School was done for the year. It was the final hurdle to overcome; the last task to complete before the summer could officially begin. The weather had already warmed up, making the last couple of weeks of classes almost unbearable. The old building's AC unit just couldn't keep up with the summer heat settling in early coupled with the mass amounts of students and staff crammed into the classrooms and hallways. Rey had already swapped out her jeans for shorts, and her tees for tank tops. Pretty much everyone turned a blind eye to the student dress code the moment the temps hit the eighties. After all, it was bad enough to make kids sit in a humid classroom. It was just cruel to make them do it while dressed in anything but a summer wardrobe.
There was a thrill in the air; a level of excitement that couldn't be contained the moment that the final bell rang. Rey jumped up out of her seat, a wide grin spread across her face. She had done it; had completed her junior year. Finals still had to be tallied and grades submitted, but Rey had felt pretty confident that she had passed the year, even if she had felt nothing good about her algebra final.
She was officially a senior now. One more year to go. This time next year she would be getting ready for the graduation ceremony and figuring out what she needed to pack for college. One more year.
But one more year was still one more year. It was still twelve months away. Rey didn't want to think about this time next year. No, she wanted nothing more than to enjoy this moment; this one right here and right now. Everyone was hugging and hollering in the hallways on their way out of the building, saying their goodbyes even though they were making plans to spend the summer months together. Oddly enough, no one really seemed to be in a rush to go. It was easy to take your time when you knew you had a three month hiatus before you had to come back and walk these halls again.
Rey waved goodbye to a couple of familiar faces as she made her way through the school. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder, moving back and forth as she walked, a couple of binders and stray pieces of paper that she had cleaned out of her locker, clutched against her chest.
"We did it!" She felt someone bump her purposefully, causing her body to rock from one side to the other. Rey didn't even have to look to see who it was; Finn.
They had met in the second grade, right after Rey had moved in with Maz and begun attending public school. They had been not only put in the same class, but had also sat beside each other. Finn had offered her some crayons, which Rey had begrudgingly taken, not really trusting or taking to the weird boy who was dressed in a clearly homemade Captain America outfit.
Finn proceeded to wear that outfit to school for almost a solid month. He, like Rey, had been new to the area, having moved in with his two aunts, and apparently wearing a red, white and blue costume to school was supposed to make the transition easier for him. Rey didn't see the point in it; didn't see the logic or understand how something so ridiculously looking could make you feel better. But the moment Rey saw Finn cornered on playground by the monkey bars, not even two weeks into the school year, something in her had snapped. She might not get it, but that didn't give anyone else the right to make fun of her new friend. After all, he was the only other kid that would talk to her. Apparently biting members of the law enforcement gave you a reputation that proceeded you, even when you were only in the second grade.
So Rey had threatened to bite those kids by the monkey bars unless they left Finn alone. Which they did. And eventually the homemade Captain America costume turned into a cloak held together with a leaf shaped broach, which then turned into round shaped glasses and a lightening bolt shape doodled onto his forehead which then faded away into jeans and graphic tees. But no matter what get-up Finn showed up to school in, Rey was always right there by his side, usually with a couple questions but no judgment. Finn's costumes might of faded, but their friendship never did.
"One more year." Finn echoed her earlier thoughts, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Rey's shoulder, pulling her close towards him. "One more year in this hell hole then we'll be off to college in a big city."
"You will be off to a big city." Rey corrected, shooting her best friend a pointed look. "I'm still undecided." She paused momentarily as Finn shot her a pout. "I just don't want to rule any options out! What happens if I get a full ride to a state school in the middle of the country? As much as living in New York or Boston sounds great, I can't exactly say no to free money, can I?"
"No," Finn agreed with a heavy sigh, leaning his body into Rey's as if the very idea of going to school without his best friend was making it hard to move. "No, but then you will be dragging your ass to visit me pretty much every weekend, because I will have exciting culture to share with you. And if you win the lottery, you have to promise to help pay back my student loans."
"Deal." They both grinned at each other, shaking hands as the agreement was made.
They both continued to chat as they made their way through the hallways and out towards the student parking lot. Once outside the excitement seemed even more real. Many students were loitering around, music blasting from the car speakers as invitations to different end of the year parties were shouted from one person to the other.
Standing there in the middle of chaos, stood Rose Tico, leaning against the driver side of a silver Honda sedan.
If Finn was the excitement of the group; a rapid river always changing course, well then Rose was steady and sturdy, more like a lake. She and her older sister, Paige had come to live with Maz a few years after Rey. Finn and Rey had become friends for survival reasons, which had morphed into something else. Rose and Rey had become friends because of convenience. They were the same age and sharing a bedroom. They got a long just fine, so friends they became. Rose fell right in sync with Finn, and thus the golden trio was born.
"I don't know why Maz only lets you drive," Rey whined, watching her other best friend look up from the book she was reading. Rey already knew the answer to her question. Rose was the responsible one. She was the only teenager that Rey knew who not only obeyed speed limits, but had the DMV handbook practically memorized. Yes, Rose was most definitely the steady, dependable one. Finn was pure emotion. And Rey? She liked to think she fell in the middle; that she was the ocean. She could be steady and dependable, but she could also be unpredictable and rough. A mixed bag, Maz liked to call her.
"Maybe because I'm the only one who hasn't gotten a dent or a scratch on the car." Rose retorted, an air of teasing superiority to her voice. She moved to get into the driver's seat, as Rey climbed into the passenger side, and Finn took his proper spot in the middle of the backseat. The car had barely been turned on when Rey was already fidgeting with the radio, trying to find the right station that fit her mood. With one hand on the radio dial, the other was rolling down the passenger window, ignoring the cold air that was already blasting from the vents.
It didn't take long for Rose to pull out of the parking lot and onto the main road, but already Rey felt like she had been in the car for too long. "Go faster," Rey urged, moving to jab Rose in the shoulder. "Go ahead, pass that kid on the bike. Live on the edge. I dare you."
Rose and Finn shared a knowing look in the rear view mirror, but said nothing about their best friend's impatience. Rey moved to rest her forearms along the window sill of the car, perching her chin on top of them as she enjoyed the way the breeze felt blowing across her face.
They dropped Finn off first, waving and yelling out the windows and promising that they would pick him up tomorrow night for the end of the year bonfire that Kaydel Connix was hosting down at the beach.
Then the car was back on the road, driving slower than Maz, which was saying something. Their guardian was a bad ass in many ways, but driving? It left a lot to be desired and as a child, Rey had always seemed to be reminding Maz that 'green meant go.'
"Oh look!" Rey's voice was dry and sarcastic as she lolled her head to the side, giving Rose an agitated glare. "Someone in a wheelchair just passed us."
Rose stuck her tongue out in retaliation, though her hands remained gripping the steering wheel (at ten and two) and her eyes didn't leave the road even for a second. "If you think I'm such a slow driver, why didn't you just take the bus home." Rose gave a brief pause. "Or have him pick you up."
Instantly Rey felt her face heat up, and she suddenly wished she had more of a tan to hide the blush that was stretching across her cheeks. "I'm not sure if he's here yet." Rey mumbled, to which Rose merely nodded in reply, a small smirk twitching at her lips.
Rey clearly still felt antsy, but she didn't make any more comments. Instead she just kept moving in her seat. One moment she had her head hanging out the window as if she was
a golden retriever. The next, her shoes were off and her feet were perched up on the dashboard, as her fingers drummed against her thighs along with the radio. And then, after what seemed to be another painstakingly seven thousand years passed, Rose was pulling the car into the gravely driveway in front of their house.
And this moment couldn't come soon enough.
The ignition wasn't even turned off when Rey was bounding out of the car. She left behind her shoes and backpack. She ignored Rose's yells about needing help with carrying in the boxes of books that she had purchased at the end of year library sale. Rey suddenly had tunnel vision; had a one track mind. All she saw was the black car parked in the driveway across the street, and the tall figure that was standing on the front porch.
Her excitement could no longer be contained, and it showed with the wide grin spread across her face. Rey had never run so fast in her life. She seemed to cross the street in a matter of seconds, and the pair met halfway in the middle, on the front yard of the large historic house that Rey had always admired from afar.
She flung herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck, his familiar scent instantly filling her lungs and overcoming all of her senses as she held him close. She felt his large hands awkwardly moving to her sides, his touch hesitant and light. Then he seemed to relax, and Rey felt his palm momentarily press against the small of her back. The contact sent a jolt through her stomach, and instantly her body felt hot; felt humid and on fire.
"I didn't know when you were getting in," Rey said, her voice sounding muffled, her face pressed up against the black fabric of his tee shirt. She didn't want to pull away yet. She wanted to hold onto this moment just a little bit longer; wanted to give her heartbeat a chance to slow down. She wanted to pull away only once she was sure that the blush was gone from her face.
"I got done with work early. I made good time getting out of the city." Came his calm reply. Slowly they parted, and once again Rey found herself hoping that her pink cheeks weren't sticking out like a sore thumb. Her pulse was racing, and Rey was pretty sure if he listened real hard, he would be able to hear her heat threatening to beat out of her chest.
Rey fell silent for a moment, just tilting her chin up as she took him in. He always looked different at the beginning of the summer. He always looked different but he always looked the same as well. He was Ben, after all; her Ben. The same Ben that she had followed around like a lost puppy when she was seven and he was sixteen. The same Ben that had taught her how to swear and skip rocks; the same Ben that had snuck her into her first R-rated movie. Ben; the first person she felt who truly understood her.
Summers were for the two of them, and that, besides Maz, had been the one constant and certainty in Rey's life. It was what she lived for; it was how she counted her life. Some people thought of September as the beginning of the year, or even January, when they could start a fresh start with a new date. But that had never been how Rey counted time. No, her year began in May, once school was out and Ben was here.
"You always make good time," Rey retorted, moving to probe him in the shoulder. "You always make good time because you don't follow any of the traffic laws and you zip through traffic like you're some crazy ass driver."
"Do fucking not."
"Do too."
Ben let out an agitated sigh, exhaling heavily through his nose, though Rey spotted a small smile in the corner of his lips. She grinned right back at him, her own smile wide enough to make even the cheshire cat envious. And then, as if right on cue for their unspoken timeline of events, her stomach gave a loud rumble. Ben instantly rolled his eyes.
"I haven't even been here five fucking minutes and you're already trying to get food out of me."
Rey pretended to look offended, before she gave a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. "I can't help that I'm a growing girl. Besides, lunch was shit at school. Nothing but gross peanut butter and jelly. God forbid you end the year with something edible."
She looked over at him again, watching as his eyes seemed to rake over her form, looking for changes in her the same way that Rey had just been looking for changes in Ben. Rey knew that she was taller than last summer. Maz always seemed to be complaining about how much Rey grew. She was either emptying out the pantry and fridge due to her seemingly never satisfied appetite, or she was asking for money for clothes; her jeans were too short or her tees were venturing into crop top territory. Rey was already pretty tall, though now that she was next to Ben, she felt small in comparison. He was the only person that Rey could ever count on having to look up too.
"Feed me, Seymour." Rey began to move her hands together, pretending to be the cannibalistic plant from Little Shop of Horrors. Finn might be the dramatic friend, but Rose was the one who forced them to watch musicals. "Feeeed meeeee."
"Alright, alright!" Ben held up his hands up in defeat, a mumbled 'fuck' slipping out under his breath. "I'll feed you." He glanced around, moving to grab his car keys from the pocket of his jeans. Looking down towards Rey's feet, Ben cocked an eyebrow. "You don't even have shoes."
Her brown eyes followed his gaze, and sure enough, her sneakers were still in Rose's car. It was only across the street, but Rose was notorious for locking the doors, despite the fact that Rey was pretty sure that even if a thief did show up on their street, they wouldn't be looking in the ten year old Honda for valuables.
"We'll go to the Clam Shack." Came her suggestion. "You don't really need shoes to go there." Ben nodded in agreement. Going to a tourist trap of a place wasn't going to be his idea of fun. Then again, the only restaurant that Ben seemed to like to go, was the diner off of the interstate. But that was at least fifteen minutes away, and you most certainly needed to shoes in there. The Clam Shack? It was a glorified shed that didn't even offer any sort of seating. It didn't care if you came in a ball gown or covered in salt water and seaweed. They just fed you.
"I can drive!" Rey's voice was excited and too loud, as she darted to try and grab the car keys from Ben's grasp. But he was one step ahead. He took advantage of his height, holding the keys high above his head and out of Rey's reach. Of course that didn't stop her from jumping, trying to grab onto his arm and pull his hand down.
"Like hell you will," Ben retorted, leaning back more as he tried to keep his keys away. "There's a reason that Rose fucking drives you around. You're shit at it."
"Am not!" Determination was etched into her freckled features, and she leaned more onto Ben, trying to hold onto his shoulder and use it as leverage to jump higher into the air. "Besides, you're the one that taught me how to drive!"
Snorting, Ben gave a wave of his hand as if say 'a minor detail'. Rey gave up her quest to try and steal the keys. Accepting defeat, she instead just slid into the passenger seat of Ben's car. It was a mess, as usual. CD cases seemed to line the floor, while various wrappers and empty soda bottles were all over the backseat. "You know," Rey began to say, moving to grab her seat belt. "If you would just let me put your music on your phone, or even an iPod-"
"No."
"But Ben, then you wouldn't have to bother with the CD's-"
"No."
Rey let out a frustrated growl, rolling her eyes at her best friend's stubborn nature. They had been having the same argument for the past year. Ben refused to give up his CD's and Rey couldn't understand how you could turn down the convenience of having all your music in one place, able to jump from different genres and different songs without the nuisance of swapping out a disc. So far, neither side had made any movements towards the middle. They were both stubborn, and because of it, had been at a stalemate for quite some time.
So Rey opted to drop it. She instead began to sort through the CD's at her feet, before she found one of her favorites and slipped it into the CD player. Her favorite song was the first one, and she began to bob her head up and down to the beat, drumming her fingers on the side of the car door, as her free hand moved to push a brown lock of her hair from her eyes.
"You cut it." Ben paused, clearing his throat slightly as he glanced over at Rey. "Your hair. It was longer last time I saw you."
Nodding her head, Rey moved to toy with the ends of her hair which now reached about to her collar bone. "Rose did it for me. I wanted something different." I wondered if you would notice. "A change." She shifted in her seat, positioning herself so that she could look at Ben without having to keep turning her head. "Your's is getting long." Rey smirked, reaching over roughly tug on a strand of his dark hair. Ben batted her hand away, scowling. His hair had always been longer. Rey had seen a picture of him when he was eleven or twelve once, which was probably the last time Ben had 'short' hair. When you had big ears, which Ben did, Rey figured you did what you could to mask them.
Now his hair was longer, almost towards his chin, though it had a bunch of shaggy layers. "You're growing a beard too, huh?" Rey asked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you sophisticated."
"No, I'm just twenty-four years old." Ben dryly responded, and instantly Rey went silent. She hated when their ages were brought up. Hated when they were reminded of the large gap between them. It was even worse when he would start to talk about something and then just stop mid sentence. He always did the same thing; would always shake his head and just tell her to 'forget it', as if her immature mind couldn't possibly grasp whatever he was talking about.
Rey hated anything that made them seem different. And the eight, almost nine years between them was the biggest elephant in the room. Of course Ben had always been older than her. They had meet when she was seven, and he was, well the age that she was now. But something had changed and shifted at one point. The age became less of a fact and more of a barrier; of a line in the sand that had him on one side, while she was stuck on the other.
Shifting again in her seat, Rey realized she was pouting. Her arms had been folded across her chest, her body slumped down. She moved to straighten up; moved to tug at her jean cut offs and the hem of her tank top, both which were pretty basic staples in her wardrobe, though they now seemed juvenile and to show her age. Leaving school today, Rey had felt mature. She was going to be a senior. She was sixteen, would turn seventeen over the summer. Now she felt even more like the tag along kid sister, making her brother drive her to get food.
"How did your finals go?" Ben asked, glancing over at Rey again. The last thing she wanted to talk about was school, but it was better than sulking in silence like a pouting six year old.
"Fine. I figured a got B's on most of them, maybe a C in Algebra but that was my hardest one." Rey answered, trying to sound nonchalant though she was pretty sure her voice came out more stiff and grumpy. Pausing, she moved to change the song on the radio. "How's your school going?" She countered, turning the tables back on Ben. He was getting his masters in architecture. And from how Ben had been talking last summer, it seemed that he would be finishing up soon. They had always teased each other about who would graduate first; Rey or Ben. Of course Rey had hoped it would be her. Ben got to do everything first. The least he could do would be to allow her this one victory.
She waited for his answer, watching as he shifted slightly in the driver's seat. "Fine." Ben replied, offering no more information than that. Rey knew something was up, but she also knew Ben. To try and push and prod for more information wouldn't work. You had to let Ben come to you. She knew from past experience that harassing and badgering would lead to absolutely nothing. So, Rey didn't push the subject of school. After all, she didn't really want to talk about school in the first place.
Lucky for both of them, Ben pulled into the parking lot for the Clam Shack. Despite the fact that the tourists hadn't settled in for the summer yet, the place was still busy. Parking his car in the first available spot, the pair soon joined the long line in front of the white shed that served the best fried clams and lobster rolls in town, all through a small take out window. Despite how busy the place was, the line moved quickly, which Rey was thankful for. Shoes might not be required, but her feet were already becoming a bit sore from standing in the gravely parking lot.
Ben ordered a burger, Rey got the fried clam roll, and after a brief moment of bickering, decided to share an order of fries. They carried their hot food back to the car, and opted to sit on the hood of Ben's black Subaru, since the majority of the picnic tables were crowded with hoards of families and teenagers.
Rey didn't even bother to wait for her food to cool down before she was taking a large bite. Instantly her mouth was filled with the delicious flavors of white bread and fried sea food. And it was also filled with regret as the severity of her actions sunk in. Or, more accurately, the roof of her mouth began to burn against the hot, deep fried strips of clams. Waving her arm dramatically, Rey was reaching across Ben, trying for his large cup of iced tea that he had been holding. Grabbing the cup roughly, she gulped down large sips of it, not even caring that Rey didn't even like iced tea in the first place.
Looking amused, Ben gave a small shake of his head. He picked up a fry, popping it into his mouth and chewing before he spoke. "Told you, you'd want a drink." He moved to take his cup back from Rey, taking his own sip before he set it back down on the hood of his car.
Rey glared at him, her mouth no longer feeling like it was on fire, though she was sure she would have a pretty decent ulcer later. "Shut up," She muttered, swatting at him again. Her legs were swinging, the backs of her shins lightly 'thudding' against the front of his car. She only allowed herself a moment of recovery, before she was once again taking too large of a bite. It was still hot, but not painfully so. And god, it tasted so good.
For a few moments, Ben nor Rey spoke. They just ate in comfortable silence, eating and people watching. Rey saw a couple kids she recognized from school, but no one that she was close enough to, to talk to. She caught Ben looking over at her more than once, and on the third time, she made a face back at him, raising her eyebrow in question.
"Friends?" Ben asked, jerking his head over towards a rowdy group of teenage boys, most of which were from her high school. For some reason, Rey felt her face turn pink, as she dropped her gaze down to the french fries, her fingers picking through them, trying to eat the smallest ones first. "No, they just go to my school. They're graduating this year, I think."
Ben simply nodded once more, looking over to the group for another moment as he finished up eating his burger. Now it was Rey's turn to stare. Her lips were pressed together, as she studied Ben's face, watching the way his brow seemed to furrow and his large mouth always seemed to be turned down in a permanent frown. A smile from Ben was a rare treasure. Rey could probably count on one hand the times she had got a genuine smile or laugh from him, and she always had to work extra hard for every single one.
But something seemed off, even for the usually grumpy Ben. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something wasn't right. He would tell her. He always eventually did. Rey just had to be patient, and when he was ready he would talk. But god, being patient sucked so hard. She was absolutely terrible at it, even when she knew it was the right path to take.
Scooting closer towards him, she nudged her shoulder into his. He of course, felt solid, like he was carved from stone. Rey had to wait a moment before he finally looked her way. "Hey," Rey said, dropping her voice slightly, She fell silent then, opening her mouth but not letting any more words come out. She wanted to say something meaningful; wanted to ask him what was up, or say how glad she was that he was spending the summer at the beach again. But instead, nothing purposeful came out. Instead, Rey reverted back to her default goal; to make Ben laughed. Instead, Rey let out a large burp.
It worked, or well at least it almost did. He snorted, the corners of his mouth curving up just enough that Rey could count it as a victory, albeit a small one. "You're fucking gross." Raising a large hand, he moved to ruffle the top of her head before hopping down off of the hood of his car. "C'mon kid, let's get you back home before Maz has a fit." Rey wanted to point out that it was early; that it wasn't anywhere near her curfew. But she also didn't want to spoil the moment; didn't want to tarnish her first day of the summer with Ben. They had the next three months to spend together. She could be patient. She could be mature. She could go with the flow. If Ben was ready to head back to the house, then she could go along without complaint. Really, she could. She could prove to him that she wasn't just some tag along kid anymore.
So, finishing off her sandwich, Rey slid off of the car, she gathered her trash, and tossed it into the nearby trash can. Running her hands over the front of her tank top, Rey brushed away any stray crumbs before she moved to stand in front of Ben, a wide, innocent smile on her face. "Let me drive back? Pretty please?"
Ben stared at her, before he let his head drop, his dark hair moving to frame his face like a dark curtain. Rey suddenly wanted to do nothing more than to reach up and run her fingers through it; wanted to feel it's silky texture. She just see what it would be like; wanted to just give it a try. But no, Rey resisted. It took all of her willpower to keep both hands firmly by her sides but she managed to do so. And then Ben was lifting his head up as he let out a sigh, the moment passing as he held up his hands, his car keys dangled between his forefinger and thumb.
"Don't make me regret this, kid." Ben warned, though there was a teasing edge to his tone.
Rey instantly snatched up the keys, her smile growing even more wide and more genuine. "I won't. No regrets, I promise." And then with a squeal, they both got back into the car, Rey in the driver's seat and Ben right beside her.