I wanted to tell her about Ben, but just as I opened my mouth to do so, Mom’s phone went off.
She immediately unlocked it, pushing away her plate. “Uh oh. Important email. I need to make a quick call.” She stood up and headed into the living room.
After finishing my yogurt and tossing the spoon into the sink, I peeked into the living room, but Mom was still on the phone. Plus she’d gotten her laptop out and was typing away.
“Are you sure that’s how we should word it?” she asked.
I walked up to her and leaned down to give her a kiss good night. She looked up for half a second, mouthed “sorry,” and went back to work. I left.
On the way to my room, I couldn’t help but think about how much I wanted to tell her about Ben, but it just hadn’t felt right. I usually told Mom everything. Crushes, embarrassing moments, epic fails.
She knew about the pep rally and the killer cookies.
But my mood had turned a little sour after our initial conversation. And then work had called her away again.
Just a little longer, I told myself. This project at work? It wouldn’t last forever, and then we’d be back to our normal lives where we spent several nights a week watching hilarious movies, eating crazy amounts of food, and doing other fun stuff.
In the meantime, I had cheer, my friends, and Ben.
22
Ben: Hey, want to hang out after practice is over? I’ll be working, but if you like free food…
And just like that, my feelings for Ben grew deeper.
Free food? Hang out with Ben?
Exceptional eye candy while I solved trig problems?
I was there.
Scarlett: Count me in :)
I may or may not have walked to class after lunch with the widest grin in human history after that.
Ben had asked me to hang out.
After taking deep breaths and focusing on not flailing, I took a seat next to Rachel. “Hey,” I said, a little too loudly.
She gave me this look like she could tell something was off. “What happened to you?”
I folded my lips in to keep from giving a loud SQUEEE. Then I exhaled. “Ben asked me to hang out today.”
Rachel blinked and her left brow shot up. “Really?”
I nodded. “Isn’t this great?”
“It’s awesome,” she said. “Sounds like he no longer cares about his no dating rule.” She winked at me. “Good for you. New girl sweeping in and snatching up Ben Garcia just like that.” She looked me up and down like she’d never really seen me before. “I’m impressed, new girl.”
I laughed. “Whatever. You make it sound like I’m something special, but I’m not.”
Rachel leaned in close, and her face went all fierce. “Uh, yeah, you are. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”
I smiled. “I love you,” I replied, facing forward. I winked at her. “Tyra Banks.”
She laughed at that one.
The bell rang, and the teacher asked for homework.
But first, Rachel turned to me and smiled. “Same, new girl.”
After cheer practice, Rachel pulled me aside in the locker room. She looked me up and down again, but this time, I could tell it was an assessment. “Okay, we’ve got some work to do.”
I smiled. “What do you mean?” I checked myself out in the mirror. So my hair was a little messy and my face was still sweaty, but all of that could be easily fixed.
Rachel joined me in front of the mirror. “We’ve got to touch up the makeup and fix the hair, minimum.” She looked at my post-practice leggings and t-shirt. “You didn’t bring any other clothes, did you?” she asked, tone completely serious.
“Um,” I said, not sure if I should be offended. “No?”
She let out a disappointed sigh. “I guess we’ll have to work with this.”
Now I laughed. “Okay.”
Count on Rachel to turn this into a big deal. “You know we’re just hanging out, right? Doing homework? Talking?”
Rachel gave me an unimpressed look. “It’s practically a first date. And we’re talking about the hottest guy in school, one who has never once dated or had a girlfriend, like ever. Except for maybe in sixth grade.” She looked away for a few seconds, like she was trying to remember something. “Maybe Jenny Vasquez? I remember she moved away…” She shook her head a little, regaining focus. “Anyway, this is sooo much more than a first date, if you really think about it.”
That definitely got me thinking. Did Rachel have a point?
All of a sudden, I noticed my messy mascara and eyeliner and the two thousand flyaways around my face. “Rachel?” I turned to her, a little bit of panic in my voice. “Transform me.”
Fifteen minutes later, my hair was straight and shiny thanks to Rachel’s emergency mini hair straightener. My make up was redone and better than ever. I blinked in the mirror, admiring the subtle yet sparkly eyeshadow she’d applied. Not to mention the cat eye eyeliner. “Rachel, you are a magician.”
She zipped up her make up bag. “Gracias.”
I stared at myself in the mirror, eyes wide. “You know, I wasn’t nervous before, but now I think I am.”
Rachel stood next to me, looking at my reflection too. “Well, just don’t go in looking like that.”
23
Thankfully, Bobby’s was in the middle of a dinner rush when I walked in, so I didn’t have too much to worry about.
Ben was nowhere to be seen.
I found my usual spot at the counter up near the front.
Ben came practically running out the double doors to the back, several plates in his hands. He carried three plates up to his right elbow and another in his left hand.
He gave me a quick smile. “Hey,” he said, as he dashed past.
I gave him a small wave and began pulling out books and homework.
By the time I was done with that night’s homework, the dinner rush had died down and Ben finally sat down next to me. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s not usually this busy on a Wednesday, plus one of our cooks is out.”
“It’s okay,” I said, shutting my math book. “I’m pretty much done with my assignments, so it’s all good.”
He smiled. “Does that mean you can help me with mine?” he asked, making me think of the nervous laughter emoji.
“That can be arranged,” I replied. “For the right price.”
The bell from the kitchen rang, and he stood up. “Large order of fries. Coming right up.”
I laughed and watched him go.
A cute boy who brought me free fries. It just didn’t get better than this.
Several minutes later, the restaurant just about emptied out. Ben brought over the promised order of fries, and we dug in.
“I’ve got a couple of burgers coming out in a minute too,” he said, “but I couldn’t wait anymore. I’m starving.”
“Me too,” I said, dipping a French fry into Bobby’s sauce then popping it into my mouth.
We spent the better part of the next hour doing his homework and eating a late dinner.
When it came to math, he definitely got the hang of it faster than me and finished the homework in almost half the time it took me.
I looked through them, comparing his answers to mine. “How can you do these that fast? I mess up if I don’t go at a snail’s pace.”
He shrugged and picked up the rest of his burger. “It’s an acquired skill, especially when the more time you spend on homework, the less sleep you get.”
The closer it got to nine o’clock, the more I dreaded going home. This time, Mom was out of town through Saturday so I was going home to an empty house and staying in one for a few days.
I could’ve asked Rachel, Audrey, or Nora if I could stay with them, but the thought of not sleeping in a familiar place each night sounded slightly worse, even if it was with friends.
My phone buzzed. I checked it. “My Uber’s almost here,” I said.
I grabbed my stuff, and Ben walked me out.
/> “Thank you for dinner,” I said. “Again.”
“Thanks for hanging out,” he replied. “Even if it is kind of lame that I have to work.”
I looked up at him. “I just think it’s cool that ‘Bobby’ lets you do homework and hang out while it’s slow.”
That made him laugh. “Yeah, Bobby is pretty cool, I gotta admit.”
Seeing him laugh only made me smile wider. I loved his laugh, and I loved that I got to hear it more and more often lately.
Ben slipped his hand around mine. “Text me when you get home?” he asked quietly.
“Yeah,” I said. “I will.”
For a second, I thought he was going to lean down and kiss me, but he didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me.
As much as I would’ve preferred a kiss from him, settling for a hug wasn’t half bad.
On my way home, my phone buzzed. I expected it to be Mom, asking what I was doing or Rachel asking how my “date” with Ben had gone.
But it wasn’t either of them.
Ben: By the way, you looked beautiful tonight.
After that, I pretty much floated from my Uber to my front door.
Thank you, Rachel.
24
Our next couple of games were away, which meant hopping onto a bus to play at a school a good hour or more from town.
I was one of the first people on the bus so I found a seat near the back, leaned my head against the window, and closed my eyes.
I’d been up way too late watching Netflix before I’d remembered that I had a science test in first period.
So instead of heading to bed at midnight, I had groaned out loud and pulled the study guide from my backpack to study.
And it happened to be one of those units where there were like a dozen human muscles to memorize. So I was ready for a nap.
Even though someone sat down next to me, I kept my eyes closed. “Wake me up when we get there, okay, Rach?” I mumbled.
“Okay,” I heard from someone who was definitely not Rachel.
I sat up so fast, wiping the sleep from my eyes.
Ben started laughing so hard. “I’m sorry,” he said, still laughing. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I stared at him, still kind of startled. Blinked several times. “Well, I am no longer sleepy. So, thank you for that.”
I couldn’t help it, though. I smiled, and our eyes met.
Rachel walked past, giving me a wave and a wink.
“Is it okay if I sit with you?” Ben asked, the ghost of a smile still present on his handsome face.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Of course.”
Always.
My heart began to race a little at the thought of spending the entire bus ride with Ben by my side. I couldn’t think of anything better.
Both the cheer and football coaches took roll and double-checked that everyone that was supposed to be aboard was present.
When our names got called, Ben and I got a couple of surprised looks and even a loud “whoop” from one of the guys.
Hoping I wasn’t blushing, I stared at my legs.
Finally, the coaches were satisfied that they had everyone.
The bus rumbled to life, and we were off.
After a minute, Ben scooted toward me just a tad. “So how’d you do on that science test today?” he asked.
I sighed. “Well, let’s see. I managed to not fall asleep because I only slept like five hours, but I think I got a B, at least.”
He chuckled.
“What about you?” I asked him.
He seemed unsure for a minute. “Um, also a B, I hope?” He glanced at Mrs. Collins, who, by the looks of it, was already grading the tests in the front row. “I keep reminding myself to bring Mrs. Collins an apple or something.”
I giggled. “Chocolate has to be the way to go. Or maybe just cold, hard cash…” I thought out loud.
Ben shook his head. “No, cash is more Mr. Chavez’s style. Have you seen his car?”
We talked like that for a few more minutes.
Then he pulled out his pre-game playlist, offering me an earbud.
I took it.
By the time we got to the game, I was pumped up.
The boys played an amazing and nail-biting game, winning by just three points.
Somehow, the entire cheer squad managed not to freeze in the biting cold and icy breeze.
As we headed back to the bus, I walked close to Rachel to stay warm. We had our hoodies on, but that was it. I pointed to our skirts. “Um, yeah, we need actual pants for this kind of weather. Please pass along this suggestion to Lily and Mrs. Collins.”
She grinned. “Warm-up outfits is as good as it gets, and Lily hates cheering in those.” She pulled at her hoodie. “This is all you’ll get during cold games, girl.”
If there was one thing I missed about dance it was not having to do it in the freezing cold.
Needless to say, though, the entire bus was pumped up on the way back home because of our victory.
Apparently, this team had beat Jefferson several years in a row, and we’d finally wiped the floor with them on their turf.
As we rode home, the football coach tried to get everyone back in line, but he gave up after a while.
Someone had brought along a Bluetooth speaker so everyone was singing and pumping their fists in the air to everything from Bruno Mars to Beyonce as we traveled down a secluded highway.
One of the guys sitting behind us shook his head. “We are a horror movie waiting to happen. Bunch of cocky teens on their way home and on a road like this.”
Several people laughed at that.
After a while, we stopped to eat at a Zaxby’s.
I’d never been. “We don’t have these where I’m from,” I said, looking at the menu. “What should I get?”
Ben, Aaron, and Rachel just stared. Rachel took my hands. “Tell me you’re kidding.”
I shook my head. “What? Is it that good?”
Aaron shook his head but in utter disappointment. “Just order the wings and things, okay? You can thank me later.”
Ben smiled. “You’ll love it.”
I did love it. “Oh my gosh,” I said, biting into another hot wing. “I’m telling my mom that we have to move here permanently. Between Bobby’s and this place…I see no reason to leave.”
Rachel grinned and dug into her salad. “Sounds like a done deal.”
Aaron and some of his friends laughed about one of the guys on the other team who had been trash talking the entire time. Rachel began telling me about some of the moves the other cheerleaders had pulled off that she liked. Meanwhile, Ben excused himself from the table. I saw him head to the bathroom. So I focused on the delicious food in front of me.
Once everyone was done eating, we got back on the bus. Now that we were fed and full, most people put in earbuds and closed their eyes or talked quietly.
Rachel was right behind me. Because we’d gone to the bathroom just before leaving the restaurant, we were one of the last ones on the bus.
I looked for Ben and the seat we’d been in before but didn’t see him. It was empty.
From one of the last rows, Aaron gave us a small wave. That was Ben next to him, but he was seated with his head leaning all the way forward and resting against the seat in front of him. I recognized the hoodie pulled over his head.
Aaron shrugged his shoulders and gave us a look like, “Sorry.”
I glanced back at Rachel, who shrugged. “I guess he’s tired,” I said, sliding into the seat I’d been in before. Rachel joined me.
Then I remembered. He’d mentioned having to be up for an early shift at Bobby’s the next day. That had to be it.
Between working every day, keeping up with homework, and all of these football games, he had to be exhausted. Especially after a tough game and a big meal.
Everything would be better the next day, I told myself. Or the next time I saw him.
But a part of me couldn’t help but think
that no wonder Ben had this no dating rule. Even if he liked me and wanted a girlfriend, did he have time for one? Could this even work?
25
Things with Ben didn’t get better.
In fact, they only got weird.
His texts came less and less often over the next few days.
There was a good morning here and a good night there, but lots of one and two-word responses in between.
He had to be too busy to talk, right?
But when we walked to class, he hardly made eye contact, hardly talked. Something about him just seemed…off.
Before he could run off to his class, I took his hand, making him stop for a second. “Hey, are you okay? Did I do or say something?” I asked, no longer willing to debate the entire thing in my own head. It was driving me crazy.
I wanted the normal Ben back, but lately, he was acting more and more withdrawn.
Then it hit me.
Right there, while he stood and opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again.
This was the normal Ben. This was the exact same Ben from several weeks ago when I’d moved here. Quiet, withdrawn, hardly talked to anybody.
His hand slipped out of mine. “I’m fine. I gotta go. Talk to you later, okay?” And just like that, he was off.
I blinked back tears while I watched his retreating figure walk down the hallway.
Somehow, I had misinterpreted this whole thing.
I walked into class and took a seat, hardly paying attention to where I was going.
But he’d kissed me.
We’d talked every day.
I didn’t get it.
At lunch, I told Rachel, Audrey, and Nora about it.
I stared down at my lunch, still trying to understand what had gone wrong.
Nora took my hand. “You did nothing wrong, okay? I think Ben…”
I searched her face, wondering what she was trying to say, but she didn’t finish her sentence.
Rachel gave me a hug. “Ben’s just…Ben. He’s always been like that. It’s like he’s afraid to like somebody. I have no idea why.”
Falling for Ben & Other Impossible Things (Garcia Brothers Book 1) Page 11
