Out Of This World

Read the Author's note at the bottom for Aidyn's Embarrassing Story.

Sheets of spring drizzle sprinkled down from the sky and, locking the door behind me, I pulled my hood over my head and sprinted to the shelter of Ben’s veranda. I opened the flyscreen and wrapped my tight white knuckles against the wooden door before folding my arms and shifting weight from foot to foot. Finally the patter of footsteps could be heard advancing toward me down the hall and I took a practical step backwards. The lock clicked and the wooden door opened. I squinted through the flyscreen- was that a woman? The screen opened and answered my question.

“H-hey?” I stuttered, lips twitching as the wind blew a curtain of drizzle into my face.

“Hi. Kim, is it?” Michelle smiled, holding the door open and stepping aside to let me through, “Come on in. Ben’s upstairs.”

I continued to stare at her thoughtfully as she closed the door and walked into the kitchen. It was a Thursday afternoon and James was still at work. Why was she still here?

“She moved in yesterday,” Ben said. I looked up at him standing nonchalantly on the stairs and nodded stiffly. I followed as he turned and walked back up to his room.

“And you’re ok with it?” I asked, behind the confidence of his closed door. Ben shrugged,

“She’s kinda nice. And she bakes- really well.” He smiled, plopping down in his army patterned bean bag. I sat on the floor and rested my head against the panelling of his bed.

“It feels like we haven’t talked in ages…” I said quietly, watching him pick at his jumper. Ben remained silent, his face perfectly blank. “Talked properley I mean. It feels like its been months…” I added. Ben chuckled.

“It has been months. Two if you want the specifics.” He said.

“So lets talk now. I miss our midnight conversations.” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Ever since I told Hayden about the gum tree Ben’s visits had become increasingly rare.

“Me too. It seems like all we do these day is make out. ” He laughed before reaching back and turning on his ipod speakers. My laugh was struggled. He was right. “So what’s been happening Kimmy?” I smiled at the use of my nickname. It felt like ages since I’d been called that.

“Nothing really…just school and art and Hayden,” It was ridiculous. Nearly every conversation I was having these days had some relation to him. I couldn’t get him out of my head, and I loved it.

“Yeah, Hayden. I heard there was a lot of that going on,” Ben’s smirk was almost ironic. I felt the icy blood rush to my cheeks. Even Ben, Mr. The-world-is-ending-and-I’m-oblivious, had heard the rumours. I groaned.

“It’s not true,” I grummbled. The dimmpled smirk grew. “What? I mean it!” I added deffensively.

“I believe you,” He laughed. He didn’t.

“No you don’t. Ben, why would I lie to you of all people?” I reasoned. He shrugged before mimicking my scoff. I reached back and threw a pillow from his bed at him. He caught it and I faught not to scoff again. We looked at each other, each waiting for the other to speak. By the looks of things Ben had nothing important to say and continued to stare at me expectantly. He read me like a book. My face turned to ice and I let my gaze stray to my lap.

“Hey, Kimmy, I was just joking round…I believe you…” He said, coming over and sitting next to me. I looked at his right leg stretching out atleast a foot beyond mine; his left leg was propped up with the corresponding arm draped over the knee. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no.” I said, patting his hand reassuringly. “It’s not that…I just need to tell you something…regarding the rumours…sort of…” I mummbled. I looked up at him. He was trying so hard to read my thoughts I could feel it. I opened my mouth but the words wouldn’t come out and I scolded myself for making everything awkward. Ben was my best friend, nothing should be awkward between us. Finally I let go, I let him worm into my mind.

A few moments passed before Ben’s expression changed drastically. He looked at me seriously, scrutinizing my features.

“So what’s the problem?” he said simply. I looked at him incredulously; how could he approach this as if it were worthy of a mere yes/no answer?

“Should I?” I asked, biting my lip. His response was hopelessly unpredictable.

“If you want to.” He shrugged.

“Ben!” I exclaimed, shaking my head in irritation. “Its not that simple!”

“Why?” He inquired and his expression was genuinly clueless. Was the answer not that blatantly obvious?

“What if something…something happens?” I tried.

Ben snorted,“What, like you freeze or something?” He said it as if it were impossible. I nodded. Ben’s eyes widened and his lips twisted into a mischievous smirk as he caught hold of a new thought.

“Like you, freeze and, and-“ He burst into a fit of laughter and I seethed, clearly unimpressed. “And he gets…he gets stuck!” Ben laughed more and I punched him hard in the stomach. He bent over, arms wrapping around his diaphragm in pain as he continued to laugh and his mouth began to gasp for air.

“Ben!” I said furiously, “That is not FUNNY!” I bellowed. The gasping halted but his back continued to quiver as he struggled to obstruct the sniggers still filling his stomach. Finally he sat up, hands still rubbing at the pain in his belly –whether from the punch or the laughter I didn’t know- and opened his mouth to speak.

“Look, Kim,” he said, lips quivering, “It’ll be fine. We’ll go through the usual procedure and you’ll be ok.” He giggled, “And, even if he did get stuck, I doubt he’d complain.” I frowned at him. “What?! Name one guy that would!”

I shook my head and pulled the hair tie from my pony tail. “So…I’ll do it. I’ll…have sex with Hayden.”

“Yeah…you do that.” Ben replied, pushing himself up off the floor. “Anything else you wanna talk about?” I twiddled my thumbs,

“Maybe you can go somewhere with Isabelle on the same day,” My voice was unsure, “You know your motto, never waste an oppurtunity.” I forced a laugh. Ben’s face stiffened.

“Nah. I don’t think I will,” he said bitterly, offering a hand to help me up. I took it and got up off the floor.

“Um, why?”

Ben laughed, “She’d be too busy banging Louis or Joel or Alex…”

I gasped, “That mother fucking bitch! Ben, I’m so sorry…”

“…or Michael or Jack or Ryan or Jesse…” he continued. He looked up, as if running through a mental check list. “Yeah. I think that’s all. At least all that I know about.”

I reached out and touched his forearm. “Do I need to destroy her?” I inquired venemously.

“Erm, no. Its alright Kimmy.” He put an arm around me and walked me out of his room.

“Why not?” I pouted.

“Because,” He laughed, “I know you’ll go through with it.”

“Well, duh.”

It wasn’t until I felt Ben’s hands tugging up my hood that I snapped out of my thoughts and noticed that we were leaving his house.

“Ben, where are we going?”

He shrugged, pulling up his own hood before putting his arm back around my shoulders. “I don’t know. Park? We could swing jump?”

“Ben, we haven’t done that in atleast four years,” I grinned, “And I don’t think I’m in the mood to see you lose.”

Ben looked at me, appalled, ”Me. Lose? That’s devil’s talk!”

“Well I can’t remember the last time you didn’t,” I laughed, poking him in the stomach.

He looked down at me and shrugged, “Well, I’m feeling lucky today,” he smirked.

“Oh? And why’s that?”

He grinned, “It’s pretty cold and I smell spring rain.”

“So?” I challenged, “Wet weather’s never stopped me!”

“Ok, well,” His smirk grew, “Don’t let your ass freezing to the seat stop you either.”