TETHERED

Chapter 11: Dodge (Part 1)

Ethan's weekend went by fast, faster than he wanted it to. He was enjoying his alone time with Benny and being out of the public eye. His Sunday went slightly better than his Saturday, he was still plagued with recurring remembrances of what had occured to him the past week and he constantly worried what was to come of the upcoming on; Benny's attempts to calm Ethan and make him feel safe, futile the more and more he tried to console his friend, which drove Benny's determination to act soon through the roof.

Come Monday morning, Ethan was like an elementary school kid, not wanting to go back to school for what ever reasons. Ethan even whining to Benny like a child, "Come on Benny, why? All you have to do is zap up a fake note from my mom and we're golden." Ethan pressed for Benny to do.

Benny gave Ethan a stare, while eating his cereal, "So let me get this straight, you, who rarely if ever misses school for anything wants to skip today because you're afraid Jesse might come after you, even though I've vowed I'd be by your side almost all day? And further more, you want me to use magic to get you out of it?" Benny wryly chuckled, going back to his cereal, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Ethan?" Ethan fell silent, looking at the floor. "E, it's just the fear talking, and you'll stay afraid and paranoid if you let it. Keep number 2 pencils in your pocket at all times and a bottle of Holy water in your jacket pocket and you'll be fine. You so much as get a hint Jesse's around you, don't be afraid to strike!" Benny said to him slamming his hand on the table with a loud thud and his hand sparking, causing Ethan to jump.

Ethan unsure what to do, quietly chuckled before fearfully asking Benny, "Hey Benny, are you okay?"

"I'm fine E... why?" Benny asked him, confused why Ethan was asking about his well-being.

Ethan answered, fear still present in his tone, "I-it's just... lately you've been kinda moody... and your hands have been backfiring magic sparks here and there." Benny took a deep breath to calm himself, Ethan leaned closer onto the table, "If it's me Benny, tell me, I'll stop being such a worry-wort, if I can."

Benny lightly smiled at Ethan, "It's not you Ethan," placing a gentle hand on top of Ethan's on the table, Ethan looked from their hands to the trusting look in Benny's green eyes, "It's Jesse... and you can't help but worry." Benny then looked at the grandfather clock in the corner, "Dude let's roll or we'll be late. We could have took the car... the old bat took the keys with her." Benny joked, "One day, I'm going to zap up a car... a nice car, and it'll be a chick magnet!" Ethan laughed, "So you laugh now that I'm being serious?!" Benny said laughing, patting his friend's shoulder going to take his bowl to the sink.

Ethan went to get his backpack, sighing and wiping a tear from his eyes, Benny approached him grabbing his shoulder bag off of the counter. The two stood there, staring at each others eyes; brown one's looking into caring green one's, green one's looking into scared brown one's. Benny said to him gently and confidently nodding his head, "You're going to be fine Ethan."

The two stared in each other's eyes a moment longer, "Thanks Benny... for everything." Ethan said, breaking their deep stare, Ethan realizing he was beginning to feel something, and questioning what.

"You're welcome, E." Benny said then sighing in upset, feeling as if he stared at Ethan too long, wanting to know why he did that. "Let's go, or we'll definitely be late." Benny hinting to their staring contest, Ethan walked out the door first, Benny behind, locking up. His grandmother would kill him if he let someone burglarize their home under his watch.

The first class of the day went by for Ethan and Benny, they both worrying about the other since they didn't have first period together; Benny worrying about Ethan, and Jesse coming around to attack him; and Ethan worried about Jesse and Benny, and what they might do to each other.

At the end of first period, what Benny didn't know, that was before class, Ethan had a run in with a concerned Sarah... which was more like a run away. Benny was at his locker, exchanging his books in his shoulder bag when Sarah came up and slammed his locker shut, causing Benny to jump back. "Okay Benny, I know you know what's wrong with Ethan. Spill." Sarah then crossed her arms.

"Ethan didn't tell you?" Benny asked her confused, trying to avoid telling her, or seeing if Ethan told her anything.

Sarah sighed in frustration, "What do you think?! No! I've been trying to be nice as a can to Ethan, and I want to help him with what ever problems he's having here if I can. But now he's trying to avoid me at all costs! He better be glad his parents aren't going anywhere and he's staying with you."

"Sarah, threatening E is only going to make it worse. All I can say is Ethan's had a hard time lately and he's trying to deal with it as best he can." Benny told her.

Sarah angrily scoffed, "Really? I talked to Rory yesterday and he told me Saturday Ethan was an emotional wreck! What is going on?!" Sarah snapped. Benny growled inwardly at Sarah's mention of Rory. Worry and concern then came back into Sarah's voice in a whisper, "What is going on Benny?"

"Look Sarah," Benny started, "I'll tell you what I told Ethan, 'to talk about it when you're ready to talk about it.'"

Sarah asked to him then, "But that's the thing Benny, what exactly is it?"

"I'm sorry Sarah, you're just going to have to ask Ethan." Benny said giving her a soft rub on her shoulder before walking off.

Sarah had a sad and worried expression on her face as she watched Benny disappear in the mix of crowded students in the hall.

Benny angrily knew where he was going next, to find big-mouthed Rory. Benny saw Rory at his locker, gawking at Erica who was talking to a football player down the hall, or flirting with him actually... which just fed Benny's rage. Benny snatched Rory out of his locker and slammed him harshly into the one next to his. "Benny?!" Rory asked shocked and scared to see it was an angry Benny who shoved him into a locker and not a jock. What really scared Rory more, was that Benny's hand's were glowing and they were hurting him. "Benny, let go, that hurts!" Rory yelled.

"Good." Benny said letting him go, but shoving him into the locker one more time for good measure.

Rory looked down at his jacket, "Dude, you burned it!"

"In a minute I'm going to burn you!" Benny snapped, "What possessed you to tell Sarah that Ethan was an 'emotional wreck'?"

Rory stammered seeing the look in Benny's face, "I-I-I-I..."

"USE WORDS RORY!" Benny yelled in the blond vampire's face.

Rory, still scared quickly answered, "I-it was Sarah! She saw me in town Saturday afternoon, asked me did I see Ethan. She knew I did, she smelled him on me, more specifically his tears, w-w-hat was I supposed to do? Lie?! She told me she'd know if I did and not to! I'm sorry, I didn't tell her on purpose Benny I swear!" Rory was then on his knees, holding his hands, basically begging Benny for mercy, in front of the crowded hallway full of eyes staring. Erica included, who was interested.

Benny saw this and screamed at them, "And what are you looking at man?! Bell's about to ring in 2 seconds." And as if by magic, the bell rung, and the students watching the fiasco go down quickly ran to their classes, Rory included, but at vampire speed.

Benny then stormed off to his next class with Ethan, Erica following in amazement. "Well look at you, from nerdy and fragile geek to feared hallway bully in less than five minutes." She said to him in a flirty tone, "That's definitely a record."

"Do you need something Erica?" Benny asked in irritation.

Erica stood in front of him, "I'm not doing anything tonight, I-"

"Pass." Benny said walking around her, shocking Erica.

Erica then pushed him onto a wall, but not nearly as hard as he did Rory, she didn't want to set Benny off on her either. "So, not three days ago you were hitting on me, and now that you do something that finally catches my attention and I ask you out, you decline?"

"Yep." Benny said in an obvious tone, walking off from Erica.

Erica watched Benny walk off to class, "Hmph. His loss." Erica said walking to her class, first sniffing out the football player she turned away earlier.

Benny walked in his math class to see Ethan, who looked eager to see Benny. And then he saw Rory yell at him and run to another desk in the classroom.

"Mr. Keaner, come back to your desk at once and do your bellwork assignment!" The math teacher, Mrs. Fitz snapped at him out.

Rory shook his head and said nervously, "Sorry Mrs. Fitz, but I can't sit next to Benny Weir."

"I'm sorry?!" She asked him shocked at his response to her.

One student yelled in the back, "Don't worry about it Mrs. Fitz, Zach's out today, we've got an empty desk back here for Benny."

Mrs. Fitz sighed and looked at Benny, "Thank you Mr. Thomas, it's up to you Mr. Weir, but I don't want any interruptions, or there will be some detentions handed out, that is a promise!"

Benny had a gleeful expression on his face, never once did the popular kids want Benny to sit in the back with them, it had to be because of what he did to Rory that made them want him to sit with them. Benny almost accepted until he saw the frightened expression on Ethan's face, mostly in his eyes. "Uh, thanks Marcus, I'll keep that in mind." Benny said to him, Marcus shrugged as if it were nothing, "I'm staying Mrs. Fitz."

"Fine... but I better not hear one cross word out of you or Mr. Keaner or you'll both be staying after school." She warned him.

Benny sat down and nodded, "Yes ma'am." Rory was looking at Benny with a mixed look of cross and fear, mostly fear. Rory knew Benny could basically do what ever he wanted to him and there would be no proof Benny did anything if Mrs. Fitz was to get on his case.

Ethan was watching, confused at what happened between those two to make Rory want to stay away from Benny and some of the popular kids to want Benny anywhere near them. Ethan shook his head, trying to do his assignment, he'd just ask Benny after class.

At the end second period, the bell then rang as Mrs. Fitz held up a stack of papers, "Everybody grab one and look at pages 230 thru 242 for examples and don't forget your fraction sheets! Mr. Anderson, come to class prepared tomorrow," She yelled warning a student who was walking out, "Mr. Keaner, stick around!"

"What?!" Rory yelled as he classmates walked by him, some snickering, "What'd I do?!" He asked upset.

Mrs. Fitz then asked him, "Would you rather go to Principal Hicks' office instead?" She asked him sternly. Rory then fell quiet, and scared.

Benny saw the situation was getting heated between Rory and their teacher, and he needed to do a memory erase spell on Mrs. Fitz quick. Benny walked up to Mrs. Fitz and tapped her shoulder, "Mrs. F?" before mumbling some inaudible Latin to her and flashing his glowing hand which was by his side, in the direction towards her face. Both Rory and Ethan caught this.

Mrs. Fitz looked at them, "Mr. Weir, what is it you need?" She asked him frustrated, obviously forgotten what she was about to say to Rory, "I have another class coming in and you have another one you need to be heading to, you and both Mr. Morgan and Keaner!"

"I just wanted to know do we have to turn it in tomorrow?" He asked as innocently as he could.

Mrs. Fitz closed her eyes and sighed, saying more calmly, "Mr. Weir, don't you always have to?"

"Just checking." Benny smiled walking off. Ethan and Rory followed.

Mrs. Fitz sat down and looked at her desk at a pink piece of paper, "Rory Keaner? Why would I be about to write him up? He's one of my best students in that class. I must have meant never-bring-supplies-to-class Chuck Anderson."

In the hallway, Rory approached Benny, "Dude, she was about to send me to Hicks because of what you did!"

"No," Benny corrected, "She was about to send you to Hicks because you told her where you were and weren't going to sit. You should thank me, I could've let her send you to Hicks."

Ethan interrupted, "Okay, what's going on with you guys? Did you two go through some kind of warp or something? Since when do the popular kids pay attention to you Benny? And why is Rory now apparently a bad boy?"

"Puh-lease Ethan, this vampire ninja already was a B-A-D, bad boy." Rory said cooly, earning eye-rolls from both Ethan and Benny. "I'm not thanking you Benny, you tried to kill me, You-!" As Rory was about to tell Ethan about what Benny did, they were approached by a few jocks.

Notables being, Robbie Keller, WCHS football line-backer and Omar Davis, WCHS basketball superstar. Keller looked at Ethan and Rory, simply calling them 'geeks' before looking to Benny, "Hey Weir, let us borrow you for a sec. man." Keller said wrapping an arm around Benny's shoulders, leading him down the hallway.

Ethan shook his head while Rory was fuming, Rory knew how Benny was getting the attention he was getting. Omar said to him, "Yo, heads up Weir, the fields are still wet from the rain over the weekend, I already got a heads up from first period, today is dodgeball day."

"Okay..." Benny trailed, looking at them, and the girls with them, who were smiling at Benny, girls who used to ignore him.

Robbie snapped his finger, "Pay attention Wei-, Benny, we want you on our side, we heard what you did to that loser over there."

"Guys, it's nothing I just-" Benny started but was cut off by Robbie.

"Ben man, it's not nothing, when you're tired of being a geek around here. We know why you did it. Good for you." Robbie said nodding his head in approval.

Omar added, "So we want you on our side today man. The less you're around the nerds around here the better."

"In fact-" Robbie said taking Benny's shoulder bag off, "Hey nerd, catch!" Robbie tossed the bag at Ethan, who almost dropped it. "They wanna be friends with you? Let 'em carry your water, and everything else."

Benny interjected, "Guys it's fine really, I just -"

"Weir, you're one of us now. You need one of these on your shoulders instead." Omar suggested, looking at his girlfriend.

Robbie shook his head looking around for a girl suitable for Benny, "Yo E.J.!"

"Oh no." Benny thought, he was hoping it was someone else with those initials, but it wasn't.

Erica came over to them, "Robbie? You guys are hanging with the nerds now?"

"Nope." Omar said, "Does he look like a nerd to you?"

Erica looked over to Benny, remembering what he did to Rory, "Nope." Erica said walking over to Benny, wrapped herself around him, "He looks like another delectable upcoming cool person to me." Erica said softly in Benny's ears, Benny nervously laughed.

"Come on Ben, we'll walk you to class bro." Robbie suggested, they all walking off.

Benny being led by Erica, Benny looked back at Ethan nervously, Erica snapped at him, "Don't mess this up nerd, you're getting cool points now, be happy!"

"But I-" Benny started to interject.

Erica snapped, "I said happy!"

Ethan watched them all walk down the hallway and he then looked at Rory, asking him, wanting answers, "What exactly happened between you two, Rory?"

Rory just stared at Ethan, debating whether to answer him or not.

End of chapter 11. Are my readers back yet? What do you guys think? Do I need to up this story's rating and kill off a character? More Bethan (with less seemingly Etharah and Bennica moments)? A Rory chapter involving him and a mad squirrel? - Just kidding guys. You know what to do, hit me up in the reviews for chapter 12, meanwhile, you get the preview below.

After class, Rory was explaining to Ethan about why Benny shoved him into a locker; Rory snatched his book bag off his back and pulled out his hoodie, "Ethan, Benny burned my slevees... and my arm!" Rory then pulled his shirt sleeves up, Ethan saw already healing red marks on Rory's skin. "He's gone mad and now the popular crews want him."

Sarah just heard about what Benny did from another student, Sarah was about to explode. "You beat up Ethan?! What the hell is wrong with you, Benny?!" She said, her eyes tinting gold and her fangs showing in the corners of her mouth.

Erica made a shocking move and hissed at Sarah, "Hey, back of him Sarah! He didn't touch a hair on your precious Ethan, Benny got cool off of pushing Rory. And how did you - OW!" Erica then abruptly yell in pain as she felt and then saw Benny's hands start to glow. She was about to snap at him, but she saw a look on his face, one Sarah had just seconds ago.

Sarah managed to catch up to Ethan and explain about a run-in she had with Benny in the hallway, "Ethan, I know he's your friend and all, but you better put a leash on him, next time, I will fight him and then bite him! He'll be the first fledgling spell master in Whitechapel." Sarah snapped angrily.

In gym class, Benny was telling Ethan about his mood and magic, Benny shook his head, looking at his hands, "I don't know Ethan, it's like my magic is being uncontrolled lately."

"And your temper too." Ethan added softly.

Benny then looked at Ethan and sighed, "I didn't want to hurt them."

At the end of gym class, unknown to Ethan, he was about to fall victim in a revenge attempt by the jocks, Robbie Keller and the popular guys came up to Ethan who was grabbing his stuff, "Hey Morgan." Ethan turned around as they then aimed balls at him. "You catch!"

Ethan yelled out when he saw what they were about to do!

Review for chapter 12!