Broken Wings

Parking Lot

The morning sky shined into the window as we pulled out of the apartment parking lot.

Ben was in the passenger seat, Rhiannon is driving because Ben NEVER drives, it was hard for him to bring me home last night, and I was in the back seat, sitting in the most silence I could create.

"Where else do we need to go except to the grocery store and the bank?" Rhiannon broke the silence, turning on a lane.

Ben turns his head, and ponders.

"The mall, I guess. I don't really know where we should go for household items" Ben laughs.

Rhiannon gasps and nods.

"Gotcha."

I look at them, confused, but shrugged it off as I looked out the window drowzily.

After about five minutes, we pull up to the bank, and Rhiannon takes out her wallet and gets out a card and slides it into an ATM at the drive through area.

Eventually we pull into the parking lot and Rhiannon jumps out of the car happily.

"I gotta go pay these bills, be right back" She shuts the door.

"Sit tight," then she walks towards the bank entrance with almost a skip in her step.

Ben looks at her as she goes into the bank, then sighs and turns to face me.

"Ive never seen anyone so happy to pay bills, I have no idea why she would be"

I laugh a little.

Ben smirks and looks out the window.

I smile, and look out the window, too.

"Maybe she's happy that you're going with her" I laugh a little, and Ben snorts.

"True, I don't usually go with her because mostly my hands are glued onto the Xbox controller" He snorts again.

I roll my eyes.

"Well, I haven't seen you play the Xbox ever since you brought me in"

Ben slowly turns his head toward me.

"That's because you're here. Why would I want to be on the Xbox when I have to take care of you?"

I sigh heavily.

"Okay. First of all, why would it matter if I, specifically, were here, but it doesn't matter if Rhiannon is?"

Ben drags out a breath.

"Because she comes home every single day, and I can spend as much time with her as I want. Plus, she's not in need of serious help."

I furrow my eyebrows at his reason.

"And second of all, you don't need to help me, like I told you. Just make sure I'm not DYING or anything and I'll be completely fine. I've been walking the streets, completely fine, for the past few years. Why would it make any difference now?"

Ben groaned.

"Lara." He said in a frustrated tone.

"What?? I'm only telling you the truth."

Ben looked at me deeply.

"You know I can't just follow your demands like that. I care about you, and no matter what happens, I'm. Going. To. Help. You."

I growl a little, and he exhales sharply.

"Why are you so damn stubborn?"

Ben turns back into his chair.

"Because, like I already said, I care about you. And when I care about someone, especially as much as you, I'm going to help them," He shifted in his seat, "Now will you please just let me? Let's be happy, I just wanna have a good day, without any arguments. Just one. Can you do that for me?"

I roll my eyes, knowing that he was right, even though I wanted to deny it.

"Sure."

Ben frowns as there was an awkward silence.

"Youre upset at me." Ben looked at me.

"No-"

"Yeeeesss you areee" Ben smirks a little.

"Ben.. I'm not-"

"I REFUSE to let you be upset at me." He slowly creeps toward me.

"Ben! Stop interu-"

"Here! Let me give you a hug!" He opens his arms wide, even though he knows I hate it.

"BEN NOOO" I laugh, but before I could react he somehow found his way into the back of the car, embracing me in a huge bear hug.

"NOOOOOOO!" I yell at him as I laugh historically.

"Awww, it's okaaaaay, I'm soooorrrryyyy" he says, drowning out the laughs and cries of me trying to escape his grip.

"Ben! I SWEAR TO GAWD!!!"

"OH LOOK! THERE'S RHIANNON! RHIANNOOOOON!" Ben shouts, and I weakly punched him in the chest because I was laughing so hard.

"Ben!!!!"

"RHIANNON! COME HELP ME! LARA'S UPSET!!"

"Ben!!!!!!!!!" I cry out, still laughing, "please stop! Everyone can hear you!!!"

Rhiannon heard Ben from across the parking lot, and she ran over with a smile on her face.

"Ben! I swear to fucking god!"

Ben squeezes me as he laughs as hard, maybe harder than I was.

Rhiannon opens the back door.

"She's even cussing at me!"

Rhiannon looks at us two like we were just fighting brothers and sisters, and laughs.

"Guys, calm down! We gotta go!" Rhiannon continues to laugh.

"And Ben, don't fight with Lara!"

Ben laughed and loosened his grip on me.

"Fine, MOM" Ben smiles, and we all laugh.

I shove Ben to the other side of the car, and he laughs a little too hard.

"Whatever!" I sigh, and exhale sharply to keep in a laugh that was building up in my throat.

Ben got up and just sat in the back with me on the other side of the car.

"Okay, let's go to the grocerie store" Rhiannon laughs as we pull out of the parking lot and down the highway towards main street.