Chapter 19: Free Day
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 Nineteen!
* Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the last two chapters of the story. The story is going to slow down and move at a bit of a slower pace plot wise for a few chapters now. But fear not! The story will pick up again in due time. Besides, I think slower chapters like this are important for the story that I'm telling here.
* Anyway, with that being said, let's get right into the chapter!
Prologue
Earth-6101
Wednesday, October 18th, 2017
Madison High School
Unnamed Firefighter
"So, who's this guy we're looking for?" I asked the other firefighter I had been paired with as we cleared out debris from a hallway.
"He's the school's new custodian." He replied. "Besides that one kid that eventually turned up trapped beneath a chalkboard in a classroom, he's the only person who's been left unaccounted for."
I nodded as we approached a pile of debris ahead of us.
"Right. Come here and help me with this, I think I see something under here."
We both bent down on opposite ends of the pile, searched until we found what we thought was the bottom of the debris and we lifted. We lifted the pile up and tossed it to the far left side of the hallway and that's when we saw it—or rather, him.
"Oh, sweet Jesus!" was all I could say.
We were staring down at the body that had been pinned beneath the debris. He had on a custodial uniform, which was burnt to his skin in some places. In addition to that, a good amount of his hair had burned away and most of his body was covered in burns, right down to the skin beneath his uniform, which you could see due to some portions of the uniform having burned away. On the chest of the uniform, I could just barely see the name Clancy Jarvis stenciled onto the fabric. I got down on my knees and put my ear to his face.
"Is he breathing?" my partner asked.
I heard very faint, shallow, hoarse breathing coming from him. I stood back up.
"Just barely." I replied.
"What do we do?" he asked.
I walked around to the opposite side of the man's body and gestured for my partner to walk over to his feet.
"We have to get him to the paramedics immediately." I said as I carefully lifted his back up and curled my arms under his as my partner grabbed him by the feet. "He may not be kicking anymore if we leave him here to go get them."
We picked him up and carefully began to move with him.
"Let's go, then."
Thursday, October 19th, 2017
Grandpa Max and Grandma Verdona's House
Ben
As it would turn out, I didn't sustain any fatal injuries yesterday. The X-Ray revealed no broken or even fractured bones, so I was alright in that department. However, they did find something else while they were examining me just to be safe. They found a pretty good sized bruise on my back. They reasoned that I got the bruise when the chalkboard fell from the wall and pinned me to the tile floor, and so I went along with it.
Of course, I knew that the way I had really gotten that bruise was from being slammed back first into a brick wall. Anyway, fortunately they didn't have to keep me overnight or anything like that. So, I was able to go home that night, where Grandma Verdona fed me and sent me to bed immediately after. Anyway, right now, I was sitting in the basement, reflecting on yesterday's events once again.
It kept playing in my head, over and over again. That robot shot a helicopter out of the sky—which had at least three police officers inside of it—and I didn't do anything to try and stop it. I just stood there and watched it happen. I had only made things worse. I let out a sigh as I looked down at my costume, which I held in one hand.
My costume, I thought. I almost wish that there was no such thing.
I got up from the trunk that I had been sitting on and opened it, before tossing my costume, mask, gloves and boots inside. I then slammed the trunk shut and put a combination lock on it, just in case.
I think I'll just leave it in there and not give any thought for a while. Besides, looking at that thing makes me feel sick now.
Just then, my phone vibrated from in my pocket. I took it out and looked at it, to see that I had gotten a text message.
Do you want to go on a walk with Nate and I? We're waiting outside your place. – Gwen
What is this? You just show up at my grandma and grandpa's house and just assume that I'm going to be up for a walk? Well, I guess it would be best to have an outlet to escape my thoughts for now.
I put my phone in my pocket without answering and moved to leave the basement, shutting off the lights as I walked up the stairs. I opened the door to the living room, walked in and shut it behind me. The living room was vacant. Grandpa Max must have been at work and Grandma Verdona was usually home, as she had retired early, while Grandpa decided to keep working.
She wasn't in the living room, but I could see that the light was on in the kitchen, so she was probably making her tea before she sat down for lunch. Before I told her where I was going, I decided to go upstairs and check on Lucy. I thought I'd ask her if she wanted to go along.
Since I had moved in with her and our grandparents, she had become pretty good friends with Gwen. Gwen herself had expressed on occasion that Lucy was like her own little sister. That was funny, because I had viewed Lucy as a little sister for most of my life. Anyway, as I entered Lucy's room, I noticed that she was nowhere to be found. I was dumbfounded as I looked around for her, to no avail.
Where is she?
That's when it dawned on me. Even though Lucy and I were in the same school district, only the students from Madison High got the rest of the week off following yesterday's incident. I let out a sigh.
So much for that idea.
Before I left her room, I looked down at her bed, to see a decently-sized stack of comic books sitting there. I let out another sigh, this time filled with disappointment, as I picked up one of the comic books and looked at it. I had seen the comic books that she reads before and I had to say that I didn't exactly approve of her selection. I was a little baffled at why Grandma and Grandpa would allow her to read these.
"Come on, Lucy. You're a girl, not a boy!" I whispered to myself. "Aren't you supposed to be into like, Disney princesses and Barbie dolls?"
I sat the comic book back down where I had found it and decided that I didn't want to be in here for any longer. I left Lucy's bedroom and walked back down the stairs to tell Grandma that I was going out for a while. I walked into the kitchen, where I saw Grandma just sitting down to eat her lunch.
"Grandma?" I asked.
"What is it, honey?" she asked as she turned to look at me.
"Nathan and Gwen are waiting outside for me. Can I go on a walk with them?"
"Of course, you can!"
Well, that was easier than I thought. I was expecting for her to tell me that after what happened yesterday, I would be staying home again.
"Okay. Well, I'm going to leave, then. Bye!"
I walked out of the kitchen and was on my way to the front door, when Grandma called back to me.
"Benjamin, come back here for a moment."
I stopped in my tracks.
Usually, no one ever calls me "Benjamin" unless I'm in trouble and as far as I can tell, I haven't done anything wrong. So, why is she calling me that?
I turned around and deciding not to keep her waiting, I walked back into the kitchen, coming to stop next to the table.
"Sit down, please." she said.
Feeling nervous, I sat down in the chair that was diagonally across the table from her. She took a drink from her tea cup and then put it back down, letting out a sigh before speaking.
"I'm aware that you didn't particularly care for how I dragged you away from your friends last night." She said as she looked at me.
I tapped the tile floor with the tip of my right foot, thinking about what she said and how I would respond.
"I'm that easy to read, huh?" I eventually asked.
She started laughing in response to what I had said.
"I'm your grandmother, Benjamin." She said once she had stopped laughing. "I don't need to read you to know what you're thinking. I don't even need you to tell me what you're thinking for me to know what's going on with you."
Are you sure about that, Grandma? As far as I know, you have no idea that I'm that costumed mystery person that they're talking about in the papers and on the news. Do you know about that?
I just sat there, patiently waiting for her to continue.
"Anyway, I'm aware that pulling you away from your friends was not the nicest thing to do. But I hope you understand that I just wanted to know that you'd be home safe, sleeping in your bed."
She began to tear up as she continued speaking.
"Losing my son and daughter-in-law took a lot out of me and if I lost you too, I have no idea what any of us would do. You're the last in the Tennyson bloodline, son."
The last in the Tennyson bloodline? What about Lucy? Maybe Grandma just isn't thinking of her.
She sighed.
"I love you, son. Don't you ever forget that. You can go now, just please be careful."
Really? I thought that there'd be more to it than that.
The look that she gave me now told me that she was in fact finished with what she wanted to tell me.
"Go on, now. Don't keep your friends waiting."
Who's to say that they're still waiting for me?
Nevertheless, I didn't waste time. I got up from the table and walked back into the foyer, towards the front door.
"And Ben?" Grandma Verdona called back to me.
I came to a stop again, but I would soon find out that stopping wasn't necessary this time.
"Be home by dinner time!"
"I will, Grandma. I love you, too."
I opened the front door and then the front storm door, before closing the front door and walking down the stoop as I let the storm door slam behind me. I walked down the stairs and toward the sidewalk where my friends waited for me.
"It's a good thing you're here," Nathan spoke as I reached them. "we were just about to leave without you."
I raised an eyebrow in response to what he said.
"Don't listen to him." Gwen interjected. "He's just messing around."
"Um, okay?"
Before Gwen could speak again, Nathan beat her to it.
"Come on, man." He said as he tipped his head to the right.
So, we started out on our walk and as we walked down the sidewalk, I noticed that the neighboring house to our right had a for sale sign out front. I noted it, but I didn't give it too much thought. As we walked, Nathan eventually spoke up.
"Did you guys see the footage of the fight at the bridge that the news released last night?"
Ugh, anything but having to hear about that.
Nevertheless, I went along with it.
"No, I was sent to bed early." I replied.
"What?" Gwen asked, not responding to what I said. "No, I didn't see that."
Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
"You guys have to see this." He said.
A minute or so passed of him searching for the video on the news channel's website and once he did, Gwen and I both leaned in to get a better look at the screen. I obviously hadn't seen the situation yesterday from the cameras, but if I'm being honest, I didn't need to see another take on it. After it was over, Nathan put his phone away, Gwen and I both backed up again and he spoke.
"So, I saw the news footage on the fight on the bridge last night, looks like some folks are coming up with names, Crystalline Fighter and stuff like that. Personally, I think Diamondhead is a better fit, because he looks like aquamarine diamond."
Diamondhead, huh? That's certainly better than what I came up with. "Crystal Man". Pfff. Well, Nathan would be more creative than me, anyway.
He turned to look at me.
"Did you see the news report, Ben?"
"No, I told you that my grandma sent me to bed early last night. To be honest, I think she was just happy to know that I was home safe."
"After everything she's been through, I certainly would." He replied.
After that, we all started walking again and as we did, I remembered my thoughts in Lucy's room and decided to get my friends thoughts on the matter, as well.
"Hey guys, I have a question." I said.
"Go for it." Gwen replied.
I cleared my throat.
"So, my cousin Lucy, is you know, a girl."
"Where are you going with this?" Nathan immediately asked.
"Well, I just think that if she's a girl, why is she into comic books and video games? That's a boy's hobby, isn't it? Why can't she be into makeup, Disney princesses and Barbie dolls?"
"Come on, man, seriously? Leave her alone. She can do whatever the hell she wants. Who cares if she wants to read comic books and play video games instead of braid her hair like the other girls her age would do?"
"Yeah, sexist much?" Gwen chimed in.
I turned to look at her.
"I'm not a sexist!" I insisted.
"You are definitely a sexist." Nathan replied, but he was laughing as he spoke, so I knew that he was only joking.
"Hey, I'm just saying—"
"And I'm saying to leave it alone! Who cares what she does with her free time? Who are you to judge? If one day you decided that you'd rather cosplay as anime characters in your free time instead of reading and studying with your free time, I'd still be your friend. I wouldn't judge you."
"Can we move on?" Gwen asked. "This is getting a little too weird for my comfort."
"Fine." I replied.
We then continued walking in silence for a few seconds, before Gwen spoke again.
"So, do either of you have any siblings?"
Nathan responded first.
"No, I'm an only child. Not sure if my parents are planning on having another kid anytime soon. Sorry for the letdown if you were expecting me to be an older brother." Nathan said with a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. "What about you, Gwen?"
Gwen began to twirl a strand of her hair around her finger in a somewhat nervous manner. And when she spoke, she did so in a sort of awkward tone.
"Um, yeah. I have a brother who's off at college right now." She said in a simple manner.
I dismissed how she said it and just moved past it.
"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "An older brother, huh?"
"Kind of." She replied.
What does that mean?
"Kind of?" Nathan repeated what she said.
"Yeah. He's not actually blood related to me. Or by marriage, for that matter. He's adopted."
Nathan and I exchanged glances of curiosity. We looked back at her.
"Adopted?" I asked.
She nodded.
"Yeah. A few years after they had me, my parents decided that they wanted to have another baby. But every time they tried, they never able to, you know, conceive."
I felt my face heating up and I knew that I was blushing, for whatever reason.
"When things weren't working out for them, they decided to look into foster care. And that's when they thought about me having an older sibling, that way I had a role model to look up to. And I'd be lying if I said that Jeffrey hasn't been a role model to me."
Jeffrey Anderson? I'm not sure that I like the sound of that.
"Jeffrey was twelve years old when he was adopted and I was three at the time. He came from an abusive family before adoption and he was a delinquent before Mom and Dad adopted him. However, a loving family seemed to be just what he needed, because he cleaned up his act and turned himself around. As far as he's concerned, my parents are his real parents and he even got his last name legally changed to our last name."
Huh, interesting.
Gwen turned to look at me.
"What about you, Ben?" she asked. "Any older brothers or sisters that you look to? Any little brothers or sisters running around?"
I didn't know why she was asking that, I had already told her about that after my first detention, when she walked me home.
"No, I'm also an only child. And if I did had siblings, they'd probably be living at grandma and grandpa's house with me."
After I said that, the look on her face dropped.
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Sorry."
"It's okay. You didn't mean anything by it."
As we walked, I cleared my throat before speaking again.
"Besides, I'm surprised that you even asked that, seeing as you asked me that a month or so ago."
"Oh, yeah. I did ask, didn't I?"
"I never told Nathan about this, but I already told you that I almost had a twin brother, but they were stillborn."
Nathan was silent as the three of us continued walking.
"How come you never told me this?" he eventually asked.
I turned to look at him to see the look of curiosity on his face.
"You never asked. And it's not like a huge secret or anything. It's just something that my family doesn't like to talk about."
"Yeah, I totally get that." Gwen said, while Nathan remained silent.
I let out a sad sigh.
"You know, it's just so surreal to think that my twin and I were grown and developed in the same womb, but at the end of it all, I'm the only one that came out alive."
Gwen and Nathan both looked at me with sympathetic gazes.
"Sorry, Ben, for your loss." He said.
After that, the topic was dropped and we all kept walking in silence for a while.
Sometime Later
Madison High School
After some time, we found ourselves walking along the sidewalk across the street from Madison High. The school itself was completely off limits, the perimeter being blocked off by yellow police tape. All three of us came to a stop and we just looked at the building.
"I just don't understand why someone would attack a public high school like that!" I said.
Gwen shrugged.
"Ben, some people just want to watch the world burn." She replied.
"What she said." Nathan chimed in.
At that point, we started walking again, getting away from the school and as we did, Nathan began to speak.
"You know, some of the other students at school have been talking. They're thinking that because he showed up so fast after the initial explosion, that maybe our masked mystery man might be a student that we attend school with."
After hearing that, I stopped dead in my tracks and felt myself go cold.
What's he talking about? Wait, does he know...?! No! It's impossible!
Maybe Nathan didn't actually suspect me, according to what was said next.
"Do you think the masked mystery man is a student that attends Madison High with us, Nathan?" Gwen asked.
Noticing that I had stopped walking with them, both of them stopped and Nathan turned to face me as he shrugged.
"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Guy's a complete mystery who showed up not two weeks ago, so for all we know, he was just in the area when that metal psycho started blowing up the damn school."
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Also, "showed up not two weeks ago"? Well, it might be a while before anyone sees "him" again.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Gwen replied.
Nathan then turned to me.
"Everything alright, Ben?" he asked.
I nodded, now knowing that I wasn't completely in danger.
"Yeah." I said as I walked to rejoin them. "Everything's peachy keen."
"Peachy keen?" Gwen asked as she began to chuckle.
"Um, yeah! Everything's fine!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I could just barely see Nathan giving me a funny look. I didn't turn to get a better look at him.
Sometime Later
Bellwood – Red Light Shopping District
Eventually, we reached a point where Nathan had to go home for the day, so once he did, Gwen and I kept walking until we reached the Red Light Shopping District.
"Why did you want to come here again?" she asked as she walked beside me.
I thought about my answer for a second or two.
"There's just something that I need to take care of." I replied at last, as I turned to look at her.
She returned my look with a smile.
"Not comfortable with telling me, huh? That's okay, I won't pry."
I'm really that easy to read, huh?
Of course, I didn't actually say that. As we walked, Gwen pushed a lock of her fiery red hair over her shoulder and out of her face.
"So, the school's Halloween Party is coming up..." she said, but sounding as though she had more to say.
"Uh-huh...?"
"Do you and Nathan want to go?"
I shrugged.
"I don't really know. Halloween isn't really my thing."
"What, you didn't dress up and go trick or treating when you were a kid?"
I nodded.
"Yeah. Most of the time, I dressed as a scientist, a doctor or a judge."
Gwen started laughing. She kept doing so until she looked at me, to see the glum look that I had on my face. That's when she stopped laughing.
"Oh, you're serious?" she asked with surprise.
I slowly nodded.
"Oh. Sorry."
I didn't say anything in response. I just turned my head to look in the direction that we were walking in. After a few more minutes, we arrived at my destination.
"So, do you want me to go in with you or—"
"No." I cut her off. "I'll be fine. I'll see you later, Gwen."
"Oh, okay." She said in a disappointed tone. "Bye, then."
I was about to walk ahead of her and enter the shop ahead of me, when I felt her grab my shoulder out of nowhere.
"Ben, wait!" she said with urgency in her voice.
I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her.
"What?" I asked.
She put her index fingers together as her face reddened, as if she were working up the courage to say what she wanted to say. This confused me.
"What is it?" I repeated.
She at last looked up at me once again and spoke.
"I'm sorry about how I grabbed your hand yesterday, when you and your grandparents were leaving."
Oh, I thought.
"Is that what this is about?" I asked, feeling a bit skeptical. "It's fine, you don't have to apologize. It's fine."
"No, it's not! And yes, I do." She insisted. "It's clear that you're not used to physical contact and I shouldn't have grabbed you like that yesterday. I'm sorry. And it's just that I've never had a friend like you and I don't want to lose you."
I was surprised but what she said, as well as really moved by it.
"That's really nice of you, Gwen. And I said it's fine, okay? No worries."
The look on her face told me that she didn't see the point of making a big deal out of this, so she relented.
"Okay." She replied.
"Thank you. Now, not to be rude, but are we done? I don't know how much time I have left and I really need to get this over with."
She cocked her head at me, with a slightly confused look on her face.
"Why? What's so important that you have to do right now?"
I sighed.
"It's just complicated." I said.
"Oh, okay. Well, I guess I'll see you later, then."
I nodded at her and then turned back around to face the building ahead of me. I looked up at the sign mounted above the door, the name Mom and Pop's Convenience Store written in black lettering. I took a deep breath and tried to work up the courage to go in. Even though my intentions would have been the right thing to do, I just couldn't do it.
I guess I didn't have it in me, after all, I thought. Maybe I'll come back next week or you know, never? I may want to make things right, but I'm still ashamed about my actions here that night.
I turned around on my heel and was surprised to see that Gwen was still standing behind me. As if she knew what I had been thinking, she shook her head with a small smile on her lips. I knew that she wasn't going to let me walk past her. So, I had to do this whether I liked it or not. I turned back around to face the entrance to the shop once more. I sighed and approached the door. This time, I pushed it open and entered the shop. I heard the little bell ring to signal whenever someone had entered the shop.
"Hello," a vaguely familiar female voice said. "welcome to Mom and Pop's Convenience Shop. Can I help you find anything today?"
I walked past the shelf of candies and chips, to the checkout counter where the voice was coming from.
"Um, no thanks." I replied as I approached the counter.
The lady came into view and I was able to confirm that it was the same elderly lady from that fateful night. She gave me a quizzical look, as if she recognized me.
"Hello." She said as she arched an eyebrow at me. "Do I know you?"
Before I could answer, she must have put two and two together, because the look on her face changed entirely.
"Wait a minute, you're that kid who didn't help us during the robbery that night!" she exclaimed, before pointing to the door. "Get out of here! Get out of here right now!"
I wasn't surprised, not even a little bit. I had expected this exact outcome. But I was going to stand my ground.
"Ma'am, please. I'm sure that I'm the last person in the world that you want to see. I wouldn't want to see me either." I said in a passive tone. "I know what I did was wrong and—"
"You know what you did was wrong?" she interrupted me. "Of course, it was wrong! You could have done something—anything—to stop the thief and you just let him get past you!"
"I know, I know! And I regret it! I've spent many nights tossing and turning in bed, feeling guilty about it. And now I want to help, I want—"
"You want to help now? You should have helped then! Now get out of here!"
She's not going to make this easy, is she? I suppose that she's in her rights.
"Ma'am, please! I'm not leaving until I make things right!"
I took a breath as I stepped closer to the counter.
"I know that it might not make up for everything, but—"
I reached into my pocket where I had kept the money that I had had with me this whole time and pulled it out. I was minor, so I couldn't open up a bank account on my own. Knowing this, after the Bellwood Post paid me for the picture that I had taken for them, Grandma Verdona took them down the bank that she and Grandpa used to open me an account, with her serving as an advisor on my account. I also did chores around the house on a weekly basis, just like Lucy and we both got twenty dollars at the end of every week.
"—I want you to have this. It's all of the money that I got from my first paycheck and I want you to have it. Consider it a charitable donation. I don't want anything in return, I just want to make things right."
She now looked at me, the anger on her face seemingly having disappeared. At last she spoke.
"We were robbed, sure. But I can't take that money from you. You're just a minor!"
"Yes, you can. Please, just take it. It would make me feel much better about myself."
"I can't just—"
"Ma'am. I'm not leaving until you accept the money."
She kept staring at me and I thought that she was going to have to actually kick me out, when she finally reached her hand over the counter and took the hundred dollars from me.
"Thank you." I replied.
"You're welcome. I guess."
Just then, a set of flimsy double doors to my left opened and the same old man from that night came in, coming from the back stock area, probably. He seemed to recognize me instantly.
"You're that kid who didn't do shit to help us that night!" he yelled at me. "Get the hell out of here, now!"
I could tell right away that he was the type that got quickly and easily angered. Luckily, the lady at the counter began to defend me.
"Easy, honey! He doesn't mean us any harm! He's just here to—"
"I don't care what he's here! He refused to help us! Now, get him out of here!"
I was actually beginning to feel intimidated by the older man and I began to back up, which the old lady noticed.
"Kid—"
"Ben." I found myself blurting out my name.
"Ben." she corrected herself. "You stay right there."
She turned back to her husband, I assumed he was, anyway.
"He doesn't mean us any harm. At least hear me out before you decide to throw him out of here!"
"I've already decided! Get him out, now!"
This made the old lady's face begin to turn red.
"Carl, stop being so damn stubborn!" she exclaimed, before showing him the money. "Look! He's donating this to us because he feels bad about what he did and wants to help us out!"
This time, "Carl" didn't say anything. The old lady turned to look at me once more.
"I suppose I can forgive you. But, why would didn't you help us that night in the first place?"
I looked down at the floor with an uncomfortable gaze. As I stood there in silence, I expected the lady behind the counter to speak, but I was surprised when Carl spoke instead.
"Ellie honey, he's just a kid. You shouldn't pry."
After he said that, I snapped my head back up to look at them.
"No, it's alright! I think maybe you might understand my decision that night if you knew what I was going through that night."
The couple, I was assuming, Carl and Ellie, exchanged glances and eventually they both turned back to look at me. Ellie nodded at me to go ahead.
"Before I say what I need to say, I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this." I said.
I expected her or both of them to refuse, due to them not owing me anything. But I got a different response.
"Who are we going to tell, Ben?" she asked. "Can I call you by your name?"
I nodded.
"Thank you. Ben, who would we tell?" she repeated her question.
"I need you to promise me." I insisted.
Carl turned to Ellie.
"Dear, just do it."
Ellie took a breath.
"Okay, Ben. We promise not to tell anyone."
I wasn't going to waste any time with this.
"The reason why I didn't help you guys out that night is because I was unable to get something that I wanted. Something that was important to me." I spoke. "And that doesn't make what I did right, I understand. We've all wanted something and end up being unable to get that thing that matters to us, right?"
They both stayed silent for a few seconds and eventually Ellie spoke.
"I think I understand. You're right, what you did wasn't the right thing to do. But because we all go through tough times and because you were willing to go out of your way to come here to make amends with us, I can let it go."
I was eternally grateful to hear that, but I wasn't finished yet.
"There's more. I'm not inherently a bad kid, nor do I try to be. I would have come to make things right sooner, but something kept me from doing it. Not only was I unable to get something that I wanted, but that night my parents died, too."
I took a breath as I began to tear up.
"And it was my fault." I finished.
Both of them looked at me with surprise and neither of them spoke for some time. After maybe a half minute, Ellie finally spoke.
"Well, if that's really the truth, I don't believe that such a thing was your fault."
It's the truth, ma'am.
Before she could speak again, Carl spoke.
"Regardless of that, the point here is that you made a rash decision that night. We have all made rash decisions and have come to regret said decisions. The point is that you were able to overcome your regret and you came here to make things with us right. So, maybe we misjudged you, kid."
I looked up at him. He began to grumble as if it was difficult for him to say this.
"There's no need for my wife and I to harbor bad feelings about you after what you did that night. We're square kid."
I let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, good. Thank you! I've lost a lot of sleep trying to figure out how I should handle this, so you have no idea what that means to me!"
Ellie began to laugh a little bit.
"I think I do have a bit of an idea. I too can forgive you. You've made things right with us and you shouldn't have to lose anymore sleep about this whole thing."
"Thank you." I replied.
She nodded.
"Well, you probably have already figured it out, but I'm Ellie." She said, before pointing at Carl. "And that's my husband, Carl. Don't mind him. He's a bit of a hothead."
Carl and Ellie? As in that old couple from the Pixar movie, Up? God, Lucy loves that movie. She made me watch that movie with her twice in the last month.
As I stood there, Ellie began to speak again.
"You'll be alright, Ben. If you feel up to it, come on back here anytime you want. My husband and I don't get new customers very often."
"I'll be sure to do that." I replied.
Just then I felt my phone vibrate from within my pocket. I took it out and I saw that I had gotten a text.
Where are you? – Grandma Verdona
I typed out a quick response.
On my way home.
I looked back up at the old couple who owned the shop.
"I'd love to stay here and continue chatting with you guys, but my grandma wants me home."
"That's alright." Ellie replied. "Do you want something for the road?"
I shook my head.
"Me? No. My cousin would probably like a candy bar, but the money that I gave you guys was kind of all I had. I don't have my wallet with me."
"Forget about that. Just this once because of your honesty and willingness to come here to make things right with my wife and I, I'll make it on the house."
"Carl?" Ellie asked with confusion.
"Don't worry, honey. I'll pay for his purchase just this once." He said as he went behind the counter. "Take your pick kid and I'll pay for it."
I picked out Lucy's favorite type of candy bar, a Three Musketeers candy bar. I handed the bar to Carl and he paid for it with his own money just like he said he would, putting some of his own money into the cash register. He then handed me the Three Musketeers bar and I said my thanks.
"Now don't forget, you come on back anytime." Ellie said. "We'd love to see you back."
"Okay, thank you." I said as I moved towards the shop's exit.
"No, thank you." Ellie replied.
I turned to wave at them before I exited through the door. As I left the shop, I honestly expected to see Gwen still waiting outside for me. But, she was gone.
She must have gone home, I thought.
I shrugged and then began to walk home myself.
Author's Note:
* And that's it for this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed!
* What did you think of the conversations that Ben and his friends had in this chapter, as well as what Ben did at the end of the chapter? Did Ben make things right, do you think?
* Anyway, that's going to do it for me. I'm going to go though, so have a great day and bye.
Guest Review (Chapter 17): Do you plan on having him gain any new aliens earlier than canon
Thanks for the review. To answer your question, probably not. The two big things that I'm focusing on this story are the development of storylines and the development of the relationships between the characters. Sorry to disappoint you. Thanks for the review, as always.
Next Chapter: Ben spends quality time with his family. We will also get a closer look into Lucy's character, as well as a look into Nathan's home life.