Kent endures this speech while guzzling a carton of milk. He finishes it and belches. “I get it. Sorry, Camden.”
“It’s all right.” I’m smiling because it’s hard not to smile around the two of them. “I heard from Ben a few days ago. He’s still tied up with legal issues. He doesn’t know when he’ll be back.”
Kent nods. “I miss that fucker.”
I have a feeling this is high praise coming from Kent Dresher.
“Yeah, I know people wrote him off as Devil Valley trash but I always knew the boy was quality.”
The words are said right behind my back and I know I’m supposed to hear them. I turn to see Allie Wexman sneering as she educates some hapless sophomore girl.
Allie acts like she just noticed me. “That’s pretty wild about Ben. Sorry, I mean Bennet. He’s famous enough around here for his own fan club now. Hope he has the stamina to handle all the attention.”
Trina gets annoyed. “You’re talking to his girlfriend. Have some respect.”
Allie is unimpressed. “Somehow I get the feeling he’ll be eager to trade up.” She saunters off with her apprentice in tow.
“Vapid hag,” Trina mutters at Allie’s back and stabs at her rice bowl.
I’m not worried about competition from Allie Wexman or any other girl. But I can admit to myself that when Ben told me his entire story I was shocked. I knew all along he had secrets. I just never expected that his secrets were so excruciating. Or so dangerous. I also never expected to hear that he’d come from an entirely different world than the one we share in Devil Valley. The thought had never crossed my mind that he might have more in common with our wealthy Black Mountain classmates than with me.
Trina and Kent banter back and forth, teasing each other, and I get the impression they are trying to make me laugh.
“What’s going on?” Kent gestures to the main cafeteria door where there’s some kind of buzz happening as people gather and make noise.
“Who knows?” Trina rolls her eyes. “Probably some stunt from one of our resident social media influencers.”
Kent straightens up with a grin. “Not quite.” Then he puts his hand to his mouth and emits a piercing whistle. “About time you showed up for this semester, fuckface!”
Now Trina is also grinning. “Turn around, Cam.”
I’m curious enough to cooperate and an instant later I gasp.
Ben isn’t dressed in the school uniform. He’s wearing jeans and one of the hooded sweatshirts I bought him for Christmas. It appears he hasn’t shaved in a few days and he looks older, more like a man and less like a high school boy. Maybe that’s just from the exhaustion of everything he’s faced lately or maybe it’s because he’s been forced into adulthood with no possibility of turning back.
He’s fending off greetings and eager hands while searching over the heads of the crowd. My breath catches as I stand up and wait for the answer to the question that privately haunts me in my bleakest moments.
Are you still mine?
He shifts and our eyes meet. The smile that lights up his face is the answer to any question I have and the source of everything I want.
I don’t care who is watching.
I don’t care who talks.
I run straight into his arms and wrap my legs tightly around his waist. Our mouths collide with a thousand promises and we kiss until we’re breathless while cheers and whistles echo around us.
Mr. D wades through the crowd with irritation and blinks when he finds me and Ben embracing at the center.
“Welcome back, Ben.” He offers a handshake. “When you get a free moment, come down to my office for a chat.”
Ben nods. “Yes, sir. Is it all right if I catch up with you tomorrow?”
“Yes, that’s fine.” The principal is about to walk away but then he stops. “Camden, in light of your last article in the Bulletin I’m sure you have some important matters to discuss with Ben. If you need to use this afternoon in order to settle some business related to the school newspaper, I can excuse you from the rest of your classes.”
I try to look serious but the smile on my face won’t let me succeed. “Yes, in fact I believe I need to conduct a follow up interview.”
“Good. I look forward to reading it.”
As soon as Mr. D steps away, Kent and a squad of the other BMA jocks surround us in order to offer Ben fist bumps, backslaps and bawdy comments.
Trina shows up to pull her boyfriend away and she gives me a wink, mouthing the words, “Call me later.”
Ben slides an arm around my shoulders and breaks the news to his buddies that he’s not sticking around today.
“Lead the way out of here,” he whispers in my ear and I hug him around the waist.
On the way out I catch a glimpse of Todd Bellinger’s sullen face as he watches me march out the door with Ben. This might give me some satisfaction if Todd were at all relevant but he’s not.
I left my coat in the newsroom so we need to make a stop but once we’re there I throw my arms around Ben and block the exit.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming back today,” I accuse. “I didn’t even know you were in the state.”
“I came straight here.” He runs his hands over my body. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“You succeeded.” I kiss his neck and he holds me tighter. “Where should we go? The next bus to Devil Valley doesn’t show up for a couple of hours.”
“We don’t need to ride the damn bus ever again. I have wheels.”
“Your mom’s car?”
“Nope. Some assets belonging to my father were discovered in a safe deposit box we didn’t know about. My mom gave me a big chunk of it and I am now the proud owner of a brand new used Toyota Tacoma. Drove it all the way here from Coral Beach.” He runs a hand over his jaw. “Might have forgotten to shave on the drive.”
I nuzzle his cheek. “I think I like the semi beard.”
Ben abruptly pulls back and just stares at me in silence until I start to squirm.
“What’s wrong?”
He grows serious and cups my chin in his palm. “Camden, your face has been in my mind every hour of every day. And yet when I look at you I’m completely blown away by how beautiful you are.”
“Ben.” I kiss him and then prop my chin on his shoulder, squeezing him close, rejoicing in the hard expanse of his chest and the soapy scent of his skin. “I love you so much.”
He sighs into my hair. “I love you too, baby.”
I want so badly to be alone with him, to feel his naked skin against mine and make love until he understands how loved he is and how desperately I’ve missed him.
And we’ll get to that.
First I want to hear all about what he’s been through since the day I watched him drive away from my house.
We hold hands on our walk out of Black Mountain Academy and Ben leads me to a silver pickup truck. He claims to have gotten a great deal on it.
“Did your mom drive home with you?” I ask after he sits behind the wheel and cranks up the heater.
“She’ll fly home the day after tomorrow. She was invited to a local talk show down there to tell her story. I don’t know.” He shrugs. “Not my thing but after the years of silence and worry, talking seems to help her finally come to terms with everything.”