Young Love Was Such Dumb Love

Benny woke up the next morning in a cold sweat wrapped up in someone else's sweats and a throbbing headache. Her eyes were heavy and her lips swollen, she felt something on her bottom lip that tasted coppery, she recognized it as blood and she bolted up. She sighed recognizing her room, her bed underneath her and she exhaled the pent up anticipation.

"Benny," She was enveloped by a very emotional Mrs. Fallon, clutching her only daughter tightly into her arms. Benny couldn't form words or even look her mother in the eye, her fingers just went up to scab on her lip. "Oh my baby," Mrs Fallon whispered, after releasing her and cupping her face.

"Hey Mom," She whispered, her voice hoarse from lack of use. Tears began welling up in her eyes and a fire in her chest from the broken-heartedness she felt. The fear, the lack of control in a world where you need at least a sense of control. "Momma, where's John?" She said her eyes bolting around expecting to see something wrong, something changed like she felt. Her eyes shifted as her southern accent slipped out in her whispers.

"Why, he's at his house dear," Her mother looked her jaw slightly dropped. She pushed her daughter's bangs back lovingly before a comprehending smile came to her lips. "Let's go, I've been meaning to have tea with Leanne," she smiled sweetly. Benny nodded letting a tear slide down her cheek. Her mother pulled a pair of dark wash jeans and an oversized Auburn sweater for Benny to change into and waited downstairs for her.

As Benny stripped off someone else's sweatshirt and sweatpants she realized how freezing she was despite the fact the temperature was a comfortable one and her bare skin revealed bruises and scratches she didn't even recognize, he ran her fingers gently over a humongous bruise on her thigh and his hand gripping it tightly flashed into her mind. She shook her head biting her lips, dressing quickly.

She stared at her face in the mirror, glassy eyes and swollen lips. She sighed and felt a pang of sadness wondering how anyone would ever find her attractive, especially John. She swiped some mascara on her lashes and put blush on her pale cheeks. She felt her lips stick as a result from the chapstick on her lips and a non-voluntary wince came out.

She ran her fingers through her hair and met her mother downstairs, who was on the phone with Mrs. O'Callaghan until she saw Benny coming down the stairs and looked away as if she wasn't talking about her. "We'll be right over Leanne, thanks for being so understanding," Mrs. Fallon smiled with a genuine gratefulness. "Alright, bye," She smiled before hanging up and sliding on her black flats getting ready to leave. Benny slipped on some red flip flops and followed her mother across the lawn so many happy memories had happened on. It seemed like they happened to someone else, she wasn't the same girl anymore.

"Suzanne, Bennett," Mrs. O'Callaghan gushed before hugging both of them after two knocks. She kissed Benny's forehead lovingly and gave her an extra squeeze before clearing her throat and smiling. "John's in his room if you would like to go up," She grinned before closing the door after everyone was inside.

"Thank you," She smiled weakly, her voice still hoarse and she was certain everyone could see the evidence of tears on her face. She made her way up the stairs as the mothers began whispering amongst each other. She continued down the hallway until she came to the last room on the right and she knocked twice and entered the room.

"Ma!"John shrieked pulling up a pair of jeans, still shirtless. He turned and seeing Benny let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't help but laugh after how high his voice had gone along with his face and she closed the door behind her. He laughed standing awkwardly, unaware of what had actually happened the night before or why Benny looked so tired and sad. "Hey," He smiled wrapping his arms around her until he realized that the laughter had turned into tears, soft sobs coming from her small frame. He felt her warm tears on his shoulder and held her tighter.

"Benny, I'm sorry-I said I was sorry" He whispered looking at her terribly sad face, her bottom lip trembled and that's when he noticed the cut and the swollen redness. "Bennett, what happened?!" He said in his normal speaking voice, something about being with him and the fact even he knew something had happened made her cry harder.

"J-John, I am such a fool," She managed while choking on giant sobs, she tried to stay straight up looking him in the eyes, crying as it physically pained her. He immediately jumped to the conclusion she had cheated on him or something along the lines. "I-I, Oh God," She cried harder, neither of them knew she could cry harder.

"Benny," He whispered gently, pulling her in closer to him and kissing her forehead. John had a very insecure feeling swelling in his chest, but he couldn't stand to see her this distraught, even if she had betrayed him. "You know I love you, even if you did stuff," John spoke tentatively stroking her hair. She pulled herself from his grip and shook her head violently, seeming both mad and distraught.

"No, no!" She said, her hoarse voice seeming so much more harsh due to her exasperation. She stopped sobbing and placed her hand gently on his cheek, her eyes turning from glass to reverie. She smiled, moving her hand from his face to his hair, playing with the strands. "Do you remember our first kiss? Not our first dating kiss, but our very first kiss ever?" She smiled. He nodded confused now, moving her lips, but clearly unaware of what to say.

"I was nine and you were eleven, and we were out playing when Max when away to Space Camp or something like that? We were roller skating in your driveway because you were trying to teach me how to skate backwards, and all of the sudden you kissed me," She laughed, remembering fondly as another tear spilled over and slid down her porcelain cheek. John smiled remembering how all his guy friends were talking about getting girlfriends and all he could picture was kissing her.

"And as soon as I got to middle school we stopped talking, but I never stopped thinking about you," He grinned looking straight into her eyes to make sure she knew that he wasn't lying or trying to play her.

"He drugged me," Tears flowed profusely, a weight lifted from her chest finally saying it out loud. John gasped unaware of what to do, "All I remember," She paused to catch her breath and sniffle, "He took me into the restroom and started kissing me and he hurt me, then someone came in and saved me then I blacked out," She sighed dropping her head in embarrassment.

John wasn't quite sure how to react. He felt a fury he'd never felt before, he wanted to punch walls and find whoever had hurt her and hurt him. He wanted to yell at her, ask her why she had been so stupid. He wanted to kiss her and hold her until she felt better, he took a deep breath and held her as close as he possibly could, like if she could feel his heart and everything she was feeling it would make her feel better.

"But, I know he didn't, uh, rape me" She said awkwardly her head still down, John brushed the hair out of her face and gently lifted her chin up to look in her eyes. "I'm glad he didn't, not just for the obvious reasons, but because I know I want you to be my first," She whispered looking him dead in the eye. All he could do was kiss her and feel her heart pounding in time with his.

He grabbed her hand and realized it was completely freezing, he held both of them tightly and she fell into him. Their bodies fitting together perfectly as she cried softly in his arms, eventually she fell asleep and he waited a good half hour before slipping her into his arms and tucking her into his bed. He found a random shirt on the floor and slipped it on and slipped out of his room quietly, watching sadly as the girl he loved slept, broken.

"And apparently were it not for Cody, you know Trey Nickelsen's friend she probably wouldn't have been so lucky. The police said his DNA matched a series of rapes and murders all over," He heard Mrs. Fallon filling in his mother on what happened. He felt a pang of guilt for ever envying the boy who had saved his girlfriend. He sighed, running his hands through his hair messing it up and not even caring.

Everything was such a mess and he couldn't even begin to fathom making not being there up to Benny. In his mind he could've protected her or done something, but instead of letting thoughts run through his head he snuck back into his room, and closed the door gently behind him. His feet shuffling across the carpet stealthily. He saw Benny sleeping serenely and looking just as gorgeous as always, he laid next to her and closed his eyes and hoped for better days ahead.