09/12/2015

chapter six ;

♡

quickly after my fight with Nickie – whoever she was. The next morning, upon my wake, I was met by eight pairs of eyes. The house, contrary to my expectations, was not empty – aside from Luke.

The boys had managed to squeeze themselves into the sofas and chairs in the living room. To my surprise, the television's screen was black. They all stared at me, stars in their eyes – DeNunez was the only boy not present.

"The class that I don't have with you, and I miss out on all the fun," Bertram finally spoke, the moment my feet hit the floor.

"Not that big of a deal," I shrugged, casually making my way into the kitchen, as if the boys' sudden and unexpected appearances didn't faze me.

"Not that big of a deal?" Ham shrieked. "I don't even go to the high school, and I've seen the videos. Kayla – "

"Okay, okay, I get it," I waved Ham off. In truth, the cockiness had worn off. All that mattered at the moment was breakfast.

The boys followed behind my heels as I gathered a bowl, spoon, and a box of Cookie Crisp. Each of the boys made their own remarks, in which I found hard to keep up with. My attention was focused on the cereal I poured.

" – I mean, look at your eye!" Squints was saying, pointing to me. "It looks bad, but I bet it's nothing compared to Skylar's sister!"

My entire body froze; no one else seemed bothered. Slowly, I turned to face Squints.

"Skylar's sister?" I drawled, brows furrowed in disbelief and confusion.

"Yeah, Nicole Roberts," Squints confirmed. "You didn't know?"

"I didn't even know Skylar had a sister," I replied, my frown deepening with each passing moment. "So you're telling me . . . I beat the shit out of my brother's girlfriend's sister."

"Correct," Squints said. "They have different dads, though. I don't think they live together, but still."

"Oh, my God," I grumbled. "She's going to hate me forever."

Benny, who had finally made his way to throw an arm over my shoulders, said, "Who cares? She's not exactly someone you'd want to be friends with anyway."

"Yeah, she's kind of crazy," Bertram added. "The way she's always fighting with Luke, then making out with him the next second kind of creeps me out."

Benny nodded in agreement. "Yeah. And then she gets mad for whatever reason – I have no idea."

Skylar's opinion should not have mattered to me; I just feared that she would start something, dragging my brother into it. In truth, I believed that he deserved better – much better. And Skylar had turned into something of a psycho.

"It's just gonna cause drama," I sighed, returning to the bowl of cereal I poured. As I closed the box, Tommy approached me with the jug of milk. "Thanks, Tommy."

The boys followed me back into the living room, in which I munched on my cereal. The split in my lip made anything involving my mouth painful, but my hunger overruled.

"So . . ." I said after swallowing a mouthful of Cookie Crisp, "are you guys here just to talk about the fight?"

"Pretty much," Timmy confirmed.

Eyebrow raised, I asked, "How'd you all manage to decide the exact same thing at the same time?"

"A group chat," Smalls piped up. "DeNunez said he couldn't make it, but he saw the fight, so it doesn't really matter."

My mouth dropped – stretching the cut on my lip painfully, so I closed it; instead, I sent them all looks of mock hurt. "A group chat? And I'm not included? Wow, guys . . . I'm hurt."

"Don't worry, Kayla," Tommy said, making his way to sit by my side. "I'm not in it either. I just came with Timmy."

Timmy rolled his eyes. "Because you don't have a Facebook, Tommy."

Eyes remaining on me, Tommy said, "Mom says I'm too young."

I couldn't help but to laugh – but it was instantly followed by a gasp of pain.

"Jesus, this cut is really getting on my nerves," I grumbled, touching the cut with a gentle finger. A spark of anger made me want to hit the cut, as if it had a mind of its own and was intentionally bringing me pain.

"I can try to kiss it better," Benny suggested.

"No!" Yeah-Yeah shouted. "You guys are always kissing."

All of the boys agreed – even Benny. I rolled my eyes, smirking, and stood up. "Anyone want the rest of this cereal?"

"Me!" Bertram immediately shouted, scrambling to reach me before anyone else could.

"Oh, my God, Bertram, calm down," I giggled, holding out the bowl for him. "You act like you go starving."

"I could be," Bertram replied, taking the bowl, "you never know."

"Okay, I'm gonna go change," I informed the boys. "Be back in a minute."

The only boy who didn't remain seated in the living room was Benny. Rather, he followed me upstairs.

"You trying to watch me change?" I chuckled.

"If you let me," Benny replied in a serious tone. As we reached the door to my bedroom, I whirled on him, only to find him smirking. "Joking, babe."

Benny pressed a soft kiss to my lips. Rolling my eyes, I smiled.

"You can come in," I said. "I'll change in the bathroom." As the two of us entered the bedroom, I asked, "Does Lynn have any adventures planned for us?"

"Not this weekend," Benny replied. "I think she's got the flu or something. But she wants to go to church with us in the morning."

A smile grew on my lips as I rummaged through my closet. "Great." Pulling a black muscle tank from a hanger, I asked, "Could you get me those Nike sweatpants? The gray ones?"

"Sure."

Moments later, just as I turned to face Benny, I got a pair of sweatpants to the face. A gasp of surprise escaped my lips, and then I laughed.

"You little punk," I giggled. "Thank you. Be out in a second."

"Okay. . . ."

With that, I made my way into the bathroom connected to my bedroom. Quickly, I peeled out of the clothes I slept in, replacing them for the clothes I picked out for myself.

Before exiting the bathroom, I brushed my teeth. Next, I brushed through my hair, only to put it into a bun after because of the frizz. Finally, I applied deodorant and perfume.

Upon entering my bedroom, I found Benny sitting on my bed, staring at a piece of paper; a red envelope rested on his lap. His eyebrows were knitted together tightly – I couldn't tell if he was angry or extremely focused.

I caught myself before I could ask what he had. A horrible nausea washed over me. Had I received another threatening letter? And if I had . . . how did it appear in my bedroom? I hadn't noticed it before, but it definitely wasn't there the previous night. . . .

"Makayla . . ." Benny spoke slowly, "is there someone out to get you? Like, really out to get you?"

"Um . . ."

"You haven't seen this letter, have you? Someone's threatening you. And there's no name on the envelope."

"No, I didn't see it – "

"Well, what the fuck?" Benny stood to his feet. "We have to go to the police. This is a serious threat . . ."

I snatched the letter from Benny's hand. In thick, red handwriting, the letter read:

Soon. You'll regret everything really soon. I'll kill everyone you love.

A giant lump formed in the back of my throat, impossible to swallow, and a wave of nausea washed over me. My pounding heart seemed to drop to the soles of my feet. Suddenly, my brain shut down – I couldn't quite process the words on the page, and I couldn't form any words of my own.

"Kayla, are you okay?" Benny touched my shoulder. "You're as white as a ghost . . . Look, don't worry, I'm not – Hey, listen to me."

To earn my attention, Benny took the letter, threw it to the ground, and stood in front of me. He placed a large hand on my uninjured cheek, and the other hand curled around my neck. He forced me to look into his hazel eyes, which studied my face, as if searching for some sort of answer.

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," Benny promised.

"I'm not worried about myself, Benny," I whispered. "This person said they would kill everyone I love. Not me. And that's even worse. . . ."

Benny sighed. "It might not even be serious. Someone might be trying to play some stupid joke – "

"They're not, Benny," I insisted, an aching in my chest – why hadn't I told him earlier?

"How do you know?" Benny finally let his hands fall from my skin, but his eyes never left mine. "How can you be sure?"

"Because I've been getting these letters since the day before school started," I confessed, staring down at my bare feet. "And if this person is telling the truth, which I don't see why they would lie about this . . . they started the treehouse fire."

Benny was silent for longer than I was comfortable with. Eventually, I glanced upward. His eyes still hadn't left me; the look on his face showed a perfect picture of utter shock.

Finally, Benny backed away from me a few steps. "You're telling me . . . that you've been threatened multiple times . . . and you haven't told me?"

"I'm sorry, Benny, but I didn't think anyone would really want to know," I rushed to explain myself. "I mean, there's the possibility that it might just be some stupid joke – and if it is, I'd hate to make a huge deal out of it for nothing. And I didn't want anybody to have any unnecessary worries."

"Anybody?" Benny looked horrified. "You mean you haven't told anyone?"

Unable to form a proper reply, I simply nodded. The blood rushed to my cheeks. In that moment, I felt as though I were a child being scolded by my parents over something extremely wrong. There was nothing I could say, because I knew that I had been the wrong one.

Tears burned the back of my eyes; my emotions had been running wild. But Benny wrapped me into a tight embrace a moment later; my cheek pressed against his warm chest, and the smell of his cologne pervaded my senses, and suddenly, I felt calm.

"I'm sorry that you had to carry that alone," Benny mumbled. "I'm sorry if I ever somehow made you feel like you couldn't trust me with stuff like that. But I'm always gonna be by your side – I don't care if there's a chance that the letters could be a joke. I'll protect you, even if you don't need to be protected."

The two of us held each other for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, a knock sounded at my door. Benny and I pulled apart, our gazes instantly finding each other.

"Should we tell them?" I whispered.

Benny shook his head. "We've got it handled. Better if they don't know."

However, the boys were still in the living room. I was instead greeted by my brother, whose hair stuck out in odd places, partly matted to the side of his face. Luke's eyes were a grayish color, halfway open.

"I heard voices," Luke said, voice husky with sleep. "You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I was just . . ." I trailed off.

Luke's eyes rose, and he nodded in Benny's direction. "Well, if you're all right, I'm going back to bed."

"Luke, it's almost twelve o'clock," I pointed out.

"Since when are you an early bird?" A smirk grew on Luke's shiny lips. "My God, Hell has frozen over."

"Shut up," I chuckled. "It's not even that early. School got me on a schedule. Hey, did you know that the girl I fought is Skylar's sister?"

"Um . . . Wait, what was the question?" Luke's eyes seemed a bit unfocused, accompanied by small bags underneath.

I rolled my eyes. "Never mind. Just go back to bed."

♡

Later that day, since Lynn was sick in bed and Elizabeth was out looking for a job, Benny and I volunteered to cook dinner. For Lynn, we made a potato soup – it was all she could keep down. The main dish was potato skins for everyone else, in attempt to break even as much as possible with the small meal Lynn was forced to eat.

As the meal neared completion, I decided to start on the dessert – my current craving: chocolate chip cookies. Lynn could nibble on them; I prayed that she could keep it in her stomach.

Music played from Benny's phone, which was connected to a speaker. He mainly listened to rock 'n' roll. But after a while, a more familiar song played – Hunger by Ross Copperman.

Needless to say, I dropped the task at hand, which was rolling the cookie dough into balls. I turned to face the boy I was fortunate enough to call my own; Benny stared down at the plates he was setting out, a smile playing on his lips.

"You remember this song?" I asked, hardly able to hold back a smile. The memories flooded to me – the day I had confessed my feelings for Benny by singing that song.

"How could I not?" Benny averted his gaze to me, a sparkle in his eye. "Sing."

"Turn it up all the way, and I will," I chuckled, returning to rolling cookie dough balls.

The music's volume elevated ever so slightly, and Benny made his way behind me. He pressed his lips to my bare shoulder.

"Sing."

"This is so cheesy," I smiled. But I turned to face Benny, wiping my hands on my pants, and grabbed his hands.

As I sang, Benny and I danced around in a silly manner. Grins stuck to our faces – mine hurt, but I dealt with the pain.

Just as the song ended, the front door opened. Luke entered the house, mouth parted.

"I'm not late, am I?"

"Nope," I answered, pulling away from Benny, a smile permanently set on my face.

Benny and I went back to our previous tasks as if nothing had happened.

Within the next hour, everyone sat at the table – even Lynn; she insisted upon spending time with her family. Elizabeth had finally seemed happy. Luke stole a million glances her way, it seemed. Benny rested his hand on my thigh or held my hand throughout the entire time.

Even without my parents, I felt at home. The amount of time I knew the Rodriguez family was short, but I felt as comfortable around them as I did with my own brother and parents. My heart swelled with love; I loved them all with every part of me.

Night approached quickly, and the dinner soon ceased. After Lynn had gone to rest, Luke and I decided to get milkshakes from Steak 'n Shake; Benny and Elizabeth, upon Luke's request, agreed to join us.

Needless to say, Luke drove, and Elizabeth sat passenger. Benny and I sat in the back, hand-in-hand. As the older teenagers spoke, ignored music playing softly, Benny suggested,

"You should tell him tonight."

"I'm going to," I replied. "I just don't want to tell my parents. They'll definitely freak out."

"You have to, Kayla," Benny said, his voice gentle, "just in case it's serious. I think they deserve to know if their daughter is being threatened."

"I know," I sighed. "I just don't really know how to say it."

"I'll stay with you while you do, if you want."

"I do. Thank you."

Light poured from the windows of Steak 'n Shake. The restaurant, as well as the bustling streets, seemed quite busy. Luke opened the door, and even from behind Elizabeth, I felt the rush of cool air, caught the scent of the delicious food.

A waitress greeted us, and Luke requested a table for four. Soon, we all took our seats at a booth. Luke and I sat beside each other; Benny sat directly across from me, Elizabeth across from Luke.

I scanned the milkshake menu, and the moment my eyes fell upon the Nutella Milkshake, I nearly passed out.

"Oh, my God!" I whisper-shrieked. "They have a Nutella one."

"You didn't know that?" Elizabeth chuckled.

"No! I've been to Steak 'n Shake once, and I didn't even go in. I didn't even get a milkshake. All I got was a hamburger."

"Jesus, Makayla," Elizabeth gasped. "You haven't lived!"

Laughing, I nodded in agreement. "I know."

My eyes, on instinct, flickered to Benny. His attention was elsewhere; he stared in the distance, behind Luke. Needless to say, I turned to follow his gaze. A few moments went by until I finally found what he was staring at . . .

Skylar.

Skylar's blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, and from the side of her face, I noticed that her face was almost caked with makeup. Her lips were ruby red, and her eyelids were dark, complimented by fake eyelashes. And she wore a little black dress that ended mid-thigh and hugged her body with a tight grip.

The blonde had taken no notice of me or her boyfriend. Rather, she laughed loudly with a couple that sat across from her. Had she been sitting beside the only guy at the table, I would have made assumptions.

My gaze returned to Benny, and I found that he was staring at me, brows furrowed slightly. His eyes flickered briefly to Luke. His silent question was clear: Should we tell him?

Of course we tell him, was my silent reply. I glanced over at Luke, but he and Elizabeth had been carrying on a conversation – they hadn't noticed mine and Benny's discovery. Before I settled on an attitude, I returned my gaze to Skylar. Somehow, I wasn't surprised when another guy showed up, sitting down beside her; Skylar greeted him with a flirty smile and a hand to his chest. He had dirty-blond hair and a muscular build – I noticed him at once.

"Luke." The name left my mouth in a sharp, hurried tone – I hadn't even thought before speaking.

My brother trailed off, leaving behind his conversation to look at me. "What?"

"Your girlfriend is here," I informed him, "and she's sitting with the dude from the fair – the one who kissed me, and the one she calls her best friend."

Luke turned leisurely, following the direction of my finger. Elizabeth, as well, searched out the girl. In seconds, everyone at our table stared at Skylar, who had just rested her head upon the guy's shoulder, laughing.

Just then, the waitress returned. In a light voice, the redheaded girl asked, "Are you all ready to order, or do you need a minute?"

Everyone looked to Luke, but he didn't move. His jaws were clenched tightly, and his muscles were tense. So, Elizabeth answered for the both of them.

"He and I want the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough milkshakes."

"I want the Nutella milkshake," I spoke up after the waitress had written down the first items in the order.

"And I'd like the M 'n M milkshake, please," Benny said.

"All right," the waitress said, returning her gaze to us. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, ma'am," Benny spoke, nodding at the girl.

We all handed the waitress our menus. After assuring us that our milkshakes would arrive soon, the waitress swept a long strand of straight, red hair behind her ear and left us.

All was silent for a while. But I could only imagine myself bouncing Skylar's face off of the table.

"So . . . should we wait until we get our milkshakes until I beat her ass or . . . ?" Elizabeth questioned.

The faintest of smirks curled at the edge of my lips. "But I wanted to beat her ass."

Elizabeth grinned. "You got her sister. It's only right that I get her."

"No fighting, you guys," Benny said. "She's not worth the trouble."

Luke had not seemed to be paying attention. All of a sudden, he got to his feet, a swift and violent move. On instinct, I jumped to my feet as well. Luke froze, as if ready to push me away, but my intentions were not to stop him.