Benefits

Ch. 11: How To Save A Life

How To Save A Life- The Fray

"Between the lines of fear and blame, you begin to wonder why you came."

--

My face is red. Completely red. I sit on my bed for what felt like an hour. Memories just kept getting more and more focus. I was straddling Jake on my bed, practically grinding, no... you were grinding, while we made out. What have I come to? My hormones took over me in an instant when his lips touched mine. I couldn't get enough of it, and all I wanted to do was call him back, and do it over, and over and over...

"Dawn!" I hear my mom downstairs. My eyes widen, while I look at my clock and see it's already 7:30. I got much of my homework done, but most of it was me sitting on my bed remembering.

She's home earlier than usual. I'm about to head out my door when I see my neck bruised through the mirror by my door. "What the fuck?" I mumble to myself. It's not that bad, but a red patch that'll soon turn purple. I touch it, and I wince. Stupid hickey, stupid love bite, stupid Jake. I try my best to cover it with my hair. I surely know that I'll have to use something to cover the bite later. I walk downstairs to see her in her nurse outfit; she's on her phone texting away. "You're home early."

"Yeah, well my client decided that I can get off work early." She smiles up at me warily. "I ordered pizza when I was on my way home."

I nod. I cross my arms around myself as I lay in my mother's appearance. My mother was beautiful. She was always beautiful. She had brown haired dyed because she didn't like her blonde hair for whatever reason. Her eyes matched mine, she was beyond beautiful, and I only wished that I age like her. "I'm just going to take a little cat nap in the living room, and then we can binge on Scandal." She kisses me on the cheek, and I'm quick to cover my neck better when doing so.

About 10 minutes later, I hear the doorbell ring. I grab my mom's 20 that she left on the counter and open the door. The pizza delivery guy ended up being a very familiar face. "Dawson?"

"$16.57." He says while looking down at the box of pizza.

"Here." I pass him the 20. His eyes look at mine finally, and he breaks into a grin. "Oh hey. You're Lauren's friend right. Dawn was it?"

"Yeah." He gives me the change.

He knew my name.

I grab the pizza box. I'm about to say goodbye and close the door because I have no idea what to say to him. "Do you know about the get together at my house?" I shake my head no. "I'm having a get together before the first football game. You should go."

Oh. A get together. This is the first invitation that I have ever received by an actual person then through Lauren. It was a new weird feeling to me. "When is it?"

"Tomorrow. Sorry for the short notice, but I thought Lauren would have told you about it."

No. She seems not to tell me a lot of things these days, I can feel us distancing from each other each day, and it's getting harder and harder to be with her. "No worries. I don't think I can go anyways, I have a project that's due Monday, and we only have a quarter of it done." You were too busy making out with Dick Dennings.

He raises his eyebrows." We?"

"Yeah... Jake Dennings is my partner."

"Jake Dennings. Ah." He mumbles to himself, Dawson looks down at his feet. "That guy... That guy is crazy."

"What do you mean?"

He scratches the back of his head that is covered in a pizza hat." You know... Steer clear of him."