P L A N B E T A

Chapter Thirteen

August 7th

Baker-Crane

I can't handle being in this small dark room anymore, so I tie up my boots and walk out. I'm wearing a coat with a furry lining to keep me warm as I explore, but as I pass the kitchen, Orren stops me.

"What do you want now? You've already messed with my head enough," I sigh and lean against the kitchen island.

"I mess with your head? Ara, I kissed you once. I thought that Jack Peter was in love with you for many, many years. You flirted with me and then talk shit about my sister. Do you really think that I've inconvenienced you that much?"

"Okay fine. Now want do you want?" I ask.

"I want to know where you're going," he demands.

"For a walk. I can't stay right here anymore, I need to go out and refresh my mind," I explain.

His eyes widen a little bit and he sets down a fork that he was holding for some reason. "I'm going with you," he insists. "Sleepy Hollow is sketchy at night and I really think that we could just have a nice walk." I can't help but accept his offer.

I have to wait a solid seven minutes before he comes out with two flannels and a winter jacket on. "It's not that cold, Orren," I joke, rolling my eyes.

"You have no idea what goes on in Sleepy Hollow, it's a really odd place at night."

"Well, then we just might be murdered together," I sigh in a fake lovingly way.

"Ah yes, how romantic. It's like Romeo and Juliet on black tar heroin," he jokes. I laugh and shove his arm in a soft but flirty way. He looks over at me and smiles a tiny bit, I see him start to reach for my hand but he pulls back second guessing himself.

We start our walk off silent. I was going to look around this place that I didn't know very well and just get a chance to debunk everything that had gone on within the past week, but now I just felt another heavy blanket of stress laid over my body.

It wasn't until a whole fifteen minutes later that he actually spoke up. "Ara, I know that we haven't really talked since..." Since you kissed me, yeah.

"Yeah. We haven't. But maybe it was a mistake, y'know? Like maybe it shouldn't have happened. Like you already think that I'm just flirting with you to piss off your sister and you probably just did that to shut me up, like I get it... it's okay," I ramble. Lately, I had been thinking about Orren a lot, in more ways than just one. I actually felt bad for saying that stuff about Maia, and I actually felt bad for sort of... using him.

"Ara, I wasn't kidding when I said that you have no idea what goes on in my head. You never have. I meant what I did, and yeah, I wanted you to shut up, but I also wanted you to kiss me, but you didn't, so I kissed you," he explains. "It wasn't a mistake to me, but you can view it however you want, I guess."

I jerk my head up and stop in my tracks, taking Orren's wrist into my hand. "What do you mean, O? It would just be silly for us to try to have a relationship in Plan Beta. It would be a distraction—"

"Arabella Lee Baker-Crane," he sighed. "You are the best distraction I could've asked for, and I never want you to think that you're not. You mean a lot to me, and I think that you're looking way too into this."

"How?" I ask, and tighten my grip on his wrist, but then he grabs my hand.

"You don't have to be strong for everyone, Ara. You don't have to be a goddess for me. Ara I really like you no matter what state of mind you're in." I realize where we are for a split second, the Headless Horseman Bridge. Orren's face travels up to my cheek and he leans in and kisses me again, this time I kiss back.

He pulls away and I look around, nothing has really changed around me, but my body feels tingly. I look up into his eyes that look silver in the moonlight. I had never truly noticed how pretty they were before.

"Orren I think that you're amazing. I don't want to overthink this," I say but then start to whisper.

"Then say what you're thinking Arabella! I want to know what you're thinking! Just tell me! I'm done guessing!" He exclaims and steps back from me. I try to walk toward him more but he keeps stepping back.

"I like you, Orren! I didn't notice that I did but I do! I like you and care about you a lot! But what would happen if we dated? Do you know how mad Maia would be? She would constantly bring it up and hate me for the rest of our lives! O I like you so much, I would care so much if something happened to you and I know I sound uneducated because I keep using the phrase 'so much' and I'm sorry but Orren I—" With one swift movement, Orren hops onto the thin railing of the bridge and started leaning forward. I ran forward, but before I could fully get to him he bent down and flipped like a child on a jungle gym.

I run into the railing full force and I can feel my stomach get squished inside of my body. "You gave me a heart attack," I huffed. "I thought that you were about to—"

"I know," he says and pulls himself up through the top railing and the second. I slipped myself next to him and rested my head on the top wood rail. "It's scary isn't it?" I nod. "That's how I feel when I think you're in trouble. I feel like I'm going to do have to jump just to save you. If you hadn't realized that I wasn't actually jumping then you probably would have anyway, just thinking I did." I turn my head toward him.

"Orren you really scared me, don't do that again," I sigh and hide my face in my folded arms. He scoots closer to me and chills go up my spine. I look up to him and we just sit there for a few seconds.

"You know," I say. "I really appreciate you, Orren."

"I really appreciate you too, Ara," he responds. I lay my head lightly on his shoulder and space off at the creek for a while until Orren lightly whispers in my ear, "You're starting to freeze, love. It's time to go."

"What? Are you English now?" I chuckle and sit up. He smiles that one crooked smile and swings himself forward to be over the water until he swings himself backward over the railing. I sit in amazement until I come to the sudden realization that I can do that too, so I do.

The walk back to the house it short, but seems long because of how drowsy I am and how dark it is. I don't notice until he lets go that O was holding my hand on the walk back.

"Goodnight O," I say right before I walk up to Maia and I's room.

"Goodnight," I hear him say back as I walk up. For a moment I wonder what I've gotten myself into, but then I have this overwhelming eraser that seems to get rid of all of those feelings, and I no longer give a thought to it.