Freak
Chapter 8
By: Makena
Jeremy stopped at the park on her way to the concert hall, praying the band hadn't left yet. She didn't know what she'd do if they had already left. She sat down on a long log that had fallen down years ago on the pond's bank and hugged her knees. It was cold and she needed to think things over. She watched as some ducks swam around a child and it's mother, begging for the bread they were throwing into the water.
"Jeremy?"
Jeremy looked up and across the pond to see Benji, who was already half way across the high, wooden bridge that was built over the tiny body of water. He quickened his pace to join her and sat down beside her.
"Tell your parents?" he asked her.
Jeremy nodded, staring at the rippling water.
"Didn't take it well?"
She shook her head.
"Not exactly," she replied. "You tell Joel?"
Benji nodded and sighed.
"Didn't take it well, either?"
Benji shook his head.
"I thought maybe he would have - he liked you. I figured your parents wouldn't have liked it, considering they don't even know me." He paused and sighed, picking a loose string off the hem of his hoodie. "What are we gonna do?"
Jeremy shrugged and closed her eyes.
"What do you think we should do?" she asked him.
Benji shrugged and sighed.
"I donno," he said. "I... maybe we should just get divorced."
Jeremy frowned and opened her eyes, looking over at her new husband.
"And give in to what they want? No. What about what YOU want, Benji? Do you want to divorce me?"
Benji shrugged.
"Do you want the truth?" he asked.
"If you don't mind."
"Not really."
Jeremy nodded and smiled a little.
"Then we'll stay married, I'll come live you with you in Waldorf in the spring time, and then we're as free as... birds?"
They laughed a little and watched the ducks beg for more bread.
"Okay," Benji said at last. "We'll stay married. I'll go back and tell everyone, you go back and tell your parents, and I'll call you if I don't get to say good bye."
Jeremy smiled and stood up, letting Benji embrace her for a moment before he kissed her on the lips. They said good bye to each other, told each other they would miss them, and walked their separate ways once again.
Jeremy snuck into the front door and found her brother, sitting in front of the TV, eating from a bag of chips and watching Digimon. Jeremy shook her head and sighed, rolling her eyes. She didn't understand how her brown haired, pudgy little brother could be so different from her. Jeremy closed the door and took her coat off. Marty turned around and made a face at her.
"Mom said you did something stupid again," Marty sneered.
"I'm sure she did," Jeremy said with a frown. "Where are they?"
"They're talking about you in the kitchen," Marty said, eager to inform her of her mistakes and bad decisions.
"Fuck you," she muttered, walking past the stair case and into the kitchen.
The swinging door that was almost always open was now closed, but Jeremy didn't give a damn. She walked into the kitchen where her mother and father were sitting around the tall, green marble table top that was placed in the center of the kitchen, drinking tea.
"Jeremy, your mother and I are talking..." her father began.
"No, I don't care," Jeremy interrupted. "Benji and I talked it over, and..."
"Your father and I think you need to form a plan about this situation," her mother broke in, ignoring her daughter.
"It's not a situation," Jeremy cried. "We're married! How is this a situation?" She paused. "And we already HAVE a plan."
"Good," her mother said, setting her coffee mug down. "You're going to get a divorce then?"
Jeremy frowned.
"What... why the hell would you think something like that? Benji and I are sticking to the original plan."
"Which was...?" her father asked.
Jeremy groaned.
"I'm moving to Waldorf - that's in Maryland, by the way - once I graduate. God... do you people LISTEN to me?!"
"Jeremy, that's hardly a plan."
"Mom, that IS a plan. You just don't LIKE it."
Jeremy sighed and played with her ring. She suddenly didn't feel like fighting about Benji with her mother. She was married, she was happy for the first time in a very long time, and that was all that mattered to her.
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Benji walked up to the bus door and walked in. Joel was sulking in the corner with a pen and a pad of paper - he was writing down ideas for new songs - and Billy, Paul and Chris were battling it out on the Play Station. Billy looked up when the door closed and paused the game.
"Jesus, Benji," he said. "You FINALLY return. Where'd you go?"
Benji frowned.
"Joel didn't tell you?" he asked.
Billy frowned. Chris and Paul had now joined the conversation, giving Benji confused looks. Benji quickly glanced at Joel, who locked eyes with his brother for a moment before looking back down at his work. Benji sighed.
"I was in Vegas," Benji explained.
"Why?" Paul questioned.
"I got married."
Billy burst out into laughter, not believing Benji for a minute.
"Right," he laughed. "To who, Jeremy?"
Benji sighed.
"Yeah," he replied.
Billy stopped laughing. Benji was being serious - he wasn't messing around. When Benji tried to be serious while pulling a prank, the sides of his mouth cracked into a semi smile and he could hardly keep from laughing.
"Jesus," he said finally after an uncomfortable moment of silence. "What... why? Seriously, are you mentally challenged or something? Eloping?!"
"Wait... you got married?" Paul asked.
"YES!" Benji yelled. "I got married! Suck it up and... agh! All of you DIE in a hole!"
Benji walked towards the bunk area where he could be alone. The remaining four looked between each other and frowned in confusion. Had that conversation just taken place... and he just told them to die in a hole?