Illusion

The night was cold and dark. The only sound was the crunch of the leaves under my feet. I would confront Benton even if I had to wake him at two AM. I could see my white bench illuminated in the moon light up ahead. I pulled my coat closer to me as I sat on the cold wood. Watching the water ripple slowly in the night, my mind wandered back to the last couple of days. The lake was frozen. The lake wasn’t frozen. I let out a small scream as a large hand nestled itself on the back of my neck.

“Shh! Quiet, Mary Beth! It’s just me!”

Benton stood behind me looking as cute as ever. His hair ruffled in just the right way making me want to run my hands through it.

“What are doing here?” I questioned.

He sat down beside me to wear our arms were touching. I scooted away from him.

“I could ask you the same question,” he answered, moving even closer while wiggling his eyebrows.

Frustrated, I stood and walked away from him, but not out of his hearing range.

“I was about to come looking for you actually.”

I saw his mouth widen into a perfect smile inviting me in.

“Oh? And what were you planning to do when you found me?”

“I…uh…I’m angry with…uh…you?”

His smile grew larger, “You don’t sound too sure about that.”

I turned around to clear my head. I seemed to speak better when I wasn’t looking at him.
“No, no. I am most definitely mad at you.”

Leaves crunched behind me, signaling that Benton was once again coming for me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, rising goose bumps along my arms.

“Are you going to tell me why?”

“The other day. When we went ice-skating.”

“What about it?”

A breeze whipped my hair around my face as I slowly faced Benton.

“I fell through the ice?”

His face grew sad, almost guilty. “Yes, I’m so sorry about that. The ice wasn’t as thick as I thought it was in some spots, but- but most of it was solid. It was just an unfortunate accident that you skated over a thinner spot.”

My eyes practically popped out of my head, “‘An unfortunate accident!?’ I could have died, Benton! My neighbor called 911, which should have been you! Where were you I was swallowing a crap ton of freezing water?!”

Benton stretched his arm out toward his house, “I was running back to my place to call 911! I didn’t have my cell phone with me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. By the time I had gotten back to the lake the ambulances were leaving. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared, Mary Beth.”

He took a few steps toward me, reaching out to touch my hand ever so slightly. I meant to pull it away, but I couldn’t. Something inside me wouldn’t let me. His blue eyes entrapped me in our own little world. I forgot about everything. All my worries were just gone in a simple moment.

“I know, Mary Beth, that we just met, but I really like you. I was so scared I would lose you the other day.”

My eyes wandered around, “If you care about me so much why did you not come visit me in the hospital.”

He laced his fingers through mine, causing my heart rate to skyrocket. This was all happening so fast. No boy had ever gotten this close to me.
“What was I supposed to say to your parents?” He asked. “They would have wanted to know who I am. ‘Well, I’m this random guy who met your daughter in the woods. Oh, and I’m kind of the reason your daughter’s in the hospital in the first place.’ They would have called security so fast or worse the police. The way I see it, if I would have came and saw you; it would have been the last.”

I looked down at my feet, “I suppose that makes sense.”

When I met his eyes again, they were on me, staring intently. I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to say. I was always really awkward when it came to putting my feeling out in the open. I could barely tell my parents I loved them, let alone tell Benton that I cared about him too. Quickly, I untangled my fingers from his.

“I…um…I should go.”

My legs started walking swiftly back toward my house. Benton followed close behind me.
“Please don’t go, Mary Beth. Don’t you want to stay and talk or something?”

I hesitated. Oh course I wanted to stay, but I just…I just couldn’t.

“I- I can’t.”

He grabbed my hand that swung freely at my side and turned my small frame around to face him.
“Please,” he said, looking at me through his beautiful dark bangs.

I shook my head slowly, “I’m sorry.”



My house is quiet. The only sound comes from my feet squishing against the carpet which means Nicoli must have shut her TV off or she had it on sleep mode, either way it meant I had to be extra quiet which wasn’t the easiest thing for me to do. Our wiener dog Oscar appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Shit,” I said to myself.

As if on cue Oscar started barking.

“Shh!”

“Someone shoot that dog,” my sister shouted from her bedroom.

I darted up the last few steps and grabbed my dogs muzzle gently. My dad came down the hallway with his hand to his yawning mouth. His eyes squinted as he focused on me.

“Bethie? What are you doing up?”

“I, um, I had to go to the bathroom.”

He nodded, “Okay, so, then why are you wearing a jacket?”

Why couldn’t he ask easy questions? Or at least one’s that I could pull an answer out of my butt quickly. I decided to use the fact that my dad was pretty much 99 percent asleep to my advantage.

“Why am I wearing a jacket? Why aren’t you?”

He nodded again, his eyes slowly drawing to a close, “Bethie, since you’re up and have on a jacket already, do you think you could take Oscar outside?”

“Uh, sure, dad. Goodnight.”

“Night, sweetie.”

It really surprises me how nonchalant dogs are. They don’t care whose watching while they shit. My mind imagines a scenario where a business man comes into work naked and walks around the office until he finds the perfect spot. His co-workers stare while he does his business, and yet the man could care less about their prying eyes. How weird would that be?

“Cute dog.”

I jumped at least three feet from the ground. My head jerked to the side.

“God, Benton! What is it with you and scaring the bejesus out of me!?”

He cracked a small smile that was illuminated by the street light in front of Rayne’s house.

“You’re not stalking me now are you?”

“Well, you don’t have to think of it as stalking. Just think of it as me thoroughly over obsessing about every little detail in your life.”

I laughed at his definition.

“Ah, you smiled. That means I’m off the hook.”

“I give up. I can’t get rid of you,” I said as I sat on the concrete steps of my porch.
Benton sat next to me and watched Oscar run around my yard marking his territory.

“No, no you can’t.”

We sat in a comfortable silence. He sat so close to me I could smell him and damn did he smell good. I leaned back on my forearms and Benton mirrored me.

“So, what are you doing tomorrow?” He asked.

I sighed, “Well, I’m supposed to be going to school, but my parents want to rest for another day, so I’ll be at home.”

“Will your parents be with you?”

I squished my eyebrows together, “I don’t see how they would be. They work. Why?”

“Eh, just wondering. I figured if you were to go to school tomorrow, you’d be really tired since you’re still up at,” he took out his phone and glanced at the screen, “Three A.M.”

I nodded, “Yeah, I should probably be getting to bed.”

Benton stood up, offering me his hand in assistance, “Sounds like a swell idea.”

“Swell?” I laughed, taking his hand.

He smiled at me, “Yes, I just happen to be a fan of old-school vocabulary. Everything was so much more innocent back then.”

“That’s true,” I said before heading towards my door. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Guess so.”

I called my dog over to me, “Night, Benton.”

“Night, Mary Beth.”

I stood there waiting for him to leave, but he just kept watching me. His eyes started to wander awkwardly.

“Umm…If you want to sleep, you’ll have to go inside. And if you want to go inside, you’ll need to let go of my hand…”

I looked down at our still entwined fingers.

“Oh!” I exclaimed. I started blushing like crazy. “Opps, sorry.”

“Hey, I had no objections to it, except that I might have eventually fell asleep on your porch, but other than that I was perfectly comfortable,” He said with a smile.

I tried to hide my smile from him as I turned and said goodnight to him once again.