by Raathi Chota
“Lana?”
“Hmm?” I turned to my dad; he wore a plain black sweater, loose jeans, and sneakers. I rarely saw him in casual wear since he’s always at the station.
“Your mother asked you something,” he said. I shifted my gaze to Mom, who looked at me in a concerned way.
“It was great, Mom,” I mumbled, then continued to poke my food.
“Carter seemed quite concerned yesterday,” my mother challenged me. She bothered me and wouldn’t stop until she got the answers she looked for.
“Why? What happened?” Dad demanded.
“Err…these guys played a prank, which caused my dress to get ruined,” I lied. Thank goodness, I remembered what I had told my mother.
“Assholes,” Dad muttered.
“Honey, not at the table. Since the storm came out of nowhere, why was your dress ripped?” my mother asked as she glared at my dad.
“Err…Carter’s vehicle broke down, and we were close to home, so I walked. The dress must have gotten hooked by a branch or something,” I muttered as I tried to avoid eye contact.
“I thought Carter couldn’t drive?” Dad pointed out.
“Why can’t he drive?” my mother asked as she looked at dad. His eyes widened as I grinned. Way to go, Dad.
“How was work, honey?” Dad changed the subject as he gently took my mother’s hand in his.
“Harry Bobby Willson, do not alter the subject,” Mom scolded as she pulled away from my dad’s side. I snorted at Dad’s middle name; Bobby sounded like a fun, humorous person, which was not my dad.
“Something happened at work, and he was involved along with his friends, so his mother took his truck away.” My father sighed as he rubbed his forehead.
“So how did his car break down if he didn’t have one?” Mom turned to me.
“He borrowed one of Ethan’s cars; Carter wouldn’t show up to Homecoming in a truck anyway,” I lied.
“But you guys left here in a limo with Miranda and Marc—”
“Can we stop with the questions, please? It happened. It’s in the past,” I exclaimed as I cut my mother off. They looked at me with a worried look their eyes but continued to eat. “Thanks, Mom. It was delicious,” I mumbled when I finished my lasagna. I picked up my plate and empty cup, then put them in the sink. “I’m going to do some homework.” They gave a nod, and I raced up to my room. Everything was back to normal, my room spotless, my glasses on all the time with my focus on Yale. Since I didn’t plan to go anywhere, I wore a gray hoodie, boyfriend jeans, and Converse. I collapsed on my bed and took my phone from the bedside table. It had two hundred messages and a few missed calls, mostly from Miranda, asking what happened. I wasn’t ready to tell her everything. It’s not that easy to tell your best friend, “Hey I stabbed a guy with a heel, and I found out that my so-called friends only wanted me to get laid, a bet introduced by Parker Collins himself.” To hear Miranda’s cries behind that door broke my heart. The worst part was I made her cry. I broke our promise. I remembered the day when Benny got a hold of me. Ethan almost kissed me, and Carter slept over. I remember the intimate conversation we had…
“I promise…you will never get hurt again,” he mumbled as he hugged me tightly.
“Don’t make promises you don’t tend to keep, Carter Halls,” I whispered to myself as I stared out the window.
“Lana, dear, you have guests!” my mother sang. I heard the excitement in her voice as I rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to see them.
“Coming, Mom!” I replied as I got up. As I made my way down the stairs, I heard Dad’s voice.
“You guys on the football team, right?” he asked. I reached the bottom of the stairs. I looked up to see Dad’s back facing me.
“Yes, sir, proud Jefferson Eagles!” a familiar voice exclaimed. My eyes widened as my father stepped aside.
“B-Benny? What are you guys doing here?” I stuttered as I looked at Nick, Benny, and Liam.
“Wanted to know if you’d like to hang out today? If that’s okay with you, sir?” Nick asked as he looked at my dad. Nick Byrne was needless to say the less harsh one; since he dated Melissa Sing, he wasn’t violent. He had wavy blond hair that made him look like he surfed, crystal blue eyes, a long nose, and plump lips.
“I don’t see why not.” Dad smiled at me. He noticed my discomfort, then turned back to Benny. “Where will you be going?”
“To the mall, then to get a bite to eat.” Liam grinned as he winked at me. Liam Sanchez was the annoying one, always found ways to irritate me. He ran a hand through his brown hair, his eyes looking at me as he played with his lip piercing. Liam wore a red flannel with a white tee underneath it, black jeans, a gray beanie, and Converse, which entirely gave the whole skater look. I’ve seen him with glasses before, but I’m not sure if it’s for style or if he wore a pair.
“I have a history essay to—”
“Oh, Lana dear, you’ll finish that in no time. Go have fun.” Mom cut me off.
“Okay, err…I’ll grab my phone, then we’ll go,” I added, then spun around. I approached my room and walked to my mirror. I looked like a mess. I quickly ran to my makeup table and put some eyeliner on, along with lip gloss. I jumped up when I heard a knock; my head shifted to see Benny with his hands shoved in his pockets. His hair was still red from the dye, yet it made him look like an anime character. He wore a long crewneck with slim-fit jeans and Vans; his brown eyes looked tired with the bags under them.
“Does it take that long to get a phone?” Benny joked as he cautiously stepped into the room.
“Well, sorry for thinking I had a whole weekend to myself,” I blurted out as I took my phone. We stared at each other for a moment. I tried to register that he was in my house and not teasing me but wanting to hang out with me. “What are you doing here, Benny?”
“I told you I wouldn’t leave it, Lana.”
“Why couldn’t it wait till Monday?”
“I couldn’t sleep for the past two nights; I couldn’t get the image of you standing there all ruined, in the rain, in that area. Those big buildings always attract people, sometimes the wrong ones. I don’t know why it bothered me so much, then it hit me that for once it wasn’t my fault, but every time that it was, I didn’t care up until now, seeing you all shattered and broken. Lana, you’re like a fragile piece of glass that I broke but never bothered to fix, but now I’m willing to put the pieces back together slowly.”
“Benny, I—”
“That’s when I called Liam and Nick and told them. So I guess we’re here now wanting to apologize but also wanting to help you,” Benny continued as he stepped toward me. Next thing I knew, Benny slowly wrapped his arms around me. I stiffened at the sudden contact. Never in my life would I have thought Benny Nielson would pull me into an embrace. After a few seconds, I finally put my arms around his shoulders. We stayed like that for a few minutes until someone interrupted us.
“Lana, just a little warning that Benny likes to lick people’s ears when hugging,” Liam said. Benny and I pulled away, and I felt myself go red. Liam and Nick stood at the door as they chuckled.
“Shut up, ass,” Benny mumbled.
“You ready?” Nick asked as he leaned against the doorframe. I looked at them, then let out a deep breath.
“Ready.”
***
Liam belted out the lyrics to “Close” by Nick Jonas as we drove in Benny’s car. We were on our way to the new diner where Blake and I got food for our picnic. I sat in the front while Benny drove, and Nick and Liam sat in the back. Nick groaned as Liam continued to sing.
“You sound like a dying cat,” Nick hissed.
“Whatever, this is one of my favorite songs from Nick Jonas,” Liam pointed out as he reached over to turn up the volume. I scrunched my eyebrows as I swatted his hand away.
“Thank you, Lana. You’ve saved our ears from bleeding.” Nick sighed in relief.
“Humph, I like Nick Jonas better than someone else named Nick,” Liam mutter
ed as we heard a thump. “Ouch! Benny, he hit me!”
“Would you two shut the hell up?” Benny roared as he glared at them through the rearview mirror. They shut up as I let out a soft giggle. I felt Benny’s gaze on me.
“Are you guys always like this?” I snickered as I turned to look at them. Liam bobbed his head to the music while Nick typed on his phone.
“Yeah, it’s fucking annoying with these two,” Benny mumbled.
“Speak for yourself, Nielson,” Liam responded. I chuckled as I turned to look at Benny, who shook his head in amusement. The light turned green, and Benny drove as he tapped the wheel to the beat of the music. “Aww yeah, here’s my favorite Jonas brother!” Liam cheered as he began to sing along to “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE.
“Ugh,” all of us groaned as we continued to listen to Liam.
***
“Finally,” I mumbled as the car came to a stop in front of the diner. We piled out of the car, but I felt someone open my door. As I got out, I saw Nick smile at me. “Th-thanks.”
“No problem.”
We entered the diner and took in the smell of deep-fried oil and milkshakes. The place was themed as a classic diner with baby pink and blue colors that sprouted everywhere. The seats and walls were blue along with the bar, and the tables were pink; the floor was a classic black and white. Posters of famous old singers and bands were plastered everywhere. “Sh-Boom” by the Crew Cuts played from a massive jukebox on the other side of the diner.
“Lana, you coming?” Benny asked. I smiled as I slid into the booth and sat next to Liam. Benny was opposite me, and Nick sat next to him.
“This place is sick,” Liam exclaimed as he looked around. I nodded in agreement as we looked around at the many teenagers, young adults, and old people who enjoyed the atmosphere. Everyone seemed happy, even the waiters. The women wore baby pink dresses with white Converse, and the men wore little blue polo shirts, black jeans, and Converse. Yet one specific waiter caught my eye as he approached us, his eyes locked on me as he twirled the pen between his fingers.
“Hi, I’m Aidan. I’ll be your waiter for today,” he said, then looked at the guys. “Oh hey.”
“I didn’t know you worked here,” Benny hissed as he stared at Aidan.
“Yeah, just started a few days ago. What are you guys doing here?”
“We’re here to catch some Pokémon. What do you think we’re doing here?” Liam motioned to the people around us.
“What are you doing here?” Aidan turned to me. “With them?”
“We wanted to hang out with her. Is that such a crime?” Nick snapped as he glared at Aidan.
“Not if you threatened Lana to hang out just so you could beat her up later,” Aidan said through gritted teeth.
“She wanted to!” Liam barked as he got up from his seat and stood in front of Aidan. Liam was taller, being a football player, but Aidan didn’t mind as he held his head up high confidently. “Right, Lana?” Liam demanded. I glanced at Aidan, who looked at me. Hurt filled his eyes, but it was mixed with disappointment.
“Yeah,” I breathed out, then looked down at the menu. It’s like everything went silent after I had said that word. I continued to stare at the cardboard in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam sit down. I sighed in relief as I pushed my glasses back up and turned to Aidan.
“So what the hell do you guys want?” Aidan demanded as he flipped open his notepad.
“Liam, I don’t believe a waiter should talk to a customer like that, do you?” Nick asked as he flipped through the menu.
“Hmm, I don’t think so; the waiters should talk with respect to their customers. Otherwise, they don’t get a tip.” Liam sang the last part as his eyes flickered to Nick, then Aidan.
“What would you like to order?” Aidan sighed.
“Oh, we’re not ready. Give us a few minutes.” Liam waved him off as he looked at the menu. Aidan threw his arms up in exasperation as he walked off.
“Would you guys please not start? I don’t want world war three happening,” I said.
“The dick started it,” Benny mumbled, then looked at the menu. I rolled my eyes as I thought back to a month ago. They were friends, laughing at me, but now they’re enemies. Last week Aidan, Ethan, Carter, and Blake beat up Liam, Nick, and Benny, and they hated each other. It’s my fault. They’d be friends, but I had to come between their friendship. On the other hand, if I didn’t come between their friendships, they’d still bully me. From the bruises Benny had from Blake beating him up, I wouldn’t want to see what he’d do to me.
“You guys ready to order?” Aidan came back with a much better look on his face.
“Have you gained manners while you waited?” Nick asked.
“Hehe, get it, cause you’re a waite—” Liam giggled.
“Shut up,” Aidan demanded then forced a smile. “Now are you guys ready to order?”
“Yeah, burgers and strawberry milkshakes all around with a side of onion rings,” Benny said, then closed his menu.
“Right away,” Aidan muttered as he took the menus. Liam and Nick started to argue about which Jonas brother was better. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Benny’s stare on me. I sat up straight as I looked at him.
“What?”
“I still want an explanation.”
“Me too,” I stated. He knew what I meant as he glanced at Nick. He looked at me then back at Benny.
“Let’s go to the jukebox.” Nick sighed as he looked at Liam.
“What? Why? I love this song—ow! Okay.” Liam groaned as we heard a kick from under the table. The boys got up and walked to the other side of the diner where the jukebox was.
“Do you remember back in second grade when the teacher asked us what we want to be when we grew up, and Ethan said a football player?” Benny started. I slowly nodded but wasn’t clear on how that explained why he bullied me. “Well, I remember seeing you guys always talking and watching him on the playground, playing football. He continued to play until middle school, when he joined the team. I joined too, but he was always better. Everyone loved him,” Benny said as he let out a scoff. “Then do you remember that dance class we took, and we were partners?” he asked. I nodded as I shivered from the memory. “Ethan danced with Ashley Baker, and they were the best in class. I got jealous because I couldn’t dance. You told me I could do it; I just needed a bit more practice. Everyone always focused on them when dancing, but nobody took a second look at us. I became angry that he’d always win, so I had to take my anger out on someone—” He paused, then looked away. “And the right person was you, Lana Willson, the girl who encouraged him back in second grade. The girl with the big glasses and braces. The girl who had a sheriff as her father.
“After the first time, it sorta became a habit. Yet I hated myself for it. I told the guys, and they’d laugh because you didn’t do anything, never told anyone, so naturally, we took advantage of you.
“As the years went on, more people bullied you. Ethan started too, which surprised me, but hey, you had to take your anger out on someone, right? Especially after their girlfriend cheated on them.”
“You kissed Zoey back in freshman year while she was dating Ethan?” I asked.
“Nope.” He pointed to Aidan. Wow. “But now when you show up to school looking all hot and badass with that Blake guy, it was kind of hard to tease you, but before he’d always watch us while we teased you. I haven’t done anything to you in a week now, and to be honest, it feels so good. I don’t know what was wrong with me back then, but I’m sorry, Lana. Seeing you the other night made me realize something. Every time I hit you, you looked like that, and when it wasn’t me, I sort of just…I felt like a jerk for using you like that. I’m so sorry for putting you through hell these past years, and it’s okay if you don’t forgive me, I get it, but please can we just…start over?” Benny cried. I saw the tears in his eyes, and they were real genuine tears.
“You fucking asshole,” I said after a wh
ile.
“I think I deserved that,” he mumbled, and I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
“That’s fucking ridiculous. Just because you couldn’t handle someone being better than you?” I raised a brow. “Ethan Baxter’s not all that, y’know. He’s fucking pathetic, just like the rest of them.”
The silence stretched as Benny blinked away his tears. I glanced up and noticed how he’d pull his sleeves down continuously. We locked eyes, and I stared at the guy who tormented me because of his jealousy. He must have hated himself. When he’d talked to me, he’d say a whole lot of nonsense, but I understood now. He cursed himself for what he did to me.
“Do you forgive us, Lana?” a familiar voice asked. I looked over my shoulder to see that Liam had his head down while Nick shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I-I don’t know,” I croaked out. My voice felt raspy as I looked at Benny. He wiped his tears away as Nick and Liam took their seats. I thought back to when the guys apologized to me; if I gave them a second chance, then it’d be fair to give them too. Even though Benny was the worst out of everyone, he saved me the other night. I’d at least give them a chance.
