DIET MOUNTAIN DEW • SCREAM 1996

1.5 : " THE RED MEANS I LOVE YOU "

1.5 : " THE RED MEANS I LOVE YOU "

SEPTEMBER 28TH, 1996

THE THUMP of Gale Weathers bodies hitting the ground was like an atomic bomb detonating in Benny's mind. Every thought, every emotion, everything, was blown to pieces, leaving only a blank canvas. The boy could only stare at the corpse with dull eyes and parted lips. Nothing felt real. It was like a horrible dream.

"Shit…" Stu swore and chucked the gun on the table. With quick feet, the blond made his way to cruoch in front of Benny's prone figure. "Oh, baby. You weren't supposed to see that."

"Jesus, Stu." Billy scowled in annoyance, all the while keeping the knife strong against Sidney. "I thought you blindfolded him."

Stu glanced back with a slight glare. "I forgot, okay?" He turned back, face morphing into something soft and apologetic. "I'm so sorry, bud."

Benny was far from present mentally. He could only stare into Stu's pretty ocean blue hues. He felt his large hand come up to stroke his cheek; the boy didn't have it in him to pull away or lean in. He could only watch.

The blond teen reached into his pocket and pulled out a long strip of black cloth. He began to carefully wrap it around Benny's eyes. "Don't worry, darling. We're almost done. Just shut your eyes."

Automatically, Benny let his eye flutter close. He needed to process what just happened and what was happening.

Benny felt guilty. That's probably the best word for it. The thing was, though, he didn't feel guilty for causing Gale's death. No, he felt guilty for not feeling anything. He felt guilty for perhaps feeling a bit of pride when her body fell to the ground. The thought alone made the boy feel sick.

Despite his grief over this fact, there was an undeniable amount of pride laden beneath it. Benny would do anything to protect Billy and Stu. That in itself was a terrifying thought because it became apparent to him that he would give up his life for them. In that, he would no doubt give up someone else's.

Billy and Stu have been with him through thick and thin. They were the only two in his life that took a chance on him. They stuck their hands out and yanked him out whenever the darkness got too heavy. He couldn't even say the same about his parents. Billy and Stu were just that, Billy and Stu, his best friends.

The people he loved most in the world.

The thought struck him like lightning. Benny had always known he loved his best friends, but to love and to be in love was different. Now, Benny knew he was the latter. From the moment they entered his life, the boy was slowly falling deeper and deeper.

With Benny's lov  came his total loyalty. Benny would sacrifice the world to see the boys he loved smile. He would devote himself entirely to show them that they were cherished because Benny could not stand for any of the desperation that clung to Billy's voice or the mania that hid in Stu's eyes.

But Benny was scare. He was petrified by these thoughts. To think he could thoughtlessly kill someone if it meant his best friends were safe. It was a feeling the teen had never felt before.

However, in that was the overwhelming feeling of relief. Like a decade old bottle of trapped emotions had burst free in his chest. It felt amazing, so much so it overshadowed his fear.

A fire lit beneath Benny's skin and sunk deep within his veins.

If Stu and Billy were going to go off on some mass killing spree, Benny would stand by them no matter what. Through thick and thin, through life and death, he would promise his loyalty to them because he loved them.