43 ~ Sweet as a Compote-1

Chapter 43: Sweet as a Compote I felt my expression twist into shock and a little bit of fear when I realised exactly who it was that Ginny was on a date with. Ginny looked between me and Rick suspiciously. She had never met Rick, and she didn't know about my experiences with him because I wanted to forget that it ever happened. He never made me feel anything, and I'd never even kissed him! Plus, we were in Year 11 when we dated, so it wasn't even anything serious. "H-hello Rick," I stuttered. My fingers clenched Ben's arm until I was pretty sure I was cutting off his circulation, but he didn't move. In fact, he had gone completely still. "Do you know him already?" Ginny asked. I couldn't ever hide anything from her, and I didn't know what to say. I looked at her with wide eyes, pleading with her, and she shook her head in confusion. "Rick, you know Ben and Charlie already?" "You could say that, sweetcheeks," Rick said, his voice grating on my ears just enough for me to shudder and press myself nearer to Ben. There was literally nothing outwardly wrong him, but the memories and the feeling I got from him were enough to make me want to curl up and cry. Ginny scowled. She'd never dated even a halfway decent guy, and I always wondered why she did it when she didn't like them. Whenever I asked, she would say she was just having a wee bit of fun. "Shut it," she said severely. "And give us a moment." She grabbed me by the arm, but since I was already completely attached to Ben and kind of in a daze, it took a good while for her to separate us. "Lottie-" Ben started. I looked at him with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows, and he frowned at me. Sorry, I mouthed, and followed Ginny to the back. I felt bad about leaving Ben with Rick, but he could definitely handle himself. Actually, I was more worried that he would knock the lights out of Rick than I was that Rick would try anything with him. "What was that about?" she asked as soon as we were out of earshot. Her hands came up to grip my shoulders, and her scowl deepened. I smiled weakly. "What was what about?" I asked, as if I had no idea what she was talking about. "You are the worst liar, idiot," she snapped. My smile widened, and I was about to laugh when her withering look stopped me. "You and that ugly moth know Rick, don't you?" "I-I would say..." My heart thumped, and I focused my eyes on a stain on the back wall. "Yes," I finally admitted. "Yes, I know him." Ginny let go of me and ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head. "That weird energy in there, I don't get what's going on. Did he do something to you?" Her eyes widened as if she had just thought of something, and she took hold of my shoulders again. "Oh god, did he do something to you, Charlie? Just tell me, okay? Say the word and he's dead-" I ruffled her hair and grinned nervously. I didn't really know what to tell her. "A few years ago, we dated, that's it," I blurted out. "In Year 11." Her worried scowl smoothed out, and she grinned back at me. "Oh, that's it?" she said brightly. "Thank God, that means it'll be easier for dump him faster." I chuckled, still nervous. Okay, good, she believed me when I told her that was it. "How'd you even find him? And why are you going out with him if you don't like him?" "Honestly, he's cute, but kind of creepy. I saw him hanging around outside that pizza place down the corner last night, and he asked me out then." My lip curled in shock. "Are you serious, Ginny? Why on earth would you agree to a date to some creep in the dark?" She laughed but I wasn't amused. "Well, you dated him, so how bad could he be?" "Ginny, come on! I know you like doing this kind of thing. What, is it like a thrill or something? Whatever, whatever it is, that's dangerous!" "Oh, shut up, Mother," she said, rolling her eyes. I blinked rapidly, already used to Ginny being like this. But since I actually knew who Rick was and that he was not a good guy, it put it into perspective for me that maybe a lot of the guys she dated weren't either. I breathed in and out, starting to become more and more nervous. I couldn't focus on Ginny's face, and I think I may have swayed a little. Poor Ginny, poor Ginny has a bad friend like me. Did I ever think about her? Her safety? "Charlie? Charlie! Charlie! Ah, fuck, should I call Hellboy in here?" "What the fuck is going on?" I recognised the voice, but I still didn't stop shaking. "I don't know, Needle Dick, I don't know! Can you do something, I don't know, to calm her down? Please!" I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and a warm hand pushed my head into a warmer chest. I gripped his shirt and focused on my breathing. "Lottie," said Ben, in a gentle voice that I wasn't accustomed to hearing from him. "You're okay, babe." Fingers brushed through my hair, and as I concentrated on the rising and falling of Ben's chest, I very slowly stopped shaking. I pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes. His eyebrows were furrowed worriedly in a rare moment of showing his emotions, and he brought one of his hands up to the side of my head. "Thanks Benny." I looked around for Ginny, and when I couldn't find her, my eyes unconsciously started filling up. "Where's Ginny?" I asked tearfully. I still needed to talk to her. "She's waiting out front," he said, still in that gentle voice. "Are you okay?" I nodded, but he looked like he didn't believe me. "I want to talk to her." He stared at me for a moment, unconvinced, but then leant down and kissed my forehead. I breathed deeply, and despite myself, I smiled, my cheeks turning pink. "Thank you," I said again. He didn't smile, but the wrinkles around his eyes told me that he was happy, and that cheered me up a little. We walked into the front, and Ginny instantly sprang up from beside Rick, who looked annoyed that she'd completely interrupted their conversation. "Charlie," she said, speeding towards me. She shoved Ben away to hug me, who stumbled back in shock. He opened his mouth to snap, but I shook my head slightly and he just scowled. "Are you okay?" she asked, holding my head and turning it in all directions. I shook her hands off me. "I'm fine, I'm sorry," I replied softly. "Are you okay?" "Why are you asking me?" she growled in a low voice. "What happened? Tell me honestly, are you okay?" "Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry, I just got a little overwhelmed. I...I just want you to be safe. I don't tell you enough, but I need you to be careful when you...date. Not all guys-" "-are your stupid, ugly raccoon Benjamin, I know," she said. At my surprised look, she added, "The only reason I haven't beaten him up yet is because he's nice to you. And don't worry, Charlie, I know how to handle myself, so don't feel bad, okay? You do enough for me as it is, for God's sakes." I felt like Ben and Ginny were treating me like a child, and I sighed heavily. I did act like a child a lot of the time, but I wasn't an idiot. "I just need you to tell me you'll be careful. Do you have mace? Or a pocket knife? I'll get you one-" "Shut up," she said. "I'm on a date, you interrupted me enough. We're going!" "Ginny-" I started, but she already grabbed Rick's hand and tugged him out, but not before he winked at me. I frowned and threw my head back, my eyes rolling back to stare at the ceiling in annoyance. She would be the death of me.