Chapter 8: Changes

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Ben 10 Or Any Of The Characters. I Don't Own The Rights To Nathan Black Or Any Associated Characters, The Rights Go To annihalator2015

Disclaimer: This Series/Story Has Nothing To Do With The Ben 10: Ultimate Alien Cartoon Series. Any Similarities That May Pop Up Aren't Intentional

Author's Note:

* Hello and welcome to Chapter Eight!

* As I said last chapter, Ben will finally be changing here. So, with that said, let's get right into the chapter!

Earth-6101

Saturday – Late August, 2017

The Tennyson House

Ben

After reporting the fire, I returned home, not wanting to be a part of it. Before I got home, I messed with the alien watch some more until I got it to change to look like a normal wristwatch again. Once I had got back home, it didn't take long for my parents to get back home. I was sitting in the living room waiting for them and once they got in, my mom immediately questioned me.

"Ben, did you see the smoke from the house?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I was the one who reported the fire."

She looked back at me with worry.

"Wait, you reported the fire?" my father asked.

I nodded once more.

"Why were you the one to report it?" she asked.

"Um, because I may have witnessed it?"

They both just looked at me after that.

"What?" I finally broke the silence.

"Oh my God!" Mom finally recovered.

"Mom, it's fine! See me here? I'm okay!"

"Oh my God!" she repeated herself.

"Ben, what did you do?" my father asked.

"Nothing! I just saw the forest fire start, I called 911 to report it and I came straight home!"

"Have you been playing with matches?"

"No! Dad, I'm not a kid anymore!"

Mom finally snapped out of the trance that she seemed to be in.

"Well, you did the right thing!"

"Thanks. Now, can I go out and hang out with Nathan for a while?"

"No."

"What? Why?"

"Because you could have been hurt out there! So, I want you inside for the rest of the day!"

I let out a sigh of defeat.

"Okay. I'll be up in my room."

I turned around and walked out of the living room and towards the stairs. I hated lying to my parents, but could I help it this time?

Monday Morning

The Suburbs

Nothing eventful happened on Sunday. So, on Monday morning, Nathan and I walked to school together like we usually do. As we walked, he noticed the new watch on my wrist. It was in its human wristwatch form, so I had nothing to worry about.

"Nice watch."

I scoffed.

"Thanks, but it's not a nice watch. It's really cheap."

"What made you get it?"

"I wanted to have something to tell me the time, so I don't have to look at my phone's clock every time."

Nathan was silent for a second as we kept walking.

"Yeah, makes sense."

Two And A Half Hours Later

Madison High School

It was third period, Physical Science once again. We were ten or fifteen minutes into class, taking down notes that Ms. Vaughn had prepared for us. Well, I was, while Gwendolyn was visibly struggling to follow along next to me. Meanwhile, I was taking notes as well as most of the rest of the class. Actually, now that I thought about it, I seemed to be writing a lot faster than I thought I could.

What is going on with me?

About ten or twenty minutes had passed and we were done taking notes. I couldn't help but look at Gwendolyn after I had noticed her visibly struggling. I wanted to help her, so I decided that I was going to.

"Hey, Gwendolyn?" I said her name.

"Yeah?" she asked in a glum tone.

That really unnerved me, the way she had been so cheery for the first couple days that I had known her. And now it seemed that glum was the only emotion she was capable of having! It also made uneasy feeling well inside my stomach.

"Were you able to get all of the notes down?" I asked. "Did you miss any?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine, Ben." she said.

"Here." I said, ignoring her as I pushed my open notebook across to her. "You can copy off of me!"

All she did in return was push the notebook back to me.

"No, Ben, please. I'll be fine."

I wanted to help her, but she was refusing any of my offers. I sighed before I spoke again.

"Gwendolyn, is alright if I call you Gwen?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Gwen, come sit with Nathan and I at lunch today. Please?"

She just shook her head.

"No, I have to sit with Kevin and his friends."

"No Gwen, you don't! And if he tries to get you to go with him, I'll defend you!"

She turned to look at me with a sad look in her eyes. And I could also see something else. What it was, I didn't know.

"I would honestly like to see you try."

She looked away from me and didn't speak to me again after that. Ms. Vaughn had noticed me talking and had gotten up from her desk.

Great, I thought.

"Back to work." She said once she reached our table. "If I have to tell you again, I'll move you."

"Yes, Ma'am." I said in return.

Twenty Five Minutes Later

Class had let out and I caught Gwen on the way out of class.

"Gwen! Wait up!"

She turned around to look at me.

"What?" she asked in her usual glum tone.

"I was being serious when I asked you to eat lunch with Nathan and I today! Come on, please?"

She just shook her head again.

"No, Ben. I have to sit with Kevin."

"No, Gwen, you don't! You can sit with other people if you want to! Please, just try!"

She just stared back at me, before walking past me without a word. I turned and watched her go.

"Gwen!" I called.

I didn't get an answer.

Two And A Half Hours Later

Madison High School Cafeteria

It was lunchtime and I was back to sitting with Nathan. I wasn't really mad at him anymore. There's really no point in being mad at him.

"You asked her to come have lunch with us?" he asked.

I nodded.

"And she said?"

"She told me that she had to sit with Kevin and his friends. I tried to tell her that she didn't, but she wouldn't listen to me."

He shrugged.

"Hey. You win some, you lose some."

I chuckled.

"Thanks. That describes my life. Although, I lose more than I win. I just don't understand why she doesn't see that she has a choice."

Nathan didn't say anything. I looked up at him.

"What? Was it something I said?"

He remained silent still. I put out my hands on either side of me with confusion.

"Um, Nathan? What's your deal?"

He finally pointed behind me and I looked, to see Gwen standing there.

"Jeez!" I exclaimed as I jumped a bit in my seat. "Why do you just stand there and not say anything?"

Gwen shrugged. I noticed that she didn't have a lunch tray with her.

"Did you want to sit down?" I asked.

She sighed and eventually pulled a chair out and sat down next to me. Nathan looked at her as she did this.

"So, we didn't get to talk that much the last time you sat with us." He said. "So, how are you doing?"

Gwen just shrugged in response, not saying anything. That put us all into silence, no one willing to say anything. And of course, as if it were on cue, Kevin showed up a minute or so later.

"Doll, what did I tell you about sitting with these lame-brains?" he asked.

Gwen began to get up without a word to me or Nathan. Seeing as Nathan wasn't going to say anything and that I felt strangely confident, I decided to say something. I turned to face them.

"Leave her alone, Kevin! Can't you see that she doesn't want to go with you?"

Both Gwen and Kevin looked at me with surprise. Kevin eventually sneered.

"I'm sorry, kid. What was it you just said to me?"

I stood up with aggression, surprising all three of them. I stood a few feet away from Kevin and stared him in the eyes.

"I told you to leave her alone, Kevin. She doesn't want to go with you!"

Kevin looked at me with surprise once more.

"Oh, ho-ho!" he exclaimed as he put his hand on my shoulder. "Look who's finally grown a backbone!"

My hand travelled with seemingly lightning speed and snapped onto Kevin's wrist, surprising him even more. My grip tightened on his wrist as I narrowed my eyes.

"I've grown a lot more than a backbone!" I snapped.

Kevin pulled his hand from my grip and just continued to stare at me. Eventually, he backhanded me across the face, both surprising me and causing my glasses to fall from my face. He then pushed me to the floor. I landed on my behind as I let out a hiss of pain. As this happened, Nathan immediately responded.

"Levin." He growled Kevin's last name in a warning.

Kevin considered Nathan for a few seconds, before he looked back at me and he just chuckled.

"Some backbone! Come on, Doll, let's get out of here! See ya 'round, kid!"

Once they were gone, I grabbed my glasses from the floor and began to stand back up. I put my hand up on the edge of the table and set my glasses there as I pulled myself up.

"Damn him, calling Gwen "Doll"!" I muttered as I pulled myself up. "He doesn't even call her by her name! And he's so rude! It disgusts me!"

I finally sat back down in my chair. Nathan just looked at me.

"What?" I asked as I tried to steady my breath.

"Good on you for standing up for yourself and Gwen, but that was not you at all, dude!"

I blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"That was not something that you would normally do, Ben. Something in you must have changed. Did something happen to you over the weekend that you didn't tell me about?"

I shook my head.

"I don't know."

"Are you sure, man? I mean, we tell each other everything!"

"I'm fine, Nathan!"

He didn't say anything as I shook my head.

"I just don't know, man." I muttered under my breath.

Author's Note:

* And that's it for this chapter! So, what do you all think of Ben's newfound confidence? If you guys hate how Kevin is treating Ben, well then, I promise, he'll get what's coming to him. With that being said, I think I'm done here.

* Anyway, I'm going to go though, so have a fantastic day and bye.

Next Chapter: Ben discusses his options for a permanent replacement for his glasses with his parents. Ben gets into a fight with Kevin and his friends. Ben faces the consequences from his parents and the school.