Scattered Black Roses

With every second my heart raced like I’d run a six mile marathon. I couldn’t believe who my eyes were seeing. Benn had actually waited for me.

“Am I so handsome that you can’t stop staring?” he laughed as he motioned for me to sit.

My mind screamed YES, but I settled for having a seat across from him, “Was Rena in on this?” I tried to replace my stupidity with annoyance.

“She only brought you here like I asked,” he stated simply.

“Why’d you get her to bring me here? Why are we even here?” curiosity got the best of me.

“What two friends can’t hang out?”

“Yes! No! I don’t know!” I hid my face in my hands so if I blushed he wouldn’t see.

He moved my hands and leaned in so close that I could feel his breath.

Unconscientiously, I leaned in too. My lips brushed just barely across his before I pulled away abruptly. I had a smirk on my face. Well, well, Benn didn’t get what he wanted that time! Wait, I wanted to kiss him too! … The stupidest girl in the world must be this one!

Benn chuckled, “Feisty, I like it.”

I didn’t say anything for a moment as I looked over his long sleeved white shirt with a red tie loose over it. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to near his elbow and on his wrists were black Oath to Pain wristbands. It didn’t take looking to know that he was wearing black skinny jeans with dark shoes. Got to love the emo bad boy style.

“Benn,” I don’t know what came over me then, but it was not my intention. I got up and sat next to him to get really close.

“Did I ever tell you the way you say my name is amazing?” he wrapped his arms around my waist to pull me closer.

“Now you have,” I closed the space between us. It was like we were opposite magnets being drawn to each other. Something about Benn drove me crazy; and it wasn’t just his looks.

Benn pulled away and slightly nudged me so I’d get up.

I obliged and scooted out of the booth.

He waved away a waitress headed our way, “We won’t be staying.” Benn wrapped his arm around my waist again as he led me out the door. We were headed to a 2010 Camaro.

“Nice ride,” I commented as we approached the vehicle.

“Thanks,” he motioned to the passenger seat as he let go of my waist.

I walked to the opposite side of the car and got in. The interior of the car was gray and fuzzy. It had the homey kind of atmosphere. On the car floors were little black mats. Surprisingly, the car was neat and organized; not that I ever believed that he was unorganized.

Benn got in and started the car. There was loud screamo music on the radio. The song sounded familiar. After a minute of listening, I realized that it was Oath to Pain.

“Where are we going?” I tore my attention from the song that was playing.

“Just wait.”

Wait, after our almost-make out he was taking me somewhere special?! I didn’t know if I should’ve been glad or afraid. A strange feeling arose in the pit of my stomach. It was a lot like the day Benn and I skipped class together. It was more of a feeling of anxiety.

After the seemingly short ride, Benn parked outside a forest entrance. The full moon above us lit up the forest and its path. This place was completely unknown to me.

“C’mon,” Benn got out of the car after parking. He slipped my arm through his and started to lead me to the entrance. His steps were slow, but his posture was eased. There was no expression on his face.

“Benn, is there something wrong?” I asked as we halted to a stop before a clearing blocked by trees and bushes.

There was a far off look in his eyes as he looked upon the entrance without saying anything.

We both walked into the hidden clearing with a beautiful river ahead. I couldn’t take my eyes off the sparkling river. The moon seemed to be right above the water. An easygoing atmosphere surrounded the clearing. I loved the way it looked. Just looking at it made me want to sit and gaze upon it for as long as possible.

“Is the river what makes this place special?” I sat down and placed my hands behind my back.

“Well that and this is where my brother and I always hung out while mom was at ‘work’,” he said as he paced the riverbank.

“Where’s your brother now?” Was it ‘Jay’ like the two had mentioned earlier? The one who called him some nickname? Benn really was a mystery to me.

“He’s dead. I was the first one who found him hung by a thin wire in his room. The suicide note was in his jacket pocket. On the note…he wrote ‘I’m sorry, Bengi, I just couldn’t do it anymore. Live on’,” Benn’s stature was completely rigid as he stood below a tree.

I stood slowly and wrapped my arms around Benn’s waist. Without a thought, I pressed my cheek against his back, “You don’t have to talk about it.” After saying it, I realized those were words he’d spoken to me not too long ago.

Benn was still for a moment before he moved my arms and turned around to look into my eyes. He pulled me into a soft kiss then pulled me into a gentle hug. It seemed as if we were the only two people in the world.

“Benn, why’d you bring me here? This isn’t my place to be. It’s your place,” I let go of him as his arms loosened around me.

“You’re special to me and the only person I’ve ever even imagined bringing here after the incident. It’s our place now, Rose,” he turned to watch the river flow over rocks.

My heart fluttered and my soul flew. I never knew Benn could be so kind hearted. “Thank you, Benn. This means a lot,” it was all I could manage to say just barely above a whisper.

After about an hour, Benn had dropped me off at my house, but I wasn’t quite ready to be home yet so I took a walk. Before I knew it, I was walking to the café Rena went to. Since it was open late, I got a cappuccino with extra sugar.

After about ten minutes, I was out walking down a dark sidewalk. Bad Idea.

“Ah, Rose, babe, nice to see you again!” the voice behind me said. It sounded horrifyingly familiar.

I whirled around to see that it was Benn’s friend, Tom, who tried to kiss me when Benn and I got to the clearing on the morning I skipped. Really bad idea. “What do you want from me?” I asked while I took a few steps back.

He stepped into the light so that I could see his dark hair and dark eyes. There was a smug look on his face. I had a really bad feeling about this.