by Raathi Chota
“Oh, that is Mrs. Radc—” Mom began but was interrupted by the oven. She bolted into the kitchen and left her phone in Benny’s hands. He approached me with a confused look as he stared at the picture.
“You remember him.” I grinned as he swiped to the next image, which showed Levi and me at the beach at eight and nine years old.
“Don’t tell me. I know him. It’s on the tip of my tongue.” Benny would’ve remembered if he’d seen an older image of Levi. The doorbell broke the comfortable silence, and Benny set my mother’s phone down. “I’ll get it.” He smiled as Mom came into the living room. My mother stood next to me as she took in my appearance and I took in hers. She wore a long-sleeve dress that ended below her knee, her hair up in a tight bun as she smiled at me.
“Where’d you get the dress?” she whispered.
“I thought you got it for me.” I raised a brow. Before she replied, Benny came into the living room with an embarrassed look.
“Look who arrived,” he said through gritted teeth. I looked over his shoulder and saw Griffon Bronx enter, but he wasn’t alone. Benny stood beside me as we put on our best smiles for our two favorite teachers. “This is gonna be a long night.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lana
“Did you know they were coming?” Benny mumbled as he helped me set the table.
“I sort of forgot, but I didn’t know that he’d bring a friend.” I grinned at the adults. Miss Rosa had a bright smile on her face as my mother chatted with her. Mr. Bronx and Dad caught up, while the two awkward teenagers set the table.
“It’ll be awkward, though, with the whole Kelly pictures thing,” Benny said.
“What gave you that idea?” I asked sarcastically. Benny looked at me with an annoyed expression. I pulled my tongue at him, and he playfully rolled his eyes.
“Benny.” I glanced up to see him stiffen. I rolled my eyes and motioned him to approach them. He nodded, then left the cutlery and walked toward Griffon and my dad. I looked over my shoulder and saw the three men talk. There was a challenging look on my father’s face as he spoke to Benny. Thankfully, being the open guy Griffon was, he lightened the mood. I went to the kitchen to get the salad, along with the passion fruit. I heard laughter from the living room, and I smiled to myself. Tonight wouldn’t be so bad. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard footsteps enter the room as I took a cucumber. Miss Rosa entered the room. Her dirty blonde hair was curled, and she wore a floral dress that ended at her knees and white heels.
“Caught in the act,” she joked as I swallowed the cucumber. I sheepishly smiled as she walked to the sink.
“Miss Rosa, I’m sorry for what happened on Tuesday with Kel—”
“It’s okay, Lana. I got the full story.” She chuckled as her gaze shifted to the living room, then me. “I thought I’d never see the day that Benny Nielson and Lana Willson would be in the same room together, getting along.”
“Well, he apologized for everything he’s done in the past, and everyone deserves a second chance.”
“He’s quite something.”
“Uh huh…how did you get the full story?”
“After school, I was packing to go home then someone came into the classroom. He explained how Kelly is such a, and I quote, ‘bitch,’ to you. Then you would always run off to Griffon, since you knew him longer than anyone in the school,” she began. “He also said that you took full responsibility for ruining Principal West’s car even though he doesn’t believe you.”
“Who told you?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
“Thanks, Miss Rosa.”
“Anytime and please, call me Jenny.”
***
“So, Harry, how’s work?” Griffon asked as he cut the turkey. I sat next to Miss Rosa with Benny opposite her. Next to him was Uncle Griff, and at the ends were Mom and Dad.
“Same old. A few weeks ago, Deputy Paul said some teenagers were arrested and you bailed them out?” Dad turned to Uncle Griff. My eyes widened as I looked at Benny, then Griffon. He froze from cutting the turkey as a smirk crept up on his face.
“Oh, yeah, just a few students of mine getting up to nonsense.”
“Thank goodness I wasn’t on duty. Paul said they were annoying.”
“Yeah, thank goodness these two aren’t like them,” Miss Rosa added as she looked at Benny and me.
“Yep.” Benny winked at me. As Uncle Griff sat down, I noticed his gaze shifted from me to Benny.
“But wait…you were one of them.” My eyes widened as Dad glared at Benny.
“Err…yeah, they dragged me into it. I was stupid, Mr. Wil—” Dad and Griffon exchanged a few looks, then laughed.
“We’re just pulling your leg, kid.” Griffon chuckled as my mother scoffed.
“Don’t torture the poor boy like that,” Mom added as she hit Griffon with a napkin. I saw Jenny Rosa look up in surprise.
“You’ll get used to it,” I muttered as I stuffed my mouth with carrots.
“He’s like an older brother to Lana,” Mom assured Jenny.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what did you and your friends get arrested for?” Jenny asked Benny.
“We were just fooling around. Pulled a prank on the principal’s car and got caught while doing his daughter’s.” He shrugged. Griffon Bronx and Jenny Rosa glanced at me as they tried to process what they’d heard. The whole school already knew that I did it, but now they’d hear Benny’s story.
“Funny, that’s the same night that Lana and her friends pulled a prank too,” Dad said.
“Oh, come on, Harry, it’s not like you haven’t got arrested before.” Griffon beamed.
“Whoa, Dad got arrested?”
“But they dropped the charges.”
“Still, I wanna hear the story!”
“Yep, it was the first summer we had together. Your dad had the whole Mohawk thing going on and everything!” Griffon joked as everyone laughed. “We were in this cabin for the summer along with a bunch of other guys. One night there was a bonfire, and we played truth or dare. Your dad had two truths already because he was scared, so it was either another truth or a dare.”
“So what did you choose?” Benny asked.
“Dare.”
“Because you didn’t want to answer the truth about Misty Taylor,” Griffon added. Mom squinted her eyes at Dad.
“Misty Taylor?” she grumbled.
“This was before I met you, honey!” Dad exclaimed as he glared at Griffon.
“I know, because I wouldn’t go for a guy with a Mohawk,” she hissed as Jenny, and I laughed.
“Okay, but what was the dare?” Benny asked.
“Skinny dipping in front of the hot Misty Taylor!” Griffon cheered as he and my dad high-fived each other.
“And whatever happened to this Misty Taylor chick?” Jenny asked as Griffon whispered something to Benny and they laughed.
“Oh, she’s, err…she’s married now,” Dad said, then raised his brows. “Five kids.”
“Wow, but what do you expect? Who wouldn’t want to—”
“Griffon!” my mother scolded as Benny and I laughed.
“Sorry, Angie.” He apologized like a four year old.
“So you got arrested for that?” Benny asked.
“Yeah, apparently, they don’t like it when drunk guys run across their cabin in their birthday suit and into the lake,” Dad grumbled.
“Don’t forget the Mohawk,” Griffon added.
“All right, Sheriff Willson!” Benny cheered as he raised his hand. Dad stared at it and slowly shook his head. Benny lowered his hand.
“So, Benny, what are your plans?” my mother asked after a while.
“Well, since I’m next to take over the family business, I’ll probably do that for a few years, but apart from that, I’m looking to go into physiotherapy.”
“Wow, that’s brilliant,” my dad remarked as he gave Benny a smile.
“It’ll suit you.” Jenny smiled.<
br />
After that, conversation died down as everyone ate. I was glad that nobody asked about my plans. I wasn’t ready for that question yet. Griffon started another random topic again as I cleared off the table. Mom and Jenny talked as Benny watched me; I raised my eyebrow at him as he looked away.
“Okay, Benny, you into NBA?” Dad snapped his fingers.
“Of course, Chicago Bulls all the way!” he cheered. I rolled my eyes and walked to the kitchen. As I cleaned up, I heard footsteps behind me.
“What’s on your mind?” I looked over my shoulder to see Uncle Griff.
“Nothing,” I mumbled, then looked down at the dishes. Yet my mind was on the kiss.
“It’s written all over your face, Lana. Come on, tell Uncle Griff what’s the matter,” he cooed.
“I kissed Benny.”
“What?” he yelled. I snapped my head to peek at the living room; thankfully, nobody heard Griffon’s scream, and I sighed in relief. “So are you two—”
“No!” I yelled in a whisper.
“Phew!” He sighed in relief. I watched as he quickly recovered, and the familiar smirk appeared on his face again. “Do you have feelings for him?”
“No…I don’t…ugh! I don’t know. I mean, why would he go for a girl like me? I don’t think I’m his type. He’s sweet and all, but I—”
“You’re letting your past get to you,” he cut me off. “If you really like him, you’ll look past all the bad things he’s done to you and look at the good stuff. You’re changing him for the better, and I never thought Benny Nielson wanted to become a physiotherapist!”
“What if I’m not good enough and peo—”
“Lana, you’re beautiful, inside and out,” Uncle Griff said as the corners of his mouth raised. “Any guy would want you. Some of them haven’t made a move yet because they know if they don’t play their cards right, they’ll end up with Sheriff Mohawk.”
We laughed, and I shook my head in amusement as he walked off. I heard laughter from the living room and frowned. I wish I were there, but Mom found out about the detention, so I had to clean up. Benny came into the kitchen with a few dishes in his hands. I watched as he placed them in the sink. We stared at each other until I spoke.
“Seems like they adore you.”
“Just being myself, didn’t know your dad was such a huge fan of sports.”
“Yeah, when Ethan was here, they used to bond a lot.”
“Hopefully when I come to your house again, your dad won’t look at me like I grew a second head.”
“Yeah, very soon you guys will be best friends.” I smiled. Benny chuckled as he looked down. I noticed that his gelled hair had one strand out of place and stuck to his face. I wanted to fix it, but I knew where that’d lead to.
“Lana, look, I—”
“I have the recipe right here!” My mother’s voice cut off Benny as she and Jenny entered the kitchen. I didn’t think she even noticed we were in the kitchen as she spoke about Jamie Oliver. I glanced at Benny, who had his lips drawn into a straight line. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out, so he shook his head and exited the kitchen.
The rest of Thanksgiving break was spent with my parents. I wanted to talk to Benny, but every time I looked at my phone, I’d overthink our friendship and back away. I didn’t tell anyone, and it ate me inside. Monday came around, and I slipped on something warm since the weather didn’t look too good. It was also the start of mid-terms, so I had to focus. I had breakfast, then heard a honk from outside. I greeted my parents, then hopped to the front door. My jaw dropped as I saw the familiar GMC truck in my driveway. Carter must’ve gotten his truck back.
“Don’t wanna be late for the first test, Willson!” Aidan exclaimed from the passenger seat. The back door flew open as Liam hopped out and held the door open for me. I raised my eyebrow at their weird behavior as I walked to the truck.
“Morning, Mr. Willson,” Liam greeted as he got into the car. I looked out the window and saw my dad by the porch. He sipped his coffee as he stared at us. We watched as he placed his other hand on his holster. Aidan made an awkward cough as he hit the dashboard.
“Go now, he’s gonna shoot!”
Carter hit the gas pedal as I sunk in my seat. Once we were around the corner, he let out a sigh.
“Damn, one of these days I’ll need to come with a lawyer,” Liam commented.
“He’s just a protective parent,” I said as I took out my history book. The guys got into their own conversations as I tried to review the work. My thoughts went back to Benny. Yesterday I studied all day and had not one text from him.
“Lana, I’m madly in love with you,” Carter blurted out.
“What?”
“That got her attention.” Nick chuckled beside me.
“Sorry, just reviewing,” I mumbled.
“You’re reviewing a closed book,” Liam pointed out. I looked down to see that I hadn’t even opened the book yet.
“You got a haircut!” I squinted my eyes at his lovely brunette hair.
“That’s what’s different about you,” Aidan said as he turned to us.
“No duh, what gave you that idea?” Nick sarcastically asked.
“Was it the missing mop on his head or the fact that we can finally see his forehead?” Carter asked as I snorted.
“Hey, it was a phase!” Liam argued as he folded his arms.
“Okay, diverting the topic of Liam’s new haircut and onto something more important…how was everyone’s Thanksgiving?” Aidan grinned.
“Mine was good. My cousin Bethany was there. She kept on eating the cheese and talking to them,” Liam said as he nodded. “My cousin is weird.”
“Wonder where she gets it from,” Nick mumbled.
“My sister made this fabulous pudding, like oh my ga—”
“Benny and I kissed,” I blurted out. Carter hit the brakes, I flew forward, but Liam held me back.
“What?” Aidan demanded as he turned back to us.
“Carter, just drive.” I sighed as he looked at me through the rearview mirror, but eventually he drove.
“Finally, he had the balls to do it,” Aidan spoke up.
“Hehe, well, I sort of kissed him,” I said. As soon as those words flew out of my mouth, Carter hit the brakes again.
“Carter!”
“Wait, so you locked lips, made physical contact, and shared saliva with my best friend?” Nick asked.
“Well, if that’s your definition of kissing, then err…yeah,”
“Damn.”
“How? When?” Aidan asked.
“Well, on Thanksgiving, Benny came over because of the nigh…I mean to get something,” I murmured since Aidan and Carter didn’t know about the dreams. “And then we decided to hang out. So, we went to his place, and he was showering—” I cut off when I flew forward, and my head hit Aidan’s seat. I dug my nails into Carter’s shoulder as I glared at him.
“In the shower?” Carter raised his voice.
“Do that one more time, and I’ll take that steering wheel and shove it up your ass sideways!” I growled, then leaned back. “Just let me finish.”
I explained to the guys the whole situation at Benny’s house yet left out the fact that Levi called. It wasn’t important, and we were already close to the school. As they processed, I looked out the window and saw the many raindrops.
“What a nice way to start exams,” Aidan scoffed as we arrived at the school. We hopped out of the car as Nick went to Melissa. I hugged my study book against my chest as I soaked. The rain soon disappeared as I looked up to see Carter trying to cover me with his umbrella.
“Thanks,” I said, then snuggled next to him.
“How was the kiss?” Aidan asked as he played with his umbrella.
“Good, I guess.” I shrugged.
“What did his breath smell like?” Liam asked as he tried to snatch Aidan’s umbrella.
“I don’t know,” I replied as I raised a brow. Carter and I watched
in amusement as they fought over the umbrella. Liam was a bit taller than Aidan as he tried to reach over his shoulder to get it.
“Wait for it…” Carter trailed off. I squinted my eyes as I watched them pull on the umbrella. They pulled too hard, and we watched as it broke.
“There you go.” Carter laughed as the rain dripped from their hair. The bell rang, and Carter and I walked to the building while Aidan and Liam trailed behind us.
“Lana!” I looked over my shoulder to see Miranda walking up the stairs.
“Thanks, I’ll see you later,” I said to Carter as we walked into the building.
“Liam told me everything. How was the kiss?” Miranda asked, and I turned to glare at Liam, who smiled.
***
Blake
“Pleasure doing business with you, Gunner.” Parker grinned as he handed me the pack of cigarettes.
“Whatever,” I muttered as I gave him the money.
“So how’s the female population been treating you?”
“Good, I guess.”
“And your good girl who you tried unsuccessfully to turn into a badass?” Parker asked as he leaned against the lockers. We were in an empty hallway as everyone was at lunch.
“Screw you, and I didn’t fail because she isn’t a good girl.”
“Uh huh, definitely,” he said as I raised a brow. “You know there was this party last year and goddam she was hot. She was with this guy, and you wouldn’t even say it was her. It’s like he also tried to change her…”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying that your little nerd isn’t a good girl. Yeah, she has the glasses, does her work, and kisses up to Daddy, but that guy taught her a few things, and it seems she never forgot them.” He spoke in a bitter tone. I got frustrated at Parker, so I pushed him against the lockers. I held him up by his collar as he smirked at me. “Wait, let me rephrase that. Not your little nerd or Benny’s.”
“What the hell does Benny got to do with this?” I demanded then backed away.
