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Ch. 11: Cousin Catastrophe

"Goooooooood Morning Vietnam!" I hear someone shout loudly. I open my eyes groggily. I must have slept a little bit. Ben was standing over me with his hands cupped around his smiling mouth. When I open my eyes, he kisses my nose, and I blush, butterflies tickling my stomach. "Boy, you're a morning person..." I mumbled. "Ya. Well I have news." 

His face lights up even more. "We have company. They arrived about an hour ago, waking me, but not you, apparently, up. I think you'll be happy." He grins. "Who...?" I ask sitting up. 

Then I spot a tuft of curly dark hair outside the door, and someone jumps in the room. "Wha..." I stammer. "Hi cuz! How've ya been!" Renee. I can't believe it. I totally forgot that she was still in town. Renee is my cousin, she's the same age as me, with bright blue eyes, pale skin, and a constant smile. Others find her very approachable and outgoing, and I am that way most of the time, but her energy is exhausting sometimes. I love her anyways. "Hi Renee! I'm good... How bout you? How'd you get here?" She plops onto my bed, and Ben leans up against the door frame. She begins to talk super fast, like a child high on sugar. "Well I ran to your house after the 'beginning of the end,'" She does air quotes, " Because my parents were out at the store when the internet went down, and they weren't coming home, and I found your mom! She told me about everything, Oh! She also said she was waiting to come find you, and so I said that we should go together! So we did. We didn't really know where you were, so we came to stay here for the night, because I saw that they had candy. I slammed on the door and Ben came and let us in, and that's about it!" She finishes out of breath, and still grinning. "Guess we were lucky!" I nod. 

Then my eyes light up. "Wait, so my mother is here?!" I was so tired, that I finally finished comprehending what she said. She nods, her curly hair bobbing up and down. "She's asleep, but I couldn't sleep!" Figures. She was like the Energizer Bunny on crack. 

I get up and go to find my mom. She was sleeping upright in a chair. Go mom. I lightly shake her and she snorts. "Wha- What..? Margaret?! Oh my goodness! Sweetie!" She yells, enveloping me in a bear hug. There was nothing more to say. I squeezed her tight, and when we let go. I smiled. "You're okay!" I say. She nods. She looks exhausted. "I'm gonna let you sleep." I say to her, and she nods, closing her eyes again. I walk back to the room with Ben and Renee, to find Renee hanging on Ben like she's a koala in love with its tree. She was in the middle of saying something real flirty, and she had him invested in her. He was locked onto her eyes and she was fawning over him. I felt like I was on fire. She touched his cheek flirtatiously and he smiled, blushing. He was holding her hips. Then, he saw me. His face turned redder than a tomato, and he reached towards me. "Mar..." He says. I felt tears well up in my eyes. I can't believe it. I began to cry silently, turning away. I shouldn't have been so stupid. I shouldn't have left them in a room together. I shouldn't have let her stay. I shouldn't have fallen for him. I shouldn't... I shouldn't... I shouldn't...