Living with the Millers

Chapter 32 - Marks

Chapter 32 - Marks

Somehow, after what felt like forever, Rylin calmed me down enough to resume our journey to her mother's coffee shop.  It must have been some sort of miracle.  The whole ride I stared numbly out of the passenger side window.  How had I managed to screw things up so badly?  I just couldn't quite figure out how I had allowed myself to make so many mistakes I had put the only thing I cared about in jeopardy.

When we pulled up to the coffee joint, I robotically exited the car.  I felt detached from my own body in a way that was so foreign to me that it left my stomach unsettled.  "Shi, you coming?" Rylin's voice called, making me shake my head and jog through the opened door.  The cool air that blasted me in the face upon entry did little to jolt me from my own thoughts. 

There was no one else in the shop except for a man sitting in the corner, face hidden behind an opened newspaper.  I guess we hit a dead hour.  Rylin's mom came out of the back, a smile on her face and arms outstretched. "How are my favorite girls?"  She hugged me, squeezing me tight. "I hear someone had quite the whirlwind romance with Mason James." She wiggled her eyebrows, shimmying her shoulders suggestively.  I groaned, trying not to puke on the spot.

"Mom, don't," Ry warned, shaking her head regretfully. "Trust me, not a topic we want to discuss right now." 

She held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, sorry," I just shrugged. "I just made a cake and you look like you could use a slice...Or two.  Have a seat I'll bring ya'll a piece."

"Thanks, mom," My friend smiled gratefully at her mother before grabbing my shoulders and guiding me to a seat.  As I sat down I couldn't help but wish I was curling up in my soft comforter back home.  It would've been really nice to hide from the world for a few days. "Girl, you need to snap out of this."

"What am I supposed to do, turn off my emotions?" I snapped, sending her a glare. "Trust me, I don't like this any more than you do."

"Ben will come around."

"You don't know him like I do," I scoffed, crossing my arms.  This seemed to flip a switch in Rylin. She straightened her back and her eyebrows narrowed, a look of annoyance crossing her face that almost made me flinch away.

"You've known him for five minutes compared to how long I've known the kid," she said with an eerily calm tone. "Ben has the biggest heart I know.  If he says he loves you, he means he loves you deeply, he cares for you more than you could know.  This betrayal hurts him just as deeply.  He's one of my best friends, so I am in no way defending you or your actions, but if this was really only a mistake he will forgive you.  You'll have to earn back his trust and trust me, that won't be easy, but I can tell by the way he looks at you that you aren't just some fling.  He won't be able to drop you that easily."

I chewed on my bottom lip, staring at my hands so I wouldn't have to look at Rylin.  Was she right?  I knew deep down Ben was a softy, but I also knew sleeping with someone else was unforgivable.  Even I didn't think I deserved to be forgiven.  But the little piece of hope Ry had managed to give me was enough to shake me out of my funk.  Instead of moping I needed to show Ben that I knew I had messed up but I was willing to do whatever it takes to prove to him it was only a mistake.  And all without Savana noticing.

Easy, right?

"Okay, here we go, two slices of my famous chocolate cake," Ry's mom said, setting down the dessert in front of me.  Just looking at it made my mouth water and I suddenly realized how hungry I actually was. "If you girls need anything I'll be in the back decorating cupcakes for the preschool." She shot us one last smile, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze, before walking away.