Knightly in Shining Armor

Lourdes

           

I had woken up before Lukas and moved to sit on the stairs. I was trying to think of what to say to Bennett about why Vienna had suddenly vanished overnight. But mostly I was plotting ways to track her down and murder her. I knew she was cheating but I couldn't believe she would go this far.

          I thought back to when Lukas found my bank statements and the amount of money I had in an account. Of course, none of it was for me. It was all for Bennett. He was so incredibly in debt with his father's hospital bills, school, and his home. His meager job would barely cover it. I had spoken with his father over the phone and told him what I was doing. He was so glad because he didn't want Bennett to suffer from costs he couldn't pay.

          So, there it was. I was the keeper of my best friend. And I didn't regret it in the slightest. Bennett got dealt a shitty hand with a dying father, absent mother, and cheating girlfriend. I was his only solace. And I planned to keep it that way. I had access to his father's account at his request, and I made deposits often. All of this was unbeknownst to Bennett.

          I pulled out the novel I had been working my way through and tried to read to get my mind off of the impending conversation. My concentration was broken when I heard Bennett calling for Vienna. I stood up.

          "Here we go," I murmured. "Time to break my best friend's heart." I made my way down the stairs. Bennett was peeking his head out of the bedroom. He saw me come down and smiled.

          "Hey, Lourdes," He greeted me. "How'd you sleep?"

          "No better than normal," I replied. It wasn't a lie. I never slept well.

          "Damn, I thought it would be getting better." He frowned, knowing full well of my condition. I gave him a small smile. "Anyway, have you seen Vienna? I can't reach her over the phone and I haven't seen her at all." I let out a breath.

          "We... we need to talk about that Bennett. Wanna come and sit down?" I ran a hand through my tangled hair, turning to walk to the chair in the sitting area. I sat down and wrung my hands, unsure of what to say.

          "Lourdes, what's going on?" He asked. I sighed.

          "Vienna... last night I caught her sneaking out. I followed her to see what she was doing."

          "Okay..." Bennett urged me to go on.

          "I followed her down the hall, and she... I saw her with another guy. They were making out in the hall. I confronted the two of them. She said she had met Michael and... she decided, well, she decided she was gonna run away with him. She had all her bags and just left." I saw Lukas sitting on the stairs listening in.

          Bennett burst out laughing. "Very funny Lourdes. I know you don't like her, but you don't need to go that far. That's ridiculous."

          "Bennett, I'm telling the truth." I dragged a hand over my face. "Go check, her bags are gone." The color drained from his face as he realized I wasn't kidding.

          "Shit," He whispered. "How could she do this to me?"

          "Bennett, she's been doing this to you. Didn't you see her flirting with other guys every time we all went out together? How she'd be on dating apps every lapse in conversation? How she came home with her hair a mess and the buttons on her shirt uneven? Hell, she was even blatantly flirting with Lukas yesterday." I blurted everything I'd noticed her doing for the past year and a half as Bennett looked more and more deflated.