09/21/2015

chapter ten ;

♡

building, I ignored the looks thrown my way, the certain electricity in the air. Benny's presence, as usual, provided a sense of warmth and familiarity. Truthfully, Leah was the only friend I had acquired – of course, I became a bit comfortable with others, but they could not exactly be considered friends.

"I missed you while you were gone," I sighed, lacing my fingers with Benny's. "It felt like so much longer than a weekend."

"I missed you too," Benny smiled. "I always do when we're not together."

"Me too. Where even did you go? Where was it?"

"It's a little cabin on a mountain," Benny explained. "My dad actually built it before me and Liz were born. It was a gift for Mom, really. We used to go there all the time, since I was born."

"It sounds really nice," I inferred, imagining the place in my mind – a comfy log cabin filled with golden light and laughter. Located in the middle of nowhere but surrounded with love. "And it's really sweet, the love your dad had for Lynn. I don't think my dad would build my mom a cabin," I chuckled.

Turning a corner to a hall filled with lockers, Benny smiled. "Maybe I'll build you a cabin one day. Maybe even a house."

"How will you have time?" I asked, a smile planted on my lips. "You'll be in the Major Leagues soon enough."

"I'll make time," Benny insisted, squeezing my hand in reassurance.

"I never took you for the construction worker type of person," I mused. "As far as I knew, you were all about baseball."

"Baseball and you," Benny corrected. "Ever since you came along, things have changed. And my dad was all about baseball, too. But my granddad used to build houses, really nice ones. He taught my dad some of his skills."

"Did anyone ever teach you?"

"My dad talked to me about it, but I never actually caught on," Benny shrugged. "Besides, we spent most of our time playing baseball. I think . . . he was going to show me when I got older. Like right about now."

There was a pang at my chest; I could not imagine losing either of my parents. Life would be incomplete. How Benny could speak about his father without his voice cracking, even years later, I had no idea. Losing a parent or a close family member seemed like a pain that time could not heal.

I had no clue as to how to reply. Part of me wanted to tell him that I was sorry – but the mood would only grow more somber. So, I said nothing. Benny and I found our lockers in silence.

French I required no textbooks. Mrs. Scooter usually taught with her own explanations, providing everyone with notes. Should we ever have needed a textbook, she had a classroom set. Upon entering the classroom, I noticed something for the first time – Ivy shared the class with me and Benny.

Bertram and DeNunez sat at the seats in the furthest right corner, as per usual. As I made my way to my old seat, I earned a few welcome-backs, a couple pats on the back. The first fight of the year had been mine.

Before class started, Ivy caught my attention and smiled at me. Out of instinct, I returned the smile. Not that I had a reason to dislike her – I liked her, actually, now that I knew that she took up for me when I was not present. Which reminded me: Today would be the day that I confronted Hannah. If I had to fight her, which I had a strong feeling that I would, I told myself that I could wait until school ended.

The class ended rather quickly. Later, at home, Benny would lend me a week's worth of French notes. Until then, I was absolutely lost in class; Benny had to whisper all of the answers to me. When the bell rang, relief washed over me.

Walking to the door, I threw my backpack over my shoulder. DeNunez parted ways with the group, but Benny and Bertram shared Health with me.

"Kayla, have you talked to Leah recently?" Bertram inquired.

Shooting him a look from the corner of my eye, I answered, "Not since a couple days ago. Why?"

"I was just wondering. She just – just crossed my mind," Bertram stuttered. "Um . . . She's a nice girl. And when you're not around, she doesn't really talk. I don't know, she seems kind of sad."

"She probably feels awkward around you boys," I said. "Anyway, she's more of the quiet type. And I'm here now."

Bertram's mouth opened, but then he dropped it, averting his gaze to the ground. His cheeks had begun to flush. Now they were a rosy red.

"What?" I frowned. Then a smirk curled on my lips. "Aw, Bertram – thinking about your crush?"

"She's not – " Bertram sighed. "That wasn't even what I was thinking about." His eyes flickered to Benny, a hint of guilt shining in them.

"What?" I repeated, my voice sharper this time: Were they hiding something from me? Something that Bertram felt nervous around me about?

"Have you told her about – you-know-who?" Bertram asked Benny, sounding reluctant.

"About Hannah? Yeah," Benny answered, running his fingers through his hair. "She knows."

"Okay," Bertram sighed. "I thought I almost got you in trouble there."

"Why would he be in trouble?"

Bertram shrugged. "If I said it now when you didn't know, not only would you get mad, but I thought you might take it the wrong way – "

"Talking about the time she tried to get all up on your man?" a new voice spoke. I turned my head to find Ivy stepping to my side, her perfect curls bouncing.

"Yes," I confirmed. "Benny told me what you did. Thank you for that. I meant to text it to you before."

A smile formed on Ivy's glossy lips. "You don't have to thank me. There's nothing I hate more than a bitch who can't go for single guys."

I nodded in agreement. "Honestly. They make me sick."

"Then we understand each other," Ivy rolled her eyes. "I hardly have any female friends. They all fuck me over. You seem cool, though."

"Thank you," I grinned. "If you mean cool as in I'm not a hoe, then you're right. You do, too. I don't think I know many girls who would have done what you did. I literally only have one friend other than the boys."

Ivy smiled. "Well, consider that two. You still have my number?"

"Yeah, it's in my drawer. I'll text you later, all right?"

"Okay." Ivy slowed her pace, falling away from the group. "Holla' at me."

♡

The day passed by quickly, and before I knew it, Physical Science arrived. DeNunez and Bertram were reluctant to leave me, but they knew that they could not follow me to class. They were eager to catch a fight, although I had promised that there would not be one – not on school property, at least.

Surprisingly, Benny remained silent as we entered the classroom. And there Hannah was, perched on one of the long black tables intended for the use of experimenting and anything related. For the moment, her attention was focused on the girl beside her – another blonde whose name I had not bothered to remember.

After resting my backpack beside my usual desk-seat, I redirected my pace. Benny trailed behind me, fingers pressed lightly on the back of my arm, as if in preparation to pull me away from Hannah. But I intended to keep the promise I had made.

One of the girls surrounding Hannah spotted me, and quickly tapped the girl's shoulder. A moment later, upon receiving a brunette's hasty whisper, Hannah's gaze flickered upon me. My fists clenched at my sides, but when Benny lightly slid his fingers around my arm, I released them.

"Hannah," I spoke, controlling the ice on my tongue. "Can I talk to you?"

Hannah frowned. "You are right now. And no."

The girls around her snickered in harmony, and I rolled my eyes. "Shut the hell up, none of this concerns you guys. Unless, Hannah, you want it to. And I'm thinking that you don't."

Most of the girls' faces transformed from amusement to surprise or annoyance. "All right," Hannah responded, her voice raised slightly. "Make it quick."

As Hannah slipped to the ground, my eyes flickered to the brunette – the one who had informed Hannah of my approach. Chewing obnoxiously on her gum, as if she had not a care in the world, her grimace was placed on me.

"Wipe that ugly ass look off your face before I do it for you," I threatened. Immediately, like a flash of lightning, the look on her face fell, replaced with something of fear.

"Makayla," Benny scolded under his breath, closing his hand around my arm.

A laugh escaped my throat as I turned to face him. Then my eye caught sight of Hannah's blonde hair, swaying below the middle of her small, hot pink waist. She had moved to the back, the more vacant side of the classroom for the time being. Benny seemed glued to my hip, placed only an inch further back than me.

Hannah swung around to face me, her arms crossed over her chest. The look on her face was closed off, her mouth pressed together.

"We'll start with the less of the two," I began, forcing back the anger that rose steadily. "I'll give you your one and only warning: Keep your slimy hands off of my boyfriend. Don't try to talk to him, don't even look at him. And if I find out you do . . . Use your imagination."

The blonde glared at me, her head hung slightly. I could see that she forced herself to hold eye contact, but she wanted desperately to look down at the ground.

"And did you start the treehouse fire?" I asked without preamble.

"What?" Hannah raised her head slightly, her eyebrows pulling together. "The one where that boy got hospitalized?"

"That one," I growled my response, nails digging into the palms of my clenched fists. The memory only triggered the rage inside of me.

"No," Hannah frowned. "Why would you even ask me that?"

"Because it wasn't an accident, and usually when someone burns down the treehouse you're sleeping in, they don't like you."

The bell blared overhead, but Hannah did not seem to notice. "Well, it wasn't me. I wasn't even in the state when that happened. I was in Nevada, with my mom. And I have the pictures and dates to prove it. I'm not that crazy."

As the teacher closed the door and everyone settled into their seats, I observed Hannah's face, searching for any sign of a lie. Her voice was sincere, her confused frown did not look forced, but for all I knew, she could have been a great liar.

"Take a seat, kids," Mr. Dell called, with a bored tone of voice. But Hannah, as well as myself, remained in place, matching my gaze.

"She's telling the truth," Benny whispered, sliding his fingers to loop around my wrist. "Let her go."

And, because Benny sounded so sure, I did.

♡

The end of the day arrived. During the final period – Creative Writing for me – I finally found the familiar face I had been searching for.

"Hey, Leah," I greeted, a smile decorating my lips. "Where've you been? I haven't seen you all day."

Leah's eyes were glossier than usual. The brunette swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear, glancing down at the ground. Her bag rested on her shoulders; the bell had not yet rang.

"Um," Leah hesitated, "it's just been . . . a crazy morning. I was just going to skip, but after lunch, I came."

"Oh, really? Well, all right. It's good to see you again, though."

"Yeah," Leah chuckled, glancing upward at me. "It's good to see you again. You've missed a lot in this class."

"Ugh." I rolled my eyes. "Of course I did. In Tennessee, almost every time I missed school, there was a fight, or something interesting happened. I miss everything."

During the class period, everyone was given a writing prompt to continue with their own story. I finished rather quickly, with a story of a young girl escaping death, surviving a fall of a thousand feet, with the help of a mysterious woman – a sorceress. Afterward, Leah and I switched papers, so that she could read mine and I hers.

The prompt began with a child caught in the midst of a fight. While my story escalated to the child being knocked out of the window of a tower, Leah's took a completely different turn. The several adults who fought together using their own brute strength, weaponless, turned on the young boy Leah created when he spoke out to them, cried out for them to stop. And once he did, the fighting did stop – only to be directed solely at the boy. The men launched themselves onto the boy, savagely beating him, but there was a twist – the boy could not feel a thing. He was immune to pain. And in the end, a great scream escaped him, and the men ran away.

Once I reached the end of the story, all I could feel was confusion. Turning to face Leah, I saw that her cheeks had gone red. If not for her clear embarrassment, I would have asked her where the idea came from.

"Wow," Leah spoke, finally rising to meet my eyes. A smile painted her lips. "That's really good."

"Thank you." I managed a smile. "So's yours. I love the way the men ran away at the end."

Leah's smile faltered, but she quickly regained it, nodding. "It was just what popped into my mind. But you're talented, Kayla. You really are." Glancing down at the paper again, she said, "You should turn this into a full book."

I laughed. "Thank you again. And I would, but it'd probably never work. I have too many ideas floating around my head. But . . . Leah, I just wanted to let you know . . . if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always here. Always."

Leah swallowed deeply. "Thanks. The bell is about to ring – we should probably go ahead and turn in our stories."

Minutes later, the bell rang. Leah and I threw our backpacks over our shoulders, and we walked into the hallway together.

"Hey, you should come and stay the night with me one night," I suggested. "We could watch movies and stuff. If that's what you're into . . ."

More than one expression passed over Leah's face. "I would – I would love that. When could I do that?"

"Any time," I laughed. "Any time. My parents never mind."

"We should arrange something," Leah nodded, grinning. "Seriously, that's the best idea I've heard all day."

The two of us exited the building, greeted by the blinding sun. The warmth engulfed me, and I sighed in satisfaction. I had grown used to the California weather; loved it, in fact. Leah pulled her jacket closer to her body, and that was when I realized how odd it was that she wore one at all.

"Why are you wearing a jacket?" I giggled.

Leah pulled the jacket tighter. "Um . . . I'm always cold – for some reason. I don't know."

I nodded, deciding to abandon the subject. I felt horrible for even asking, because a part of me might have figured Leah out.

"Oh, that's me," Leah said, pointing at a sleek black car with tinted windows. "My brother. See you tomorrow."

"Not if I see you first," I winked, a smile on my face. As Leah walked to the car, I made my way across the road.

All of a sudden, there was a squeal of tires, as if someone had peeled off. I nearly screamed, sucking in a deep breath, as the black car that Leah had just shut the door to came inches close to hitting me.

"Austin!" Leah's squealing voice was faint, but I could make out the name – her brother, I assumed.

A glare stuck to my face like glue. But, on account of the fact that it was Leah and she might take it the wrong way, I refrained from cursing the guy out and throwing up my middle finger. Rather, I stormed across the street, into the parking lot.

Luke and I were not on the best of terms. After our argument over his taking Skylar back, we had hardly spoken; the only exception was when Luke told me there was something in my teeth. As a result, I resided to walking home. Benny had informed me through text that he would be staying after school; for what reason, he provided nothing.

During the walk home, a text popped onto the screen of my phone from an unknown number. The words read: "Why would you think I started the fire"

Instantly, I knew that the number belonged to Hannah. Even still, I replied with: "Um, who's this"

"Hannah... obvi. Who else have you accused today"

"How do you have my number? Eh, idc. If you want a reason to talk to me, come up w something better than that. Bye 👋"

With a sigh of annoyance, I tucked my phone back into my pocket. Music played in my ears: Fallingforyou by The 1975, which Luke had bought with my iTunes money. If he had been near, I would have skipped the song, just because I could not push away my pride – but, in truth, I liked the song.

As I walked, I admired the view of the city. The sun, as always, shone white, among a pure blue sky. The dark gray pavement beneath my feet was decorated with spidery cracks; the sidewalks, a lighter shade and made of newer cement, occasionally showcased a chalk drawing. The lawns were trimmed, glowing a glossy emerald in the light. Birds chirped overhead, and children's laughter rang from inside one house.

California had become the state I lived in only a few months previously. Already I felt as though it truly was my home – whereas before, Tennessee still felt like my home. Images of the summer flashed behind my eyes, mainly of the sandlot, of sweat and dirt and bruises, of baseballs soaring through the air and an enormous dog allowing our access to an endless amount of baseballs. Of the boys that had so quickly, so easily become my best friends. Of Benny.

A smile cracked on my lips against my will. In spite of the fair amount of drama and negativity, I was happy. Truly happy.

And then I entered my bedroom and found a brand new note, perched upon my pillow.

♡

I've been reading your guys' comments about who you think the fire-starter is. Comment on the name YOU think it is.

Anyway, prepare yourselves. That's all I have to say. (;

April 6, 2017