Finding Mary Jane by Amy Sparling

Author:Amy Sparling [Amy Sparling]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Mary Jane
Publisher: Amy Sparling Books
Published: 2015-06-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

When I was a kid, we had a family emergency plan for if the house caught on fire. Everyone was supposed to leave all of their belongings and run outside to our special pre-appointed meeting place: the big oak tree in the back yard. We also had a safe word in case a stranger ever came to pick us up from school. It was Belle. My mom had chosen it because I was the youngest kid and she didn’t think I’d forget my own middle name in an emergency.

We never had to use the safe word for anything, and our house never burned down. I think the most tragic thing to ever happen to our family was the divorce. And even that went pretty smoothly. It’s naive to feel that your house will never burn down and that safe words are pointless, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking that way.

The first night Ben didn’t come home wasn’t anything to worry about. I’d left the lights on out of fear of being alone in the house, but besides that I had fallen asleep with no problems. All my thoughts were filled with my insane crush on Bluntz so I barely had room in my mind to wonder why my brother wasn’t home.

The second night Ben didn’t come home, well, that’s when the rock settled into my stomach. All of my attempts to call him went straight to voicemail. I got it, that he was heartbroken and sad and all that, but why did he want to be away from home? From me?

Now, five miserable days later, I sit under the oak tree in the back yard as the sun sets behind a row of houses to my right. I know Ben won’t magically show up at our childhood meeting place, but I don’t like being in the house anymore. I’ve even turned down hanging out with Jill because I’m afraid if I leave the house for even a minute, I might miss Ben. Mom would demand that I come home if she knew I was alone, so I’ve been avoiding her, too.

For five whole days I’ve eaten cereal and watched the big TV and listened for Ben’s car pulling into the driveway. This house feels like a prison. I feel like a little old lady who obsessively worries about everything. Ben is eighteen and capable of running his own life.

I hope he isn’t doing drugs wherever he’s hiding.

But he probably is.

I’ve pretty much realized that Marla was the catalyst to Ben’s new drug habit. She worked at a smoke shop after all, and had Ben wrapped around her finger. He must have done it just to feel cool and fit in with her crowd. And now that she is gone, I know Ben is sad about it but hopefully he can heal and go back to normal.

Although the bag of joints he had when I last saw him worry me.

I really want Ben to come home.

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