Devil Inside (Ben Bruce)

23

Lily's POV: 

"You owe us big time for this though, okay? This doesn't happen the next time, " Danny said. Ben had gotten the whole band to help me move my things over to Seattle. As it turns out, for their next tour they were getting an RV, so we were using that to transport things, along with my sedan that I'd just recently bought. For their help, I was extremely grateful. 

I smiled. "Of course. I was planning on paying you all back. In cash, of course, " I told him. "By the way, are you growing your hair out?" I bend over to pick up a box. 

"I can't keep the fringe forever, so I was planning on growing it out a bit. " 

"It will be missed. " I too was trying something different with my own hair. As much as my father haunted me with that memory, I had to accept that everything my parents said about me wrong. I wasn't the devil, and my eye is not a curse. So I'd been wearing my hair in a braid that started on the side with my blind eye, and then ended at the other side near the back of my head in a sort of side braid. Ben personally liked it more when I put my hair in a pony tail, but that was reserved for him specifically. That's mostly for sexual reasons. 

"I certainly don't miss your old hair. I like it better this way. Before you were all shy and mysterious, but now you seem more sure of yourself, " Danny said. Maybe he was a bit too straightforward, but he meant well. 

"Thanks, I think. " After I put the box that I was holding in my car, I looked around. "That looks like the last of them." 

Cameron leaned against the edge of my car, seeming breathless. "Thank God, " He said, sounding relieved. I reached into my pocket and gave him the money that was to be given to them for helping me. 

"I trust you better than anyone else with this task. You can divide that up evenly among the five of you. " 

"How do you know that I won't just take the money all for myself? " 

"Danny would hurt me if I didn't pay him, and then Ben would kill him for that, and when he found out that you were the reason that Danny was upset, he'd kill you too for making him kill his best friend and for indirectly hurting me. " 

"That sounds like a lot of killing. " 

"Which can be avoided if you divide it up evenly. " 

Cameron sighed. "Everyone shut the fuck up! " He called to get attention to himself. "Listen, I've got your money. Just let me count it out and then you'll get it, alright? " 

"Wait, wait, wait," Ben said, holding up a hand. I knew that this would happen. "You're paying-"

I walked forward to him while he was beginning to talk and then pushed his hand back down. "Yes, I'm paying you. Now shut up and enjoy the money."

"But-"

"Do you want a share or not, because I'm paying the rest of them anyways?"

"We'd do it for free," He argued. 

"Uhhhhh, no we wouldn't," Danny disagreed, taking the share that Cameron had counted out for him. "I love you girlfriend, by the way," He said, winking at Ben. 

Ben rolled his eyes. "Fine, but this is a one time deal. You don't have to pay us anymore."

"I could get used to this," Danny commented, counting off the money that he'd been giving.

"You're not helping!" Ben shouted at him. "How much did you give each of us anyways?" He asked me. 

"About forty each. Trust me, I have more money than I know what to do with. I can afford this."

"But it could be fifty if you don't take your share!" Danny called. 

"Fine, fine. I'll take the money, but I'm not doing it again. And I'll make sure that this," He looked at Danny before saying the rest of the sentence, "bonehead won't try to talk you into giving away money anymore."

"At least she's donating to a good cause," Danny added. 

"And what cause is that?" I asked. 

"Asking Alexandria taking over the world!" He spread his arms out for effect. "Either that or a ton of alcohol, but the first one seemed like a better claim."

I rolled my eyes. Of course that's the cause that he's referring to. 

It was on my birthday, December 21, that I'd finally settled completely into the new apartment that I was living in. This one didn't come with a dead body or a cursed town either. I'd taken up a job as a barista, and was getting constant commissions for my artwork, those that weren't of Ben anyways. I was almost making enough money to quit my day job. But I still wanted to go to art school someday. 

And because it was my birthday and I was finally turning 21, I'd legally bought myself some alcohol. Just a bottle of wine, but still more than I could get when I was underage. I'd told Ben that it was my birthday a few days ago, but unfortunately he's on tour now. So I'd be spending it all by myself. 

Yay......

I was just about to pour myself a glass of the wine that I'd bought, when there was a knock at the door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so when I went over to it, I was sure to look in the peephole first. All that I needed to see was the color of his hair and I immediately knew who it was. I opened the door and let Ben in. 

"It's fucking cold here," He complained, shivering. 

"Welcome to Seattle," I laughed, hugging him tightly. "What are you doing here?" I pulled away.

"I couldn't miss your most important birthday." He looked at the wine bottle. "And I see that you're already taking advantage." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, rectangular box. "Happy birthday."

I took it and opened it up, finding a plain white guitar pick inside. I looked at him questioningly. 

"I thought that you could decorate it, and then when you finished, you'd give it back to me and I'd use it. You know, like taking you with me."

"That's.....sweet, actually." It was kind of sweet, but still a strange gift. Though I'm not sure why I expected anything different. He had a limited amount of time to get a gift. 

"You sound disappointed," He noted.

I shook my head, smiling up at him. "I'm not." I pointed to the bottle of wine. "Would you like a glass?"

A/n; Alright, alright. I was gonna make this the end but one more chapter cuz we're doing a Hollywood ending for this one.