One Of A Kind

T W E N T Y T W O

One Of A Kind

Chapter Twenty-Two

Not Edited

~ Sage Preston's POV ~

2 months.

61 days.

1,464 hours.

87,840 minutes.

The rumors flooded Viewpoint about how Benjamin Prescott left Sage Preston for Maria Beth Powell.

All of them had the same basis. Maria was just the better choice.

Were they wrong?

Despite the truth coming out, our relationship being a bet the entire time, new theories had been popping up every other week.

Each one was a stab to the chest but nobody knew how bad it hurt.

Because my walls were back up. Forever to stay. But how fragile were they?

"This is going to be so fucking awesome" Charlie said from the backseat.

"Totally"

I glanced into my mirror just in time to catch Piper giving May a kiss in the backseat. My eyes glanced over towards Mick, who was sitting in the passenger seat, and he had the same amused expression as me.

In the last 2 months since the Eastview vs. Westview hockey game; we had all became close again. Charlie had began hanging out with us first. He had no reason to stay away anymore. He didn't have any secrets to keep. May and Piper were out of the closet and publicly dating. Mick had slowly integrated his way back into the group. From saying 'Hey' in the hallways and sitting with us in class to eating lunch with us and getting rides from me again.

Tonight was the first night he was coming to hang out with us outside of school related settings. Tonight was the Viewpoint Lake party and we were going to go, like every other year and probably get so drunk that we pass out in the forest somewhere.

I'm honestly surprised that none of us have ever been dragged away by wolves in the middle of the night.

But our group was by far no way back to normal and it never would be. Why would it be? May and Piper were dating. I had my heart broken and was basically a shell of what I was (May's words, not mine.) And Mick was obviously in love with me. Charlie however was still the same old Charlie.

I parked on the dirt and everyone piled out of my truck.

The first thing my eyes went to was the bonfire that sat in the midst of the dozens of teenagers. The second thing was the lake.

The same lake Benjamin had brought me to, months back. The ice we had skated on had melted in the warm water other couples were swimming in... Nothing ever lasts.

I noted that Benjamin and Maria Beth were probably going to be here tonight and felt a weight on my chest.

I glanced down at my outfit. I was back to sweats and sneakers...

"You look beautiful"

"Mick..." I sighed as I looked up at him.

"That was not a comment from a man that loves you. It was a comment from a friend that knows when you are doubting yourself" Mick smiled at me. "I am going to go have fun and you should as well"

And that's exactly what I did. For hours I got drunk, danced and swam. For the first time in months I had forgotten all about that stupid hockey player from Westview.

My long body swaying to music and alcohol burning the back of my throat made it easy to numb the ache in my chest that had been there for months.

Talking to my friends and dancing with them made it easy to forget. But once the group of teenagers started thinning and the music got quieter, I had no desire to sit around a camp fire with people who had been talking about me for months.

So I made my way towards the other side of the lake. By the woods and found myself sitting on the end of a small dock, staring at the moon's reflection on the water.

I thought about when Benjamin brought me here. It was such a good day. He made me feel better. He told me that he really did like me in 8th grade and I believed him.

He probably lied about that too. I mean he told me that this place was barely known but every year there's a huge party here. I can't believe I was stupid enough to believe that there was a frozen lake that only he knew about. Why do people want to be in love so badly when all it does is make you blind?

Crack

I didn't even turn around when I heard a twig snap. I expected it to be some random couple or one of my friends coming to get me.

"I was just thinking about the time I brought you here. And look, here you are" Benjamin's familiar soft voice spoke along with a light chuckle.

"You said that nobody knew about this place. You lied" I voiced my earlier thoughts but my words had a double meaning. Benjamin lied about why he wanted to leave me.

"No I didn't. Nobody really knows about it during the winter. Only I- We ever came up here in winter"

My brown eyes snapped to Benjamin's grey ones. He looked genuine but he had looked genuine before.

"What do you want, Prescott?" His eyes darted away at my question. "We don't need to talk anymore. I won the bet. Love doesn't exist. You don't have to keep trying to be my friend"

"That wasn't part of the bet" Benjamin's head snapped towards me.

"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Just because you won doesn't mean that love doesn't exist. I never said that it wouldn't exist if you won" His lips coiled into a frown.

"Oh shut up, Prescott. Love doesn't exist. I won fair and square. Stop trying to play with me" Once again mg words had a double meaning.

"I know that love exists, Sage" Benjamin's voice came out strangled. Like he was holding himself back from something. He seemed so upset that I was saying love didn't exist.

"Why Benjamin? Because you know you love your perfect little girlfriend?" I couldn't stop the words from leaving my mouth.

It seemed like Benjamin couldn't stop his lips from connecting with mine either.

Benjamin's hand was in my hair and pressing my face to his as he pressed hard, feverish kisses on my lips.

"I know love exists because I love you" He said in between each kiss.

a u t h o r s   n o t e

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter of One Of A Kind! Only 4 more official chapters left!

Don't forget to,

Vote, Comment and Follow!

c a m m i k e n n y