A flashlight in the shadows.

Chapter 18: basketball.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock. I blew the hair out of my face and checked the time; 6:36. I groaned and stopped it, walking to the bathroom. I took a ten minute shower and threw on some Jeggings with a black shirt that had a white heart in the middle. I was brushing my hair as I walked down the stairs, only to be greeted by the smell of bacon and eggs. I walked in the kitchen, expecting dad, but instead was greeted by the accent that was becoming more familiar to me.
"Good morning, book theif." Bennett stood over the stove in jeans and a sweatshirt. I put my hair up in a ponytail and sat down.
"What're you doing?"
"It didn't stop snowing until 11:45. I didn't want to wake anyone, so I spent the night on the couch, hope you don't mind. I'm making breakfast, do you like scrambled or over easy?" He asked, turning to me. I frowned and said,
"I didn't know you could cook." He made a scoffing noise and laughed.
"I grew up in France surrounded by family, of course I know how to cook." He smirked at me and flipped the bacon. I smiled and rubbed my eyes.
"Fine, over easy."
"Ok, excited for the practice today?" He asked happily. I sighed and shook my head rapidly from side to side.
"No, I can't shoot worth a crap." He handed me a plate with food on it and leaned on the counter.
"Ok, let's practice during directed study." I looked at him and frowned.
"Wouldn't that arouse suspicion?"
"Not if we're careful," he said, getting his own plate. I took a bite of bacon, yummy.
"What would Sabrina think of it?" I asked. He smirked and took a bite of his eggs.
"Why do I care? She's by my side every second of the day, I think I should live my life without her influence or permission, don't you?" I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, guess you're right."
"'Course I am, I'm always right," he smiled. I rolled my eyes and set my plate in the sink.
"Put your dish in the sink when you're done, I have to go make my bed." He nodded and I walked back up the stairs. When I passed Jane's room, I noticed her sheets weren't made. I walked in and shivered. The windows were open and the curtains were swaying. I went to close them, but a dark figure stepped out of the corner and covered my mouth. I tried to scream, but he bent his head down to my ear and said,
"SHH. I just want you to know how easily I could hurt jane or you, but do as I say, and that won't happen." Carson let go and jumped out the window into the bed of his truck and sped off. I, stunned, did what first came to my mind, scream. Bennett came running up the stairs and swung inside the room.
"What happened?"
"I-I'm not exactly sure," I said, explaining what happened. He listened and frowned.
"So...Carson was just hanging out in Jane's room?"
"I guess," I said, thinking. He crossed his arms and smiled.
"Should I persuade him to stay away?"
"I have a feeling that wouldn't end well for either of you," I stated, shaking my head. He shrugged and nodded.
"Maybe, but we can't just let him terrorize you, so what's our plan?" He asked. I frowned,
" 'our' plan?"
"I'm the one who saved you, remember? I'm too involved to just walk away now," he said. I giggled and said,
"You got that from Titanic."
"Yup, c'mon, we need to get to school," he walked down the stairs. I sighed and closed Jane's window, walking down after Bennett. We pulled up to the school and got out, walking together.
"K, so your D.S. is 6th hour, right?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yeah."
"Ok, meet me in the gym, we'll practice then, ok?" I nodded and we walked inside. James was waiting down the hall for Bennett. I waved goodbye and went to find Kendra and hannah. When I rounded the corner, Carson stood leaning against my locker. I straightened up and decided what to do. One hand, I could run, the other, I could confront him. After thinking, I decided to just walk up and talk. As I approached, he turned and smiled at me. His arms were in bandages, but his bones had healed quite quickly.
"Hey, Sarah, how've you been?"
"Better than you, it looks like," I retorted, opening my locker. He laughed a little too hard and leaned against the locker next to mine.
"How's jane?" I looked up at him with hatred.
"Don't ever talk about her."
"Well, a little defensive, are we?" He asked. My lips tightened into a thin line as I started gathering my books. Carson leaned in closer so only I could hear him.
"So, if you aren't busy this weekend..."
"Very busy," I interrupted. His smile faded and he said,
"Next weekend, then."
"Nope, busy then too." I was about to reach for another book when he grabbed my ponytail and pulled upward, slamming me into the locker. No one else was around. He lowered his head next to my ear.
"Don't forget who you're talking to, Sarah. That won't end very well for jane or your dear daddy." He let go and leaned back against the locker. I rubbed the back of my hair and grabbed the rest of my books, slamming the locker.
"What do you want from me, Carson?" I asked, taking a few steps. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side, out of view. He looked at me and smiled.
"Simple. I want you to go to our next basketball game on Sunday." I frowned, taken off guard.
"But I thought you're out for the season-"
"Don't remind me," he inturrupted, "just be there. Got it?" I looked at him for a few moments. Then, I said,
"If I go, promise you will never touch jane again." He smiled and nodded.
"Alright, deal. I promise I won't hurt a hair on her head." I nodded and sighed. He leaned down and tried to kiss me, but I spun my head away. He kissed the area behind my ear and whispered,
"One more thing."
"What?" I asked, afraid. He inhaled slowly and whispered,
"Wear something...comfortable." He walked away then. I shivered and walked as quickly as I could to Hannah's locker. Kendra was pissed to hear about Carson, and she expressed it clearly at lunch.
"Who the fuck does he think he is!?"
"Yeah, Sarah, that is bullshit!" Hannah added. I nodded and rubbed my temples. All this yelling was giving me a head ache. Dina looked at me,
"Want us to come along?" I sighed and nodded.
"Yes, that's probably the best idea." They all went on talking about their plan to kill Carson while I looked deeply into my salad. After they'd calmed down, Hannah sighed.
"Sarah, we should have a sleepover at your place next weekend." I sat up and frowned.
"Why?"
"Because it's been forever, plus, I wanna see jane." Kendra and Dina agreed, so we planned to have one the next weekend. Bennett got up to dump his tray. But stopped at our table.
"Don't forget practice," he said to me before walking away. Kendra smirked deviously at me and Hannah asked,
"The hell was that?"
"What? He wants me to try out for the basketball thing, I said I would."
"Sure, that's all he wants," Dina teased. I punched her arm and went to dump out my tray.