Never Lost, Always Found

Chapter Fourteen

        I slam my door, wipe the tears from my eyes, and look at the mess in the mirror. I'm a horrific monster.  Why was Mom not believing me a moment ago? She should have, she should know. Maybe Russell's so new that he never even knew the fact that Cassidy is super rude. Whatever it is, I'm quite sure she's going to hurt me, my family, Russell, Jeremy...

The list goes on for such a long time that I stop.

I grab the picture on my shelf of me and Benji in the field and start to cry really painfully. I fall onto my bed and hug the picture close to me. What will I do? Mom and Jeremy probably think I'm stupid, Russell too. And what about Benji? He just came for fun. Also, Jeremy and Mom can't be getting married already! They've known each other for only four days! How the heck are they married already? Russell probably doesn't care, and I know Cassidy's just here to make fun of me.

I hear a knock at my bedroom door. "Come in," I choke. Benji walks into my room. "Your mom said you could come back down. I don't know how to word that, because sending someone up to their room is pretty childish for a sixteen-year-old," he says. "I don't want to come back down!" I complain.

He sits next to me and says, "You remember how happy we were?" I nod slowly. I wipe my nose and say, "I still have that picture..." He laughs sadly. "I want to go there again."

I shrug, "I don't know when to do it." "Now," Benji says. "You can't just stay locked in your room for eternity." "You're right," I say. "But it's almost night." "Come on," he says. "Consider it an apology." He grabs my wrist and he leads me out of the door and into his Volvo. He starts to drive before I can buckle up.

The city fades into the countryside and into the recognizable park. The twilight is falling onto the field, so the small trees in the center shadow the long grass. He pulls into a paved area and unbuckles his seatbelt. He clutches my hand in his as we walk over to a lone tree in the place we both loved as a couple of new sixteen-year-olds who thought getting a car was cool. He closes his eyes and lets go of my hand. He then proceeds to lay on the ground.

I lay down with him. By now, the dusk has turned to a dark night, the stars revealing themselves in constellations I never knew existed. He sighs. "I'm so glad to be your friend," he says. "Yeah," I say. There is a breeze that has started blowing from the south, rustling the leaves above our heads.

"I love you, Paige," he says. "Love you too, Benji," I say before falling asleep.

I wake up in the morning in my warm, soft bed. There is no breeze, no long grass, no feeling of peace. Just home. "You want a banana?" I hear a voice say. I sit up groggily. "Why the heck do I need a babnana? I mean banana!" I say. "Tired?" I hear the voice say. I see Russell. "Oh, it's you. Where's your little girlfriend?" I mutter.

"She left this morning. Benji brought you back home. Anyways, time to eat," he says. He twirls the banana through his fingers. "I don't want to eat. At least not with you," I mumble. "You've changed, you know that?" he says irritably. "Ever since you blew up, you've been angry. Or somewhat changed. If we are living in the same house, you can eat through a freaking cat flap in your door," he says. He turns on his heel and slams the door.

"Dang," I think aloud. Just a few days ago, I was just fine with living with this kid, and now this? What a ripoff! I reluctantly leave my bed, get ready, and go downstairs. Russell's chewing on a cinnamon bun, the box lying wide open on the counter. It's empty. "Russell!" I yell. "You lost, there was one left," he says, smirking.

I groan, "Mom! Jeremy!" Mom shrugs, "Well, he has a point." Jeremy looks into my eyes, something sad glinting in them. I make myself a cup of coffee, but Russell decides to unplug the coffee machine, and Mom doesn't interrupt this. "Mom!" I yell. "Are you going to do something?"