Song: Avalanche by Bring Me The Horizon

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The house phone was ringing too loudly Monday morning.

And it kept ringing. Finally, I got out of bed and trudged down the stairs to answer the phone. It was placed on the hook next to the couch. Lazily, I picked it up and answered it. "Hello?"

An automated voice answered in a chirpy tone asking me if I'll accept a call from Zoe. My eyes opened wider and my heart dropped. Of course I accepted the call quickly, even though I know it's not me she wants to talk to. Mom's already at the bakery to get an early start on holiday orders that I know. "Hey," She said casually.

At first it didn't sound like Zoe. We haven't talked in months and the person on the other side didn't sound like my sister. Her voice sounded distant, slightly cold and held no emotion. Just flat.

"Hello?" She called again.

"Zoe," I breathed. "Mom isn't home."

"Oh, Lucy." You could hear the disappointment in her voice. "Just tell her I called and I'll try again tomorrow."

"Is everything okay?" I asked and started picking nervously at my bottom lip.

"No," She said honestly.

"I miss you," I said softly.

She was quiet for a moment. "I miss you too, Luce." She sniffled and sighed. "Just tell Mom and Dad I called."

Then the line went dead. Over just like that.

It was pointless to cry again because she clearly didn't want to talk to me. So I hung up the phone and walked back upstairs. I climbed back into bed and curled up under my blanket.

Zoe will talk to Mom, she'll talk to Dad, and occasionally she'll call to talk to Jason. But you can forget about her ever calling to talk to me. She still blames me, I know. But I just wanted to help her. Everything I did for Zoe was to help her and now she thinks I'm against her.

She won't let me visit because she thinks I betrayed her. Mom doesn't see past that and she thinks it's because Zoe's in a bad place, but we all know the real reason why she doesn't want to see or talk to me.

I cut my thoughts off and reached for my phone on the bedside table. There weren't any notifications that clouded the screen and I quickly swiped to unlock it. The time read 7:15. I found Benji's number in my recent history and tapped on it. It probably wasn't smart to call Benji this early, but I didn't want to be stuck here by myself all day. I was probably pushing it with Benji. It's Mia's last day of school before break—"Lucy?"

"Oh, sorry," I said quickly. "Are you working?"

"I just got off," He answered, his voice slightly raspy. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Go home and get some sleep. I'll talk to you later—"

"Are you alone?" He interjected.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and said, "Yeah."

"I'm five minutes from your house."

"You don't have to do that. I'm just being a baby as always—"

"Four minutes. Come let me in." And he hung up.

I sighed and walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and put up my hair before walking down the stairs. Just as I opened the front door, I could see Benji across the street, walking in my direction. Even from here I could tell he was tired by the way he carried himself.

But he didn't hesitate to smile at me when he stepped onto the driveway and up the sidewalk. He came inside and he closed the door behind him. Then he brought me into his arms, hugging me tightly. "What's wrong?" He whispered, his breath seeping into my neck.

Instead of answering, I just squeezed him tighter and buried my face in his nice white shirt.

He placed a hand on the back of my neck and let his thumb brush over my skin. Chills enveloped my body and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Let me hold you and you can tell me all about it," He offered.

I took a deep breath and slowly nodded my head against his chest. Benji dropped his arms from around me and grabbed my hand. He led me up the stairs and then I led him to my room. We emerged into the darkness that is my room and I shut the door behind him. In the dark, I pulled Benji towards my bed and dropped down on the edge to turn on my bedside lamp.

Benji kicked off his boots and his lanky figure made a place in the center of my bed. He tugged on my arm and I turned to him. His eyes were hooded and it made me feel worse because I knew he was tired. "You can sleep," I told him. "I won't bother you. And Tyler isn't here to be a pain in the ass."

He laughed sleepily. "That's true, but I'm fine. Come here." This time I let him pull me into his arms. I pressed my forehead against his temple and cuddled closer. His hold tightened and he sighed. "Where is everyone?"

"Mom's at the bakery, Dad's at work, and my brother spent the night at his girlfriends house. No one will be home for hours. Stacy may come over, but she doesn't care if you're here, Benji," I assured.

Benji turned his head, his face only two inches from mine. "Tell me what's going on in that pretty little head of yours," He said softly.

"Too much," I answered truthfully and searched his eyes. "Sometimes I wish there was a way to turn it all off. At least for a few hours."

He placed a hand over my ear and let his fingers slip into my hair as his thumb idly fluttered over my cheek. "Talk to me," He whispered.

My mind wouldn't focus and I was having trouble forming the words that I wanted to tell him. Starting with my sister and why my mom is the way she is. "My mom thinks she can protect me from the world," I started in a low voice. Benji's gaze was heavy on mine. "She thinks I'll end up making mistakes that will scar me for the rest of my life. My sister is the reason for that."

"Your sister?" The surprise in his voice didn't go unnoticed.

I did my best to nod. "Everything went to hell five years ago. I was only thirteen, but I wasn't stupid. I saw everything, Benji. All I wanted to do was help her and now she hates me."

Benji's eyes softened even more as he looked at me with sympathy. "She doesn't hate you. She's your sister. Whatever it is, Lucy, it won't last forever."

I really did want to believe that. "She doesn't want to see me and she won't even talk to me. It's tearing me up."

His thumb moved along my cheek again and I closed my eyes. "Give it time, but don't give up. Don't give up on your sister, Luce." He pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. "I don't know what happened and you don't have to tell me, but I do know she still needs you. You're family. Everyone needs family."

I clung to Benji and forced myself not to cry. "I never planned on giving up."

"That's my girl." He kissed the top of my head and sighed.

I buried my face into the crook of Benji's neck and took a deep breath. "Thank you for coming over. I know you're tired."

He squeezed me for a moment. "You sounded upset. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

My lips tugged into a small smile. "You can go or you can sleep here for a few hours."

Benji let out another content sigh. "I'm fine where I'm at."

He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

The next day, my mom sent me to the library to study for my last final because Jason was going to be home. He wanted to invite his friends over and my mom said it would be too much of a distraction. That's why doors were invented so I could close it. It's not like I'd hang out with Jason and his annoying friends anyway. I can barely tolerate his girlfriend; I'm not going to push it with his friends.

So, in a way, I guess her sending me to the library was a blessing.

When I entered the library, it was pretty empty. I spotted a few older people, but that's about it. This library was never really busy and I was thankful for that. It was easy to find a table in the back, but I wasn't hidden. It wasn't hard to spot me from the entrance like Benji had that day.

Pulling out a chair, I dropped my bag on the table and proceeded to sit down at the worn oak table. With a loud, annoyed sigh, I pulled out the textbook I needed and flipped it open to my tab I made. It's easy for me to stay organized with it came to my notes. Yellow tabs mean exam information, orange means I need to focus more on that topic, and pink means just a simple note to retain the information. It's something that's stuck with me since my mom took me out of school.

I always started with the orange tabs, but when it comes to exams, I obviously start with the yellow. Halfway through, I got a little restless and got up from my table. My feet walked me down the middle row of books. My eyes scanned over the spines, hoping something would pop out and call my name. Nothing did that for me. Maybe because I was in the adult section. I've read a few adult books and they aren't bad, I just have to be in the mood I guess. I've read adult fantasy, nothing that includes ties and whips.

Just the thought made me cringe.

When I walked back to my table, something was different. A cupcake with purple and green swirled frosting sat on top of my book. My brows narrowed in confusion and I lifted my head to look around. There was no one around except Mrs. Connor sitting at the front desk with her chin propped on her knuckles. She lazily flipped through a magazine and yawned.

I made one final turn, stopping in my spot when Benji emerged from the bookcase at the end. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets and a grin on his face. I bit down on my lower lip as he walked over to me, his smile only widening when he stopped a foot away. "How'd you make it in here with that?" I whispered.

He smirked and took my hand. "I have my ways." He started pulling me down the rows of books.

"How'd you even know I was here?" I hid my laugh.

Benji continued pulling me back until we rounded the corner and into a space that was secluded from everything. "Twitter."

Now I laughed. "You stalk my Twitter?"

He shrugged like it was common. "I wasn't stalking you per say. I just happened to be on Twitter at the right time. Today is gross and the band's being lazy. I thought I'd come find you instead." He backed me into the corner until my back was against the bookshelves. "And I wanted to make sure you were okay." He playfully poked the tip of my nose and his smile was small.

"I'm fine," I assured and snaked my arms around his torso. "How's your sleeping schedule working out?"

"With working these late hours, still pretty brutal. But yesterday was probably the most sleep I've gotten in awhile." He caressed my face in one hand. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

"I'm going to my grandma's for dinner. Why?"

"The band and I are having a small Christmas type party and I would like you to come over if you can."

"I don't know," I answered sadly. "What time?"

"Nine-ish? Or whatever time you could possibly make it." His tone held a hint of hope that I couldn't turn down.

If my mom goes to bed, it would be perfect. She never goes to bed before nine though and that worried me. "I'll try." I smiled a little. "I'll probably get there late—"

"No, that's fine." His smile widened. "As long as you come over, it's fine with me, Lucy."

The easiness of his tone made me feel a bit better. "I'll be there then."

Benji bent down and kissed my lips. I stood on my toes and the kiss deepened for a moment. When I kissed Benji this time, I felt the indent of his lip ring against my bottom lip. With one arm wrapped around his waist, I freed my other to slip to the nape of his neck. My fingers curled around strands of his dark hair and I tried to stand taller on my toes.

Then Benji started laughing.

I dropped back on my feet. "What's so funny?"

He opened his eyes to meet my gaze. "Nothing. I'm laughing because you're so cute. But the kind of cute that could still kick my ass, of course." He pulled me tighter against him.

I glared. "I can handle being called cute, but the second you start using my head as an arm rest, I'm never speaking to you again."

Benji cocked his head to the side and smiled down at me. "I'd never do that. I can see Tyler doing that and I give you permission to kick him where the sun doesn't shine."

"Good because it'll probably happen."

He pecked my lips again and backed up. "I'll see you tonight."

I nodded. "And thanks for the cupcake."

"You're welcome, Lucy."

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Sorry for the short chapter, but like I've said before, all books have short chapters lol. One time I read a book where there was only a sentence in one chapter. ONE WHOLE SENTENCE. I wouldn't dare do that on wattpad lol.

I'm trying to develop their relationship without it going TOOOOO fast, but whatever lol. I'm doing whatever the hell I want and I'm enjoying it.

Please vote and commmmeeennnt? :)