Page 25 of Just Enough

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“Benjamin.” I swore. “Stop breathing down my damn neck.”

After a session of Benjamin ruining the mood for everyone as we ate with his typical sulky attitude when he got in one of his moods, we were at the movies. He had offered to take us to the movies when we had planned this, but now I didn’t think he wanted to. The only thing he was worried about now was getting me alone so that he could interrogate me.

“We’re discussing this later,” he muttered, blowing over my hair as we stood in line.

I glanced back with a scowl. “Will you relax?” He tightened his jaw and didn’t reply. Why was he like this with me sometimes? He acted like a brother would when his sister didn’t tell him something.

Tammy looked uncomfortable. I pulled out my phone and sent him a text:

You’re scaring your girlfriend with your attitude. Feel ashamed.

It didn’t take him long for him to pull out his phone and reply:

Fuck, Emily. You make it sound like I really am Freddy Krueger.

Me:You’re not? -_-

Benjamin:Hah. Funny.

“Are you guys texting each other?” Katie whispered in my ear. I tucked my phone back into my jeans.

“Someone has to tell him to stop sulking. He’s making everyone uncomfortable.”

She grinned. “He’s always been like that with you. Cut him some slack. He’s probably going through a hundred different scenarios in his head about the wreck, and why you didn’t tell him.”

“I know.” I peeked back at him and he was giving me space but still staring. Turning back to Katie, I asked, “Is Jared gonna be able to make it?” Jared was Katie’s boyfriend. He was going to try to join us at the movies if he got off in time. I should have felt bad for inviting Katie and him along since it was just supposed to be us three originally, but Benjamin already knew I tended to do things without asking, and no one liked being a third wheel.

“Yeah.” She smiled. “There he is actually!” She pointed toward him coming in the door.

Once he joined us, I smiled at Benjamin and said, “This is Jared.”

Yikes. He scowled in return.

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“Don’t just barge in my room,” I told Benjamin as I lay on my bed with the laptop open. We left the movies over an hour ago and all went home. “How did you get in the house?”

“Your dad let me in,” he told me with a frown.

“He’s still up?”

“I think he was laying down when I knocked.”

I nodded. “Where’s Tammy?”

“Asleep.”

I glanced up from the laptop. “You made her so uncomfortable today.”

He sighed. “She’s shy and not used to me when I’m—”

“Freddy Krueger?”

“I’m not that bad.”

No, he wasn’t bad at all. Just petulant and unapproachable when he was aggravated…or worried about me. That was why we dubbed his attitude “Freddy”.

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