those are my parents!”

“That’s my mom and dad!”

We started laughing and the coach got mad at them. He was given his flower and got down on his knee. 

He whispered, “This isn’t the first time I have been on my knees for you.”

I stared at him then started giggling.

“Gentlemen, you may present the flowers.”

He handed me the flower then got up. He hugged me and while picking me up. He set me down then I kissed him. Every football player had to have a thank you speech that was about a minute long. They went down the line then it was Jordan’s turn.

“Hey everyone, how’s your night? Good? Let me introduce to you the love of my life and my good luck charm, Sophia.” He turned and looked at me. “Sophia and I started dating earlier this year and every single second from there I have been motivated and I have been a better person. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and thanks to her I am still playing football and because of her I am the football player I am. Because of her we haven’t lost a game and I want to keep it that way. I love you with all my heart and it’s always and forever.”

I started smiling like a little kid then hugged him. He handed off the mic and kissed me.

“You just had to didn’t you.”

“You know it. Everything I said was the truth.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I kissed him again then let go.

“You better win this now.”

“You know it.”

Once everyone was done with their speeches we walked back to the bench and I was about to walk away when the coach called me over.

“Yes coach?”

“Sophia, what he said was the truth. I want you up here to keep him motivated.”

“Seriously? I don’t know coach, because I might become a distraction.”

“I don’t believe so. I think he will be more motivated. If it does, you leave.”

“Alright.”

I walked back to Jordan and the boys and told them what the coach said.

“He’s letting you stay over here?”

“He told me that he wants me over here. To keep him motivated.”

They looked at each other shocked.

“Well I think coach might be right. You really are his motivation because he is constantly messing with the ring at practice and before every play he kisses it for luck.”

I looked at Jordan and he looked like he wanted to kill them.

“That’s adorable. Whenever I get nervous I play with it and it calms me down.”

He smiled and put his helmet back on then ran to the coach. Once the coach told him the play that they were going to do, he ran to me and we did our little hand shake then he ran off. They went to the huddle and breaked. They lined up and they did the play. The boys were doing great and I was proud. Everytime Jordan were to come to the sideline he would stand next to me holding my hand.

The game was almost over and we were winning twenty to six and I would say that we were doing pretty good. There was a minute left on the clock and we were going to do a fun play that would kill time. Jordan made his call and as soon as the ball was snapped, this player came out of nowhere and hit Jordan as hard as he possibly could. I was about to run out to the field but I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, holding me back. 

“Let me go! He needs help!”

“You can’t run out there!”

“I don’t care! He needs me!”

I kicked as hard as I possibly could and as soon as he let me go I took off running to Jordan. I took his helmet off and checked his pulse.

“Jordan! Don’t do this to me again!”

He opened his eyes and smiled.

“Dear Lord I am going to kill you when I have the chance.”

I helped him sit up.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm breathing. My ribs hurt but I'm fine.”

I hugged him and laughed in relief.

“How are you here and the coach isn’t yelling at you?”

“I think he respects how hard I tried to get over here.”

He chuckled and he got up. I wrapped my arm around him and we walked to the bleachers while the crowd chanted his name. It was our school's sign of respect for any injured players on either team. I got water and ice. While he was putting ice on his stomach, the coaches and the refs were talking about if that was illegal or not.

“I swear to God I will kill someone today if they say that the play was allowed.”

“No killing today.”

“He could have killed you!”

“But he didn’t. I respect him more than I hate him.”

“I can’t stand you.”

“Then sit.”

Mike and Kyle started laughing at his failure at a joke.

“Haha, want to sleep alone tonight?”

“No. I want cuddles after that hit.”

“Then shut up.”

He pursed his bottom lip and I laughed at him. I kissed him and started pacing. I started twirling my ring around my finger trying to figure out what their call was going to be. The final verdict was that it was illegal and I was so happy. They let the clock run and it was obvious that we won.

The football players walked to the field and shook hands and when the player that hit Jordan shook his hand he looked upset.

“Hey, I'm sorry man. I didn’t mean to hit you like that.”

“If I'm being honest, my girlfriend is more upset about it than I am. I was impressed with it and she was ready to rip your face off.”

He laughed then looked at me.

“Sorry I hit him like that. Please don’t rip my face off.”

“No promises.”

He looked at me and he looked a little startled. Jordan walked back to the bleachers and took off his shoulder pads and I took them. 

“Set those down.”

“Okay?”

He grabbed a football then took off running. I laughed then chased after him. He threw me the football and we played catch before some other players from both teams started joining us. It was funny because Jordan ran after me, threw me over his shoulder, and ran to the end of the field. Everyone was laughing and some of them fell over from laughing so hard. 

As soon as he set me down he started running from me and I chased him. I jumped on his back and he walked back to everyone. Mike pulled me off of Jordan and started messing with me. Jordan and Kyle soon joined him and while the three of them were messing with me, the rest of them sat there laughing. I kicked this inside of Mike’s leg right near his balls and he backed up. I got close to Kyle and started messing with his hair then punched him really hard in the chest then he started coughing. Jordan threw his hands up and surrendered.

“I'm not going to hit you. You are just going to sleep on the couch tonight.”

His face looked devastated and I started laughing. We eventually got kicked off of the field and sent home. I grabbed his shoulder pads and we walked to the car. I put them in the trunk and he got in the passenger seat. I got in and drove us home while he ordered us something to eat for dinner. 

We got home and I grabbed his pads while he sprinted inside to take a shower. I saw our neighbor again.

“Oh hey Roger.”

“Hey. How was the game?”

“It was good. We won but Jordan got hit pretty hard. So while he’s fixing himself up, I'm going to make sure the jersey gets washed because, Lord knows it needs it.”

He laughed.

“I bet. Well, I am going to let you go now because I have to go back to the office because someone messed something up. Goodnight.”

“That sucks, goodnight.”

I walked upstairs and went inside. I put his jersey in the washer with some other laundry and washed that while he was in the shower. I walked in and wiped the makeup off of my face then changed into some comfy clothes and fuzzy socks. I turned on a movie and waited for Jordan and our food. Jordan got out then went to the kitchen looking for something to drink.

The doorbell rang so I got up and saw that it was Nick. I opened the door.

“Hey Nick, what’s up?”

“Hey Sophia. I was just stopping by on my way home and I wanted to talk to Jordan.”

Jordan came walking in and smiled.

“What’s up?”

“I was at the field today and I wanted to tell you that I am proud of you and I seriously think you have a shot at going to the NFL. Unlike me you have the talent for it and I will be seriously shocked if you don't.”

“Thanks Nick. That honestly means a lot to me.”

“Well I have to get going. I have to get home and go to bed because I have an early appointment.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s a Church rehab group thing that I have been going to every wednesday and sunday.”

I smiled because he listened to me.

“I'm happy for you Nick.”

“All thanks to you. I finally feel better after getting help and not drinking. I feel like I'm going to be alright.”

“Well I'm glad.”

He smiled then left. I shut the door then we sat down on the couch watching the movie waiting for our food. Jordan looked at the tracker and saw that it was about to be here so he walked outside and waited for the food. I saw headlights then disappearing. Then Jordan walked in with our food and the biggest smile on his face.

“What are you all smiley about?”

“The delivery driver. It was one of our boys and he was being weird.”

“Oh Lord.”

“He was just being goofy. He didn’t do anything too weird.”

“Good because it’s my job to be the weird and goofy one.”

“No your job is to be the mom of the group and make sure everyone stays out of trouble while being super fun.”

“And what about you? Being the father of the group requires you to do what?”

“Well I am all around the fun parent. Like, want a condom? Here you have it as long as you are being safe. Oh want to go drinking? Okay but don’t let mom catch you or else she will kill both of us.”

“Wow. I am supposed to be the buzz kill.”

“Well everyone turns to you for advice and cries to you whenever they go through a break up or need something. So not really but yes.”

“Thanks for the mean tital.”

“At least you aren’t one of the crackheads.”

I laughed at that and he sat down. He opened the bag and it was a couple of sandwiches and soups. I opened a sandwich and it was my favorite. I looked at him and smiled. We ate our dinner and we passed out on the couch. 

I woke up on Jordan getting up and falling. I got up fast and rushed over to him.

“I'm okay. I lost my footing.”

“You scared me.”

“I'm sorry. I wanted to surprise you with coffee but I woke you up.”

“It’s okay. You can still make the coffee while I take a quick shower.”

“Okay baby.”

We got up and I kissed him. I helped him clean up our dinner from last night then I got in the shower. I washed the feeling of sweat off of my body then got out. I got dressed in a pair of leggings and one of his shirts. I walked to the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He was sitting on the couch trying to find something to do.

“Want to go hiking at the caves?”

“Sure. With who?”

“The group. And you can test out those new lenses and we can swim in the river.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Alright. I’ll ask who all can go and we can leave around noon.”

“Okay.”

I walked away drinking my coffee and dried my hair. I brushed my teeth then put my cup in the sink. I went to the room and put on my bathing suit under my clothes. I threw on a pair of socks and shoes then met Jordan in the living room. I went under the T.V and got my camera with the lenses.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep.”

We walked out and walked over to the caves because we live close to there. We saw some of the trucks there and then we saw them being idiots, running around, and playing on the swing set waiting for us.

“There they are!”

“We have been waiting for the two of you.”

“Well we are here now so shut up and let’s hike!”

They laughed and we went hiking. It was really hot so I took my shirt off and just hiked with my swimming top on and shorts. Jordan looked at me like he was going to kill someone if they looked at me the wrong way. We got to the lake and I took my shoes and shorts then jumped in. The girls joined me and the boys stood there laughing at us.

“Come on! Get in.”

“I’ll pass on that.”

I walked out and smoothed my hair back. I walked up to Jordan and gave him puppy eyes.

“No, not happening.”

“Please?”

He signed and rolled his eyes. He went to argue but I jumped on him which caused him to fall into the water. I started swimming and Jordan looked like he wanted to kill me.

“You never had to do that.”

“I really did though. It was super funny.”

“I can’t stand you.”

“Then start swimming.”

He glared at me and started swimming around. I got out and started taking pictures of everyone and we all look happy. I started drying off when I felt a pair of hands grab my towel and another pick me up and throw me into the water. When I came back to the surface I saw Kyle and Jordan laughing so hard that they fell.

“I hate the two of you.”

“No you don’t.”

I swam back to the hill and grabbed my towel. I dried off again and this time I made sure no one was behind me. I put my shorts back on and my shoes then we hiked to the party cave and had a few drinks. They played music and we had a blast. Jordan grabbed my hips and we danced to the music together. 

It was a salsa song next so I turned around and grabbed Jordan’s hand and he put the other on my waist. We danced and the group started recording us and dancing as well. The song ended so we decided that we were going to continue hiking so I let go of Jordan and walked up the side of the huge hill and hid there waiting for them to come so I can scare them. I lied there for a minute before I heard them laughing. I jumped out and Mirza screamed like a little girl and the rest of them jumped. 

“That wasn’t nice.”

“It was funny.”

“Maybe to you but the rest of us didn’t think so.”

“Mirza, chill.”

“It wasn’t funny.”

I started laughing and I heard Jordan laughing in the back.

“We disagree. It was funny and you know it. If it were you, you would be dying laughing as well so don’t be all mad and salty.”

She glared at me and stormed off. Jordan and I walked behind the group and I was taking pictures. Kyle started walking next to us and we talked about random things and I spotted a deer. I squatted down and started taking pictures of them. I showed them to Jordan and he looked impressed. We were almost back to the park and I saw Ollie with a few of his boys and they did not look happy nor did they look good. They look like they definitely look like they got jumped.

I looked at them then Jordan saw who I was looking at. He looked like he was ready for round two. 

“Not a chance.”

“What?”

“Let them approach us.”

He chuckled and I noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt still. I wrapped my fingers around his and kissed him. He looked at me and chuckled. We all stood by the tree and he stood behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. Ollie and them walked over to us.

“They are coming over here.”

“Okay and? I'm not scared of them.”

I chuckled and just looked at the tree.

“What do you want Ollie?”

“To tell Sophia something.”

I chuckled and looked at him.

“What?”

“You are just a homie hopping hussie. So I just want to know who’s next? Kyle? Liam? Mike? We both know that you are just going to screw another guy soon so who is it going to be?”

I stepped up to him and Jordan pulled me back. I nodded at Mirza so she gave me a hair tie. I got away from Jordan and slapped Ollie across the face and the sound my hand made against his cheek was loud and sounded super painful. He then looked at me and chuckled. He slapped me back and I have never seen Jordan move so fast in his life. 

Jordan hit Ollie so hard he was knocked out. I stepped in front of him and made him look at me.

“Hey, I'm right here. Look at me. He hits like a little girl anyways. It’s okay so breathe.”

“He hit you. He hit a girl. He hit my girl.”

“I know but baby, I'm okay.”

His chest started slowly sinking then he looked closer at my face. He tilted my face and saw how red my face was and touched it. When I winced he went to hit Ollie but I grabbed his face again.

“It’s okay! Let’s just go home okay?”

I grabbed his hand and dragged him out of there. We walked back to the apartment and he took a shower. I sat there thinking about what happened for a while then I decided to join him. I went to the bathroom and got undressed then got in with him. He turned to look at me but I grabbed his face.

“It’s okay baby.”

I started kissing him then he started grabbing my butt. He picked me up and I started running my fingers through his hair. I started breathing heavier and he put me down. 

“I can’t right now. I'm sorry.”

He looked away but I grabbed his face.

“It’s okay. When you are done we can talk okay?”

“Alright.”

I kissed him then got out. I went to the room and put some shorts and a tee shirt on. I sat there waiting for him while playing games on my phone. He walked in and got dressed. He sat on the bed and didn’t look at me. 

I grabbed his hand.

“Come here.”

He got closer to me so I pulled him on to my lap and started rubbing his head and playing with his hair.

“It’s okay. Talk to me.”

He took a deep breath.

“When he hit you, I stopped breathing and I just wanted to kill him. I was about to kill him but then I saw the look on your face. You were scared of me. Not of what I was going to do, me.”

“I wasn’t scared of you. I was scared that you were going to ruin your future by commiting murder.”

“I didn’t know what to do.”

“I know, and that’s okay. I know that you were angry and that you wanted to kill him but that’s not an option. What we can do is tell the authorities about this and show them the screenshots of what he was saying about all of us.”

He looked at me and nodded his head. We lied there for hours of me rubbing his head and playing with his hair while he slept. I saw that it was almost eight at night so I decided to get up and make dinner. I was cooking some pasta and making a family recipe tomato sauce that I know Jordan would love. While I was making the sauce there was a knock at the door.

I opened the door and it was Kyle, Mirza, and Brandon.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“We decided that it was a good idea for the five of us to hang out and try to lift up the mood right now.”

“Okay well I am making dinner right now.”

I opened the door and they walked inside. I shut the door then walked to the room to wake Jordan up. He looked so peaceful and adorable. I walked over to him and crawled onto his lap.