Young Love Was Such Dumb Love

John O'Callaghan was taken back by the anger in Bennett's voice, wondering when she started hating him. Well he knew full well, but the benefits of not talking to her since that night and he cleared his throat trying to play it off. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, Matt mentioned you were upset," John said casually nodding towards the party where Matt was trying his best to meet everyone. Benny let out a scoff noting the irony of Matt confiding in John about Benny.

He tried to soak up the image of her, even in the darkness bawling her eyes out she looked good. Better than the dreams he had been having about her, well memories that taunted his sleep just so he could regret his mistake all over again. He opened his mouth to confess his feelings, but instead she spoke.

"I'm fine, so you can just go back inside and enjoy the party," Benny muttered realizing exactly what talking to John might do to her heart. She sat back down, her legs unable to hold her up any longer. She wished she could say it was the alcohol, but all her turbulent behavior was courtesy to the boy standing at the top of the steps right now.

"You're not fine and I'm not gonna leave until I know you are," John said making his way down to the bottom step of the patio where she was, each footstep caused her pulse to race faster. "You can't lie to me Benny," He whispered before sitting down next to her and her heart started racing a million miles per hour. This was exactly why she didn't want to come home or see him.

"John, regardless of what may be wrong, do you really think you're the one who's gonna make me feel better?" She spat coldly trying to look him in the eye while she threw him attitude, but it backfired causing her heart to melt all over again. That only made her more upset, and it proved her point quite well. John had this effect on her that she could never explain, when they were together and fighting all they had to do was sit down and talk then everything suddenly was alright again. That's part of the reason she left a note, she didn't want everything to be alright again, not this time.

"Well, I used to be one to make you feel better. I used to the be the one who held you and talk about nothing and tell you everything would be alright, or am I the only one who remembers that?" John asked rhetorically, he knew if he kept pushing her she would come around. Or at least, his brain had convinced him because he needed to believe she would come back to him.

"Used to would be the key words there. John don't come out here and play that card," She sighed desperate for him to leave, he opened his mouth to rebut, but she saw and kept talking, "don't even say what card. I know exactly what you're doing."

"What I'm doing is making sure the girl I love is alright," John snapped, he was starting to get angry with her and himself. Didn't she know that he wished he could take it all back and he still loved her. All he wanted to do was sweep her off her feet and she was making it so damn difficult.

"Love, huh?" Benny laughed to try and ward off the tears that were starting to come again. "You have a funny way of showing it. Was I the girl you loved when you slept with someone else? John, please- just please just leave me alone." She was begging and she didn't like it one bit, but she was just that desperate for John to let her be. Desperate for him to relinquish this hold he had over her.

"No, you know I won't and you know you don't want me to," John said bringing his face closer to hers so she had to look at him. Her heart melted because everything he said was true and she hated it. "We never even talked about that night, how do you know we even slept together?" John asked trying to prove a point.

"Well, did you?" Benny asked a glimmer of hope gleamed inside her heart, it would be so much easier if she had made a mistake and jumped to conclusions. She would readily take fault for all of it if it meant he hadn't done anything. Then it would be alright for her to still love him instead of the masochistic love she had for him now.

"Uh, yeah," John let out in a small voice realizing the point had backfired. She stood up to leave and he called out after her, she sighed loudly before turning around with an expecting look. "Jesus Bennett! I made a mistake! I got drunk and made the biggest mistake of my life and lost the most important thing of my life! I called and tried to keep our relationship alive and you left so why are you mad? You left me," He yelled, not caring about the neighbors or the people in the party hearing. He wanted answers.

"I left you because you broke my heart!" Benny yelled right back, tears started streaming from her face again and there wasn't anything she could do to stop them. "Because you made the mistake and you cheated on me! And I had to deal with the consequences. I did nothing wrong and our relationship went to hell! So don't you dare try to turn it around on me, John O'Callaghan, I had every right to leave you!" She yelled with the pent up aggression of the past six months and her southern accent slipped out, making John's heart skip a beat. There was some part of Benny he could actually recognize.

"With a fucking note? You couldn't even pick up one of my hundred phone calls and say 'Hey John, the past two and half years have been great, but I'm leave because you fucked up, 'kay bye!'" John yelled, with a mockingly enthusiastic voice while he held up an imagined phone in his right hand. "I think you at least owed me a goodbye, not some fucking note to rip my heart out!" John continued and Benny scoffed at how upset he was.

"You did fuck up! I don't owe you a damn thing! So don't you dare play the victim, John. You got to keep your friends, you got to keep your integrity while my own brother hates me because he thinks I broke your heart! So fuck you, because I have nothing left! You took everything from me and you know I gave you everything I had to give," She sobbed at this point still yelling until she dropped down and buried her hands in her face before whispering, "everything."

"Bennett, I-" John started before she realized she was sick of his voice and this fight had taken more out of her than running a marathon. She bolted inside and made a straight line towards the other end of the house. Matt saw her with tears in her eyes then saw John coming in ruffling his hair looking quite plagued before running after her. He called out after her as she walked down the street, but she couldn't stop walking until he caught her in an embrace.

"Bennett, what's wrong? Please don't tell me nothing and that you're fine because that's clearly not the face," Matt said with worry laced throughout his big blue eyes and he started to plead with her. "Please, just let me in. Was it something John said? Just let me in so I can help you, baby."

"I-I can't Matt," She whispered at a loss for words. Was she supposed to tell him that John was the only boy she ever loved and he broke her? That would have him running for the door and she needed someone, anybody with her. "Just trust me when I say, I can't yet. Just hold me, I can't be alone, not tonight," She whispered intimately in his ear, securing her arms around him tightly. "I'll tell you just not tonight," She said, not sure if she really meant it.

"Baby, you don't have to worry about that. You're not alone," He said soothingly, rubbing circles on her back trying to squeeze her so tightly. As if holding her tight enough would make everything that was plaguing her leave. "I love you so much," His voice dropped to a gentle whisper and she felt her heart drop all over again.

"You're perfect," Benny whispered back, cupping his cheek before planting a kiss on his lips. He was beginning to get irritated at her lack of reciprocation- it's not like he didn't notice. However, after everything that had transpired tonight he figured was a good excuse to drop it. He kissed her forehead before they made their way back to the Fallon house and they both crashed in the guest bedroom, Matt still holding her tightly, both of them trying to feel alright just for the night.