Kara's Cabin || Coming April '16

01: Blue Eyed Dogs

   Ben sat across from me, against one of the pillars outside the school with his hands in his messy hair, elbows on his tucked up knees, and staring at the ground.

I can't leave him. He's my only friend... I'd been thinking.

The last day of school had just let out an hour ago and we were the only two left sitting under the walkway where kids got picked up. I didn't know what to say to him. There was nothing to say to him. All I could do is look at his beaten up Euphonium case and hum his solo from last semester he would always sing while playing video games.

Come on dumb ass think of something.

   "Soo.." He said sniffing and lifting his puffy eyes up to mine, "is it supposed to be permanent? Or do you even know?" Ben asked sounding really bummed out. Dangit Ben, stop sounding like that and making that face you're gonna make me cry.

   "She said it's only gonna be a couple of weeks-"

   "Right, until you move to another place and then I really won't know where you are."

   "Ben!" I said loudly. His breathing steadied as we stared at each other. "Ben.." I said sadly and scooted over to lean my head on his shoulder.

I want to say I love you but at the same time...... Ah, screw it.

   "I'm gonna miss you." A tear rolled down my cheek as the wind blew and made it drip off my cheek.

Ben's arm awkwardly made its way from the middle of us and around my shoulder to pull me into a hug. And for once his hug wasn't awkward like a boy in seventh grade who just got a girlfriend, but a hug that finally had meaning too it. As Ben pulled me in tighter I wrapped my arms around his torso and tried not to let it all out.

Don't cry. You're gonna be okay, so there's no reason to cry.

"This sucks man..", Ben said after a moment of silence. No words could make their way out of my mouth. They could only be said in my head. And most of them were just cuss words.

My phone vibrated as I stood up and grabbed my bag,

Mom- On my way.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and almost immediately Ben popped up, grabbed his Euphonium, grabbed his bag, and started sprinting off in the wet grass.

"Kapchenskie where are you going?" I couldn't help but laugh.

His long scrawny legs nearly slipped out from under him every time he took a step but he managed to stay level, "Come on! We have to go on one last adventure!"

After chasing Ben, and eventually catching up with him we walked through the trees for awhile until we came upon a clearing. The trees stopped, and so did the ground, and out before me was the End-of-School-Beginning-of-Summer Annual carnival that apparently came around every year. We were on top of a hill that overlooked for miles and miles but since Toole and everything around it was nearly flat we could look as far as the eye could see. There was a pathway to our left that would lead us down that way and give us a short cut to the rides and we could slip in without having to pay. Ben absolutely loved everything about this carnival and although it wasn't really my thing I never told him no. His hands dropped his case and backpack and he smiled as we watched the sunset slowly die behind the buildings in the distance. Ben's chuckle started to arise as he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the pathway to his cotton candy heaven.

As it slowly got darker we ducked between trailers and trucks trying to make our way to the white fence that outlined one of the vendors. We saw the exact same security guard from the year before and knew what we had to do to get in.