Blitz
Cooper
When Sophie awoke the next morning she stumbled out of bed and into her bathroom.
Glancing in the mirror, she cringed at her appearance and dug a towel out of the closet. Climbing into the shower, she cleaned the make-up off her face.
When she finished, she turned off the water and wrapped the towel tightly around her body.
She walked over to her dresser and picked out a set of underwear and laid them on the bed.
As she turned around, she did a double take and saw Eli sitting on her bed.
“Hey!”
He sheepishly smiled at her, “Hi.”
“You shouldn’t be in here, you know.”
“Why not? You let Peyton in here.” He said, raising his voice.
“Sure, but Peyton tells me when he’s coming over, you just bust in Eli.”
He sighed, “I’m sorry. So, anyways... what are your plans for today?”
Sophie turned away from him, “I have to run some errands for Mom.”
“Ah, alrighty.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, “Why?”
He rolled his eyes, “Cooper wants us to go get him something and I didn’t want to go alone.”
“Take Peyton with you.”
Eli scowled, “I guess.”
Sophie smiled, “I’m sure whatever reason your mad at Peyton for is very immature.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her and nodded, “Oh, Cooper is leaving tomorrow, so if you want to come over and see him off, be outside by noon.”
Sophie smiled, “Of course, I’ll be there.”
Eli stood and took a step towards her, then decided against it, and climbed onto the tree, “Alright, I’ll see you later.”
She watched him disappear into his room and quickly put on some clothes.
Jogging down the stairs, and into the kitchen, Sophie grabbed the list of errands off the counter and her car keys from the key rack.
She exited the house, skipped the porch steps and was about to step onto the sidewalk when Peyton almost crashed into her.
He pulled his headphones out of his ears and playfully rolled his eyes, “You should watch where you are going.”
She smiled, “Sorry Pey, I am in a rush.”
Peyton chuckled, “It’s alright. I almost seriously killed you right there though.”
Sophie patted his shoulder, “I’m sure you wouldn’t have hurt me on purpose. I gotta jet, I’ll see you later.”
He watched as she jogged around the side of her house, and heard the car roar to life.
She backed the car out of the driveway and waved to him, before throwing the car into drive and speeding off.
__________________________________________________
A few hours later, Sophie returned home and struggled to get everything out of her car.
The milk dropped from the bag and rolled slightly under the car leaving Sophie standing there cursing.
Laughter was heard from the end of her driveway, “Do you need some help?”
She quickly stood up and saw Cooper standing there, his hands in his pockets and a grin plastered on his face.
“If you don’t mind.”
He walked towards her and grabbed the dry cleaning from her hands.
She picked up the milk and Cooper grabbed that as well.
“I can get that.”
He waved her off and started towards the back door.
Sophie pushed the door open and placed the bags on the counter.
“I appreciate the help, Coop.”
He placed the clothes on the coat rack, and brought the milk to the fridge.
“No problem Sophia. Hey, I have a quick question.. do you know what’s going on between Eli and Peyton?”
He asked, stealing a glance at her.
“I honestly have no idea, although I heard, more like saw, them arguing last night.” She replied, grabbing a can or two of soup, and placing them into the pantry.
Cooper sighed, “Well unfortunately, they were fighting about you.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugged, “Eli feels there’s something going on between Peyton and you.”
Sophie rolled her eyes, “Boys. I dunno what to say, Coop. There is nothing going on between us.”
Cooper nodded and clapped his hands, “Well then, that’s settled and your groceries are all put away. My work here is done.”
“Thanks once again, Cooper.”
He smiled and gave her a hug, and a light kiss on the cheek, “No problem, anything for you.”
She walked him to the back door, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He waved to her and walked through the gate.
Sophie stood there and watched Cooper walk up onto his porch and through the screen door.
She turned and made her way inside, and walked over to the sink.
Leaning against the sink she decided to go for a swim.
Grabbing her swimsuit from the laundry room and a large towel, she made her way down the back deck and out to the pool.
Sophie placed her towel on a lounge chair and walked over to the pool edge.
She dipped her foot into the water, and smiled.
Walking to the deep end, she climbed the diving board.
Stretching her arms over her head, she bounced twice on the board, and dove into the water.
As Sophie broke the surface, she saw Peyton standing on the edge of the water.
Brushing the hair from her face, she smiled at him.
“Hey.”
He crouched down next to her, “Hey. So, whatcha doin’?”
Sophie bit her lip, “Swimming, you?”
Peyton shook his head.
“Hey… I have something to tell you.”
He leaned closer and Sophie placed her arms on the deck.
She quickly wrapped her arms around his legs and pulled him into the pool.
She came to the surface first, wiping the water from her eyes.
Peyton quickly came up a few seconds later, spitting water from his mouth, and wiping water away from his eyes.
“Sophie, you are in trouble.”
Her eyes widened, and she quickly spun and tried diving under.
Peyton threw out his arm and grabbed her wrist, turning her back towards him.
She sheepishly smiled at him.
“You know, that wasn’t very nice.”
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her into him.
They stared at each other and a large surge of water caused Sophie to trip.
Instinctively, she threw out her arms and her hands hit Peyton’s chest.
Peyton smirked and Sophie blushed.
Slowly, he removed a hand from her hip and placed it on her cheek.
Sophie could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks, causing her to bite her lip.
Peyton moved closer and as he was an inch from her lips…
He coughed.
Sophie quickly looked away and laughed, “I’m going to go lay in a chair.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I can dry my clothes that way.”
They climbed out of the pool and sat on the deck chairs.
Peyton stripped off his shirt, revealing his sculpted abs and pecs.
“Um, do you mind if I strip off my shorts? I have boxers on.”
Sophie giggled, and rolled her eyes, “Peyton, we’ve known each other for ages, it’s fine.”
He chuckled, and removed his shorts, placing them on the railing.
Sophie glanced over at him, “So, Peyton, how has school been?”
Peyton looked over his shoulder, “It’s been good, Fee, really good. Tennessee is one of the best things that has happened to me. Going there has really heightened my chances of getting into the NFL.”
Sophie smiled, “I’m really happy for your Pey.”
He sat on the chair next to her and smiled, “Thanks Fee.”
She smiled brightly at him, “So…”
Peyton shrugged, “As much as I miss it there, I don’t want summer to end, although it just began.”
Sophie nodded, “I’d toast to that, although I don’t, I mean we don’t have any drinks.”
Peyton ducked his head, “True, very true.”
“I feel this will be a great summer, at least after the party.”
Peyton nodded, “The Ultimate summer kick-off party.”
“Hey guys!”
Both Peyton and Sophie turned and saw Eli walking towards them.
Eli sat on the chair next to Sophie, “What’s going on?”
“Talking about the party. We should work on the plans.”
Peyton and Eli nodded.
“Let’s go upstairs and I can get dressed, that way we can start.”
Peyton grabbed his clothes, “Any chance I can throw these in the dryer.”
“Yeah, you know where it is right?”
He nodded and quickly ducked into the laundry room.
They climbed the back staircase and entered Sophie’s room.
She pulled out her desk chair, while the boys sat on the window seat.
“Alright, so.. I need to get you some clothes.” She said, pointing at Peyton.
Eli turned and glared at Peyton as soon as she turned away.
He rolled his eyes and was going to say something when Sophie threw clothes onto his lap.
Grabbing a pen from her desk a loose leaf notebook, the three of them got to work making the guest list.
____________________________________________________________________
An hour later, Deborah poked her head in the door, “Oh, hello Eli, Peyton. What are you up to?”
“Making plans for the summer.”
Sophie said, smiling at her Mom.
“Sounds like a good time. You should plan a beach trip, all four of you.”
Peyton smiled, “That sounds like a great idea. We can camp on the beach too.”
Deborah smiled, “Are you boys staying for dinner?”
Eli shook his head, “We’d love to, but we’re going out for dinner since Cooper is leaving tomorrow.”
“Yeah, we should head out and finish helping Coop pack and everything.”
The boys stood and exited the room.
Deborah wriggled an eyebrow at Sophie, who merely rolled her eyes.
“Come on, help me make dinner.”
Glancing in the mirror, she cringed at her appearance and dug a towel out of the closet. Climbing into the shower, she cleaned the make-up off her face.
When she finished, she turned off the water and wrapped the towel tightly around her body.
She walked over to her dresser and picked out a set of underwear and laid them on the bed.
As she turned around, she did a double take and saw Eli sitting on her bed.
“Hey!”
He sheepishly smiled at her, “Hi.”
“You shouldn’t be in here, you know.”
“Why not? You let Peyton in here.” He said, raising his voice.
“Sure, but Peyton tells me when he’s coming over, you just bust in Eli.”
He sighed, “I’m sorry. So, anyways... what are your plans for today?”
Sophie turned away from him, “I have to run some errands for Mom.”
“Ah, alrighty.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him, “Why?”
He rolled his eyes, “Cooper wants us to go get him something and I didn’t want to go alone.”
“Take Peyton with you.”
Eli scowled, “I guess.”
Sophie smiled, “I’m sure whatever reason your mad at Peyton for is very immature.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her and nodded, “Oh, Cooper is leaving tomorrow, so if you want to come over and see him off, be outside by noon.”
Sophie smiled, “Of course, I’ll be there.”
Eli stood and took a step towards her, then decided against it, and climbed onto the tree, “Alright, I’ll see you later.”
She watched him disappear into his room and quickly put on some clothes.
Jogging down the stairs, and into the kitchen, Sophie grabbed the list of errands off the counter and her car keys from the key rack.
She exited the house, skipped the porch steps and was about to step onto the sidewalk when Peyton almost crashed into her.
He pulled his headphones out of his ears and playfully rolled his eyes, “You should watch where you are going.”
She smiled, “Sorry Pey, I am in a rush.”
Peyton chuckled, “It’s alright. I almost seriously killed you right there though.”
Sophie patted his shoulder, “I’m sure you wouldn’t have hurt me on purpose. I gotta jet, I’ll see you later.”
He watched as she jogged around the side of her house, and heard the car roar to life.
She backed the car out of the driveway and waved to him, before throwing the car into drive and speeding off.
__________________________________________________
A few hours later, Sophie returned home and struggled to get everything out of her car.
The milk dropped from the bag and rolled slightly under the car leaving Sophie standing there cursing.
Laughter was heard from the end of her driveway, “Do you need some help?”
She quickly stood up and saw Cooper standing there, his hands in his pockets and a grin plastered on his face.
“If you don’t mind.”
He walked towards her and grabbed the dry cleaning from her hands.
She picked up the milk and Cooper grabbed that as well.
“I can get that.”
He waved her off and started towards the back door.
Sophie pushed the door open and placed the bags on the counter.
“I appreciate the help, Coop.”
He placed the clothes on the coat rack, and brought the milk to the fridge.
“No problem Sophia. Hey, I have a quick question.. do you know what’s going on between Eli and Peyton?”
He asked, stealing a glance at her.
“I honestly have no idea, although I heard, more like saw, them arguing last night.” She replied, grabbing a can or two of soup, and placing them into the pantry.
Cooper sighed, “Well unfortunately, they were fighting about you.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugged, “Eli feels there’s something going on between Peyton and you.”
Sophie rolled her eyes, “Boys. I dunno what to say, Coop. There is nothing going on between us.”
Cooper nodded and clapped his hands, “Well then, that’s settled and your groceries are all put away. My work here is done.”
“Thanks once again, Cooper.”
He smiled and gave her a hug, and a light kiss on the cheek, “No problem, anything for you.”
She walked him to the back door, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He waved to her and walked through the gate.
Sophie stood there and watched Cooper walk up onto his porch and through the screen door.
She turned and made her way inside, and walked over to the sink.
Leaning against the sink she decided to go for a swim.
Grabbing her swimsuit from the laundry room and a large towel, she made her way down the back deck and out to the pool.
Sophie placed her towel on a lounge chair and walked over to the pool edge.
She dipped her foot into the water, and smiled.
Walking to the deep end, she climbed the diving board.
Stretching her arms over her head, she bounced twice on the board, and dove into the water.
As Sophie broke the surface, she saw Peyton standing on the edge of the water.
Brushing the hair from her face, she smiled at him.
“Hey.”
He crouched down next to her, “Hey. So, whatcha doin’?”
Sophie bit her lip, “Swimming, you?”
Peyton shook his head.
“Hey… I have something to tell you.”
He leaned closer and Sophie placed her arms on the deck.
She quickly wrapped her arms around his legs and pulled him into the pool.
She came to the surface first, wiping the water from her eyes.
Peyton quickly came up a few seconds later, spitting water from his mouth, and wiping water away from his eyes.
“Sophie, you are in trouble.”
Her eyes widened, and she quickly spun and tried diving under.
Peyton threw out his arm and grabbed her wrist, turning her back towards him.
She sheepishly smiled at him.
“You know, that wasn’t very nice.”
He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her into him.
They stared at each other and a large surge of water caused Sophie to trip.
Instinctively, she threw out her arms and her hands hit Peyton’s chest.
Peyton smirked and Sophie blushed.
Slowly, he removed a hand from her hip and placed it on her cheek.
Sophie could feel the heat emanating from her cheeks, causing her to bite her lip.
Peyton moved closer and as he was an inch from her lips…
He coughed.
Sophie quickly looked away and laughed, “I’m going to go lay in a chair.”
He nodded, “Yeah, I can dry my clothes that way.”
They climbed out of the pool and sat on the deck chairs.
Peyton stripped off his shirt, revealing his sculpted abs and pecs.
“Um, do you mind if I strip off my shorts? I have boxers on.”
Sophie giggled, and rolled her eyes, “Peyton, we’ve known each other for ages, it’s fine.”
He chuckled, and removed his shorts, placing them on the railing.
Sophie glanced over at him, “So, Peyton, how has school been?”
Peyton looked over his shoulder, “It’s been good, Fee, really good. Tennessee is one of the best things that has happened to me. Going there has really heightened my chances of getting into the NFL.”
Sophie smiled, “I’m really happy for your Pey.”
He sat on the chair next to her and smiled, “Thanks Fee.”
She smiled brightly at him, “So…”
Peyton shrugged, “As much as I miss it there, I don’t want summer to end, although it just began.”
Sophie nodded, “I’d toast to that, although I don’t, I mean we don’t have any drinks.”
Peyton ducked his head, “True, very true.”
“I feel this will be a great summer, at least after the party.”
Peyton nodded, “The Ultimate summer kick-off party.”
“Hey guys!”
Both Peyton and Sophie turned and saw Eli walking towards them.
Eli sat on the chair next to Sophie, “What’s going on?”
“Talking about the party. We should work on the plans.”
Peyton and Eli nodded.
“Let’s go upstairs and I can get dressed, that way we can start.”
Peyton grabbed his clothes, “Any chance I can throw these in the dryer.”
“Yeah, you know where it is right?”
He nodded and quickly ducked into the laundry room.
They climbed the back staircase and entered Sophie’s room.
She pulled out her desk chair, while the boys sat on the window seat.
“Alright, so.. I need to get you some clothes.” She said, pointing at Peyton.
Eli turned and glared at Peyton as soon as she turned away.
He rolled his eyes and was going to say something when Sophie threw clothes onto his lap.
Grabbing a pen from her desk a loose leaf notebook, the three of them got to work making the guest list.
____________________________________________________________________
An hour later, Deborah poked her head in the door, “Oh, hello Eli, Peyton. What are you up to?”
“Making plans for the summer.”
Sophie said, smiling at her Mom.
“Sounds like a good time. You should plan a beach trip, all four of you.”
Peyton smiled, “That sounds like a great idea. We can camp on the beach too.”
Deborah smiled, “Are you boys staying for dinner?”
Eli shook his head, “We’d love to, but we’re going out for dinner since Cooper is leaving tomorrow.”
“Yeah, we should head out and finish helping Coop pack and everything.”
The boys stood and exited the room.
Deborah wriggled an eyebrow at Sophie, who merely rolled her eyes.
“Come on, help me make dinner.”