Frank Downey - Dance of a lifetime

"Uh-huh. Never a dull moment with those two."

Warren did not have a broken jaw. Sophia got some painkillers and a week of bedrest, and got to go home with her mother still carping in her ear. Warren went home and did some studying.

Sophia spent the rest of the week in bed; half the time hopped up on painkillers, and the other half of the time thinking. She had quite a bit to think about.

Friday afternoon, her phone rang. "Soph, it’s Warren. You up to some company tonight?"

"I’d love it."

"Well, then, you have a choice. It can just be lil’ ol’ me, or, my buddy Crash was supposed to come down tonight with his girlfriend Alison, so we could make it a party. We’ll even teach you how to play poker."

Soph giggled. "Actually that sounds like fun."

"Great. Let me call the Crashmeister, and we’ll be there."

They got dropped off by Warren’s mother at about 7:00, and greeted Sophia laden with sodas, Warren’s "world famous chip dip" and other goodies, and a couple decks of cards. "We even brought some videos, if we get tired of poker." Warren said.

"Yeah," said Alison, bemused, "but Crash picked them out, so we got Caddyshack, or Animal House."

"Classic American filmmaking, I tell you, " replied Crash.

It got to be about 10:00, and Sophia realized something amazing. She was at home, not drinking, not on drugs-she hadn’t even taken a painkiller-not having sex, with two preppies and one of the preppy’s equally preppy girlfriend-and she was having a blast. Alison was sweet, and Crash was an experience.

She had always seen Warren’s keen wit and humor, but Crash magnified it tenfold. Between Warren’s superbly timed sarcasm and Crash’s constant stream of one-liners, she laughed so much it made her ribs hurt more. She didn’t mind. After Alison whipped them all at poker-"Cause she cheats", kidded Crash-they moved to the TV room and popped in Caddyshack. Sophia had never seen the film, and had to admit that it wasfunny-the humor being enhanced by Warren and Crash, who apparently knew every word and recited such right along with the movie.

Halfway through, the guys declared an emergency-"We’re out of soda!"-and headed off to the nearby store to restock. They paused the movie, and Alison stayed to keep Sophia company. They were still goofing as they walked out the door, and Sophia was still laughing as the door closed behind them.

"Whew", Sophia caught her breath, "are they alwayslike that?"

"Mostly." Alison smiled.

"Oh boy. The next time I have them both in my house at the same time, remind me notto have broken ribs. I’ve laughed so much it hurts."

"I keep telling them they should take their act on the road."

"I take it you’re exposed to the act frequently."

"Yeah. I’ve been going out with Jay for almost a year, so I’ve gotten to know Warren pretty well. Of course, Jay and I aregoing out so Warren’s not with us allthe time"-they both giggled-"but he is

Jay’s best friend."

"I take it Jay is Crash’s real name. I never knew that."

Alison giggled. "Actually it’s Jason, but only his mother calls him that. Most people call him Jay. Only Warren calls him Crash. He drove his bicycle into the side of his house a while ago. Made a big joke about it, as usual-said Just call me Crash-so Warren does. That’s the way they are."

Sophia giggled. Alison went on, "So, yeah, if we don’t want to be alone, we hang out with Warren. We’ve been known to show up at his neighborhood parties, because they are always a blast. I have to say, though, that I used to get worried about Warren feeling like a fifth wheel. He worries about that. It’s nice to see him have a girlfriend, finally-he deserves it."

Sophia blinked at that one. "Actually, I’m not his girlfriend. We’re just friends. Did he say I was his girlfriend?"

Alison thought. "Actually, come to think of it, he never did. I just assumed."

"No, we’re just very good friends. You know what happened to us, with my ex?" Alison nodded. "OK. Well, we have a strong bond, as friends, because we’ve been through a lot together. But we’re not going out."

Alison thought for a minute. She was a smart girl, and was usually very good at seeing things, figuring things out. She had learned to trust her instincts. And her instincts right now said that somebody needed a push. So, she said, with a raised eyebrow, "Just friends, huh? Well you could have fooled me."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"What it means is this-I assumed you were going out. Warren didn’t tell me that, I just assumed. Why? Because I’ve been watching you two all night. I have to tell you that anyone who didn’t know you two and walked into this room and watched you would immediately conclude that they were watching two people who were madly in love with each other."

"Huh?"

"You heard what I said. Look, I figured out a while ago that Warren was in love with you, just by the way he talks about you. What I didn’t know is if youwere in love with him. Now I know." Alison smiled. "You are, in a big way. You got it badfor my little buddy, girl," she smirked.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about." Sophia snorted.

"Don’t I. You think about it. I’ll bet my right arm on this one."

"I’m not-I can’t-be in love with Warren Kelleher!"

"Why not?"

"We’re too different."

"Not really, you’re not."

"Come on! He’s a preppy! He doesn’t party. He actually likesto study! He’s a virgin. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t do drugs. We have nothingin common!"

"That’s all surface junk. And you dohave some surface stuff in common-he’s told me that. You’re both baseball nuts. You both like figure skating. You’re both card-carrying Beatlemaniacs. You both like to read."

"True."

"And like I said, that’s all surface stuff. Crash and I have less surface stuff in common than you do, except we both like poker. What counts is what’s inside, Sophia. Look, none of that other stuff matters. Are drinking and drugs thatimportant to who you are? Is preppy a dirty word?"

"No, I suppose not, on both counts."

"And as for him being a virgin, all that means is that youget to teach him!"

Sophia laughed.

"All I’m saying is, look into your heart. What’s your heart telling you? I’m willing to bet that, if you listen, you’ll discover that I’m right. And, I wish I had a camera, because if I took a picture of you lookingat him, and you saw the wayyou look at him, you’d knowI’m right."

Sophia sat for a minute, and then said, "How do I look at him?"

"Like he’s the center of the universe."

The guys walked in. They started the movie, and Crash and Warren went back into their routine, but Sophia was barely paying attention. She looked a Warren-looked hardat him-and let her heart speak. And she realized, right then, without a doubt, that Alison was right.

She was in love with Warren.

As the guys were cleaning up to get ready to go, Sophia called Alison over. "Would you mind if I got your phone number? I’d like to call you tomorrow sometime."

"Sure. What’s up?"

"I need to talk. I need help with something."

"OK." She wrote down the number. "I should be home all day."

Back at Warren’s house, waiting for Jay’s father to pick them up, Alison had a brief talk with Warren.

"She’s some girl, Warren."

"Yup"

"You guys going out?"

Warren snorted. "Be real, Ally. She’s completely out of my league."