Twenty One

Tina woke up to the sound of the hotel door closing. She turned her head and saw Ben walking in to the room.

Tina: “What time is it?” she questioned not moving from Bette’s arms.

Ben: “Hey, sorry to wake you, its about ten till nine” he crawled in to the empty bed on the other side of the room.

Tina: “Where did you stay last night?” she said as she slid out of Bette’s grasp carefully, not wanting to wake her.

Bette’s arm dropped as she let out a slight whimper. Tina stopped suddenly and froze, she waited for Bette to drift back off before standing up.

Ben: “I stayed at aunt Sheri’s. Justin’s home.”

Tina: “Oh I haven’t seen him in forever. So are you guys allowed to hang out now?”

She asked this question because since the incident of ’94, Ben and their cousin Justin were not allowed to hang out together anymore.

Ben: “Yeah” he laughed

Tina: “So do you know what’s going on today?”

Ben: “Yeah, um everyone’s meeting at grandma’s old house in Leroy around three. Then the viewing is in Mentor at six, I think”

Tina: “Alright, im gonna jump in the shower then.”

Ben: “Ok, im gonna go for a walk and let Bette sleep” he got up and grabbed the room key. “I’ll be back in a little bit”

Tina shut the door behind Ben and walked in to the bathroom. She turned on the shower then looked in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were clearly visible and the evidence of tears stained her cheeks. She dropped her head and took a deep breath as she tried to prepare herself for the events of the day.

Bette woke up just as Tina was walking out of the bathroom. She opened her eyes and looked around the room and found Tina smiling back at her.

Bette: “How are you feeling today?” she asked leaning up as she stretched.

Tina: “A little better I guess, just trying to prepare myself for later” she took a deep breath.
Bette: “Come here” she said patting the bed next to her.