On an Edge of Glass

’s eyes flick over my shoulder and his whole face closes up.
    I turn .  Ben is standing about three feet away from us with his back to the hectic party.  I spot the beautiful angel girl watching us from over his shoulder.  Her mouth is pressed together in curiosity.
    The knot in m y stomach tightens at the odd look on Ben’s face and the way that his hands are balled tightly at his sides.  Strands of long dark hair fall down across his eyes.  I have the urge to reach over and brush them away, but I don’t dare.  He’s glaring at Drew with an expression that I can only describe as contemptuous.   
    “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing here?” Ben spits the words out and I flinch.     
    Drew lets out an exaggerated sigh through his teeth.  He rubs his eyes with his thumb and his index finger, then sets his beer bottle on the porch railing and straightens his shoulders.  “Dude, I wanted to come here to listen to the guys play.  I was hoping that I could talk to you.” 
                  “But, you got distracted and decided to corner Ellie instead?”  Ben’s mouth twists into a grimace. 
    A slow kind of panic is starting to seep into my body.   “Ben,” I murmur. 
    H is eyes sweep to mine then go back to Drew.  “I can’t even believe that you would have the balls to show up at my house.  I think I was pretty clear when I said that I never wanted to see you again.” 
    “I just—” Drew starts but Ben cuts him off.
    “ You’re an asshole, you know that?”
                  I feel like I should say something to diffuse the situation.  I don’t know exactly what’s happening between these two, but I know that whatever it is, it isn’t good.  I take a step toward Ben and place my palm flat on his forearm.  When he looks down and sees my hand, the rawness that flashes through his eyes makes my heart drop. 
    “ Ben… I think you should calm down,” I begin, but the words are like sandpaper against the roof of my mouth. 
                  Drew doesn’t move.  His lips are set in a straight line that cuts across his face and makes him look different than he appeared five minutes ago.  He says, “Look, I know that we can’t go back to the way things were before, but I thought that we could at least talk.  We have too much history to not even be civil to each other.”
                  Ben’s laugh is humorless.  Agitation rockets around his eyes and I’m certain that he’s one wrong word away from losing it.
                  “You have got to be kidding me.  Civil to each other?”  Ben’s almost shouting now.  A few people nearby turn to see what’s going on and they shift creating a semi-circle around us.  The angel girl is among them and she’s frowning.  I spot Payton edging her way toward us.
    Ben continues.  “You think that you’ll be a better friend this time around?  You think you can refrain from screwing my girlfriend?  You’ll stay away from my band and my house and…” he chokes, “ Ellie ?”
                  Whoa. 
    My pulse is thumping.  With my free hand, I push against Ben’s chest so that he’s forced to take a step back.  He radiates heat and I can feel his racing heart even through his shirt.  A guy with shaggy red hair appears and grabs hold of Ben’s other arm.  I recognize him as the drummer from Ben’s band. 
    The drummer says something that I can’t hear into Ben’s left ear and he visibly softens.  His eyes skip over me.  
                  Drew’s mouth opens and closes.  “Ben, I swear that Lily and I aren’t even talking anymore, and I didn’t know that you and Ellie were—”
                  Before Drew can finish the sentence—before I can correct the mistake—Ben shakes me and the drummer off and steps forward, effectively blocking me with his shoulder.  He pointedly says to Drew, “Just leave.” 
                  There’s no questioning the tone or the look.  Drew purses his lips and throws me an apologetic nod before turning and walking away.  He doesn’t even take his scarf with him.
     
     
    In a state of ne ar breathlessness, Payton herds us into Ben’s room.  She pulls off the devil horns that she’s been wearing all night and throws them onto the bed.   “What in the hell was that all about?” 
                  I look at Ben and then back at Payton.