Crushes Over Papercuts- A Mid 90s Tale

Chapter 33

We laid there staring up at the stars, our naked bodies still entwined into one another. The sound of crickets in the bush and Ben's breathing as his chest raised and lowered my head made me believe only him and I remained in the world. I was happy.

A sudden worry pushed all the beauty and peace away. "What time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "Shit! We're going to be late."

We jumped up and began to frantically dress.

"Why couldn't this be a weekend my mom is out of town?" I said while stealing some kisses in between zipping up my pants and tying my shoes.

"We're at least twenty-five minutes from town." He rolled the blanket into a ball. "I'll try to go a little faster but I don't see how we'll get you home before curfew."

"This is the first time I've stayed out past curfew so it's probably not a big deal."

He raised his eyebrow and smiled.

"You know what I mean," I smiled back. "It's the first time she knows about."

We held hands as Ben shifted gears in the Jeep. He tried to avoid as many stop lights as possible and drove 10 miles over the speed limit but there was no way he could get me home on time. The street lamps rushed by and a new uneasiness sprouted in my thoughts.

Would I look different to my mom? Could she perceive something in my face that told the tale of my evening with Ben?

I flipped the mirror down and glanced at my reflection. The face I'd always known reflected back to me.

My mom was already waiting outside the garage in her slippers and pajamas when we pulled up. I gave one last quick kiss to Ben and ran down the driveway.

"I love you Jenny Bloom!"

I nearly lept out of my skin.

Did I hear him correctly or was fantasy land playing mind tricks?

I turned around and Ben stuck his head out the window and yelled those words again.

"I love you, Ben Avery!" I called out then watched his Jeep pull away.

I tried to look somber about missing curfew but Ben's confession overrode every possible negative emotion. "I'm sorry I'm late mom but even you can admit I had a very good reason."

Her face was stern. "Get inside the house."

She followed me into the living room and my smile began to fade.

Something was wrong.

"I'm sorry for joking about being late and it won't happen again. We just –"

She pointed to the couch. "Sit down." The anger in her eyes was something I didn't recognize.

She paced in front of me before taking a deep breath. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt because you've always been responsible with your life. I know I've been a little more hands-off this year since my work keeps me away but I can only do that because I have trust in you and you've always made smart decisions but-", she sat down across from me. "I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me."

Was my sweater on backwards or something?

"Are you doing drugs?"

"What?" I gasped. "Why would you ask that?"

"Just answer the question."

"No."

"Have you ever done drugs?"