TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN, or in Benadette Sterling's case, life's fun when you're having flies. Flies being the crumbling interest of Hawkins, Indiana. From its ever-so-inviting ambiance of a basic town square to the super luxurious recrea...
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BURNED COFFEE FILLED THE AIR THAT HAD HAZE LINGERING FROM THE SMOKE IN THE SECLUDED LOBBY OF THE POLICE STATION. Benny held an ice pack against her cheek where Jonathan elbowed her, a throbbing pain that wouldn't disappear every time she shifted in her seat.
Ronnie stood beside the water dispenser with a paper cup in hand, looking down at the flimsy utensil expecting the material to change color any second. He stuffed one hand in his jacket pocket while the other held the sustainable liquid. As he leaned against a door leading to the primary office area.
Candy remained the polar opposite, not moving her stare from Benny. The blonde was already uncomfortable from the past two days and their recent conversation. To say the least, the ride to the police station was agonizingly awkward.
"Are you going to keep staring at me or talk because I can't tell what hurts more, the silence or what is left of my jaw," Benny managed to say, muffled from her current state, and talking was challenging physically and mentally.
Candy rolled her eyes, looking away and crossing her arms, "We really don't have to."
"I think she needs to," Ronnie added monotonously, still staring at the cup. Benny looked at him closely; he looked like he hadn't slept for the past two days. His usual prestigious presentation was unraveled with wrinkles littering his clothing.
"Well, I guess it was uncalled for me to explode at the cafe," Candy managed to say after five minutes of excruciating silence, "But you haven't told Ronnie or me anything. You've been with Nancy for everything the past couple of days. And I'm not clueless. Shit has been happening to you, Benny." She bit her lip, struggling to get her sentence out, "I guess I was jealous."
The way Benny heard her say it confused her. The only time she's heard that tone was when Jackson talked to her. She looked over at Candy, whose eyes were a rare sight, watery and full of regret. "Candy."
"I don't know why, but when you first ditched us, I had this overwhelming feeling of betrayal, and I-" She used her sleeve to wipe away the tears on the verge of falling. "It made all these feelings seem wrong because you're my best friend. I've known for a while but have always been too afraid to tell you. I love you."
Though reading between the lines, Benny took a second to process. The girl did not fully understand the significance of Candy's words. She laughed, "Candy, you are my best friend; of course, you love me."
Candy looked at her friend with an engaging look that bore into Benny's soul, and her eyes showed tremendous amounts of endearment mixed with pleads. Confusion engulfed her as she stared at her best friend, perplexed at what the insinuation meant. Candy glanced at Ronnie, who motioned for her to move the conversation forward. Both were hesitant about what to say to their friend, who looked like a lost duckling trying to find their mother alongside a bustling highway.
"Benny, you have to promise me you won't see me any other way after this conversation." A rare sight of Candela begging. Such a sparse occurrence that Benny had never seen before. Her chest tightened, and the dancing around what Candy was trying to say started to frustrate her more than anything.
