The Cafeteria (4,038 words)

Ben paid for his lunch, spaghetti today, and looked for somewhere to sit and think about what had just happened. He easily tuned out the chatter from the 100 or so students in the cafeteria. He was worried about how badly Ms. Young had taken the break up so far. He was determined to finish this through; it was the only way it could end up.

"Hey?" Dino said as he put his lunch tray down across from Ben.

"Oh, hey, how's it going?" Ben responded barely looking at Dino while messing with his food.

"Dude! What's going on with you and Ms. Young," he asked under his breath, but excitedly,

Ben looked surprised, "Jonathan told you? I told him to shut up about this!"

"Don't blame him; I could tell he had something big on his mind. I didn't know it was this big. I made him tell me. You know he can't keep anything from me." Dino proceeded to take a bite of his pizza waiting for a response. Ben continued to eat while Dino stared at him still waiting for an answer "Well?"

Ben stared back, and stirred his food. He finally answered "Well what?"

Dino put his food down, looked to his left, and then to his right. He placed his elbows on the table and leaned in towards Ben. Quietly, but in a serious tone, Dino said, "I've been trying to talk to you for two days now, and during that time I find out you and Ms. Young are, are…," he stopped in frustration. He composed himself, and leaned back, "That's just it. I don't know what the hell is going on! If you've hooked up, eloped, whatever!"

"It would have never worked out," Ben stressed.

Still frustrated, "What wouldn't have worked out; you haven't told me shit! Oh and you're definitely going to show me Jonathan's pictures, you're not getting out...,"

Ben interrupted, "…Can't do that I already burned them, negatives too."

Dino chewed his food and chuckled to himself, "Doesn't Jon use a digital camera?"

Ben's eyes went wide, and asked, "Does he? Does he have one?"

Dino shrugged his shoulders. His happy grin had left, and was replaced with a serious concerned look. "I don't understand what the problem is. Shouldn't you be the happiest guy on the planet right now?"

In a clumsy way Ben tried to change the subject, "How's your mom, and dad doing?"

Dino just stared at him as he chewed. He finally asked, "Why are you bringing that up? You know I don't want to talk about them. Besides I don't know what the hell their going to do."

"Have you talked to Jackie," Ben inquired.

Irritated he asked, "Why would I do that; we're broken up, and she's with some loser over there." They both look across the room where Jackie is eating lunch with a new student. They could easily see her laughing, and both looked happy as they ate lunch together. Jackie spotted Dino looking at her, and tried to ignore it. Dino looked back at Ben, "Do me a favor and shut up about my problems!"

While Ben looked down at his lunch he sighed and said, "I broke it off; I ended it a week ago."

Stunned Dino asked, "You mean I don't even know what happened and it's already over? I just don't understand! You should be the happiest guy in the world, but you're just a huge downer. Seriously dude! I was in a great mood; thinking about Zoe and everything. I come in here for few a minutes," he looks at his watch, "and I pretty much feel like shit! Thanks." Dino waits for some kind of response from Ben. Finally he asked, "I thought this is what you wanted; I laughed when you said you wanted Ms. Young not to long ago. Now I don't know what to think."

Ben tries to explain, "Listen, Monica and I would never have worked. Can you imagine what my parents would do if they found out? They're already drug testing me. Monica could be fired, or even do jail time. It's insane!"

Dino leaned in, "Monica? Whoa this has gone further than I thought; jail time you say? All right!"

Dino suddenly spots Jonathan and Debra, both carrying lunch trays, walking up to them. Dino grimaces, "Oh great." He tries to sink in his seat still feeling guilty about getting caught with Zoe in his dad's apartment.

The couple stops next to Dino, and Debra purposely ignores him; pissed that he hooked up with Zoe while lying to Jackie. "So Ben," Debra asked while smiling at him. "How's your lunch?"

"It's ok," he responded.

"And how is Sue doing," she wondered out loud.

A bit confused he answered, "Uh, good I guess; why are you asking me?"

"Well she talks about you all the time, and….,"

Ben smiling quickly interrupted her, "…Oh yeah, what does she say about…,", he is just as quickly interrupted by Jonathan.

"…Debra," Jonathan asked.

She turned toward him smiling and giggled, "Yes boyfriend."

Dino made a face in anguish, and mimicked the actions of someone vomiting. Ben quietly laughed as Dino played out his little drama mocking their boyfriend girlfriend speak.

Jonathan asked her, "Would it be all right if we eat our lunch with our other friends?"

"Do I bore you at our lunches," she inquired, while giggling.

Jonathan laughed knowing she was just kidding, "No of course not. I do have a couple of things I want to say to the guys, and I would like some, um…,"

Debra decided to finish his sentence, "…privacy?"

"Yeah."

"No problem, I'll be over there talking to Jackie. My, she looks so much happier," she states in Dino's direction. Facing away from her Dino just rolls his eyes with a loathing expression on his face. "Oh Ben I'll tell Sue you said hi," Debra said as she proceeded to walk over to the table Jackie was at.

"Thanks…I guess." With an expression of pain on his face he looked at Jonathan, and putting his hands in the air, "Why does your girlfriend have to be so weird?"

Jonathon walked around the other side of the table to sit next to Ben. "She's not weird! She's, unconventional, and that's why I'm so attracted to her. Give her a break ok." Jonathan moved his lunch tray around, and placed his camera on the table. Jonathan took a big breath of air, and turned to Ben. "Ben," Jonathan asked, and nervously continued, "I want to apologize for not keeping your, I mean I'm sorry for telling…," Dino interrupted him.

In a disgusted manner Dino threw up his arms and said, "…He knows already; I told him that I know everything."

Jonathan, in a search for the words looked at Dino, then Ben, and back to Dino. "I thought we had a pact? I was going to be the one to tell him that I…,"

"He's fine with it," Dino interrupted again.

"It's ok," Ben consoled. "I had to tell Dino some time; not that I was trying to hide it."

"Really?" Dino asked with some disbelief.

Jonathan relaxed a bit now that he knew Ben was ok with him telling Dino about the pictures. He began to smile and turned towards Ben, "So, how about some juicy details about Ms. Young?"

Dino quickly spoke up, "You mean Monica? He broke up with her! Can you believe that?"

Puzzled, Jonathan asked, "Monica? Is that Ms. Young's name? Why didn't I know that," he asked himself. "Break up? Already, what happened? Is she kind of weird? Dino looked at Jonathan and shrugged his shoulders indicating he didn't know. "Is Mon…," Jonathan suddenly stopped speaking, and Dino noticed that both Ben and Jon were mesmerized by something behind him.

"How's it going gentleman," Ms. Young asked.

Dino's eyes went wide as he instantly recognized her voice. He mouthed the words "holy shit" towards his friends. He was so close to bursting out laughing, a nervous reflex he could barely control. He couldn't believe the last few minutes of this emotional rollercoaster of a lunch, and now this.

None of the boys said a word almost giving away that they were just having a discussion about her. Jonathan finally chimed in, "Good Ms. Young. How is it going with you?"

"It's going; good I mean…I guess." She moved to the side of Dino and placed a red apple and a folder full of papers down on the table. Still standing she searched through the papers. "Jonathan?"

"Yes Ms. Young."

"Will you be taking pictures at today's rehearsal?"

"Yes. I hoped to get pictures of the cast; oh, and some scenery if any of it is finished."

"Good," she responded. She looked at Ben, who tried not to look at her, and she asked, "And Ben, can I confirm that you'll be there today? You've put us behind by missing the last two; I'd hate to replace you after everything we've gone through."

"Uh, yes I'll be there," he said quietly while thinking to himself how far was she going to push it? Damn she must want to get caught he thought, and how was he supposed to protect her from herself? Dino had not moved a muscle and knew she was talking about her relationship with Ben. Ben broke up, but she wasn't having any of that.

"Good, because we're moving forward in the next act," she said as she handed him the script. Ben quickly flipped through it. "Very big scene…," Ms. Young's usually firm, and very precise teacher speak noticeably intensified." "You all know," she stated. The three boys slowly turned their heads toward her with a mortified look on their faces. None of them knew how to answer that they new of the illicit affair.

Ben felt like he had betrayed her trust and began to apologize, "I'm sorr…," but he was quickly interrupted by her.

"You know, the scene where Juliet declares her undying love for Romeo. After he's dead and leaves her to be alone forever." The three burst out in laughter relieved she didn't know, and that they had misunderstood what she meant. She was confused, and annoyed at their odd reaction to her statement. Ms. Young quickly began re-shuffling her papers. Softly, and at a quick pace she remarked, "Of course Juliet then had to commit suicide, but what other choice did he give her?" She grabbed the apple, the folder, and smiled at them, "Have a good day," She then quickly proceeded to leave the cafeteria. Ben had to follow her out with his eyes.

Jonathan, fiddling with his camera said, "I guess she is weird."

"Wow," Dino exclaimed, "that was wild; what was all that?"

Jonathan turned towards Ben, "So why are you breaking up?"

In an irritated manner Ben answered, "It's an age thing; it just wasn't working, ok."

"Can I ask when this all started," Jonathan inquired.

"Yeah," Dino demanded. "When, how, where, I'll take anything." Dino tossed his empty soda bottle in the trash can close by. "Best friends talk about this kind of stuff," he explained.

Ben stretched out his arms, and sighed. "Ok," he reluctantly answered. "Oh God where do I start," he wondered out loud. "The night of Jackie's party…"

"…Oh man don't remind me of that night. God knows I'll never forget it," Dino interrupted, as he replayed the night he told his friends that his mother had cheated on his father with his hockey coach.

"Uh sorry about that dude. Anyway, Ms. Young dropped me off a couple of blocks away from Jackie's house that night. I invited her in, but she said no, and said something about younger and prettier girls at the party. I told her I thought she was prettier than any of them, and she suddenly kissed me," he gleefully announced. "I'm not exaggerating, she lunged at me; I thought I was dreaming. That's when I knew, I mean how could I not know, she wanted me!"

"Oh my God; you're shitting me," Dino asked in disbelief.

"Just out of the blue," Jonathan questioned. "Well how was it?"

Ben replayed the kiss in his head, and it was such a fond memory. "It was slow; it seemed to go on for an hour. I remember being so calm during the kiss, like I had done this with her many times. I don't know if it was her, but it was so natural..,"

"You mean boring," Jonathan asked.

Ben winced when he heard that, "Oh God no; it was thrilling, it was unreal! I'll never forget it."

Jonathan sat back, "Wow, maybe kissing a woman, someone with some real adult experience I mean, is totally different?"

"I guess so," Dino replied somewhat in a daze.

"Wait a minute," Jonathan asked. "What were you doing in her car in the first place?"

Ben laughed, "Oh right, yeah, this is good. I'm picking up the booze at the liquor store for your party," he pointed at Dino. "So the clerk immediately suspects I'm under age, and starts, asking me questions. I gave him some bull about my younger brother's 21st birthday,"

"Oh that's good," Jonathan said as he's laughed.

"Yeah, well he still wanted an I.D. So I showed him my fake I.D…,"

Dino interrupted, "…that crappy thing?"

"Well it worked. Anyway I'm waiting at the register when I hear 'Oh my God what are you doing here', right behind me. I turned around and there she is in her hot baby blue out fit. You know the one; oh how I love that one."

"Oh yeah! Wait, what is she doing at the very same liquor store your at," Dino questioned. "Do you think she was following you?"

Ben looked confused, "No, I don't think so. I've never actually thought about it. I don't know if that's cool if she did, or not. What I'm saying that's totally awesome if she did! Anyway, she starts acting like I'm an old college friend; said I was a partier way back in college. I was stunned, I thought I was totally busted, and the next thing I know my hot English teacher is helping me buy alcohol!"

"Totally cool," Dino blissfully remarked.

"Hell yes," Jonathan chimed in.

Ben in a voice of amazement replied, "I know. I was already riding in her car when you called to cancel the party."

Dino starts to laugh, "Oh so that's where you were? Unbelievable."

Jonathan almost giddy asked, "Then what?"

Ben looked around the lunch room, and annoyed answered, "Calm down dude. That was pretty much it. I told her I was free and she said she wasn't…"

"…Ouch," Dino consoled.

"I know, that kind of hurt," Ben responded. "She did invite me to run errands with her though."

Dino laughed, "Oh real cool. No I'm kidding I would have gone anywhere she asked me too. Hell yes!" Dino replaced his grin to a serious face when he saw Sue walk up. He whispered to himself, "Now what?"

Ben pointed to Jonathan's camera and asked, "Is that thing digital?"

"Hi Ben," Sue suddenly said eagerly behind him.

Ben turned around and smiled, "Hi Sue what's going on?"

"Did you get the new script from Ms. Young?"

He lifted up the script and pointed to it. "Oh yeah she came by earlier."

Sue bashfully asked, "Have you read the scene we'll be practicing?"

"Yeah something about Juliet's undying love for Romeo, or something," he answered in an unenthusiastic manner as he flipped though it.

She quickly flipped through the script, "No, no, it's the big kissing scene."

"What," he asked startled. "I mean what," he said more calmly trying to stay in control, "which scene?"

"The big kiss," she answered.

"Oh oh," Jonathan said as he turned back around towards Dino.

Sue was annoyed now, "Ok what's the problem? You didn't have garlic did you?"

Ben laughed as he stood up and answered, "No, nothing's wrong. Everything's cool; I'll be ready. Why did Ms. Young describe a completely different scene earlier?"

Dino couldn't stop laughing and said with difficulty, "I've got, I've got to be there today!" Ben turned towards Dino with an expression that indicted he wanted him to shut up. Dino coughed, and tried to pull himself together, "Sorry, sorry, I'm gonna get some juice or something." He quickly headed towards the concession area.

"What are you guys smoking," Sue demanded to know. "You're acting like a bunch of idiots. Ben you better know your lines; I don't want to look like a fool up on stage!"

Ben was getting tired of this, "Sue! I'll start memorizing right now. Just calm down; I don't do well under pressure." Jonathan smiled to himself thinking that there had been nothing but pressure for his friend today.

Sue realized she was freaking out a bit and apologized. "I'm sorry this play is so important to me. You know I'm trying to get into Princeton…"

Under his breath Jonathan commented sarcastically to himself, "Oh God do we know."

"All right, I'll see you there then. Bye."

Ben quickly sat down and flipped through the script. "I think I'm going hurl."

Jonathon wondered out loud, "How many lines could there possibly be in a kissing scene?" He turned towards Ben and asked, "Really, are you going to retch?"

"No," he sighed, "I wish I could though, and get out of this."

Dino came back and sat down, "Oh good she's gone. I thought for sure it was lecture time for me." Ben continued through the script while Jonathan continued messing with his camera. "Did she say anything about Jackie?"

Jonathan looked up, "Nope."

Ben got up and threw his food and garbage into the trash can. "Ok I'm outta here; I've got to learn these lines."

"Not yet dude. You still haven't told us what we need to know," Dino smiled as he said it. Jonathan turned towards Ben, and stared at him with a big grin.

"What," Ben asked even though he knew what they meant.

Dino grinning leaned in and said, "So how far did you get? Come on you've got to tell us; I'm begging you." He put his hands out as if he were truly begging for his life. "Please."

Ben wanted to tell them, and he knew he could trust them. Ben sat down and sighed. "All right, but it goes no further than the three of us got it?" Dino and Jonathan both excitedly agreed. "Ok, ok, oh man, I can't believe I'm going to tell you this," Ben flexed his fingers as he talked. "This is so embarrassing to talk about."

"I'm trying not to get up set here," Dino calmly mentioned, "Can we get on with it; lunch is almost over."

Ben clearly blushing blurts out under his breath, "All the way." Dino and Jonathan are confused, as their not sure they heard what they think they heard. "Didn't you guys hear me," he asked clearly stressed. "I said all the way," he states slowly. Both their eyes and mouths go wide.

Dino jumps up off the bench and spins around, "Are you shitting us," he excitedly questioned. He stopped for a second wondering if he was joking with them, "Your not bullshitting us are you?"

Jonathan calmly asked, "Are you serious, you're not making this up?" Ben just sits there looking at them. "Oh my God you're not making this up," Jonathan peacefully acknowledged. Dino sits down contemplating what has just been said; trying to take it all in. The three just sat there for ten seconds until they breakout into laughter finally relieved of the extreme tension.

"Simply unbelievable," Dino exclaims. "Where, when?"

"Jonathan, remember the day I was pissed about getting the lead in the play?"

"Oh yeah; that was hilarious…,"

"Right after that and I mean right after I talked to you," Ben explained with glee in his voice. Dino raised his hand and Ben slapped it with both of them expressing satisfaction.

Confused somewhat Jonathan inquired, "You don't mean at the school do you?"

Ben just grinned shacking is head to indicate he was correct.

"Oh c'mon you're lying? Really? Whoa…I mean that's unbelievable," Dino said in an astounded voice. "Ok, ok, well what happened just tell us," he begged.

Ben put his hand up while laughing, "Ok, ok, I walked down the hall when out of no where Ms. Young drags me into the janitor's closet. At first I thought that we were just going to make-out; celebrate me getting the lead. So next thing she tells me that she's tired of waiting all while grabbing at my pants – she was all over me! I told her I didn't have any protection so she whips out a condom from her blouse just like that!"

"Incredible," Jonathan sighed while shaking his head in admiration.

"Unbelievable, I know I've said unbelievable a hundred times, but that's what it is," Dino said eagerly.

"That's what I just said," Jonathan corrected him.

Dino with a serious expression pointed at Jonathan and quietly said, "You shut up," he next pointed at Ben and said, "You spill."

"All right." Ben paused as he continued to play the act through his mind. He had thought about them making love hundreds of times probably thousands of times. It was with him all the time, and meant way more than he thought it would. He wasn't sure if he wanted to give that away. He'd already given up Monica; now this too? "Ah, it, was, it was nice."

"Ok we could have figured out that much," Dino acknowledged.

"It was great, she was so beautiful she wanted me so badly, and I wanted her so badly, I don't think I've wanted something so badly before." He sighed, "I don't think I can really explain." He calmed down and took a second to clarify his thoughts. "Ok, lets see, her skin…it was so soft, I've never felt anything like her skin. And her perfume, no it was her hair, the shampoo she used it was some kind of fruit, I don't know. All I do know is it is still in my head; I can bring it to mind right now." Dino and Jonathan had not blinked once since Ben started describing what happened. "There was a weird sense of comfortable excitement; I wasn't nervous just like the kiss. I didn't know what the hell I was doing, and well, she just took control."

Dino and Jonathan while looking at each other in unison simply said, "Whoa."

"I know," Ben responded in amazement. As Ben continued on, not in a crude, braggadocio fashion, but in a very honest manner, Dino and Jonathan thought about their own lives, their own relationships. They both realized that it was way more than sex for their friend. It was what Dino had hoped Jackie and he would have their first time. Ben said numerous times there was a connection that he could not explain between Ms. Young and himself. Dino thought he had that with Jackie, but it was never there, not like this. At the same moment Jonathan understood what Ben was trying to explain. He and Debra had this connection. He was glad he waited to make love to her, with her, for her. They had plenty of time, and he wanted to enjoy the journey with her.

While explaining his recent experiences with Ms. Young…Monica; Ben hadn't felt that good in seven days. It felt good to finally get it out, and relieve the stress the secrets had placed on him. His friends could see it on his face, and they could see as he finished that he realized it was all over. He questioned if he could leave her now. She said she was in love with him not more than thirty minutes ago, and had demonstrated with her recklessness that she would throw everything away for him. He wondered if he had already fallen in love with her. He concluded he had, and he had no idea what to do about it.