Wasted Youth // Matty Healy ♣ The 1975

21~

I was mentally kicking myself. I should have known better than to let Olivia speak to Ben alone.

"A friend. Why?"

Ben pursed his lips.

"Well, from what Olivia said, it seems like he'd more than a friend." Ben narrowed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. I frowned.

"She's six! For god's sake, Ben!" I dragged my hands through my hair.

"She told me you two were kissing." He said simply and watched as all of the colour drained from my face. I felt like I was on an episode of Prank Patrol, I spent at least twenty seconds glancing around the room, looking for hidden cameras and waiting for Barney Harwood to jump out from behind the sofa with a TV crew, all laughing at me because I got pranked by my boyfirend and five year old sister. But that never happened.

"Why would I kiss him?" I asked, grapsing at straws now.

"I don't know. How about you answer that?"

I sighed and shook my head.

"I didn't kiss him." I said, partly to Ben and partly to myself. Hoping that I could erase it from my mind completely. That never happened either.

"Where do you even know him from anyway?" He asked.

"We met in the museum." Telling the truth seemed refreshing.

"When?" He asked, I shrugged.

"A couple of days before you took me to that party and ended up making out with your friend." I shrugged.

"Wait, was he the guy you left with?" He asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah." I said.

"So did you make out with him? Tell me the truth, Julie." He said. I sighed and dragged my hands through my hair.

"No, Ben. I didn't make out with him." I lied.

"Stop lying to me." He growled.

I sighed loudly.

"I'm not lying!" I raised my voice a little, making him shake his head.

"I can't believe this. Why the fuck would you do that?"

"I'm sorry, Ben." I gave in, knwing there was no use in lying anymore. He had his mind set on it. He knew.

"You're not! Girls like you never are!" He shouted, making me glare at him.

"I think you'd better leave." I said sternly, standing my ground.

His face was red, the vein in the middle of his forehead popping out almost comically as I stepped aside and opened the sitting room door.

"We'll sort this out. I'm not losing you, Juliet." He said. He sighed and stood up, shutting his eyes for a minute and almost looking like he was about to cry. It terrified me how quickly his mood changed, but I guess I would have been the same had he cheated on me.

I sighed.

"Please just leave, I don't want to scare Olivia."

He shook his head and scowled at me for a minute before walking out of the room. Within about thirty seconds I heard the front door slam shut, the sound echoing through the whole house.

I sighed, falling backwards onto the sofa and cupping my forehead with my hand.

"Julie! Where's Ben?" Olivia asked as she bounced into the living room with her arms full of dinosaur toys. I removed my hand from my forehead and painted my face with a reassuring smile.

"He went home. He said to say goodbye to you." I lied through my teeth. She gave me a huge toothy grin.

"Good, he's annoying." She giggled before clambering up next to me on the lumpy sofa.