Ch.7 The Day Of

Later that evening, Brittany called me.

"Hello Darling!"

"Hey! What's up?"

"Do you want to go to the mall with me, Meagan, and Sarah after school?"

"I'd love to, but let me ask my mother first."

"Ok."

I covered the phone with my hand. "Mother? Can I go to the mall with Brittany tomorrow?"

My mother looked up from her cooking. "Yeah, I guess. Are you going to need a ride?"

"Probably not," I replied. I put the phone back up to my ear. "Ok Brittany! I can go."

"Awesome! See ya tomorrow!"

"Yeah, bye."

Ben guided me out of the school doors and stopped me in our special place. He breathed deeply.

"Look, I don't think we should…"

My alarm clock broke my dream. I swatted it and then groggily climbed out of bed. Once again, I heard my sister's feet racing to the bathroom. I sprinted out of my room and actually reached the bathroom before her. I relished in my victory all morning, until it was time to leave.

I hopped into the car and turned the radio on. I just sat there, grooving to the radio, waiting for Erika to come out. Eventually, she complied, and we were soon on our way to school.

I walked into the band room and was greeted by a chorus of 'heys'. I smiled in response and nodded my head. "Hi, people."

I looked around for Ben but I couldn't see him. Brittany popped out of nowhere.

"This is the steal-Allyson-away-to-walk-with-me-morning," she said to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the hallway.

"But…"

"Oh, but! He (Ben) gets you ever OTHER morning and lunch and in the evenings! I'm your hip-buddy! One morning, please?"

I sighed and looked at her puppy-dog face. No one can refuse that face. "Fine," I said, giving in.

She jumped gleefully and we walked to put our stuff down in the gym.

As we walked around the school, I kept looking for a glimpse of Ben, but I couldn't find him anywhere. I started feeling sort of anxious, and then of course I wanted to hit myself. I breathed. Take it easy, Allyson. Just because he didn't come to the band room this morning doesn't mean he's avoiding you…

Brittany looked at me as we walked to the gym. "You okay, Hun? Is something bothering you?"

I put on a smile. "No, everything's okay! I was just thinking about something."

Brittany smiled in return. "Okay."

After PE, I walked to AP European history. We were reviewing for the AP exam. Oh, fun.

"Ok, class. I want you to get in groups of four and choose an era that you want to review. Come and tell me, and then get started doing most important SPRITE events. Okay?" Mrs. Macflore said.

(A/N: SPRITE is an acronym: social, political, religious, technological, economic, and then because sprite has no caffeine, cultural for C.)

I sighed and walked over to Alexa, Juliana, and Kevin, my fellow sophomores, and we chose the 1700s...i.e. the enlightenment and all that other stuff. It was a long block.

After third block, I walked to my locker on the way to the cafeteria. I opened my locker after three tries and therefore was thoroughly pissed off . My anxiety from the morning combined with my irritation and boredom of the rest of the day resulting in a totally horrible mood.

I grabbed my books for my 4th block class and then took great pleasure in slamming my locker shut and then adding a kick for good measure.

I walked to the bathroom to freshen up before heading to the cafeteria. I checked my eye make-up lip gloss, and hair before leaving and walking to the cafeteria.

I walked over to Brittany and plopped down by her. "Hey," I greeted her.

"Hey. You look pissed off…"

"Yeah…just not in a good mood I guess."

"Aw. I'm sorry."

I opened my lunch box and start tearing apart my sandwich.

"You know you're supposed to eat it, right?" Brittany said.

I smiled at her. "I'm relieving my stress. Unless you want me to do this to you."

Brittany grimaced then laughed. "That bad of a day?"

"Just about."

"Well, then this should make your day better," Brittany said with a nod in the direction to the entrance to the cafeteria.

I looked and I saw Ben walking into the cafeteria. He paused, located the band, and then walked over. He came and sat by me, and I could tell something was wrong.

"Are you ok? You don't look like your usual self," I said.

Ben sighed. "Yeah. I'm okay…" He paused. "Can I talk to you?"

I looked around. "Aren't we doing that already?"

Ben looked at me. "Can we go on a walk?"

"Yeah."

He guided me out of the school doors and stopped me in front of the rose bush...our special place…

I was getting the weirdest feeling of de ja vu. I drifted through my conscious and then I remembered.

Ben guided me out of the school doors and stopped me in our special place.

Ben stopped me and stared into my face. He breathed deeply.

He breathed deeply.

"Look, I don't…"

"Look, I don't…"

"…think we should…"

"…think we should…"

And then I knew what was coming. His strange behavior, his avoidance of me this morning…

"…go out anymore."

"…go out anymore."

And I just stood in shock for a moment, thinking, how did it come to this? I stood in silence, looking down at the ground.

Ben couldn't take the silence. "Are you ok?"

I just shook my head, and raised my arm, trying to block him from my view.

"Look, I know this is kind of sudden, but I think we should stop going out…for the good of the band."

And then fury flooded through me. "My gosh," I saidin a dead whisper. "At least have the guts to give a better excuse than THAT!" I said, my volume increasing. "Where the heck did this come from anyways? You just woke up this morning and were like, '….'?" And then my hurt choked me up and I turned away to leave.

Ben stopped me. "We were causing band drama."

And then I LAUGHED. Laughed at him. "WE were causing band drama? I can't believe this!"

"Look…"

"No, YOU look Ben. To me, this whole thing seems incredibly timed, and I am the one hurt here. So you just shut your mouth, and let me walk away, ok?" I just turned and left, laughing at his pitiful excuse. I was still chuckling as I walked to the bathroom. Then my chuckling turned to sobs, and I spent several minutes just crying my eyes out.

I walked out of the bathroom about 10 minutes later a single woman. Brittany was waiting for me by the locker.

"Hey! I was worried about you! Where did you go with Ben?"

I sighed. "We walked. And talked."

"About what?"

I slammed the locker shut. "Nothing."

"No, tell me!"

"I'd really rather not."

"Please!"

"Fine! We broke up, ok?"

Brittany stopped in the middle of the hallway. "What?"

I turned back and grabbed her arm, pulling her along. "Yes, you heard right."

Brittany glanced at me. "Are you ok?"

"I'm better now. I had a good 10 minute cry in the bathroom."

"Do…do you know why?"

"He said we were causing band drama."

Brittany laughed at that one. "Are you SERIOUS! Omgsh! You wouldn't even know you guys were dating!"

"That's what I thought. So I'm trying to figure out what his real excuse is."

We walked into our English class and sat down at our seats.

"You know what makes it all the worse?"

"What?"

"You remember Peter, right?"

"The guy you were totally in love with at the beginning of the year."

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, that's the one. Well, he asked me out on Sunday."

"Really?"

I nodded. "And I had to turn him down, because I was going out with Ben. And then Ben just…"

Brittany sighed. "Wow. That sucks."

"Gosh, I feel so used, Brittany."

Brittany rubbed my back comfortingly. "I'll kick Ben's butt for you."

I moaned. "Why does he have to have this class with us! I need a break."

Just then Ben walked in the door. He threw a quick glance at us, and Brittany gave him a glare in return.

Then she turned to me. "Let's just stop thinking about him…shall we? Are you still going to the mall with me, Meagan, and Sarah?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah. Better than doing nothing right? And shopping always gets me in a better mood."

Brittany nodded. Then the bell rang and class started.