Burning Lights

Chapter 2: Stranger in the Hallway

After a long day at school, Ben and I ventured to my house. With Mom gone, we rushed upstairs to my bedroom and kissed until we can barely breathe. Immediately, I watched Ben as he did a cat stretch on the bed and rose up.

"Are you okay?" I asked, breathing hard. "I'm fine," Ben shrugged. "It's been awhile since I kissed a girl like that." "I'll take that as a compliment," I teased. I gave my ombre hair another messy toss then straightened out the creases of my red t-shirt and jeans. "Does your mom even mind me kissing you?" Ben asked.

I blushed fiercely then toyed with my hair. "She might have noticed," I admitted. "But she didn't seem angry about it. What about your foster parents?" Ben played the hem of his black shirt then shook his head furiously. It has been a couple of months since Ben complained about them.

Other than being neglective, they were rude and heartless, all thanks to the courtesy of Ben's ruthless social worker, Ms. Caroline. "Forget them," he said, staring straight at me. "They are not a part of my life now: you, Seth, and your mother are the only three people who matter to me."

He held my hands tightly when he said those words. I leaned over to kiss him until I heard a knock downstairs. Embarrassed, I told him to wait while I go and answer it. "Wait," he insisted. "It's your mother." My cheeks turned even redder. I was impressed by the fact that he didn't look at the window.

"Okay," I said. "But just stay right here." He sat on my bed then nodded. I slipped my feet into my sneakers then hurried down the wooden stairs. Just like Ben said, Mom stood impatiently at the door. Her pale blond hair shone like the sun. She wore black heels and white dress with purple polka dots on it.

Around her shoulder was a black handbag. I already guessed that she forgotten her work keys again. I snatched the fistful of keys out of the glass bowl and marching over to the door to open it. "Hi Cole," Mom said nervously. "I think I forgot my-" "Work keys?" I guessed. She gave me a slight nod as I handed her the ring of silver instruments.

"Thank you," she said. "So, what were doing before I came home?" "Homework," I lied. Mom looked at me strangely and bombarded me some more questions. "Is everything okay?" she asked, touching my face. "Yes, Mom." I said annoyed.

"Is there something you are not telling me?" Mom questioned. "Can we talk about it later?" I groaned. She then gave me another worrying look and walked out of the house. I waited until Mom's car left the driveway before racing back upstairs to meet Ben.

As promised, he stayed in my bedroom, glimpsing at my closet. "Do you remember the moment we met, I told you that you dressed like a Smurf?" Ben laughed. "And the time you called my clothes Fifty Shades of Blue?" I added with a laugh.

Ben walked over to me and kissed me very gently. His breath almost smelled like peppermint. Happily, I kissed him back until Ben's phone buzzed in his jeans pocket. He reluctantly parted in annoyance then fumbled in his pocket to answer it.

"Are you serious?" I heard him grumble. Ben flashed me an apologetic look as he shoved his phone back into his pocket, kissed me on the lips, and went home through the window. Sighing, I made my bed and headed over to my table to do my homework.

I finished writing endless History terms, solved difficult math problems, and completed my Tom Sawyer book report. After I placed my three spiral notebooks into my backpack, just the thought of Ben kissing me made my heart flip.

Ever since I met Ben, I wanted to be there for him as a friend and a girlfriend. I wondered if I was being to pushy or if I did something stupid. Don't think like that, I thought. Since when are you ever this pushy? I need to give him some space.

Zipping my backpack up, I got up to take a shower until I heard a knock on the window. It revealed to be Ben, pointing down at the windowsill. Quickly, I lifted the glass, allowing him crawl inside.

"Thanks," he said. "What happened?" I asked. "Seth is giving me problems again." Seth is Ben's sixteen year old little brother, whose stupid goal is to win my heart. "What happened?" I repeated. "He thought it would be funny to hack into the appliances in the school." Ben sighed.

"What?" I cried. That's something Seth would do. "Are we still going to that bookstore?" I asked hopefully. Ben nodded as he held my hand. "Yeah," he answered. I took careful steps toward him until someone tapped the window. It revealed to be Seth, flashing us a mischievous grin. "Come on!" I moaned.

Ben sighed as he lifted the window. Seth slipped through and marveled at my bedroom. Everything is completely blue: the walls, my closet, my bed, and my bookshelf. The only thing that wasn't the color of blueberries were the furniture and the floor.

"Seth," Ben groaned. "What are you doing here?" The Red haired kid raised his hands as if he was trying to protect himself. "Well sorry for ruining your happy ending," he snorted. "Hey Cole, you look hot as always." I blushed at his compliment.

"That's sweet," I began. "But I'm dating your brother." Seth did a casual shrug then pulled out his black laptop. We looked at him curiously. "There's something you guys need to see," he insisted. Seth hopped on the bed as he opened up his computer. His sneakers smeared on my favorite Scooby-Doo rug. Ben and I sat on each side of the bed, peering through the screen.

It showed footage of Newton High, where a vacuum cleaner moved eerily on its own chasing the janitor. Ben and I looked at Seth in annoyance. "You want us to see that?" I snorted. "First of all, it was pretty funny," Seth admitted. "Second of all, moments after I accidentally got him fired-" "What?" Ben screeched.

Seth ignored him then fast forward the footage. The blurred picture showed images of the janitor leaving the hallway until a distorted figure came out of nowhere. Even though his face isn't seen, he wore a black hoodie, jeans, and heavy black boots. "Strange," I say, squinting at the computer screen. "Who could this be?"