Status: complete ~ see oohyaychicken.tumblr.com for information of its updates

Scars Don't Heal When You Keep Cutting

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Fuck yeah! Walmart, here we come!" Sam whoops and shouts as he and Logan run across the parking lot and over to the entrance, leaving me and Ben behind as I wonder why I'm even friends with them. Gotta love them, though.

"I get to spend the rest of the day with you, babe, then all of tomorrow!" Ben cheers with a wide smile.

"Yeah, and I'm looking forward to it!" I cheer with him as I slip my hand in his. His cheeks flush pink as he squeezes my hand back, swinging our hands between us enthusiastically.

Sam and Logan are already going wild by the time we both enter the store. When they said they were gonna harass people, I didn't think they meant to this extent; they're grabbing and throwing shit, screeching like fucking monkeys. Watch us get kicked out and banned within the next few minutes. I shake my head in disappointment at them.

I can't believe I'm actually witnessing this. Like, this seems like something that only happens in silly little stories, or something.

“How long do you think it’ll be before they get kicked out? My guess is maybe in a couple minutes or so,” Ben giggles as if he read my mind.

“I was thinking the same.”

“I kinda worry about them sometimes.”

“I think everyone does,” I agree with him as we follow them, keeping our distance to save ourselves from the embarrassment of getting kicked out. We’d just wait a couple minutes before walking out after them.

<><><>

Sam and Logan fuck around in the store until they end up being chased out. Ben and I watch from a distance and leave a short while after we feel that the coast is clear.

The four of us agreed prior to going to Walmart that Ben would come home with me tonight and Sam would go home with Logan. As me and Ben head to my house, he seems to lose all his enthusiasm from our Walmart adventures, and he looks nervous and dreadful. I give his hand a reassuring squeeze, and he forces a smile up at me.

When I get to the door, I let go of his waist and quickly peck his forehead before opening the door, grinning affectionately at him when he blushes once again. I let him inside first like the gentleman I am, locking the door behind us.

“I’m home and I brought Ben!” I shout through the house.

“Okay! You guys are just in time for dinner!” my mom calls from the kitchen.

"You wanna try to at least eat something for me?"

He hesitates for a moment, before nodding his head slowly. I offer an encouraging smile as I lead him into the kitchen, dropping his hand before entering the room.

“It’s nothing much, sorry, boys!” my mom apologizes as we sit at the table. “Just salad today.”

“It’s okay, you shouldn’t have to apologize!” I smile at her as she gives Ben and I a plate of salad before getting some for her and her husband. We eat in a comfortable silence. Ben eats a little over half of his salad before he resorts to pushing his leafy food around on his plate as he waits for me to finish.

I quickly help my parents with the dishes before leading Ben upstairs, being sure to let him know how proud I am of him on the way up.

When we do get to my room, I lock the door behind us before turning back to my boyfriend, who stood staring at his feet.

“I'm pretty sure I already know what's under there,” I start quietly, reffering to his hoodie. "And I love you so, so much, and I just wanna make sure you're okay."

He nods, fumbling with the hem of his hoodie for a moment. "Can I keep my shirt on?"

"Yeah."

He hesitates for another moment before pulling it over his head, shivering a bit from the cold of my room as he drops it by his feet, revealing exactly what I feared was hiding under his hoodie.

I grab his left hand and turn it over so I could see his wrist better. Many scars lined his arm, some new, some old. It was the same for his right arm.

Are they anywhere else?"

"They're pretty much everywhere, honestly."

My baby didn’t deserve this. No one deserves this at all. It really breaks my heart to know that he’s been hurting so much that he had to do this to himself just to cope. I gently pull him into a hug, and he immediately fits his forehead into the crook of my neck.

“Do you need to talk about it?”

I feel him shake his head. "No."

“You sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright, I won't make you."

"Thank you for always being there for me, though."

"Anytime, Benji."