Midnight

My fingers gripped the railing, pallid stripes of white standing out on the black of the bar. Down below, the street was full of New Year’s revelry. Cars were end-to-end in the traffic and the sidewalks were crammed with people; laughter and exhaust drifted on the wind. The December night was painfully cold, which made me feel even more stupid for not wearing at least a long-sleeved shirt before running outside. My breath danced before my face in large misty clouds. Behind me, I heard the screen door open.

“Hey, peach. You look a little low.” Benjamin slid the door closed behind him, leaving us alone on the balcony. He held one of the cups in his hands out to me; the cold, sweet liquid slid down my tongue like slime. I leaned forward, balancing my elbows on the black bar and holding the drink cup by my finger tips over the edge. A wind blew down the road, making me begin to shiver.

“Really, Ben, I’m not in the mood.” I replied. He took a long swig from his cup and was silent for a while.

“Leslie, what’s up? You can’t possibly be having any fun out here. The party inside is really awesome. And you’re going to, like, freeze to death out here. And where the fuck is Hannah? Didn’t you come here with her?”

“I think I’d rather not see my boyfriend making out with Marissa, thanks. I haven’t really seen anyone around.” I spat. To emphasize my remark, I took a drink from my cup, my face scrunching up in disgust as the apple juice flowed down my throat. Marcus raised his eyebrows at me.

“Really? That’s it? I thought someone had died or something.”

“Someone is going to die if you don’t stop talking. I don’t think you’d actually die on impact, though. I’d have to go down there and beat you with your own ego or something.” I tossed my cup over the edge of the balcony. It disappeared, but there were several protests from the sidewalk as it collided with a few heads below. I stood back from the railing and crossed my arms across my chest in an effort to stay warm.

“I’m sorry. Do you want me to go kill him or something?” Benjmin asked, finishing his own cup, but throwing it on the floor instead of over the railing. I shook my head. “What do you want, then, peach? I hate seeing you so unhappy.”

“I want him to realize what an asshole he’s being and pledge his loyalty to me.” I said, a hint of sarcasm in my voice as tears finally spilled over my eyelids and ran down my cheeks. Benjamin came forward and wrapped me in a hug; I pulled the open front of his jacket around me and indulged in the warm body that was inside. Soon enough, a large wet splotch began to expand under my face; I was pretty sure that if we stayed out here long enough it would freeze, too.

“Oh, Leslie, it’s okay. He was an asshole to begin with, you just weren’t paying attention.” He murmured. The thick tones of his voice resonated through his chest, making my ears vibrate pleasantly with the sound. We swayed back and forth for a while before I had finally cried myself out.

“So what now?” He asked as I wiped my eyes with the backs of my hands before deciding what I wanted to do.

“Shouldn’t it be kind of obvious?” I responded. “Hey, what time is it?” Benjamin pulled his phone from his pocket to check, flashing the screen at me. The large, fat numbers read 11:32. I nodded in acknowledgement and he put the thing back in his jacket.

“Do you know that he was my first kiss?”

“Wait, I thought that I was your first kiss. Don’t you remember fifth grade? We were on the swing sets out on the back field and I kissed you.” Benjamin stated, avoiding my eyes.

“I don’t even remember that, so you must be lying.” I shot back, a tiny smile coming through the screen of tears and puffiness.

“Well, I do. That dick couldn’t have possibly been your first kiss. I bet that you were his first, though.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because you were his first girlfriend. He might talk big about all these other girls he’s dated, but you were really his first. At least, the first one he did something right with. But this isn’t really right. You should go break up with him now before I shove my foot even farther in my mouth.” Benjamin ran a hand down his flushed face and laughed.

“Would you mind coming with me?” I inquired, holding out my hand.
“Woman, what do you think?”