A flashlight in the shadows.

chapter 27: comfort.

Bennett didn't seem like he was thinking straight. He just took action. I watched as he grabbed his stepdads shirt collar and pinned him against the wall. I took cc by the hand and led her away from them. His dad pretended to stay calm.
"Hey, calm down, Bennett."
"What the fuck did you do to her?!?" He screamed in his face. His stepfather only chuckled in response.
"What makes you think I'd ever harm a hair on her head?" He was about to punch him, but two large sized doctors came and peeled him away. They brought him down the hallway to a different one. Bennett's step dad fixed his shirt collar and cleared his throat.
"Well, that was interesting." I nodded and looked at him. 'What could this man have done?' I asked myself. He smiled and asked,
"Could you please make sure he gets home safe? I can watch cc." I didn't want to leave cc alone with him, especially after what Bennett said about him, but I had no choice. I nodded and walked down the hallway I'd seen them take him. I didn't see him there, but I found him in the parking lot, leaning against his car with his hands in his pocket. The sun had started to set, and the sky was a beautiful shade of purple. I swept some hair from my eyes and looked at him.
"Are you ok?" I asked him. He nodded and flipped the bangs from his face.
"I'll be ok." We stood silently for a few moments. He looked up into the sky. His shoulders seemed to relax at the sight of it. I shuffled next to him and said,
"You can hang out at my house, if you want." He sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, maybe for a while." I nodded as I sat in his car and we started driving. I breathed in for a few seconds and laid my head gently against the frosty window. I heard him sigh.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" I looked ahead of us at the sky. The clouds swirled around in the blend of colors. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, it is." He smiled and we pulled into my driveway. By the time we got inside, I had forgotten all about Isaac being there. I opened the door and was greeted by him in the living room. He smiled when he saw me, but it faded when Bennett stepped in the room.
"Isaac, I-I'm sorry, I forgot." He shrugged and smiled.
"It's ok, why's he here?"
"His mom's in the hospital, so I invited him over." He frowned and nodded.
"Is she ok?" He looked down and shrugged.
"They say she'll be ok after a few weeks." He nodded again.
"Thats good." I grabbed my bag and sat on the couch besides him.
"We're going to work on some homework, there's food in the kitchen, if you're hungry." He smiled and nodded.
"I understand, I'll be in there, if you need me." He disappeared around the corner. I rolled my eyes and looked at him.
"Well, where should we begin?" I asked him. He shrugged and said,
"How about with A.P. physics?" I nodded and he pulled out his packet that looked like a freaking book. We studied for half an hour before we finished all our homework.
"Well, are you hungry?" I asked him, standing up. He smirked and said,
"Didn't know you could cook." I rolled my eyes and giggled.
"I'm a woman, aren't I?"
"Thats not what I meant." He said, following me to the kitchen. Bennett sat at the table with his notebook out and his pencil on the paper. I smiled and asked,
"What cha doing?" He looked up and bit his lip.
"Working on this stupid assignment our French teacher gave us." I frowned at his words, but kept silent because I knew Isaac was present. Isaac frowned and asked,
"Arent you from France?"
"Oui." He replied in his normal accent. I giggled a little, making Isaac turn and look at me briefly. I simply looked down. He turned back to Bennett.
"So...whyre you taking french?" Bennett shrugged.
"Why do you take A.P. physics? Because you enjoy it. France has always been a part of my life, so I figured, 'why not enjoy it in highschool?" Bennett leaned back and sipped on his coke. Isaac smiled and nodded.
"Touche."
"Touche indeed." He looked at me and smiled.
"I should be going. I'll see you at ccs dance recital." He got up to leave. I walked with him into the living room, leaving Isaac alone in the kitchen.
"Are you going to be ok?" He nodded,
"Ill be fine, enjoy your boyfriend's company."
"I wouldn't call him my boyfriend yet." I stated. He stopped and faced me.
"What would you call him, then?" He asked, his voice a little on the shouty side. I stopped and thought for a few moments.
"I'm not sure."
"Maybe you should figure it out, then." He replied, disappearing into his house. I bit my lip and walked back to the kitchen. Isaac was eating an apple.
"So, what was with the shouting?" He asked, looking up at me. 'He heard us shouting?' I sat at the counter and shrugged.
"I don't know. Bennett thinks I should figure out what we are."
"What we are?" He asked, frowning. I nodded and shrugged.
"Yeah, like as far as the boyfriend-girlfriend thing." He smirked and asked,
"Arent we, though?" I looked over at him and shrugged.
"I don't know. I've never had a boyfriend." He smirked even wider and sighed.
"Well, do you like me?"
"I don't-"
"Just answer the question, yes or no?" I frowned and shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess so." He smiled and got up, facing me and crossing his arms.
"Does it seem that I like you?" His eyes sparkled and I shrugged.
"I suppose." He walked towards me, his figure almost towering over me. He took my hands in his and looked into my eyes. The sun coming through the window reflected off his light brown hair, making his face shine. I stared up at him, wide eyed. He looked down and half whispered,
"Then what else is there to know?" I shrugged and tucked some baby hairs that had escaped my ponytail behind my ear. He smiled and set my hands on his neck. It was muscular , for a neck, anyways. He set his hands at a comfortable height on my torso. I sighed. He smiled one last time before he closed his eyes and started to lean ever so slowly into my face. My heart was racing so fast I was sure he could hear it. Not knowing what to do, I simply closed my eyes. Our foreheads touched. All of a sudden, we heard a throat clear and a voice that was familiar asked,
"Uh, why's Isaac here?" I turned to face dad and smiled akwardly.
"We were just...working on homework."
"I hope it wasn't sex ed homework." He replied, staring daggers at Isaac. I looked down to see that he was still holding me the way he did a few moments ago. I pushed him away and cleared my throat.
"Of course not, Isaac was just leaving." He looked at me for a brief moment, but looked back at dad and decided to go. He nodded,
"Yes, I've gotta go, by Sarah." He grabbed his book bags and walked out the door. I stood awkwardly by the table. My hands were flailing, so I leaned on the table top.
"So, uh...how was work?" He set down the car keys and continued staring at me.
"Good, I finally got done with the Richmond's Nissan."
"Oh, well, that's good." I said, smiling. He smiled weakly and sat at the table.
"Sweetheart, can we talk for a few seconds?" He gestured to the chair across from him. I nodded and sat quickly. It was silent for a few minutes before I said,
"If it's about Isaac-"
"It is." He replied, earning instant silence from me. He ran a hand over his balding head and sighed.
"Sarah...there's a time in everyone's life when they meet someone special-"
"Oh, uh , that's ok dad-"
"And it's completely natural to have these urges-"
"Dad, I know. We had this talk 3 years ago, remember?" I remembered. All too well. He rubbed his eyes,
"What I'm trying to ask is...Are you still, you know, my innocent little girl?" I felt my cheeks getting hotter with embarrassment.
"Youll be the first to know, ok ?" His face lit up and he smiled.
"Ok."
"May I go now?" He nodded and I started to leave. He called after me,
"Sarah!" I stopped and turned.
"Yes?" He smiled and the skin around his eyes wrinkled.
"Want to help me make lasagna?" I smiled and nodded. We spent the next hour and a half making food. It was always a special ritual we went through together. Jane never liked to cook. I doubted my mother could cook anything besides frozen dinners, with direct instructions on how to make it. Cooking has always been something that's just for my father and me. A time when we got to laugh and be together. Once dinner was finished, I helped Jane up the stairs to her room. I sighed and went to get ready for bed. After I took a shower and threw on pink pajama pants with a black tank top, I sat in the bed and stared into nothing. I thought of Isaacs question. Were we a couple? Did I like him? My head started swirling. My computer dinged. I got up without looking over and read my screen.
'So...did you figure it out yet?' I looked over and saw him looking at me through the curtains. I sighed and typed,
'Are you still mad at me?'
'Who says I ever was?;)' He replied. I smiled and looked over at him.
'You seemed upset when I didn't know what Isaac and I were.' He read the message and typed back,
'I was just going through some emotions.'
'Emotions?'
'Yeah.' I frowned at him. He blushed and looked down at his screen. I smirked and typed,
'You were jealous, weren't you?' I was surprised when he replied,
'Maybe a little;)' my heart leapt and my cheeks darkened.
'Yeah, right.' I typed back. He read it and looked over at me, smirking.
'You're cute when you blush;)' the message only made me blush more. I typed back,
'You're such a creep sometimes.'
'You know what I'm gonna do?' He smiled at me deviously when I looked at him.
'I'm scared.'
'I'm going to make a poem for you:3' I looked at him in horror.
'No you phsyco!' He rolled his eyes and chuckled at the screen.
'You're just sad that you don't know how to make a good poem.'
'Thats not true!' I typed back angrily. He smirked at the screen.
'Prove it, make one now:)' I flipped some hair from my face and smiled.
'What should I make it about?' He read it and thought for a few moments.
'Your mom.' I frowned and typed my poem.
'Bitch, bitch...and even more bitch:)' He laughed for five minutes before he typed,
'I stand corrected;3' I rolled my eyes and typed,
'I'm going to bed, goodnight.' I got up and went to sleep.
Friday was slower than usual, but that's mostly because it was the last day before Christmas break. When the final bell rang, I hopped in kendras car and we started off. Kendra was curious about Bennett's mom.
"Is she ok?"
"I hope so, I really don't know." I replied. She nodded.
"Is Bennett ok?" I looked at her and shrugged.
"About as well as you'd expect." She nodded as we pulled down my street. I hopped out and smiled.
"Thanks."
"No problem, bye."
"Bye."
"Dont forget to Christmas shop," she smirked and pulled out of the driveway and into the street. I almost slapped myself. How could I forget that!? Well, I'd get that done soon, I decided. I walked up the porch steps and stopped, staring at Bennett's house. After about 2minutes, I decided to go over and see how he was doing. I knocked on the door, only to be greeted by his stepfather. He smiled at me and leaned against the doorway. He chuckled to himself and said,
"Well, my day just keeps getting better and better." I smiled to myself and tucked some stray hair behind my ear.
"Is Bennett here?" He nodded and stepped to the side.
"Yes, please come in." I stepped in the house and nodded.
"Thanks."
"Why don't you take off your jacket while I go get him?" I smiled and nodded. When he was out of sight, I unzipped my jacket and set it on the couch. Light shone through the curtains, lighting up the room. I heard some rustling up the stairs and his stepfather reappeared,
"He said you could go to his room."
"Ok, thanks." He nodded and I went up the stairs. When I walked in the room, he was standing by his easel, glasses on and brush in his hand. He was concentrated on staring at the canvas. I set my bag on the bed and walked behind him.
"What''re you doing?" He flipped the bangs away from his face and shrugged.
"Looking for inspiration, you?"
"I came to check and see how you're doing." He smiled at me.
"Did you bring me roses too? They are my favorite, you know." I giggled and punched his arm.
"Maybe next time. What do you need inspiration for?"
"My painting. So far I have a sea, and that's it." Then he looked at me and smirked. "Will you inspire me?" I shrugged and took his paintbrush.
"Sure," I started reaching my hand towards the painting.
"NO!!!" He yelled, grabbing my wrist with extreme speed. I jolted back a little and frowned.
"What?"
"Thats not how you hold a brush! Here," he took his right hand and set it over my fingers, adjusting them to hold the brush properly. He used his other hand to hold my wrist and guide it over the canvas. I blushed as he explained,
"If you do that it'll leave blotches on the canvas, but if you just caress it over the fabric, it will streak smoothly. Now, try it on your own." He let go and stepped back. I did as he instructed. I used a light shade of blue and yellow to create a sky. Then, I took some purple and spread it on the sea. He looked at it from the side.
"It doesn't make much sense."
"Oh shit, I screwed up, didn't I?"
"No, the colors are beautiful, it just doesn't make much sense to have a light sky with a dark sea." He stared at it, then looked to me. I smiled and shrugged.
"What ever does make sense? The world surely doesn't, so why should art?" He smiled at my explanation.
"Elegantly put."
"Ok, barnabas."
"Hey, dark shadows was a good movie."
"In your opinion, anyways." I giggled. He rolled his eyes and chuckled. We worked on the painting for what seemed to take days. We didn't talk about uncaring mom's or mysterious stepdads or crippled sisters, we just enjoyed each others company. It felt nice to let loose and be happy for the first time in what seemed like forever. By the time we finished the painting, we were both covered with different shades of paint. He handed me a wet washcloth and I wiped my face.
"Well, what are you gong to name it?" I asked him. We had painted a picture of a sunset with a large whale coming out of the water. He smiled and looked at me.
"You helped, you get to help me decide,what do you want to name it?" I stared at it for a few moments, pondering over it. I touched the whale with my finger tips.
"Majesty." I said,smiling at it. He looked at it for a moment and nodded, setting his hand on top of mine that was on the painting.
"Perfect." I looked up at him and smiled. Cc came in the room, nervously rubbing her arm. Bennett looked down at her and frowned.
"What's wrong?" She looked at me, then at him.
"Daddy wants to talk with you." He nodded and bit his lip.
"Ok, I need you to go in your room and lock the door, stay there until I come get you, ok?" She nodded and walked out into the hallway. I frowned and asked,
"What's happening?" He shook his head.
"I need you to go home."
"Are you going to be ok?" I asked. He dragged me with him down the stairs.
"I'll be ok, just go."
"Bennett-" but I was already outside the door. He shut it and I heard the bolt lock. I stood there dumbfounded for a second, but I walked back inside my house, worried.
I laid down in bed that night, but I couldn't sleep. I stared into Bennett's empty room, wondering where he was. The lights downstairs were on, but all I could see was too faint to even be considered a shadow. It was 12:58 when I finally saw Bennett walk in. The lights in the room were off. He sat down on his bed, leaning against the headboard. His hands rested in his lap, but I could tell something was wrong. I got up and typed on my laptop,
'You ok?' He looked at his laptop for a minute, thinking on wether or not to open it. He reached over and flipped the top up. The light illuminated his face, I couldn't see much, but I could tell he was bleeding. My computer dinged,
'Yeah.'
'You're bleeding:!' I typed hurriedly on the computer. He read it and sighed.
'Gee, hadn't noticed.' I rolled my eyes and typed back,
'You're telling me about it now.'
'Not now, I'm tired.' He replied. I sighed and typed,
'At Cc's dance recital, then.'
'She doesnt want to go because of mom's injury.' I looked over at him. He knew I was staring, but he wouldn't meet my eyes. 'Christmas shopping tomorrow, then?' I typed. He read it and thought for a few minutes. He finally sighed and shrugged.
'K, sounds good.'
'K.' I wasn't quite sure how to continue. Bennett didn't keep me waiting long.
'Goodnight book thief:)' I smiled and typed,
'Goodnight, your majesty.;)'

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Thanks, hope you liked it, enjoy the next one, bye! :D