Boyfriends are annoying. I push Ben’s money back to him and the idiot wraps one hand around my waist and lifts me off the ground to take over. Ben slides some bills to the cashier while I’m still trying to recover from the shock of being carried like I weigh nothing. The cashier sends us off with a smile and a wave. We must look crazy. I punch his chest when we are outside and he pinches my nose.“Annoying. You’re so annoying,” I tell him. He kisses me. Because I’m such a sucker for him, I lean into the kiss but he pulls back before I deepen it. I tuck my hair behind my ear as a gentle breeze blows it into my face. “You should have let me pay.” “Why?” Ben offers me the bag containing the pills and a can of soda. Tugging me in the direction of his car, he continues, “I’m the reason you need to use the pill anyway.” “You’re not the reason. We are the

BENIt’s 8 am and not a word has been mentioned about going to the police station. I know the way, I can drive up there myself but my hands and legs no longer seem to function anymore. Gracie shifts closer to me and wraps her arms around me. We are hiding out in my room because the awkwardness at breakfast was worse than last night’s dinner. They haven’t fought again but they are most likely not on speaking terms. I’ve tried to put myself in Josef’s shoes, as a father, what would I do? I understand his need to protect his daughter but she’s evil. Yet I can’t bring myself to be mad at him. It’s like the way I’m overprotective of Asher. If he’s in the wrong, I can’t confidently say I’ll give him up.  “What are you thinking about?” Gracie asks. She tries to smoothen the lines on my forehead and I wrap my hands around her tiny wrists. Her lips curl in a smile.

BENI wake up alone. Gracie left me. My heart skips at the thought. She couldn’t have left me at this point, right? I put on the nearest item of clothing next to me and rush to the door. Wait. I turn slowly. Her bags are still here. My legs remember how to function, I grab my phone and start for the door again. There are three messages from her. All of them are from two hours ago.  A relieved sound breaks free from my lips and I slide down the door. Gracie didn’t leave me. She won’t leave me. We will be together forever.  The pad of my thumb runs over her last message and a smile falls on my lips. My love for her is more than an exponent and it multiplies daily.  A crash downstairs stops me from composing a reply to Gracie. I open the door and the source of the noise becomes clearer. Mum and Josef.  This is the first time they are raising their voices at each other since the day Asher questioned them. They haven’t argued since b

The walk inside is the slowest of my life. Maddie opens the door to the room the trial will hold. Josef walks in first, Maddie goes behind him. I expect Ben to follow suit so we can get out of here sooner than later but he stops moving. From here, I catch a blurry view of the people inside. I think he did too. I snap my fingers in Ben’s face, trying to force him back to the reality where I exist. He shakes his head and stares right through me like I am translucent. Balling his hands by his sides, his face turns white as a sheet and I take two involuntary steps back. Every effort to draw him back to the present fails. His parents notice the delay and Maddie is beside me in a second. Josef blocks his view of the people inside the hall while I try to get Ben to breathe.  “Benny,” I whisper, “look at me.” It takes some seconds but his eyes lower to mine. He blinks and a fond familiarity seeps into his expression, chasi

We are fucked. Really fucked. It’s a few hours to the deadline of Mrs Miller’s project and we aren’t halfway done with it. Ben is behind my chair massaging my shoulders instead of trying to do the actual work. I pass him a scowl through the mirror and he flashes me a grin. Silly boy. I am letting it slide because of the outcome of yesterday’s hearing. Theresa will be spending ten years behind bars. I wish she got twenty or even thirty years but Ben seems satisfied with that. Energy floods me as I resume typing in the numbers required to complete the table. The room is silent except for the clack made by my fingers hitting the keyboard. Ben continues his massage, caressing my boobs a few times. I shoot him a glare and he bats his lashes at me. He’s lucky he’s very handsome. And calmer. He has been acting differently since yesterday, happier, more relaxed. I don’t want to burst his bubble. I finish typing