Benjamin had driven around town now over 30 minutes looking to find a spot to park. He had searched through back alleys and abandoned lots but found nothing to his liking. Every store at the mall had a security camera at their back entrance and someone patrolling around in a car with a flashing yellow light. He thought the city park would be a suitable and private enough space, but soon saw that there were just too many other people there with the same idea that he had in mind.
He left the park and drove towards the less populated west end of town. There was a place there he was familiar with that had previously skipped his mind but now, in a pinch for time, he thought that it just might be able to work.
He had washed the truck, vacuumed it out, and thrown away all the rolled up burger wrappers his dad had let fall under the seats. He then sprayed air freshener between the arm rests and in the air vents. He even had tucked blankets and pillows in the back bed of the truck for foreseen future comfort. The hardest task was done as he already secured a nice secluded spot at Lake Eastman to relax at and look up at the starlit August sky. Everything was going well and as planned, but as he drove to the lake entrance he came upon two local deputies blocking his way.
"Turn this car around! Access to the lake is closed. We've got a fire at a campsite we're trying to get under control. Now move it!" the first cop barked as Benjamin came to a stop.
A look of panic came over Benjamin's face, and he sat frozen with the truck steady idling as the only thing that could escape his lips were the words, "But! But..."
The second cop made his way around the truck, shining his flashlight in the cab and bed of the truck. He smiled and then gave a slight, knowing head nod back to his partner.
"Look, son," the first cop said, now leaning into the driver side door, his voice turning fatherly and sympathetic, "I get it. I was young once, too, but we can't let you in here tonight. Try going back to town."
All of his planning and effort was now in jeopardy because someone had failed, on this night of all nights, at trying to make s'more's. Forced now to wing it, Benjamin was running out of options and ideas if this last place was not available. He looked to his left and then to his right and, now certain that no one had seen or followed, he looked both ways once more for good measure before he finally backed the pickup truck into a hidden space behind the dumpster at Deely's Hardware. He then turned off the lights, sighed a deep breath of relief, and attached his iPod to the radio of the truck and hit play.
Benjamin had put in two days of dedicated work making this mix tape - figuring out the best songs, and then putting each one of them in just the right order for how things would play out in his mind in this here very moment.
Alone at last, he feigned a deep yawn, stretched out his hands and placed his right arm across the shoulder of the girl sitting beside him. He slid his body snugly next to hers, bent his head over, and kept his eyes wide open to make certain not to miss the target of his tongue's intent. He locked his full open mouth sloppily unto hers, started counting numbered beats in his head, and released his lips from hers in time to sing as melodically as his untrained voice would allow, "You're beautiful. You're beautiful," perfectly on beat and in sync with James Blunt's voice and chorus.
"Um, that was kinda nice," the girl giggled, "But what exactly are we doing here behind the store where your dad works?"
"C'mon, don't play coy, you know I'm only allowed to get my dad's truck on a Friday. I told you I was going to make our date unforgettable and I intend to. This is the last weekend we will have together before we both go off to college. I wanna make the most of the little bit of time we still have together and I just sorta figured," Benjamin stammered, "I sort of thought..."
"Yes, go on. You thought what?"
The girl placed her hands up to Benjamin's cheek and started caressing his face. She rubbed her finger back-and-forth across his earlobe and felt his body shudder from her touch. She enjoyed making him squirm.
"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" he asked shaking his head.
"Uh-huh. You know how much hearing you say it turns me on."
Benjamin rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He had put a lot of care and effort into coming across on this date as a sincere and thoughtful man and a mature minded lover instead of a hormone driven teen. He especially didn't want this night to go like all the other nights before.
"You know exactly how I feel about you. You know where I would like for us to go. I don't think I've done all that good a job of hiding it these last few weeks of summer."
"Why, Benjamin Tyson Sullivan, I don't know what at all you could possibly be talking about. Are you meaning to tell me that we are not out here to check on rakes and the price of chicken feed?" the girl said, barely being able to hold in her laughter, "Just say what you know I like to hear. That's all I'm asking."
She was deflecting. It was another one of the many tactics she constantly used to regain control of any pressing situation they found themselves in. He was not going to fall for it tonight. A devilish smirk formed on the corner of his lips and he quickly blurted out, "Madelyn Carson! I brought you here cause I like you and I want you and tonight I want to get into your panties and make love to you and drive you crazy and kiss you down there and do all the things to make you feel good and like a woman because we belong together and I know you want me just as bad as I want you! There! I said it!"
"That's not what I wanted to hear!" she laughed, hitting him sharply in the arm, "Say it right! Say it right or I'll squeeze your ear ragged until you do!"
"Okay, ok! You win!" he cried, "Damn, you know you're a lot stronger than how your small body looks!" he said holding his hand over his ear in an attempt to avoid the pain threatened to his head. He straightened himself up and frowned, folding his arms in frustration and looked into her eyes in hopes that she would be sympathetic to him and skip over her request.
"Well? I'm waiting," she smiled, making a pinching motion with her thumb and forefinger.
"Ugh, ok!" he groused, then, as if reading the lines from a worn and tired script for the millionth time, he slowly began reciting in a monotone, "We're just friends and we've always been. We're not only friends, I swear, we're the very best of friends. Best friends forever! That's what we are and that's what we will always be."
"Mmmmmm, that's so sexy," Maddie purred.
"Dammit, Mads, why do you always insist on getting your way with me? You've had me saying that since when we met at the age of 9 at summer vacation Bible school!"
"And it's never been more true than right now," Maddie said gently tapping his crotch, "You don't need me for anything like that. You don't want to use this on someone you only 'like'. You want to use this on someone you love."
"Gee, thanks, what sappy love song did you take those uplifting words from?" grumbled Benjamin.
"This wouldn't make either one of us happy if we did this. It would ruin a great thing between us."
"Well, can we at least give it a try to see how unhappy it could actually make us feel? Just once?"
"Only a best friend would tell you honestly what I just told you. I've had you telling me we were friends since way back then because it's true," Maddie said, "I would not have gotten into American University without you helping me study and dragging me everyday to Mr. Lawson's boring history classes. We've kept each other sane these past four years through all the silly and petty classmates that surrounded us. You're my shoulder to cry to when things go wrong. We know each other like no one else at school. We depend on each other. Look, Benjamin, we went to the movies tonight and had fun and we had a blast eating out at Burger Kingdom. I think this has been a perfect night for us and we will see each other again. We live right down the street from each other and we are always just a phone call away if need be. Can you just take me home now? This night has been, like you intended, unforgettable. I can promise you that I'll remember this forever, but I'm just really tired now."
Benjamin gave Maddie the best puppy dog eyes he could muster but she just stared ahead out the front window, purposely ignoring him, and pointing her fingers forward.
She was not budging and there was no changing her mind. He had lost again. He cranked up the truck and started making his way towards her home. His mix tape continued playing through the rest of the tunes he had selected as he drove on through the empty streets in silence. Maddie rolled down the window and let her hand flow up and down in the oncoming wind, occasionally humming along and tapping her foot to the beat of the songs.
"Oh, I like this one! It's so good! Sing it with me, ok?" Maddie said excitedly to the start of the popular and recognizable tune, "Now and then I think of when we were together. Like when you said you were so happy you could die..."
Benjamin shook his head, angry at himself for including this track and thinking such a bittersweet song would be perfect to make out to. If she didn't want to play with him, then he wasn't going to play along with her. He kept his eyes looking ahead and focused on driving.
"Awwww, don't be mad," Maddie said rubbing him on his thigh, "You want me to tell you how great a kisser you are? That always cheers you up."
