Something Happened

Chapter 19

The whole school knowing about the night of the party was hell. At one point, the guidance counselor must have heard about it because she called me down to her room to tell me that she was 'here for me' and all this crap about things getting better.

A few people were nosey and other would be caring and sweet. However, there were a few guys who said that I was lying and that I 'wanted it'. Those were the hardest moments; being told that what happened to me was my fault or that I was lying for attention.

Damon and Benny refused to leave my side. They acted as if they were my bodyguards and when someone had to leave, one of the other guys filled in for them. It was endearing yet annoying at the same time. I mean, it was sweet that they wanted to protect me or whatever, but it also seemed as if they thought that I couldn't take care of myself or that I couldn't be trusted alone. Sure, some of my classmates were crude, but they weren't violent.

Damon and I haven't talked about our kiss, and I'm not really sure if we are going to. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment. Sure, being with Damon was something that had crossed my mind, but that was all it was, a fantasy in my mind. The other guys had definitely noticed that something had changed between Damon and me. I've noticed a few questioning looks, but we never answered their gazes with anything more than a simple shrug.

"Are you giving me a ride home?" I asked Benny, remembering that I walked here this morning. I rarely used my car. It was a gift from my mom once I got my license, but it made a rattling sound when I went over forty and I was too lazy to get it checked out. 

"Yeah, of course," I smiled at him and walk to his car.

The ride to my how was eerily quiet. It was almost a tense silence.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, not really sure what to do. We have never had this problem before.

"Yeah, are you and Damon okay? Things seemed a little awkward with him today," Benny trails off. At this point we have already arrived at my house, we are just sitting in his car.

"We kissed," my mouth blurts out the sentence before my brain has the chance to approve it.

"You what!?" Benny's head snaps to the right to look at me with wide eyes.

"Uhm, yeah, I was kinda having a panic attack earlier and hid in the bathroom and he found me and things were said and then, yeah," I rushed out without even taking a breath.

"Wow. I don't know whether I am shocked or not. The sexual tension between you guys," Benny says, puffing air out of his mouth at the end. I gasp and slap his shouler.

"Benny! You are unbelievable!" I yell at him.

"Oh, you think I am bad, just wait until the guys hear about it," Benny tells me. I hadn't really thought of telling other people. Would Damon want to or was it just a mistake?

Eventually, I climb out of Benny's pick-up and run inside away from the bitter cold. When I get inside my mom is already sitting on the couch, her figure makes me jump. I am not used to other people being inside the house.

"The school called today," my mom tells me. My heart thuds loudly against my ribcage. My mind runs wild with different scenarios. "They told me that your grades are slipping and there are some nasty rumors going around that may be affecting your studies. They recommended some counseling or something. Do I need to make some calls?" My mom asks in a pointed tone.

"No of course not. I will get my grades up and rumors are just rumors, right?" I tell her, lowering my head, almost as if cowering away from my own mom's authority. I think back to all the times I had been writing in my notebook instead of studying over the past few weeks.

"Okay. Jared is to call tonight. We can talk to Jared until he has to go and then I am going to bed," I nod and we sit stiffly on the couch in silence until a ringing fills the silence. Mom jumps up to answer the phone.

Jared and my mom talk privately for a few minutes before she hands her phone over. My heart swells at the sound of my big brother's voice.

"Hey, Stella, how are you?"

"I'm doing okay, Jar," I tell him truthfully. I can envision a smile on his face.

"That's good. How did your friends take the news?"

"Honestly, I am not sure. Sometimes it gets kinda tense but they seem to care? Anyway, how are things with the army?" I am unsure of how to explain everything over the phone and I leave out certain parts, not wanting to worry him.

"They haven't been the best. I can't give you any details but I can tell you that things are getting rough out here," my brows draw together in worry. Jared is tough so if he is saying that things are rough then it must be bad. He continues, breaking me out of my thoughts, "It's nothing that I can't handle though." We talk for a few more minutes about random things before he tells me that he has to go.

"Ugh, already," I whine.

"Yeah, sorry. But hey I will be there for Christmas, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," I tell him.

"C'mon, you know I don't break my promises! That's not how the Martin family runs. Anyways, I better go, I love you, Stell."

"I love you too. Come home for me and mom, okay."

The line clicks off and I walk into the kitchen and give my mom her phone back. She reminds me to study and keep my grades up and then she walks to her room and closes the door behind her. There are no more words shared between us. I remember back when she used to tell Jared and me about her patients and ask us how we were.

Of course, that was before dad died in the army and before Jared joined.