When Ben went back to his bedroom it was empty, he went over to his bed and sat down, his mind racing. He was really beginning to get nervous about hiding his bedwetting, there were still seven whole nights left to go.
Ben heard the door go, he looked up to see Mike walk in.
“Hey Ben,” Mike smiled, “You were up early today, you okay?”
“Yeah, fine,” Ben said, “You?”
“Yeah,” Mike nodded “Hey, don’t let what those guys said last night get to you, they were only joking around.”
Ben tried to hide his embarrassment from his best friend, “Yeah, I know they were. Why would it bother me?”
“Well, y’know, I just thought…” Mike trailed off.
“Thought what?” Ben asked, raising his voice. The last twenty-four hours had left him feeling defeated, and he was taking his anger out on Mike.
“Nothing man,” Mike said, raising his hands, “Forget I said anything.”
“I know what you’re thinking, and you can stop it right now because that was eight years ago! I’m not a kid anymore, I don’t, I don’t still…” Ben couldn’t say it, and he could feel that he was getting close to tears now. He fled out of the bedroom, leaving Mike sitting there on his own.
Ben sat on a picnic bench a good distance away from the youth hostel, he had finally managed to stop himself from crying, but he couldn’t go back inside, he couldn’t face Mike yet. He wondered what the time was, Mr Allen had said he wanted them to leave the hostel at nine-thirty prompt. He imagined them all waiting for him, and knew he should really go back, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t far from the youth hostel, he was amongst some trees, but he could still see it through them.
Ben sat alone with his thoughts, concentrating on the wood grain of the picnic bench. When he looked up he could see through the trees someone walking in his direction, as the person moved closer he could see it was Mike. Ben got up, ready to leave, he didn’t want to talk to Mike, but Mike called out to him, “Ben!” and so he knew he couldn’t really leave now.
Mike broke into a jog, sliding onto the bench so that he sat opposite Ben. He didn’t say anything at first, instead he took a joint from behind his ear, lit it and passed it straight to Ben.
“Thanks,” Ben muttered, avoiding Mike’s gaze.
“They’re waiting for you back there,” Mike said, “I told them you felt sick and went out here for some fresh air, a couple of people said they saw you coming outside and that you looked upset and like you might be ill, so I said I’d come and find you, Mr Allen said he’d give us an extra half an hour before we have to go. I think everyone’s pretty pleased with you, half an hour less at a boring museum.”
