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A/N: quite a long chapter...sorry!
THE RIDE TO BEN'S HOUSE WAS ONLY A SMALL ONE. From the Quarry to the boy's home it was only a 7 minute journey on their bikes, even with Princess Sparkles lagging behind at the rear because although her chain had recently been fixed, it was still an old bike that was only fit for a child. Luckily she wasn't that far away from the group that she couldn't see where they were going, but as their wheels scraped against the road tirelessly, Amanda took her time in order not to break the chain once more and be even more in debt to Zach Denbrough.
The wind around them blasted through Amanda's hair, sending it backwards in the air when it usually hung lamely by the side of her face; it was a sensation like no other but Amanda didn't seem to feel the freedom of riding through the summer weather. It was nothing special. Especially when she was surrounded with a bunch of strangers who had dragged her into a conversation about missing kids that had brought her to Ben Hanscom's house.
Once they arrived, everybody left their bikes on the front lawn, abandoning them as they followed a rushing Ben into his house. Half of them were already inside by the time Amanda pulled up, dismounting carefully in case the unreliable bike decided to throw her onto the floor like it had done many times before. Stanley Uris was still on the lawn with her however, putting the kickstand down on his bike so it stood tall instead of lying down on the grass.
Amanda's bike didn't have a kickstand so she watched Stanley warily as he walked away from his vehicle before she slowly put hers on the grass. Then she looked up to start walking into the house, yet it was a shock to see Stanley waiting at the door for her to join. In a hurry, she traipsed across the lawn and fumbled up the stairs, brushing past him to enter the house whilst he closed the door behind them very gentleman-like with a small and awkward murmur as though trying to fill the silence which was just as awkward.
Ben's house was lovely. Floral wallpaper, a soft carpet that Amanda's feet could've melted into and pictures of families and weddings ascending up the stairs opposite the slick wooden banister. Everything looked tidy, neat and taken care of; a pure contrast to Amanda's own house. The Hanscom home was the only other house Amanda had been in apart from her own and her grandparents, but since her mother died the only places she had slept in was her own home or school in the middle of a boring lecture.
And it was an amazing first home to step into.
Even with Richie's incessant rambling about what Ben could possibly have in his room, Amanda wasn't disturbed from the beauty of the residence as she looked around with a glint of strong interest within her dark eyes. It wasn't until Richie's annoying drawl trailed off that she actually followed the group into Ben's room instead of staring around at his hallway keenly, imagining what life would be like to have a house with family pictures.
