The burning hot water hit my skin, releasing the tension. Steam wafted through the air, making my sight hazy. I'm in a daze. How could I let myself freeze up? I should have hit him back. More than that, I should have pummeled him to the ground for everything he's done. Not just to me, but to Ben. It seems as if that whole Molly story is true. I think Ben really liked that girl.. and Jared took her away from right under him. Why am I so jealous of this girl all of a sudden? When Jared first mentioned her, I didn't give it a second thought. But when Ben brought it up with his mom.. I felt empty inside. Why? It's not like I could have feelings for Ben, right? That can't happen. It's too dangerous for him. He is my rock. If anything where to happen to him because of me, I would never forgive myself. I don't think I would be able to function properly. To lose my best friend would be to lose myself. That would destroy me. The only way to keep him safe from my past, is to keep him out of my affairs. Yet, he is so persistent in knowing everything that happens. And I'm not completely sure if that is because he truly cares about me, or if he is just curious. These stupid feelings towards him. Emotions complicate everything. They ruin everything! "Hey, Sweetheart, you in here?" My body froze.
I shut the shower head off. "Ben?" I poked my head out of the side of the shower curtain and looked around the steam filled room. Ben leaned on the tile wall right next to my shower stall. "What the hell are you doing in the girls bathroom?" I growled dangerously low. He looked at me almost confused. Is it a normal thing for guys to just leisurely stroll into the girls bathroom?
"You were supposed to meet me in the lobby an hour ago. I knew you were taking a shower but I wanted to see why you were taking so long." He stated innocently.
I rolled my eyes, wanting to beat him to the ground. "So instead of being patient, you just decided it would be perfectly fine to walk right in the girls bathroom, knowing I'm naked, and ask why I was taking so long?"
He looked almost annoyed. "Uhh, yeah. Geez, do you even know me?" I slapped my hand to my head. What an idiot.
The door opened, some girl walked in with just a towel on. "Ohh, hey Ben! How has everything been?" She isn't even surprised to see him in here. "It's been a while since all of us hung out! With Lunick and I always taking different courses, we hardly ever see each other!" The girl smiled, hugging him in only her towel. My mouth dropped open. She has no shame.
"Solana! It's great to see you! I've been fine. Ohh, yea, I want to introduce you to my friend, Summer." He smiled. She turned to me and held out her hand. I hesitantly took it. I gasped as she shook my hand fast, nearly pulling me out from behind the curtains. "Sweetheart, this is Solana. One of the top students here along with Lunick, her lover for life." Ben joked.
Solana sighed. "He is too much of an idiot to realize anything. Try dropping him a hint next time you see him, will ya Ben?" She laughed. Ben nodded his head. "Well, nice meeting you, Summer. Hopefully we can talk some other time when we both aren't naked." She laughed. Solana walked into one of the shower stalls, turning on the water. I stood there somewhat dumb founded.
Ben chuckled softly. He looked at me, smiling cheekily. "Do something useful and hand me my towel." I sighed. He nodded and grabbed my light blue towel from the rack. I reached to grab it from his hand when he grabbed my shoulder suddenly. He nearly pulled me out from behind the curtain. I quickly covered my chest with the curtain. "What the hell! Let go!" I barked, feeling heat rush to my cheeks.
"W-what is that?" He asked, staring at my collarbone. I sighed. I've never shown him.
"It's a tattoo. You act like you've never seen it before." I said blushing, looking to the side.
He scoffed. "I know that. But.. what is it supposed to be? A bird Pokemon? I've never seen something like it." He ran his fingers softly over the inked flesh. A cold shiver went down my spine at his gentle touch.
"A Hummingbird." I said softly. He looked at me confused. "My mom read a lot of books, most of them consisting of fantasy. On the cover of her favorite book was this bird. I remembered my mom commenting on how much she loved it, so after she died, I decided to keep a piece of her with me." He nodded his head sadly. "Close your eyes." I instructed. When his eyes were closed, I wrapped the towel around under my arms and stepped out from behind the curtain. Ben opened his eyes and smiled at the other side of my collarbone. "A symbol of bravery. Fire. Do you remember that book I was reading when you were pestering me a few weeks back?" He thought for a few seconds then nodded his head. "Well in the book, their symbol of fearless and bravery was a small fire. I want to be all of those qualities. I want to be brave and stick up for what I believe in so I thought it fit pretty well." I shrugged. Ben ran his thumb over the fire tattooed on my collarbone.
He looked at me with soft eyes. "You are brave, Sweetheart. And you're strong." He wrapped his arms around mine, closing the space between our bodies. My breath hitched, knowing the only thing separating us is a thin towel. "You never old me how she died." He whispered.
Should I tell him? I feel like I can trust him. But, what if the truth scares him away? What if he doesn't want any part of me after I tell him. Maybe that's a good thing.. Him rejecting me would be much easier than me having to push him away to keep him safe. "Let me get dressed, and we will go for a walk." I said quietly. Ben nodded and let go of me. He winked, earning a blush, then proceeded to walk out of the bathroom. My heart pounded in my chest. Out of fear? Nervousness? Or is it because every single time he touches me I can hardly control myself? Ugh.. what have I gotten myself into?
I got dressed, putting on a tank top, running shorts, and my styler, and proceeded to walk out of the bathroom. Ben sat on the couch, watching baseball. I walked over to him, leaning on the back of the couch right next to him. "I see the Nats are winning." He turned around and scoffed. He twitched his head and stared at my jaw. Quickly, I covered it, and began walking towards the stairs.
"What the hell is that?" He growled, walking behind me. I continued to walk down the stairs, not turning to face him. Ben grabbed my elbow, pulling me to a stop. I glared up at him. He towered over from me, considering he is standing on two steps above me. "Who did that to you? Where did that bruise come from?" He growled dangerously low.
"It's nothing." I lied. Ben suspected that, and shook his head. "I hate you sometimes." I mumbled under my breath. "It was Jared." His eyes turned cold, the grip on my arm tightening. "O-ouch, what are you doing? That hurts!" I gasped, trying to pull my arm away from him. "Geez, learn your own strength."
Ben walked down to my step. "Where is he?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "Summer." He raised his voice, tightening his grip.
"How the fuck am I supposed to know? Ben, you're hurting me!" He let go of my elbow, storming down the stairs. "For fucks' sake. Where are you going?" I called, following after him. No response. He stormed out of the main hallway entrance, walking to the open field. "I'm talking to you! Where are you going?" I yelled. Rain began to patter to the ground. Is Team Explosion controlling the weather again? It isn't exactly safe to be out here right now.
"I'm going to go find that Dipshit and kill him." Ben growled, continuing to walk. I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. "What?" He asked annoyed.
I glared up at him. "Ben stay out of this. It's none of your business."
He laughed loudly. "Yes it is." He stated. "I'm trying to protect you, okay. I've seen you hurt too many times and I can't just stand by and let some inhuman idiot hit you!"
"I don't need you to fucking protect me! I need you to stay out of my business. You are not my knight in shinning armour, so stop acting like you are!" I shouted. "I can take care of myself."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "Really? Look at your face. That bruise. How about your bruised rib? Huh? Did you protect yourself when Jared hit you? No. Look at the scars on your back for the gods' sake!" He yelled.
He did not just say that. I balled my fists by my side, looking down at the grass. "Don't ever say that again. Don't you ever bring my father into this. My past has nothing to do with now." Thunder crashed in the sky, the rain falling even harder to the ground. "You don't know the real me. You don't know what has happened to me in the past. So don't ever bring it up again!"
"Then tell me what happened so I know! Open up to me like I have you! Stop trying to pretend like you can handle everything on your own, because you can't!" He yelled back.
I shook my head. "If you knew the whole truth, you'd walk away. And I can't lose you. Yea.. it's selfish of me but, shit Ben, you are the only one I can rely on. I can't risk losing you."
He took a step towards me. "Summer, you won't lo-"
"No, don't you say that. Everyone I have ever loved or cared about, has abandoned me or died. Everyone except for you." I stated. He looked at me intently. "My past haunts me every single day. I'll never be able to escape it. I'm in a constant battle with myself, trying to to get you involved because I don't want you to be like everyone else. It would be too easy for them."
"'Them' who is 'them'?" He asked, taking a step closer, placing his hands on m shoulders.
I looked up at him, gazing at all of his perfect features. It's time to tell him. "My-" The ground rumbled beneath our feet. "What the..?" I looked to the trees. The wind began blowing fiercely. Ben gave me a worried look which I returned. What the hell is going on?
"SUMMER!" I gasped as Ben shoved me to the side. My body rolled around. When I came to a stop, I saw a herd of wild Tauros collide with Ben full force.
My heart sank. I looked in terror as the herd continued to run. Ben isn't even in sight. They are still trampling him. Ohh please gods, don't let him die. "Ben!" I cried, completely mortified.
Alrighty, so hopefully everyone enjoyed. Shout out to 'The Last of Us', I used a quote from that amazing game and shout out to 'Divergent'. Really good book, go read it. Till next time! -A (Have a good New Years!)