Forever Always Ends(unfinished)

8 || old connections

The next thing I knew, I was being pulled along by Mitch. He was ushering me to his car with a new-found light brightening his eyes.

I glanced at his new expression in confusion, but trusted him enough to go along with whatever he had planned.

"How exactly do you know Benjamin?" I couldn't help but ask as we got in. My eyes flickered over to his, watching him curiously as he started up the car.

His mischievous look altered into one of sadness, before masking the emotion with a hardness in his eyes. He thought I didn't see the pain flash in his expression, but I did.

Stubborn boys. Our society has taught them that it would be considered 'unmanly' if they were to express their emotional feelings.

In silence, Mitch pulled out of the parking lot and drove down the street. I opened my mouth to repeat the question but he beat me to it.

"Benjamin and I," he finally started, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "We go way back. You know how I used to live in Oregon?" I nodded, my eyes fixed intently on him as he drove.

"Well, our moms were old friends, and so when they moved up there, him and I were always around each other. So, naturally, we became really good friends," Mitch explained.

Eyebrows raising in surprise, I nodded slowly, processing the information. "If you were such good friends with Benji, then how come you don't seem to like him anymore?"

He let out a sigh, yet his gaze on the road was unwavering. "I moved down here when freshman year was nearly half over, right? When I left Oregon, we didn't exactly leave off on the greatest terms."

It was quiet for a moment, and at first I thought he was going to continue. I was about to ask him what possibly could have happened, but Mitch cut me off once again.

"It was because of a girl." he added stiffly, jaw clenching.

A breath stuck in my throat. "He... What do you mean?" my voice lowered, hesitant to talk about the subject. Mitch obviously hadn't gotten over it yet.

He sighed through his nose, suddenly turning the car down the street. My street, actually.

"We're here," he muttered, getting out and slamming the car door behind him.

I watched him cautiously as he went around the car, a frown evident on his face. He opened the trunk and took something out before closing it.

Despite the fact that he was upset, he still managed to retain his gentlemanly manners. He opened the passenger door and I got out with a weak smile. Mitch returned the gesture, leading me towards Benji's house.

I stopped as he started to head up the driveway. He continued to walk towards the door, but I stayed by the car, shifting from foot to foot uneasily.

"What are we doing?" I questioned, gaze flickering from Benji's house to my own. Mitch stopped by the front door and looked back at me.

"Just... if you trust me, then come on," he replied over his shoulder.

I gulped, observing the house. The car that Benji had driven us to the pier in wasn't back, which meant they were still there.

My heart clenched at the thought of him and Mari, and the girls. It looks like the only dependable person I have now is Mitch.

As long as Benji isn't here, what could possibly go wrong?

With a shrug, I jogged after Mitch and up to the front door. He opened it without knocking and flashed a grin back to me, reaching into his pocket.