Hello Everyone. I am trying to updated this story as much as I possibly can. Thank you for all the support along the way. With quarantine right now I might write more but no promises because I am still working. Yay, being essential. Either way, thank you and stay safe.

Edited: For some reason this story keeps wanting to show up as code. I have reached out to Fanfiction to try to fix it. I have also published this story on Wattpad because it doesn't seem to be giving me issues. I will continue to update it here. But if any future chapters show up as code please feel free to check it out at my profile Wattpad: ThisisManda

Chapter 16)

I could feel Bender's hand in mine. It felt like a sense of home which was weird to think about. He was so cold to everyone around him, so to think that I was different was a weird thought. I looked up at him. "You really want to know what's going on? Or are you just asking because you feel obligated?" He raised his eyebrows at me like I was crazy. "It's just a question. Because I don't know if you want to get involved in this mess right now."

He just kept staring at me."Sweets, if I didn't want to know I wouldn't have asked. So are you going to tell me what's going on or not?"

I let out a sigh and finally gave in to his pestering. "My dad is trying to visit me, and my mom seems oddly okay with the whole thing. Like she just forgot what she did to her and me. It's like she just forgave him and is still in love with him. I don't want to see him, but my mom is forcing me to. I don't think I will be able to stand seeing his face. I would just be flooded with images of him and that woman. I hate my parents for putting me in this situation." I finally took a breath. "So that's what's going on with me."

I looked over at him to see if he was able to comprehend everything I just said. I felt like I was talking a million words a minute. He looked calm which surprised me. I guess I was expecting him to look at me like I was crazy or something. We just kept walking hand in hand in silence for a moment. I wanted so desperately to know what was going on in his mind. I faced forward and realized where we were walking towards. It was a park that wasn't too far from my house. It wasn't anything crazy. It had swings and a small jungle gym, but that was it. He looked back at him and he was still calm and looking forward.

We reached the park and headed towards the swings. I chose to sit down and I expect him to sit on the one next to me but his next move shocked grabbed onto the chains that were holding up my swing and stood over me. I couldn't help but look up at him. "Parents are idiots and if you don't want to talk to your dad you shouldn't have to. I don't blame you for not wanting to see him at all, but I do think that you should at the very least talk to him eventually, but when it is right for you. But what you really should do is talk to your mom about this whole thing."

I just looked at him. I swear this was not the John Bender that I would have told me to fight them or something, not talk to them. Who was this person in front of me because I didn't recognize them. "Who are you and what have you done to John Bender?"

He let out a laugh. Was this funny to him? I was starting to get pissed. I sat here and vented to him just for him to side with my parents and then laugh no thank you. I pushed his chest trying to get him away from me. I couldn't have him standing over me laughing. He didn't budge, instead he just looked down at me and grabbed my chin so I had to look at him. "Mandy, you know I am right. Yes parents suck, you know that I know that. But your parents are only trying to be there for you, unlike mine, who don't care if I fell off the face of the earth. Just talk to them."

I knew he was right but I hated it anyways. I let out a sigh, I wasn't going to win this argument. "I will talk to my mom okay, but not my dad, not yet." I finally gave in. He smiled at me. "Don't be cocky. I am not going to talk to her because you said so. I am going to talk to her because I realized I should."I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, okay. Whatever you have to tell yourself, sweets." He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss and headed towards the jungle gym. I watched as he climbed up and sat down on the small bridge that connected the two parts of the structure, with his feet dangling and his face between two bars. I just watched him. He baffled me so much. He was so cold, but he had a soft side. I looked and I saw that the bruise by his eye was still pretty bad from the other night. I got up from the swing and walked over to the jungle gym. I climbed up the steps and sat next to him.

"How are you doing today? After everything that happened yesterday. " I asked him. "Your eye doesn't look as bad as I was expecting it to be.

He didn't make eye contact with him. He just kept staring off towards the road that we walked down to get to the park. "It is okay. I don't really feel it. Honestly I am used to it."

"How was it at home? Was it bad?"

"It was whatever. When I got home my dad was just watching tv. And my mom was in there too. They didn't really pay any mind to me. They did have the decency to tell me that they will be out of town next weekend. I am pretty happy to get a break from them. I would like to not have to worry about them for once." He looked over at me and gave me a half smile and then looked back towards the road. I so desperately wanted to know what was going through his mind. He looked so serious. It made me wonder if he was thinking the same thing that I was.

"Hey I have a question." He looked over to me. "What is going to happen tomorrow? We go back to school and I don't know how it's going to be." There was silence between us. I started to get nervous. He wasn't answering and it concerned me. He finally spoke up.

"If I am being honest, which I'm not that often, I don't know. What I do know is that this weekend has changed my life in some way. I don't know how but it has." I looked over at him and smiled. It wasn't necessarily the answer that I wanted, but I felt comfort in the response. I just knew that this weekend was just the beginning of was going to happen and this crazy journey.