Possessions
Chapter 8
By: Makena
Makena fell fast asleep once Joel had helped her into her room and he hurried out before anybody could notice him - particularly Benji. It was dangerous for Makena's room to be just across from their own, let alone on the same floor. Joel snuck past his room and half walked, half jogged to the elevator where he rode the four floors down to the lobby and immediately found Paul, still lost in his book.
"Paul," Joel said, trying to get his friend's attention. Paul groaned and looked up from his book.
"I am never going to finish this," he muttered. "What?"
Joel sighed and he sat down on the couch with a plop, suddenly a little tired. "I just saw Makena in the hallway upstairs," Joel began.
"Okay...?"
"She was crying," Joel continued. "In a corner."
Paul cocked an eyebrow. "She was what?" he questioned. "Why?"
"I don't know," he half admitted. "I... she slept with Chris."
Paul glanced at his book. "Did she?" he questioned, obviously not very surprised. Joel frowned.
"You're not at all surprised by that?" He paused before a look of horror passed over his face. "Oh my god! You knew?!"
"Um... well... sort of," Paul said slowly. Joel let out a small grunt of frustration.
"Why is nobody telling me anything?!" he asked loudly. "You knew she was going to be here, too, didn't you?"
Paul shrugged slightly. "Yeah," he admitted.
"Agh!" Joel screamed, attracting stares from hotel guests. "Why didn't you tell us?!"
"Because we didn't want Benji to know," Paul explained calmly. "Do you know what would happen if Benji knew?"
Joel shrugged with a slight sigh, but realized Paul had a valid point.
"So... we're just not going to tell him then?" Joel asked. Paul nodded in agreement.
--------------------------
Benji walked down the nearly empty mall corridors, stuffing his hands hastily in his pockets. He had nothing to do but kill time, trying to get her image out of his mind. He walked past a music shop and paused, glancing at the fenders being displayed in the windows. He continued walking before checking his watch; the day was going by very slowly.
'Maybe I'll catch a movie?' he thought to himself, rearranging his direction so that he was slowly walking past the food court and making his way towards the movie theater. He went through movie's that might have been playing in his mind as he walked, trying to ignore the smell of meat byproducts that drifted to his senses from the McDonalds to his right.
He glanced around the nearly deserted cafeteria, catching a glimpse of the back of what looked like Makena's head, turned away from him completely. He paused, trying to determine weather he should talk to her or not.
"Benji!" a new voice called and he looked around before he noticed a girl he had never seen before, waving him over. Her hair was short and was a mix of black, blond, pink and red colors. He could make out some tattoos the lack of sleeves from her tank top showed off with lip and nose piercing. She was wearing a red Ramones tank top and black dickies and was now standing up, trying to get his attention.
He paused - he didn't know her, but he did know Makena... assuming the girl was, in fact, Makena.
"Benji!" she cried again and he saw Makena try to get her to stop; not only was it her, she had seen him and had been trying to ignore him. He gave a sad little sigh to himself as he heard Makena's friend shout out again, "Benji! Over here!"
He hurried over, glancing around to make sure no one had heard her or recognized him. The girl beamed at him as he found his way to their table and Makena looked up at him, plastering a fake smile across her face. Benji looked at her for a second before glancing back over at her friend.
"Hi!" the girl said with a wide grin. Benji nodded his hello and glanced back down at Makena, who was taking a sip from her Subway cup. Feeling his eyes upon her, she glanced back up at him and, coughing slightly on her beverage, smiled slightly again.
"Hey," she said to him. She paused and looked at her friend. "Benji, this is Raemie - Aaron's fiancé. Raemie, this is Benji."
"It's nice to finally meet you," Raemie said, still grinning. "You're really famous now!"
Benji nodded slightly as they shook hands. "Yeah, I know."
"We were just going to meet Aaron and catch a movie - you wanna join us?"
"Oh, he's probably busy," Makena said hurriedly. "Right?" She glanced up at Benji again.
"Actually, no," he replied, smiling at Raemie. "I was just going to catch a movie myself."
"Awesome!" Raemie said excitedly. "We were gonna go see Dumb and Dumberer."
"Sounds good," Benji said. Makena rolled her eyes and got up, hastily throwing her cup away. Raemie, not seeming to notice the tension between the two, looked down at her watch as she picked up her tray.
"Shit! We gotta get to the theater!" She walked quickly down the mall corridors, leaving Benji and Makena behind to walk at their own pace.
Benji stuffed his hands in his pockets again as he walked with Makena, watching her closely. She absently fingered the dull spikes on her choker, chewing the sides of her mouth as she looked around at the stores they passed.
"Why did you slap me?" Benji asked finally. Makena's head snapped up at him, startled he had said something.
"Umm..." she began, still fingering her spikes. "I, umm... I..." She stopped and flushed a deep red before quickening her pace. Benji sighed and raced to catch up with her.
"Makena," he said with a slight sigh. She shook her head.
"I... I had a little to drink," she muttered. "I didn't know what I was doing."
Benji didn't say anything more but paused once he noticed Aaron; some one he hadn't seen in over a year and had thought he wouldn't have seen again - or at least until the wedding. Aaron glanced at him and looked him up and down with distaste as he wrapped an arm around Raemie. They made eye contact and there was no doubt in their mind; the feeling of dislike was mutual.
"Hey, babe!" Raemie was saying. "Benji's going to join us, okay?" Aaron nodded absently, tearing his eyes from Benji and glancing at his fiancé.
"Sure," he replied. "Let's get our tickets, okay?"
Benji sighed and rolled his eyes, following Makena into the theater, mostly in silence.
---
"There's shit everywhere!"
Half of the theater erupted at Bob Sagit's remarks upon finding chocolate smeared all over his bathroom. Benji couldn't help but laugh a little, although he had found himself suddenly not in the mood for a comedy. He glanced over at Makena, who was desperately trying to focus on the movie ahead of her. Benji glanced over at the two people in the seats next to her and realized why - Aaron and Raemie were going at it, practically having sex in the middle of the dark theater. Benji rolled his dark eyes and tried to watch the movie once more.
After about five more minutes of the movie, Benji noticed Makena get up and climb over the seats to walk away. He glanced at Raemie and Aaron, who had barely noticed, before sliding out himself, quickening his pace so he could catch up with Makena. He found her in the mall corridor, looking around, slightly confused.
"Hey," he called, walking up to her. She turned to look at him and sighed slightly.
"Hi," she responded with a slight mutter.
"Why'd you leave?"
"I didn't pay $5.50 to watch Raemie and Aaron practically fuck right next to me," she replied bitterly. She paused. "Why'd YOU leave?"
"Same reason, I guess," Benji replied with a slight sigh. Makena nodded, looking at him. Their eyes locked and Benji noticed her eyes seemed sad - not dull, but sad and almost lifeless. They were still their same radiant blue they had always been, but they had changed since Benji had last known her.
"Well, see you around," she said with a heavy sigh, beginning to walk off. Benji didn't try to chase after her, but watched as she slowly walked away from her.
---
Benji returned to his hotel room to find Joel watching a movie on HBO by himself. He was sitting on the floor, his back propped up by his bed as he blankly stared at the TV, mostly in boredom.
"Hey," he said finally, not looking up from the TV. "Get anything?"
Benji shook his head. "Nope." He paused. "I met Raemie, though. Her and Makena were at the mall."
This bit of news interested Joel, because he had expected Makena to have slept the rest of the afternoon away. "Oh?" he asked curiously, keen on whatever details Benji might have for him.
"Yeah," Benji replied. "They went to a movie and invited me. Aaron was there."
"Well... makes sense," Joel said slowly. "What'd you go see?"
"Dumb and Dumberer," Benji replied. "But Makena and I walked out."
"Was it that bad?" Joel questioned, although not that interested on the movie itself.
Benji shrugged and sighed slightly. "It wasn't the movie," he said. "Raemie and Aaron were, like, fucking in the middle of the theater. Makena walked out and I followed her."
"Humm..." Joel muttered silently, pausing. "How'd she look?"
Benji shrugged. "Sad," he replied simply, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Joel nodded and muted his movie, looking up at his brother.
"You know, I'm really proud of you," he said. Benji rolled his eyes, but Joel ignored it and continued to talk. "It took a lot to stop drinking, and you've gotten so much better since then." Benji shrugged and slowly walked to his bed, hoping to avoid the subject as he softly sat down on the end of his bed, staring blankly at the carpet. "But..."
Benji glanced up at Joel, confused. "But?" he echoed. Joel sighed.
"Remember how Makena and her friends tried so hard to help you out back in high school?"
Benji nodded, hating the memory of his high school days. Though he hated high school, he didn't know where he would be without any of the friends he had made. Dead, most likely.
"Well... now I think she needs your help," Joel continued. Again, Benji glanced at Joel in confusion.
"What?" he asked. "I don't understand."
Joel shrugged and sighed. "She needs some one, Benji," he explained. "She has no one."
"She has her friends," Benji replied.
"No, Benji," Joel replied harshly, shaking his head. "She has no one."
---
Makena sat alone at her table, anxiously waiting for Aaron and Raemie to join her. She glanced around the restaurant, running a finger along the edge of her glass, containing the usual rum and coke. She sighed and took a sip from her drink as her eyes fell on a couple sitting across the restaurant from her, holding hands and laughing. She rolled her eyes and took another sip before she heard familiar laughter from her right and she glanced up, noticing Raemie and Aaron, laughing loudly as they held hands.
"Hi!" Raemie said brightly, her laughter barely settling. "Sorry we're so late!"
"It's okay," Makena said through a fake smile. She watched as Aaron and Raemie kissed deeply before sitting down and she sighed to herself, finishing off her first glass of rum and coke.