Author's Notes: I cannot stress the words Trigger Warning enough for things like drug use, self harm, sexual abuse, violence. I did say this got really dark. The story became a bit personal to me because I used some things from my past to write it even though I only intended it to be to spite antis. Ah well. Dedicated to the antis still. Have fun sweethearts.
"It's just us now."
"Oh..." She averted her eyes from his cold expression and considered what she should say. It was so hard to speak to him anymore. Once upon a time
Ben had been cheerful and happy, but now he was cold and callous. Something had happened to him to change him.
With a sigh he stepped aside and gestured for her to come inside. Though no words were exchanged and she hurried inside while Chewie charged in and bolted into the kitchen for dinner.
"Just... make yourself at home..." He shrugged as he grabbed his leather jacket from the rack at the door.
"You're leaving?" Rey set her bags down and observed him for a moment. That awkward stance he held led her to believe that he was hiding something.
"Yeah. School. Extra classes."
A lie. Such an obvious lie. Who would believe such a thing? She wondered if he told similar lies to his mother and if she believed those lies or if she knew that no matter what she could not change them and let him be. Leia was not ignorant after all. Han though... he likely had no idea what was going on with his son. He was never home.
She knew better than to even try and ask questions despite how much she wanted to. All she could do was watch as he walked out the door and left on his motorcycle... or... to be more precise it was Han's, but he had given it to Ben when he upgraded. Not really a gift, just something he didn't want anymore.
The door slammed and she jumped in surprise, turning to find Han had returned home. There was a pause and he raised a brow at her.
"What's the matter, kid?" Han asked her. "They still mad?"
"Oh... maybe Ben... aunt Leia isn't here."
"Huh." Han set his hands on his hips and thought about her words, a look crossed his face, perhaps a sense of guilt for walking out like he had. "Think they'd calm down after a week."
Rey fought against a wince at Han's words. A week was a long time. She wondered if Leia and Han would make up tonight or not. She hoped that they would and it would not be awkward the entire time she was here.
"All done Mr. Solo." Another voice stated and Rey recognized Poe when he stepped through the door and offered one of his ever charming smiles.
"Ah, Rey you remember Poe." Han waved a hand between the two of them.
"Good to see you again, Rey. How long has it been? Three years?" Poe asked as he wiped his greasy hands with an old cloth. It seemed the two had been working on cars again.
"Yes. Nearly that. How have you been, Poe?" Rey was trying to be polite, but she found herself a little shaken by Ben's attitude and lie before he had left. She was worried.
"Working with Mr. Solo on the Falcon."
Ah, of course. The Falcon. Han's prized race car. He loved that thing more than life itself it seemed sometimes.
"She's looking good for her age." Han acknowledged. "Hm. Leia should be home any minute. I think we should order in so she doesn't have to cook. Those meetings take a lot out of her. What do you think Poe? Want to stay for dinner?"
"I'd love to Mr. Solo." Poe's smile appeared again, probably the type that would make a girl faint, but Rey couldn't exactly bring herself to be attracted to him.
"Great. You two... ehh..." Han trailed off and waved a hand between the two of them and Rey merely smiled as she realized what Han was attempting to do. It was a shame that he did not know about Poe and Finn's relationship... he might be disappointed, considering he'd been trying to set them up for some time now.
The time seemed to go by quickly and Leia returned home. There was a momentary stand off between husband and wife but this quickly passed for the sake of their guests and they settled down to the dinner Han had ordered. Not long after that the door opened and Ben returned, but he went straight to his room and was gone for some time.
They were halfway through dinner when he actually came down to join them, having changed his clothes and showered before hand. She wondered what it was that he had been doing at school. What extra classes could have possibly have? Sports of some sort? He looked exhausted. Maybe he hadn't lied.
"So nice of you to join us, Ben." Leia acknowledged his presence with a soft smile, trying to be gentle with his temperament.
He made a gruff sound in answer, hunching over the table to conceal his expression and Rey eyed him carefully, searching for any sign of anything odd or unusual. Han had pressed his lips together in a thin line, clearly on edge with Ben's attitude lately.
"Finn said you weren't at school today. I thought you had Summer classes?" Poe started and there was a sudden silence, any polite conversation out the window. It was not on purpose.
Poe and Ben had been friends for some time and it was only asked of friendly concern, but she could see Ben's shoulder's tensing and she knew it was a wrong question to ask.
He had lied.
"Finn doesn't know what he's talking about. How would he? He was at practice. Mr. Snoke had some things..." His voice trailed and he sighed. "to talk about."
"Mr. Snoke... must be a good teacher if you prefer spending all your time with him over your family." Han stated and Leia sighed, placing her glass down with a little more force than needed.
"How was your last week of school, Ben?" Leia thankfully changed the subject.
Ben merely shrugged, not really having an answer for her and Leia frowned in response, but she let it go. For the sake of a peaceful dinner.
"Anyway... you should have seen Poe tonight." Han began. "This kid is a great driver. I think he's gonna go far. Since I'm getting too old to do this on my own I'm thinking about hiring him permanently."
Ben suddenly slammed down his own glass and shoved the chair back to leave immediately. Not having a single word as he stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to his room. Han glanced up, completely clueless and Leia pressed a hand against her temple, trying to sooth away the oncoming headache.
The dinner ended on a down note and Poe was left in a very awkward situation as Han showed him out. Leia apologized profusely and went upstairs to rest as she had work in the morning and Rey was left in her own thought train. She carefully made her way up the stairs and paused at Ben's door. She wondered what he was doing now. If he was asleep or not.
She imagined what it was like to have one's father say something like that in front of him. She knew that Ben loved cars just as much as his father and there Han had said he was going to choose Poe to be his successor. Had Han really not known how hurtful that comment was? He may be dense at times, but he was not purposely hurtful.
Though she wanted to ask if he was alright she did not bother to knock on his door and intrude as his temper very well may be at it's peak.
That night everyone went to bed early. It was not until sometime late in the night she woke to a disturbance. She could not be quite sure of what it was, but it was enough to get her out of bed and into the hallway. It was mostly dark save for the light coming from downstairs. Curiosity got the best of her and she snuck down the stairs as quietly as she could manage. It seemed the light came from the laundry room and she wondered who thought doing laundry this late at night was acceptable?
When she turned the corner she found the laundry room with the light on, but it was empty. Nobody was in here it seemed. Though it hardly made sense. She stood silently for a moment or two before turning about to leave and suddenly there was a faint buzzing and she took notice of the phone setting on top of the dryer. It wasn't hers. It wasn't her business, but she had only one suspect as to who was responsible and she was worried about him so she grabbed his phone and clicked it on.
There was a text message there. It was from his teacher. Snoke. What would a teacher be doing calling his student at three in the morning? She opened the message.
'You preformed well tonight. Keep it up and nobody will find out about your failed classes.'
Failed classes. Ben was failing his classes? She had never heard Leia or Han mention that. So that only meant that for some reason Snoke was helping
Ben hide the fact that he failed. Rey wanted to think that it was some random act of kindness. That Snoke was helping Ben with extra classes, but if that were the case why had he never confided in her? He always told her everything when they were younger.
"What are you doing?" The harsh voice cut through her thoughts and she whirled around to come face to face with him. He reached out and flicked the light off suddenly, grabbed his phone from her hands and pressing her back into the dryer, effectively trapping her.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Ben..."
"You're sorry?"
"I was worried about you... the way you've been acting..." In the barely lit room she reached out and set her hands against his chest to try and put a little space between them, but he did not budge. "Snoke... is he-"
"Shut your mouth." His words cut hers off and he slowly brought his hand up and grabbed her by the throat, lightly, not choking, but the threat was there. "What did you see?"
"Nothing... just one message... what... did you do for him...?" Rey risked asking again even though he did not seem to want to hear it.
"Don't concern yourself with that." He lightly trailed his fingers along her throat watching them as they moved over her soft skin with a particular interest. She reached up and grabbed his forearm to halt his motion, but it seemed to do little to dissuade him.
"What are you doing?" In the dim light of the room she made an effort to search his eyes and was shocked by what she found. "Are you high?"
"Does it matter so much?" After a moment of pushing boundaries by placing his hand on her like that he drew away from her and flicked the light back on. It was just enough for her to watch as he picked up his dirty clothes and toss them into the washer, enough to notice the blood on his clothing. Boxers in particular. She wondered how he managed that. "Get out. Go to bed."
"Are you hurt?" She quickly reached for his arm again and he paused to give her a cold glare in response. "I just want to help."
"Can you help me forget?" His question left her reeling.
"What?"
"Forget it." He closed the washer lid with a bang and turned it on, the dull hum was actually a blessing because silence at this moment would be too much.
"No! If I can do something to help you... I will. You know I love you, Ben." Rey somehow knew she shouldn't have said it the moment it left her mouth, but it had and he took a step closer to her and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her forward.
"You love me, huh?" He stepped forward and backed her into the wall this time and Rey was suddenly aware of how small she felt before him.
"I do." She responded, trying not to feel intimidated. This was Ben after all. He wasn't going to hurt her. Her thoughts were immediately tossed out the window into a jumble when he jerked her wrist forward and placed it against his stomach before he slid it down, but she caught on and quickly drew back from him, brought her other hand up and slapped him hard across the face before making a run for the door, going straight to her room then slamming and locking the door behind her.
The rest of the night went by terribly long and Rey could hardly make sense of what happened or of what he could have possibly been thinking to think that what he had done was even remotely acceptable. Of course he wasn't thinking. That was the answer. His eyes made it clear just how high he was and so she suspected that logical thought was beyond him at that time. She hoped that in the morning he would just forget.
When the morning came Rey realized she had hardly slept and she found herself not sure if she could bare to open her door, but she knew she had to. She inhaled sharply when she did finally work up the courage to open it because Ben was sitting there against the wall. Had he been out here all night. He lifted his gaze towards hers and lightly clenched his fists over his knees that were pulled up to his chest.
"I'm sorry..." The first words came out in a rush and he looked as he if was going to try and make some half-assed explanation for his actions, but she didn't want to hear whatever he had to say.
"Just don't." Rey didn't have any other words and instead she walked away from him again, heading downstairs to where Leia was cooking breakfast and Han was reading the paper. It seemed like a proper family for once. If one didn't count what happened last night. Ben followed behind her and glanced from her to his parents. He was waiting. Watching to see if she was going to tell them about last night.
"Rey, everything okay?" Leia asked, seeming to sense the discomfort. Rey glanced at Ben and watched the way his shoulder's slumped down low as if he had accepted defeat.
"Everything's fine." Rey put on a false smile.
"Sit down. Let's have a proper breakfast together." Leia said in the kindest tone she could muster up, trying to keep the peace between them all.
The breakfast was luckily uneventful and soon Leia left for work and Han also left and then Rey found herself alone with Ben who had not stopped staring at her the entire time. She suspected he might have been trying to explain away had she not silenced him earlier and without an explanation she wasn't sure what to make of what he had done. Was it only a result of the drugs?
"What were you doing?" She finally gave in and decided to ask. What if she had been wrong? What if he hadn't been taking things in the direction she thought he had tried last night. It was much more believable to think she misunderstood than accept that he could have had darker intentions.
He shrugged and pushed some some food around his plate, having not eaten a single bite of it with his appetite gone. "Why didn't you tell them about the message?"
"Should I have?"
"No." He shoved himself back in his chair and stood from the table to take his plate to the sink where he could pour the uneaten and now cold breakfast down the drain to be ground up in the garbage disposal.
"I thought you would be more worried I would tell them about what you tried to do." Rey stated and he ceased all movement and glanced at her over his shoulder.
"What is it I tried to do?" Ben questioned her, carefully washing the plate and then setting it up to dry before he turned to face her and leaned against the counter.
"I'm not stupid, Ben. You were trying to get me to-..." She found that she didn't want to say it out loud. It was too crude to use the words. "Don't you have a girlfriend to help you with that?"
His lips twitched upwards for a second in a mock smile, but it disappeared just as soon as it came and his face was as stony and cold as ever. She had never been afraid of him before, but now she felt that fear crawling up on her once again.
"You think he would let me?" As soon as he said it his expression changed and he realized he already said too much so he turned around to set his hands against the counter and stare out the window rather than look at her.
"Who's he?" Rey asked, but he didn't seem inclined to answer her. "Snoke...?"
His shoulders rose and tensed considerably as he turned around yet again and held a finger up as if it were a warning in and of itself.
"Don't."
"You wouldn't have reacted like that if I wasn't right..." She insisted and he advanced on her leaving her to quickly get up from the chair to keep the table between them because she had no idea what he was going to do. He stopped on the other side and waited for her to move, he inched to the left and she moved a bit to keep the barrier between them.
"Rey..." He clenched a fist and tried to move the other way, but she also moved and it proved pointless. An endless dance that was neither moving forwards nor backwards.
"What are you doing? Are you... you're not going to try what you did last night?"
"Stop talking about that!" Ben snapped, jaw tensing as he glanced at the table and considering jumping it if he needed.
"Don't you dare." She called him out before he even did it and he glanced up at her. "Why did you do it?!"
"Because you like me!"
Rey froze and narrowed her eyes at him. Was that really what he thought? Did the drugs have nothing to do with his actions? "Like you? You don't know what you're talking about."
"Give me a break." He took another step only to be immediately countered. "You liked me then... you still like me now... you were the one that wanted to marry me remember?"
"We were children! It hardly counts. You realize children don't quite understand the implications, Ben." Rey knew what she said when she was a child, but neither really understood what it really meant and their parents just laughed it off as a childish ignorance that would pass and it had! It had hadn't it? "You're my cousin..."
"You don't like that?" He asked, trying again to step around the table, but she was still aware of his actions and made to take another step as well.
"Back off."
"What do you think I'm going to do to you, Rey?"
That question threw her. What did she think he was going to do? There was no way that her Ben was going to do anything to her or put his hands on her. He wasn't like that. She wasn't sure why she was so worried. Perhaps last night had really startled her on top of all his other odd behaviors.
Seeing her resolve lessen he stepped around the table and stopped in front of her, holding his hands up as a testament to his intentions.
"I'm sorry I scared you." He stated softly, honestly and Rey felt herself relax considerably. She hadn't realized she had become so tense. He reached over and took her plate for her to return to the sink and finish the dishes.
It was hard to try and put all of this together. She wanted to know just what was going on with him and why he was acting the way he had. Why he had mentioned something so childish in defense of last night. Was it possible his feelings had never changed? Did he still feel the way they had in childhood?
Most importantly did she? She thought she didn't, but if she was honest every now and then a feeling would surface. She tried to chalk it off as having grown up with him. That it was just safer and more comfortable with him. That it didn't mean anything and if she found a nice guy and got to know him she would feel the same. What if it wasn't? What if what she felt for Ben was really like he was suggesting?
Anything else she might have said was cut off when his phone went off and he checked it briefly before he headed towards the door to grab his jacket. He was leaving again. She wondered if it was Snoke that had called him, but there was nothing she could do to change that.
What was it he was doing for Snoke that had him so caught up? So changed. His shift in personality had to do with whatever drugs he was taking.
There was no doubt about that. She wanted to address it with him. Question him, but she knew better than to do that because he might lose his fragile temper with her. Even if he wouldn't physically hurt her she had no desire to get into a shouting match with him.
For the rest of the day she found herself wandering around the house alone and wondering what she should do. She tried watching a movie and Chewie tried to cheer her up, keep her company, but her thoughts had her too wrapped up with concern to be even remotely cheered up and Chewie whined softly and laid his head at her feet.
Eventually Han and Leia returned home and it got late and she decided to go to bed, but Ben had not come home and she hoped that he was alright. Leia tried to tell her and insist that even though he stayed out late Ben always came home. She waited up late into the night, but eventually exhaustion won out.
When she awoke to a familiar noise downstairs she knew that he had come home and once again she got up and left her room to head downstairs and find him in the laundry room washing bloodied clothing.
"Ben..." She began carefully and he stopped a moment and gave her a brief glance, but didn't linger and proceeded to stuff his clothes into the washer.
He had been struggling to get the blood stains out. "Do your parents know...?"
"Why would they?" He asked and glanced at the time on his phone. It was later than he'd have liked. Rey took a step closer to him, noticing the odd way he was hunched over. It led her to believe that something was off. Her close proximity startled him and he abruptly took a step back from her. It let her catch of glimpse of his face. "Stay away from me."
"But..." Her voice trailed in shock and she took in the damage that had been done to his face. He was bruised and blooded. His eye was swollen, discolored with a deep angry purplish, black bruise and he had a split lip. "What have you been getting yourself into?"
Of course just as she expected he decided not to answer her and went back to scrubbing at a stain in his shirt. For a moment she was silent and took the shirt from his hands and the rag and scrubbed at the stain for him. He shouldn't have to do that now. Not when he was clearly hurting so badly.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because you're hurt."
"You're not going to be little miss goody two shoes and turn me in?" He asked, shifting to lean against the wall for some support.
"I should."
"But you're not?"
"No." She answered and frowned at the blood stains. "At least tell me what happened."
"Hux is an asshole." He shrugged it off. "If you think this is bad you should see him."
Time ticked by slowly, almost in slow motion it seemed, but eventually she got most of it out and placed the shirt into the washer where it could finish the cleaning process. "Do you do this every night?"
"Most." His eyes searched hers carefully, waiting for her to say something, but this time it was her that ignored any further response. He brought a hand up to his mouth and slowly brushed it against his mouth, lightly pressing at the cut. "Thank you..."
"A thank you?" She asked, genuinely surprise. She hadn't thought that he would actually say something like that to her. Her eyes lowered to his other hand, clenching and unclenching at his side. He was tense. From drugs or maybe from the fight. Perhaps even pain. "Why would you let someone bully you?"
"It's... more complicated than that."
"Does it have to do with you being high all the time?" It was the question that silence him and his silence gave her all the answer she needed. "Do you have to resort to drugs...? Can't you stop?"
"I can't stop."
"Why...?"
"It helps me relax. I have to. Alright?" He sighed and pushed himself off the wall when the washer stopped and gathered his clothes from there to switch them to the dryer. "Why does this even matter to you?"
"Would you let me do drugs?" Rey asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No." Ben paused and sputtered. He had just answered his own question. "Alright. You made your point."
"Would you let me take care of you at least?"
He hesitated a moment. "Yeah... I guess..."
It was easier than she thought it would be but she knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth and stepped into the kitchen to grab a rag and some ice. He would need to get the swelling down. She turned and found him with his clothes tucked over his arm, he nodded towards the stairs and she followed him up where he went straight to his room and she stopped there at his door. She hadn't been in his room since they were children.
He tossed his clothes into an open drawer, opened a window, grabbed a pack off his desk and then sat down on the bed. He grabbed cigarette from the pack and lit it up.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" He asked around the cigarette, pausing to inhale the addicting smoke deep within his lungs. Rey knew that she really couldn't say or do anything about it so she stepped into his room. "Close the door behind you. If the old man catches me smoking he'll throw a fit."
"What about your mom?" She questioned as she closed the door and she heard him snort in response.
"I don't even want to think about that."
"Worse?" She made her way to his side and glanced at the brusing and swelling around his eye. It could be worse. He was lucky it hadn't swollen shut. There'd be no talking himself out of something so obvious. She pressed the ice against it and his lips turned downwards into a frown.
"Much."
"Are you in a lot of pain?"
"Not really. I'm high enough." He tilted his chin up and smiled around the cigarette as if he were proud of that fact.
She tsk'd at him and brought the ice away for a second to glance at his eye. It seemed to be helping. She placed it back and wondered when it had come to this. The witty and sensitive little boy had turned into a short tempered drug addict.
His room was so empty and dull. Not a single picture or poster on the walls. Just a dark grey colored paint. He had few personal items scattered about, but his room was relatively clean which was surprising. She had almost expected it to be a mess with posters lining the walls, but it was nothing like that. On his desk the only picture was a picture of the two of them with their grandfather.
Their grandfather. He had been thrown into prison for having ties with a mafia like organization and though he had enough power to arrange things for him were quite comfortable it was doubtful they would ever see him again, but she remembered him fondly. Deep down he was a good man despite the mistakes.
A sound interrupted her thoughts and at first Rey wasn't sure what the bump from the other room was and then another sound followed and she grimaced. That was distinctly Han and Leia.
"Oh no... please tell me that is not what I think it is..." She pleaded, hoping beyond hope she didn't have to listen to that throughout the night.
Ben grabbed the cigarette between two fingers and leaned back a bit to double check, before he glanced back at her.
"Yup. It's exactly what you think it is." He stood up and picked up a CD to place into the player and turned it up. "Just have to deal with it. This always happens after a big fight. It's like they fight on purpose just so... well... you get the point, Rey."
Avenged Sevenfold's Bat Country filled the room and she sighed. Of course. What other band would she expect him to listen to? It suited his personality she supposed. He was about as wild as the music he listened to. He returned to his bed and collapsed backwards onto it to stare up at the ceiling as he took another drag.
"This is more embarrassing than having Unkar stare me down at work..." Taking on the job at the restaurant back in her town during the summer had been difficult, especially with a creepy boss like Unkar, but the money had been nice. Especially the tips she sometimes got. Being a waitress was not actually an easy job. You were on your feet all day.
"The fucking Russian?" Ben asked, glancing over at her.
"Language." She scolded him and held out the ice to him, he took it, but he rolled his eyes her her trying to correct him.
"What are you five?" He leaned further against the bed with a sigh and held the ice against his eye.
His shirt rode up and she got a good view of the deep bruising all the way across his stomach as if maybe someone struck him with something. Perhaps a baseball bat, but whatever it had been it had been something long enough to go all the way across. She knew better than to ask him about it.
"Do you even remember when we were that young?"
"Mmhmm." He nodded to confirm he did.
"Like? You're going to have to prove your stoner brain can even think that far back."
"Well... let's see... we took a family vacation up to the cabins by the lake and-"
"NO!" Rey quickly stopped him then and there because she knew exactly which memory he was bringing up again.
"AND you said what was it... ahhh. 'I love Ben. When I get older I want to marry him'."
"Oh! I hate you!" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Why did he have to bring up something embarrassing like that all the time?
"You love me." He insisted and closed his eyes, but then there was a sliver of doubt within him and he added onto his words. "Right?"
"You know I love you." She felt like she needed to make sure he knew something like that. He was in a difficult place and he needed all the support he could get even if he wouldn't admit to it. "And no I don't want to marry you."
Ben. She mused. She found herself a bit afraid. Afraid, because... she was worried if she did still like Ben Solo. It would be wrong of her. Taboo. A line that should never be crossed, but... sometimes she had these thoughts.
"Mmm." He shifted on the bed.
"I know we haven't seen each other in years, but you do remember we're cousins, right?" It was almost a joke, but the other night... that hadn't faded and she was uncertain about his intentions. It was possible he had just been high out of his mind... or sometimes he just had that same feeling.
"Mhm."
"And you don't care...? It was only because you were high right?" When there was silence from him she bit her lip nervously. "Ben...? Come on..."
"What? What do you want me to say?" He asked. "I'm tired, alright."
"Be honest..."
"You want me to be honest? I wish we could go back to being kids again. Back at the lake. With Uncle Luke and grandfather... where I didn't feel like I had the weight of the entire fucking world on my back. I wish it could go back to being easy." He sighed. "Being an adult is too hard... and the other night I just... it was... just that... when I had you all alone... against the wall... I felt in control of something for once in my life... I thought it might make me feel something else... to know what it was like to be the one in control for once."
"You're not going to tell me what's really going on are you?" She asked and he slowly shook his head. "Do you think I won't understand?"
"I don't know what you would think." He inhaled sharply and sat up, putting the cigarette out to grab his phone the second he heard it buzz. If it wasn't something that she knew was trouble she might be impressed with his speed. It was a shame he didn't answer his parents calls that quickly. "I'm here."
He shoved himself from the bed and turned the music down a bit in order to hear the other side of the call. In his rush he knocked a few CDs and homework folders off his dresser, but he seemed not to notice.
"No. No. I-" There was a pause and he shook his head. "I can be there... just... not until later... No! No... there's no need. I can... I can handle it."
Rey glanced at the mess on the floor and didn't want him to have to bend over and pick those up with the shape he was in so she gathered the CDs and folders up for him. Several Avenged Sevenfold CDs, some Breaking Benjamin and school folders and to top it all off a hidden porn dvd among them. Typical. As she stood with them a pamphlet slipped out and she returned the items to the dresser and returned to pick up the pamphlet.
She turned her attention to the pamphlet and was nearly ready to return it when it caught her attention that it was from a clinic. What was more was it was an STD prevention pamphlet. She stood up and then she glanced up at him and realized he had turned and was looking right at her. The shocked look of horror that filled his face gave away the exact reason he had this. He had gotten into trouble.
"I'll call you back..." He hung up and tossed the phone onto his bed and she realized that now she was in trouble.
"You got an STI?" She knew that wasn't the way out of this. That she made a hole and she should stop digging.
"Had, Rey. Had." Ben quickly stepped forward and snatched it from her hands to rip it in half, why he hadn't done it sooner was beyond him. "I'm clean now, alright. I took the medication and I'm clean. You honestly think I'd let you anywhere near me if I wasn't?"
"I..." Rey hesitated, but she was sure he wasn't going to lie about this at least. It was a really strange and awkward thing to think about Ben having sex with some strange girl. She wondered who she was. What she looked like. "I thought you didn't have a girlfriend?"
"I don't."
"So you broke up. Are you upset over the breakup?" She could maybe attribute that to some of his behavior on top of drugs.
"I didn't-..." He cut himself off and just turned around to approach his bed, but he didn't sit down. Instead he stood there chewing on his thumb uneasily. And all at once his earlier words hit her and she pressed a hand over her mouth.
"Is it a guy?" That would completely explain why Ben would be hiding something like this. His father would not take kindly to finding out that information. He was very old fashioned. She grimaced as her thoughts were filled with Ben having sex with a man. Not much better than her previous thoughts.
He turned around suddenly and got dangerously close to her. "You don't know what you're talking about. Stay out of it! And just... just get out, Rey!"
Rey knew full well when it was time to leave and she quickly left his room, but now she had all these thoughts and implications in her head. The late nights out, the bruises and talking about how he felt out of control. Was Ben trapped in some sort of abusive relationship? Was it with that bully Hux? That would explain a lot.
The door slammed behind her and she jumped slightly, surprised, but she hurried to her room and did her best to try and get some sleep that night, but after the things she had learned sleep did not come to her. The moment it hit she was making a phone call of her own to the one person she could really trust.
"Hello...?" The groggy tone came through.
"Finn...? I need help..."
These were the only words she needed to say and immediately her knight in shining armor arrived at her door, disheveled, ready for the rescue. Finn had been her best friend when they were younger. Had been friends with Ben once even, but that had ended once Ben had become distant from them all.
"What's wrong, Rey? You sounded really upset." Finn questioned, adjusting his -Poe's she recognized it- jacket to try and appear more together.
"I need help with Ben." She replied and then Finn's brow drew together in confusion.
"Ben? What did he do?"
"He's in trouble. And I need you to help me follow him."
"Rey... Ben... has been in trouble for awhile." Finn answered, frowning. "What changed?"
"I found something... in his room..." Rey carefully stated, but for his privacy she would not go into detail. She would not ever let someone know something like that. "I think... he's in an abusive relationship... he came home the other night... he was so bruised."
"He fights with Hux..." Finn rationalized.
"I... found other things, Finn. I really think we need to follow him."
Finn sighed and nodded. "Alright, alright. I'll help you."
"Great. Let's go. We'll pull the car around and wait for him to leave." Rey said and grabbed Finn by the hand to drag him towards the car and Finn rolled his eyes, but smiled in amusement as he recalled the years she hated any hand holding at all. It seemed there was an exception. That exception had to do with her cousin. What else did he expect?
Finn went around his car and got in, pulling around the corner where they could not be seen when Ben left the house. If that guy were to see them then the game was up and he'd probably rip them apart.
"Rey... I know how much you care about him... and that you were really close when you were younger, but... Ben is... not the same person anymore. The Ben you knew is gone." Finn tried carefully. He didn't want her to get her hopes up.
"No. Finn... something has happened I know it. He's in there underneath all that somewhere. I just need to help him." Rey sighed and watched the house with inpatients. "Is there anyone at school that would know something? Friends? Does he hang out with a bad crowd?"
"Rey... Ben... doesn't have any friends. None. Nobody at school likes him." Finn wasn't about to go into house merciless Hux was. He heard Rey's sigh at his words.
"I should have... tried to talk my father into staying... it's when we moved that we became distant."
"You can't blame yourself." Finn insisted and that was when she glanced away and decided to change the subject to the matter at hand.
"We need to be careful that he doesn't see us. He warned me to stay away from him."
"He threatened you?"
"NO! Why does everyone keep asking that?" Rey sighed yet again and placed a hand over her eyes. Why did they all think the worst of him? "Finn I know something is wrong."
"Alright. I believe you Rey. I do." Finn glanced up then. "Well... you were right about him leaving at the same time. Let's give it a moment..."
Now was the hardest part. To follow him without him noticing. If he noticed she didn't even want to think about how he would react. He had already been very upset with her last night for finding out what she did. It didn't matter if he never forgave her. If she could help him out of this mess that would be enough.
Their mission was going smoothly it seemed, because he had not noticed them following him and led them straight to the school. It was a mystery what he was doing here. Rey and Finn gave one another a surprised glance that he would show up here of all places.
"You stay with the car." Rey insisted as they pulled around the school to make sure he did not notice them.
"Are you sure that's safe? If he's really in trouble you'll need back up-"
Rey held up her phone. "I'll send you a message if I need back up, Finn. Don't worry."
She got out of the car and knew that Finn wasn't exactly happy with her choice, but he trusted her enough to do what she needed to do. She had never been to the high school here and so she found herself intimidated by it and wondered how she was going to find Ben once she was inside.
The school was clean for the most part. Well tended. Of course Leia would not send her son to just any school so she supposed she should not be surprised. Though this school was so large she worried she would not be able to find him before he left. The halls were so long, endless it seemed.
Those fears were cut short when she noticed one single classroom door partially open. No other door was open so that could only mean this classroom was in use when it shouldn't be. Rey slowly approached the classroom door and then there at the edge of it she leaned against the wall and peaked inside.
A gasp left her and she quickly pressed a hand over her mouth to try and muffle out the sound so she was not discovered. What she say was not what she had been expecting. Inside the room a much older man had Ben pressed against a desk, uncomfortably close against his back. It hit her all at once that was the reason for the bruising across his stomach. This man. This person had put him in this position before.
"I have a job for you, but first..." The man pressed his hips forward into Ben suggestively. "tell me exactly how the girl found out about your little indiscretion..."
"She knows nothing..." Ben insisted, glancing back over his shoulder until the man pressed a hand hard between his shoulder blades. "Snoke... she has no idea it was you..."
Snoke. This was Snoke? Rey wasn't sure what to do. She could not confront them. Not now. It would be too dangerous, but... she grabbed her phone and held it to the door and took a picture. If she could prove what Snoke was doing that would be much better.
"This girl... your cousin... she was in your room... why?" Snoke lips were curled into a cold sneer as he spoke. "Did you fuck her, Ben?"
"No!" He tried to straighten up, but Snoke pressed down harder.
"But you want to don't you?" Snoke trailed his hand down Ben's back slowly and stopped just at his pants and started to tug them downwards. "Why don't you bring her to me?"
"No."
"No?" Snoke repeated dangerously.
"She's only sixteen... leave my family out of this. That was the deal. You leave them out."
"I seem to recall you being the same age when we made our little deal, but I suppose you are right." Snoke took a step back and Ben was able to straighten up and turn around. "Get on your knees."
"What...?" Ben's face turned white as a sheet.
"I said. Get. On. Your. Knees. Ben... you wouldn't want your mother to find out. If this gets out... that her son is letting his teacher fuck him for grades and to keep his dirty little drug secrete her career would be ruined... and you'd be even more of a joke than you are now. Your family would fall apart and it would be all your fault. You think it's bad now you know how prison would be. You're eighteen after all. You would be tried as an adult."
"Please..." Ben begged, but he knew deep down it was hopeless.
"I could always ask your cousin if she wants to take your place." Snoke stated and Ben slowly got down on one knee and then the other while Snoke came to stand in front of him and unbuckle his belt. "That's my good boy."
Rey inhaled sharply. What was she going to do? She couldn't let that happen to him. She had to think fast. She looked around the hallway and found nothing in particular useful and then her eyes fell upon the red box on the wall.
Fire alarm.
She grabbed the lever and pulled down and it seemed as if all hell broke lose. The alarms let off a high pitched screeching and she knew that she had to move or risk being caught. She quickly ducked around the corner and held her breath.
Snoke stormed out of the classroom and glanced down the hallway, searching. Rey swallowed with difficulty and hoped that he would not turn down this corner. Her prayers were answered when he went down the opposite way. Shortly after Ben stepped out of the class room and hurried off down the hall to leave as well.
The moment she was clear she ran. She swore she had never run so fast in her life, but when she reached the car Finn got out, noticing her distress.
"Rey?! What happened?!" Finn asked her.
She found herself unable to answer, she continued towards him and threw herself into Finn's arms and the moment she was in his embrace the sobs broke from her.