"I know, Mom. I'm sorry. It was a mistake."
"Go in there and take that poor girl to the telephone booth. Now."
I opened my eyes slowly, revealing the same small dark room that had held me captive for the night. A small sliver of light peeked in front the crack between the door and the wall, and I watched two moving shadows argue from the light cast on the floor. Gone was the fresh cool air, now replaced by the stale scent of a dusty attic.
The door creaked open, and Ben stepped inside.
"I'm so sorry, Ellie."
"It's okay."
"I tried to grab you, but my hand, it slipped, and I-"
"It's okay. really."
Ben took a breath. "When you hit the ground, for a second I thought... I thought you were dead. I'm so sorry."
"Ben, it's okay. Apology accepted. Honestly, my legs were already in pretty bad shape. How much worse could it have gotten?"
Ben scratched the back of his neck. I raised my eyebrows. Lifting the covers, I revealed a propped up leg, sloppily wrapped in gauze.
"It's only your left leg, really."
I dropped the blanket back down, slowly nodding. "Okay."
"I can take you to the phone booth now, if you want."
"I'd like that."
***
"Wait, who was in the backseat again? Sydney? I thought I saw two people in the car when you came up by the garden."
"No, no, the one in the backseat was Bella. She's shy, but so great once you get to know her."
"Sounds like you've got great friends." Ben rested his hand on the steering wheel as we made our way down the large rural road.
"Yeah," I said, smiling. "Really great." I looked out the window to avoid eye contact. "So, is this your first year of college?"
"Yeah. It's not bad, though. It's pretty close, so I don't have to live on campus. I figure when I graduate I'll end up back here anyways. What about you?"
"Oh, I'm applying out of state. I think I might want to get as far away from here as possible."
Ben pulled up to the telephone booth, parking on the side of the road. He stepped out of the car, walking out on the other side to lift me out of the passenger seat. My heart skipped a beat as he wrapped his arms around me.
"I'll wait for you in the car. Take as much times as you need." He left me propped up against the booth, and made his way back to the car.
I turned to the phone, hesitating. But before I knew it, I was dialing in the number I knew by heart.
"...Hello?"
"Sydney."
"El? Is that you? Oh my god, are you okay? My parents heard from your Mom that you got into a car accident... What happened?"
I turned back towards the car, where Ben waited. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did. Look, I can explain another time with all the details. Are you in town?"
"No. We left yesterday for Lake Tahoe. It's Fall Break, remember?"
"Right. No, of course."
"Why?"
"Mom and Jackie are in New York. Sorry, I just thought... never mind. It's fine."
There was silence on the end of the line. I heard something shuffling in the back. Awkwardly, I leaned up against the glass of the booth.
"We were supposed to be here for two weeks. I can talk to my Dad, ask if we can leave early. We can come and get you-"
"-No, you don't have to do that. I'm fine, really. I can call someone else."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll see you when you get back."
I hooked the phone back into it's spot, contemplating for a moment. Then, glancing back at where Ben stood on the curb, I made a split second decision. Picking up the phone, I dialed a number.
"Hello?"
***
The Kroll's dining room was small, but bigger than the room I slept in. I sat on one side of a large wooden table in the center of the room, and as I waited for everyone else to seat themselves, I glanced around at the framed photographs on the walls. The smiling faces of Martha, Patrick, and Ben smiled down at me.
Patrick entered, giving me a smile as he set down bowls of potatoes and vegetables on the table. The sweet smell fo food made me perk up. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been.
Martha followed closely behind with a large roasted chicken. She sat down next to Patrick at the table, and for a moment, we all sat silently. The lights above the table flickered.
I stared down at the plates of food, clearing my throat to avoid the awkward silence.
I spoke. "Where's Ben?"
Martha smiled at me sympathetically. "He'll be here any second. He's bringing a friend."
I nodded. So this meant we would wait for him. We sat in silence for a while, until Patrick finally spoke.
"So, Eleanor. How's your leg?"
Just as I opened my mouth to answer, the front door clicked open. A cool breeze found it's way inside, prickling the hairs on my neck. I gave Patrick a look, shrugging in apologies.
Ben came in and hung his jacket by the door. He looked at me, and seemed surprised to see me. I began to smile at him warmly, and I raised my arm to wave when someone appeared behind him.
A small girl with longe blonde hair trailed in behind him, her face hidden under the fur of her coat. Slipping off her coat, she revealed bright blue eyes. She smiled at the three of us. She hung her things up next to Ben's, letting her hand brush against his as she did so. He smiled at her.
I dropped my hand and looked away. I had been stupid to think someone like Ben would like me as anything more than a friend. Quickly, I hid my feelings with a smile.
Martha looked up at Ben and the mystery girl, and I might've imagined it, but I thought she had glanced back at me. To see my expression. She stood up, ruffled Ben's hair, and looked at mystery girl expectantly. "Well, Ben, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Ben grinned and took a seat at the table across from me. Mystery girl sat next to him.
"Everyone, this is Kenna. She's a friend, from school."
Martha scooped some mashed potatoes into her plate. " Ah, a friend."
The girl, Kenna, (whose name was also beautiful, figures) laughed lightly. "I think we're more than friends, Ben."
I choked on my food. Coughing, I patted my chest and took a sip of water. Ben wouldn't look me in the eye. In a raspy voice, I said, " Sorry."
Kenna seemed to be looking at me for the first time. She gave me a sweet, almost too sweet, smile.
" I'm sorry, who are you?" She asked, glancing around at the rest of the family.
I tried to come up with something cool to say, but Ben answered her question for me. "Kenna, this is Ellie. She got in a car crash a few weeks ago and her leg was really badly injured. We found her on the side of the road, and she's staying with us until she can get back home safely."
I nodded, not looking at him.
Immediately, Kenna's gaze softened. " Oh, I see." She looked me over promptly, as if I were a sick puppy in need of help.
I would've been fine. I would've been able to sit through that dinner and smile at Kenna. But Martha and Patrick were looking at me pitifully, like they somehow knew. Like they knew this was crushing me. Everyone was looking at me. I couldn't stand it.
I stood up, and my chair scraped against the floor. My leg burned like fire in my joints, but I ignored the pain. " May I be excused?"
Martha smiled. " Yes, of course." I picked up my plate and limped towards the kitchen. I took one step. Fire. Another. Pain, and darkness creeping up into my vision. Another step. Everything got blurry, and I bit down on my tongue to keep from crying out. Finally, I reached the doorway, and I grasped the wall for support. I heard Martha behind me. " Sweetie, are you all right?" But I couldn't open my mouth, for the fear that if I did, all that would come out was a strangled cry.
I felt the floor give way, and I fell.
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