December 27, 2009
Bellwood Pier; 11:50 pm
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Natalie asked her daughter for the umpteenth time. She should have seen it coming when the cousins made their request during Thanksgiving dinner. At the time, she was so exasperated she grabbed the planer she spent the last eleven months working on and threw it in the trash before pouring herself another glass of wine.
"Mom," Gwen groaned.
"I'm sorry, I'll stop. I'm just surprised that you don't want to have a party birthday party this year." And spend it alone with your cousin, for that matter.
"I'm in middle school now. Don't you think I'm a little too old for parties?"
"I suppose so." Sandra's minivan pulled into the parking space next to theirs. Natalie let out a long sigh. "It's too late to back out now." Gwen was out of her seat before they had finished pulling in.
"Nice to see you too, birthday girl," Sandra wrapped the young redhead in her embrace.
"Thank you, Aunt Sandra," Gwen replied warmly. "Hey, Doofus."
"Hey, Dweeb," Ben said. Natalie would never understand the two. Their incessant name-calling became somewhat endearing at some point, unlike the venomous bickering a few years prior. Even now, she couldn't disapprove of the grin plastered on her daughter's face.
"Alright, you two," Natalie spoke up, "your grandfather will pick you both up at five. Remember we're going out to dinner tonight so try not to eat too much before then."
"That goes double for you, mister." Sandra glared at her son. The two gave their word before disappearing among the crowded pier. "They grow up so fast."
"They haven't grown that much," Natalie grumbled.
"You're just upset that you had to cancel all your plans for today."
"I just don't see how Gwen's 'too old' to have a party."
"Maybe she's just tired of pretending to have friends."
"How dare you!?"
"If you stopped playing hostess long enough to pay attention, then you would have seen how lonely Gwen was last year. She probably would have hated it if Ben was there to 'ruin' it." Sandra wasn't oblivious to how her sister-in-law felt towards her son. If it wasn't for Carl's nagging, she'd never have allowed Ben to spend so much time at Natalie's.
"Like you're one to talk, I saw how Ben's supposed friends acted." JT and Cash, a couple of boys Sandra invited claiming to be friends of Ben, caused quite the commotion. Natalie had to apologize to all the parents after they harassed Gwen's classmates. The two women were fuming now, but realization soon dawned on them. "Maybe that's why they wanted to spend their birthday alone?"
"I guess we don't know our kids as well as we think we do." Feeling guilty, the mothers spent the drive home rethinking everything they knew about the cousins.
"You gotta be cheating!" Ben screamed after losing at another carnival game.
"Nope, no tricks up my sleeves." She made a show of rolling up the sleeves of her cardigan. The score was three to zero, and Gwen was relishing in her boyfriend's misery. "Come on, Ben, one more game." She pointed to a stand where a pyramid of milk bottles stood. Ben, being the sore loser he was, ignored her. "How about this, the winner gets to make one command that the loser must obey. No exceptions." Now she had his attention.
The game was simple, knock over the pyramid consisting of six milk bottles and get a prize. As for their little bet, whoever knocked over the most bottles won. They handed the attendant their money and lined up their shots. Gwen threw the ball first, knocking over four bottles. It ended up being a bit more challenging than she thought. Ben took a pitcher's stance. Hyper-focused, he took his shot knocking over five bottles. Gwen refused to look at his smug face.
"Yeah yeah, I get it. You win. How shall I serve thee, lord Doofus?" She made an exaggerated curtsey dreading what lame prank he'll pull. But the command never came. Ben continued to stare with that grin of his, stroking his chin as if he had a long beard. The silence was starting to get to her. "What? Can't think of anything now that you've won?"
"I think I'll hold onto it. It sounds nice having my Dweeb ready to rush to my beck and call." Ben walked away, the smugness never wavering.
"You can't do that!"
"The rules never said I couldn't, and I know how much of a stickler you are for obeying the rules." Ben knew just how to get under her skin. He grabbed ahold of her hand. "Come on, Dweeb, let's hit the bumper cars." Gwen allowed their fingers to intertwine, letting go of her previous frustration.
The young couple spent the next couple hours riding the different attractions and playing at the stalls. The day was going great, even when they had to take a break after feeling nauseous from their third go around the zero-gravity ride. They looked over the ocean as they nursed their upset stomachs.
"I miss swimming in the ocean," Gwen said. She recalled the beaches of the west coast and how vibrant they were compared to Bellwood's dirty bays. But, even if she could withstand the unsanitary conditions, December's weather proved too cold for a dip in the sea.
"We'll hit the beach next trip, I promise!" Ben spoke with an air of conviction.
"You don't have to act all serious, Doofus. It's not like I'll never see the beach ever again." Gwen had no reason to doubt his words, but she couldn't deny how his confidence made her feel. "I'm feeling hungry. It'd be amazing if a cute boy came up with a plate of nachos."
"Your wish is my command." Ben gave a quick bow before joining the line of hungry customers. Gwen made a mental note to treat her boyfriend later. She pulled out her phone to check the time, noting they only had a couple of hours left before Max would pick them up. She was beginning to dread how little time they had left.
It was getting harder to hide their relationship. Ever since they started kissing, she'd find herself lost in his embrace. She used to gag when the girls at school talked about their relationships. She would tell herself that she was above allowing hormones to dictate how she should act. Gwen Tennyson wasn't a damsel waiting for a knight to sweep her off her feet.
But she can't deny how enticing it sounded. How safe she felt wrapped in his arms. The way his scent seemed to make her head spin. It was as if she was seeing all her faults through rose-tinted glasses. It terrified her at times but felt so exhilarating at others. All it took was a single misstep, a word misspoken, a tough lingering too long to bring their whole world crumbling. So why is it that every time she looks into his emerald eyes, it tells her to trust that everything will be alright?
"Gwen?" Ben shook her out of her thoughts. She wasn't sure how long he had been trying to get her attention, but if the plate of soggy corn chips and cold processed cheese was any indicator, it must have been a while.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I just had a lot on my mind."
"You know I'll always be here for you." He wrapped his arm around her waist to reassure her, but it only made her more conscious of her fear. They chose the pier because of how far away it was from anyone who would have recognized them. But she still felt that someone would find out about their incestuous relationship. Even now, the crowds felt suffocating. She looked over the edge, trying to distance herself from the situation when she spotted it.
"You said you got a new alien last week, right?"
"Jetray? What about him?"
"Do you think he could fly us to that lighthouse?" She tried to make it come off as curious, but Ben could see the pleading in her eyes. Once he knew the coast was clear, he pulled them both over the edge and changed into his newest alien form. The flight was short, making the need to transform unnecessary in hindsight. Gwen, however, needed to get away as fast as possible. The lack of Stinkfly's signature stench was a bonus.
"What's going on? It's not like you to willingly break the rules like that." Jetray's voice was higher in pitch than she expected and had this almost distorted sound. However, the green of its eyes reassured her that this was still her Doofus.
"You don't think we're making a mistake, do you?" Gwen turned away, afraid of how he'll react. "This is more than just magic and aliens now. What're we going to do if we get caught?"
"We won't get caught."
"How can you be so sure!?" She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I'm so tired of lying to everyone. At least with the hero stuff, we had grandpa Max, but we can't rely on him with this. No one can know. She let all her fears and insecurities escape. Ever since they returned to Bellwood, Gwen has felt her guilt grow into this rock in the pit of her stomach. It weighed her down with every lie. It won't be long until it drags her down below the surface, no longer able to stay afloat. Gwen felt the rough leather of Jetray's wings as he shielded her from the rest of the world.
"If we do get caught, I'll fight for us. For you." Ben wasn't ignorant of the dangers their relationship posed. He spent countless nights fearing the very same things that were plaguing her. "Even if they separate us, I'll find you. I'll fight tooth and nail, scream until my lungs give out, run through rain and snow. I'll be there as long as you'll have me."
"Wow, Ben, that was beautiful," Gwen said between her sniffling. "Now, if only you would put that kind of effort into your English homework."
"Yeah, well, if my grades did too well, I wouldn't need my cute tutor anymore." They laughed at their bad jokes, but the fear still remained.
"Do you really think we'll be okay?"
"I know we will. We've come too far to let this stop us." Gwen couldn't help but look into his eyes. Those dang eyes that lulled her into a sense of security.
"You know," she spoke, "if you didn't look like a gross alien, I'd totally kiss you right now."
"Of all the times for the watch to work properly." Ben joked. The two stared down at the crowded pier, thinking about their strange excuse for a date. "Hey, Gwen?"
"Yes?"
"Happy Birthday."
AN: Hey 2 chapters in less than 6 months ain't bad. This chapter wasn't meant to be so serious but since we're nearing the end of the first arc I felt it was necessary that the two sat down and talked about their feelings. The next few chapters are gonna get hectic and I've waited years at this point to write them.
