Here we are! I can't believe I've been writing this story for a month now and we're at the tenth chapter. Having it take place back at Blackwell again means we also get to see some more Ben and Kate chemistry. There was a lot that I wanted to place in this chapter, hence it's length compared to the last one. So sit back, and enjoy a hefty chapter filled with deep feelings being developed, friendships, music, and more. People have also given me some ideas for one shots that involve Ben in the world of LiS, which is something I'll definitely be doing after finishing this fic.
Chapter 10: The Serpent in the Garden
Kate Dairy Entry, October 15th 2013:
It feels so great to finally be back at Blackwell. There's kind of been a lot on my mind again lately, so I decided to write it all down. I even got up earlier than usual just to do so too. I'm not even sure where to start, but I'm sure everything will come to me as I'm writing.
A lot of people seemed so happy to see me again yesterday. Max and I went on our weekly tea date together and Warren even joined us as well. Dana and Juliet both gave me a huge hug when they saw me in the hallway. And Stella, Alyssa, and I even had a movie night together last night. Even Victoria was trying to be nice to me too. I still haven't given her an answer yet if I can met up with her after class today. The Meals on Wheels Club meets after school today and tonight's also Bible Study, not to mention that I still have some more homework to make up from last week.
I just feel like everything in my life is really changing for better and I think that it all started when Ben stepped into my life. I went to see him at the hospital yesterday when I found out he got injured in his game on Friday. He apparently has a torn ACL. I'm not sure what that means, but he said he won't be able to play football for a while. He did sound depressed when I first talked with him because of his injury and how the team lost their biggest game of the season. He started to feel better after I told him that it wasn't his fault. Then we changed the subject and I ended up telling him about how my parents are thinking about having me switch schools. Ben was actually the first person that I told this too and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I feel like he can keep things a secret since he doesn't seem like the type to gossip about other people.
I did get to learn about what his parents were like before they divorced. They sounded like really nice people from what he told me. I still can't believe they left each other when he was only five. That's just too young to experience something like that. It seems like he doesn't really like to talk about his childhood after his parents divorced either. I suppose I'll just have to respect that since it isn't my business. I was surprised that he respected my views on abstinence, even when he admitted to me how many times he had had sex here at Blackwell. I do feel kind of bad for him though. He just really wants to find someone special in his life, but it seems like most of the girls here just take advantage of him since he's very popular and attractive. All this time, I thought that he had a girlfriend. I'm sure that there's a very special girl somewhere out there who's waiting to meet Ben and be happy with him. Now if only Max would just start dating Warren already. She knows that he likes her.
As crazy as this sounds, I feel like asking Ben to have tea with Max and I next time. We should probably invite Warren again too so Ben doesn't feel so awkward by me and Max's girl talk. With his injury and all, he might get so bored not being able to play the sport that he loves so much, so what better than to include him in a group of his other friends. I'm not sure why, but talking with Ben always makes me feel so happy for some reason. He even gave me an idea for a new drawing. I still have plenty of time before my first class, so I should probably start working on it.
As Kate sat in her dorm room and finished her entry, she placed her diary into one of the drawers of her desk. She then took out a piece of blank paper from a different drawer as well as a box of crayons. Kate went to work as she let the ideas that flowed through her mind carry over the paper. She was deeply focused on her drawing and made very precise maneuvers with the crayons she used, almost like a surgeon working on an operating table with their tools. As time passed, she had finished the drawing and happily gazed at it. The formerly blank sheet of paper now consisted of the sketch of a football field with its green surface, white lines that measured every ten yards, a field goal, and a scoreboard. Standing on the field was a drawing of a little smiling cartoon football player, with light brown skin who wore a red football jersey with white bottoms. This was obviously supposed to be Ben. Right above the field and the football player, was an angel floating in the sky, dressed in a white gown and with a golden halo above its head. The angel also had a smile on its face and had shining blonde hair worn into a bun, similar to the style of Kate. She felt like drawing two characters that closely represented her and Ben since her Art class had learned about caricatures the other week. The angel was throwing a football down to the football player, who looked eager to catch it. Above the drawing was a message in all capital letters which read: GET WELL SOON!
Underneath those words was a biblical scripture, which Kate had in her head and felt like writing down. She felt that it seemed appropriate and would help lift up Ben's spirits. For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! –Psalm 34:20
Kate had admired her newest piece of art that she was so proud of spending the last half an hour on. Though, she felt that something was still missing. She wanted to put Ben's number on the jersey of the little football player that she drew. She went on her phone and opened up the Facebook app to go on his profile and see if there were any pictures of him wearing his jersey. She knew that instead of Facebook stalking Ben, she could have just texted him and asked for what his player number was. But she wanted this drawing for him to be a surprise. Tapping on the search bar with her finger, she began to type his name until it popped up underneath her search results.
Ben Ferris, which was what the first name read under her search results. She then tapped the name, which brought her to Ben's profile. She saw his cover photo of the school's football field along with his profile picture of him standing in front of the Golden Gate Bridge with his mother. She could easily tell that the women standing next to Ben was related to him, as the two had shared some similar facial features. Kate thought that she looked so pretty and was very happy with Ben in the picture. Thinking about what Ben said yesterday that his mom wasn't able to see him over the weekend since she was in Colorado, Kate felt that his mother probably missed him even more. Selecting the section that would show all of Ben's photos, she saw so many different pictures of him that illustrated the life he lived. There were some that showed him with all of his Vortex Club friends at some of their parties and Ben either looked really happy or completely intoxicated in them. There was even one picture of him and Nathan standing together and flexing. The picture included a caption which read:
Ladies (and Gentlemen), introducing your newest Senior Class President and Vice-President. Yes, they're both single. #EntertheVortexClub #BlackwellBros
Looking at that photo, Kate could tell that Ben and Nathan were both good friends when the school year started. Now, it sounded like they worn sworn enemies from what Ben had told her. And it was all because Ben decided to take Kate's side and tell Principal Wells that Nathan drugged her at the Vortex Club's previous party. She still couldn't think of anyone else at this entire school who would throw their best friend under the bus to help someone they barely knew. That's what made Ben such an interesting person to her. As Kate had scrolled down further, she saw other pictures that showed Ben goofing around at his uncle's carpentry company he worked at over the summer. One picture showed him at his eighteenth birthday, proudly holding up an empty keg and kissing it. There were even a few pictures that showed him at his high school prom with his date and the rest of his friends, which were possibly taken from his old school in San Francisco. Finally, Kate found a couple of pictures of Ben at the previous football games. She saw a good one that showed him leaping in the air to catch the ball, which exposed the number on the front of his jersey, number 17. Despite how well the photo was shot, it was actually taken on Max's camera. Kate noticed this when she saw the comments on the photo, which also had over one hundred likes.
Ben Ferris- It's always a great day to be a Bigfoot. First game of the season was a sweet victory here at Blackwell. Photo cred goes to Maxine Caulfield with her cool camera and her boss photography skills.
Max Caulfield- It's "Max", Ben. Never Maxine haha. Congrats on the win!
Nathan Prescott- The Football Hero that Blackwell deserves.
Dana Ward- I knew that you would be the best new addition to the team. Great work Ben!
Mike Nolan- Good to see you're still killin it on the field man. You better come back to Frisco and visit soon.
Amanda Miller- A well-deserved win for your first game. So glad that you're having a great time at Blackwell.
After Kate got the information that she needed, she closed out of her Facebook and sketched the number 17 onto the drawing of the player as her finishing touch. She then placed the drawing into a folder and grabbed the rest of her books which she needed for class.
'I really hope he likes it.' Kate thought to herself as she left her room.
As Ben entered the main building at Blackwell, He was met by the gaze of so many faces that saw him walking through the halls on his crutches. Everyone practically looked like they had never seen someone with an injury like Ben's before. He thought nothing of it as it was something that only came with playing the sport of football itself. Heading over to his locker, he opened it up to grab his books which he needed for his first few classes of the day. He dropped them into his backpack and placed it on his back, proceeding to walk down the hall. From down the hall, Ben saw Kate who seemed to be smiling and didn't have her head down facing the floor, like last week. Seeing that she looked happy to be back at Blackwell, he decided to go over and talk to her. However, he was stopped in his tracks to see his teammate Logan and another student, most likely Logan's sidekick, who had Daniel DaCosta, pinned against the lockers to be harassed by the blockheaded athlete and his friend.
"Yo Daniel, you remember what day it is?" Logan asked tauntingly.
"It's Tuesday. Why?" Daniel questioned.
"No bro, it's payday." Logan replied.
"Yeah, payday bro." Logan's accomplice repeated.
"And I know you didn't forget that you owe us cash." Logan said.
"Cash for what?" Daniel asked. He tried his best to pretend like he didn't know what Logan was talking about.
"To make sure that nobody kicks your ass." He answered.
"Yeah, your ass." His buddy said.
"Logan, seriously, leave me alone." Daniel pleaded.
"What did you say to me? You're not the boss of me, bro." He said angrily.
"Yeah, you're not the boss, bro."
"No, I'm, I'm..., I'm just trying to go to class." Daniel explained to the two antagonizers fearfully.
The current situation that was going on between the three students had been interrupted by the sound of a loud clanging noise that occurred right near them. Each of them looked to see that Ben had hit one of his crutches against the lockers to get the attention of Logan and his crony.
"What's up guys?" Ben intervened.
"Ferris, you're back. I knew one hit from the last game wasn't gonna stop you. Anyway, we're just making sure that Daniel over here pays his dues for protection."
"He's not gonna need protection once you leave him alone." Ben replied.
"Huh, what are you trying to say?" Logan asked.
"Logan, can you try not to be an idiot for at least two minutes? I'm saying that you should stop picking on Daniel. For good!" He replied.
"Why should I? You might be my captain, but you can only tell me what to do when I'm on the field." He said in his defense.
"That's true." Ben agreed. "But if I'm not mistaken, it sounded like you and your weasel friend over here were forcing Daniel to pay you so he won't get the shit kicked out of him by anyone. But for the past few weeks, I've noticed that you're really the only who one who ever bullies him in the halls and even in our dorm."
"Yeah, so?" Logan said bluntly.
"So, the fact that you're trying to coerce him to pay you with his own cash is more than just bullying. It's called 'extortion', which you probably don't even know how to spell anyway." Ben said mockingly.
Logan was angered by Ben's insult and wasn't going to stand for it. He walked towards Ben with a pissed off look on his face and yelled right at him. "What the fuck did you just..."
"Let me dumb things down for you so you can understand. The point is that what you're doing is considered a criminal offense, Logan." Ben interrupted. "And sense you did just turn eighteen, you could probably end up in some serious trouble with the police and possibly kiss your starting spot on the football team goodbye if a higher up found what you were doing."
"Are saying you're gonna snitch on me?" He asked, laughing in Ben's face.
"No, I'm saying that you should leave Daniel alone once and for all. Or else you're gonna deal with me." Ben replied with intimidation in his voice.
"Ha, Ferris, I don't think you remember who it was that cleaned your clock last week." He brought up, referring to their fight from last week.
"Oh, I remember, Logan. But what you should remember is what my old man said to us in the beginning of the season. A Ferris never makes the same mistake twice. So if you think you can take another shot at me, go right ahead. We can end this right here, right now." Ben said seriously. He dropped both of his crutches to the floor and clenched his fists, ready to square up against Logan if he had to.
"Man, Nate was right. You are crazy! I'm not fighting you again. I got in trouble with the Principal and Coach Ferris after knocking your ass out last time." Logan recounted. "Let's get of here." He urged his friend. The two then walked away from Ben and Daniel and went to go on about their day.
"Oh, and Logan." Ben called out to Logan, who turned around at the mention of his name. "I know what you did to Dana. And if you ever hurt her like that again, I'll come after you myself." He warned. Logan said nothing in response and kept on walking.
Ben then turned his attention to Daniel, who was still standing against the lockers. "You okay, Daniel?" He asked.
"Yes, I am now. Why did you help me though? I thought Logan was your friend." Daniel replied as he knelt down to help Ben pick up his crutches that he dropped.
"He is, but that doesn't change the fact that what he was doing to you was wrong. I helped you because I'm a guy who loves Blackwell and hates bullies." He said.
"Thanks, Ben. I thought that things would change after what happened to Kate and with your speech that you gave last week."
"Me too. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to be a team player in the Blackwell community." Ben expressed. "Look, I don't mean to blow you off, but I've gotta go catch up with someone before class starts." He said, remembering that he wanted to go see Kate in the hallway. He then got a hold of both of his crutches and began to head down the hall.
"Wait, Ben!" Daniel yelled to get his attention.
"What's up, bud?" He replied.
"I was wondering if I could possibly sketch you for my next project. I'm focusing on sports and I thought that you would be a perfect choice for it."
"Hell yeah, dude!" Ben answered excitedly. "I've seen your drawings on Facebook and their pretty badass. You've got a true talent for that kind of stuff. Maybe this sketch might convince me to start my own modeling portfolio like I always dreamed of."
"Thanks, Ben! Just let me know whenever you're available to meet with up with me."
"Sure thing. Later Daniel!" Ben replied as he proceeded to go down the hallway once again.
Kate had walked over to her locker. She had only good thoughts, feeling confident that this was going to be the start of a new and better week. And even if she did have at least one bad day this week, she still had a number of friends she could rely on to make her feel happy. She felt excited to see Ben today and witness his reaction to the drawing that she made for him. There were so many people that even greeted her this morning on her walk to the main building and throughout the hallway. As she turned the combination for her locker, she was met with an unexpected surprise as she opened the door.
Before she could fully open the locker door, a sea of white and yellow flowers had fallen out of her locker. Kate was completely startled yet amazed at the same time to what had just happened. Since these were flowers, it clearly wasn't a practical joke someone was playing on her. It had to be a kind gesture that someone was making. Maybe it was a thoughtful gift to welcome her back. As she stared at the flowers that were on the floor as well as the ones that remained in her locker, she still questioned what exactly they were doing in there in the first place. Her question was then answered as she heard the voice of someone approaching her from behind.
"They're daffodils. Very special flowers for a very special girl." said Nathan, who was approaching Kate. "They're said to symbolize rebirth and new beginnings. And I think that speaks for both of us."
"What are you doing here, Nathan? I thought you were suspended." Kate asked as she avoided making eye contact with Nathan.
"I was suspended. But today's my first day back. And so is yours, if I'm not mistaken." Nathan then picked up one of the flowers from the floor and placed it into Kate's hair. She began to blush as he had touched her.
"So what do you want from me? We aren't even friends anyway." Kate addressed, trying to blow him off.
"Oh, but you shouldn't be so quick to judge, Katie. After all, I've been told that you of all people believe in giving others second chances with your religion and all." He said.
"So is that what you want? Is that why you decided to stuff my locker with hundreds of flowers? You just wanted me to forgive you?" Kate questioned impatiently.
"Actually, I was hoping for more than just that." He said persuasively.
"Which is what?" Kate questioned worriedly.
"Well, starting with number one, I'd like to say that I'm sorry. For what happened to you at the last Vortex party you attended. I was in charge of it, therefore, it was my responsibility that you ended up being drugged." Nathan confessed.
"That's because you were the one who drugged me." She said boldly.
"Oh come on, Kate. Do you really believe what Ben Ferris said?" Nathan said condescendingly.
"Well, yes, a lot of people do. He helped me, unlike you." Kate argued. She reached into her hair to take out the flower, throwing it on the floor.
"Yeah, but are sure it wasn't him that put something in your drink that night?" He stated, trying to give her some kind of hint.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Oh, Kate, you're just so innocent sometimes. You probably have no idea about Ben's body count. The guy's a walking sex machine who's gotten with any girl within his proximity. He probably figured someone like you would make an easy target."
"Ben would never do anything like that." Kate protested. She thought back to their conversation yesterday and how Ben respected her for her choice to stay abstinent until marriage.
"Well call me a liar, but I've known Ben since the beginning of the school year. How long have you known him?" Nathan retorted. "Anyway, the second thing I wanted to bring up was something a bit more uplifting."
"What could you possibly know about uplifting, Nathan?" Kate asked as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Lots of things, really." Nathan replied. "Like the fact that Homecoming is in less than a month. And I'm pretty sure that someone like you doesn't even have a date."
"So?" Kate replied.
"So, I'd like to have the honor of taking you to Homecoming." Nathan answered.
"But why me? Of all of the girls here that you could choose to go with, why would you choose me?"
"To be honest, it's because I like you." Nathan confessed.
"What? You barely even know me." She said in shock.
"I mean it, Kate. Ever since what happened to you last week, I feel so responsible for what happened. Sometimes I think that if I had tried to help you sooner you wouldn't even have ended up on a viral video."
"I appreciate your sentiment, Nathan, but I'm not really sure about this." She admitted.
"Think about it, Kate. If you go with me you have the best chance of being crowned Homecoming Queen. You can finally prove to all of these fakers here at Blackwell that you really are someone." Nathan insisted. "And to prove that I'm not pulling your leg here, I even made a reservation for the two of us at a five star Italian restaurant that my family owns. They just opened up in Arcadia Bay this weekend."
Kate was thinking about everything that Nathan was telling her. Did he really mean everything he was telling her? About his true intentions that night at the party? About the intentions of Ben? About how he really felt about her? Part of her felt that this may have been Nathan's way to have a fresh new start on his life at Blackwell. Another part of her felt like it was all a web of temptation that would lead her into a devastating fate.
Kate had made her decision and spoke, "I'm sorry, Nathan, but I'm just not interested."
Nathan was appalled by how Kate's first word of her sentence wasn't "yes". He then spoke up to address her once more. "That's it? You're just going to make your decision like that? Are you sure I can't..."
"Yes I'm sure." Kate answered quickly. "I forgive you and I appreciate that you want to be a better person to me, but it's not you at all. Besides, I never cared for dances anyway. I do hope that you find someone else to go with."
"Oh, so am I not good enough for you then? Do enlighten me on how you think you can possibly do better." Nathan spat out furiously.
Kate thought quickly about how to respond to this, even if she did have to tell a lie. She was only nervous as she had never seen Nathan upset like this before. "It's not that at all, Nathan. It's just that I... I've met someone. And it's complicated between us." Nathan only snickered in response to Kate's explanation.
"Aw, you mean your own Everyday Hero 'King Benjamin'? That's just precious." Nathan mocked. Kate tried her best to ignore Nathan and began to walk away from him. "Do you really think he wants anything to do with someone like you? Your whole 'sex until marriage' thing is probably a huge turn-off for him anyway."
"He's still more of a gentleman than you'll ever be." Kate snapped back at him as she turned around.
"What did you just say to me?" Nathan questioned as he stormed after Kate and had a tight grip on her arm.
"Nathan, let go of me." Kate demanded. Nathan's grip had suddenly loosened when he heard another voice calling from behind him and Kate.
"Good morning, Kate." Ben spoke loudly from down the hall, making his presence known to Nathan. "Is everything alright?" He then asked as he walked over to the two of them.
"Oh, hi Ben. It's good to see you again." Kate replied sounding less distressed. "I was just about to head to my first class right now. Would you like to walk there with me?" She asked as she smiled and winked at Ben with her right eye. She was giving him a hint that she was in trouble.
"I'd love to." Ben answered. "I'm sure Nathan has somewhere else to be anyway."
"Why don't you go hobble around somewhere else, Ferris? Kate and I were talking." Nathan hissed at Ben while commenting about his injury.
"That's not what it looked like when I showed up." He replied
"Well maybe you just caught us a bad time. I'm trying to be a better person now that I'm back, so why don't you stop pretending like you run this school. You're not even Class President anymore, so I say you better remember your place like when I was still here." He shouted at Ben.
"Oh, of course Mr. Prescott. My most sincere apologies." Ben said sarcastically. "You know something, Nate, I heard that there's a new girl here who's starting her first day today as an exchange student. Try your best not to roofie her when you first see her." Ben remarked. Angered by his comment, Nathan kicked one of Ben's crutches as hard as he could, causing Ben to lose his balance and fall to the floor.
"What was that, Ferris? I couldn't hear you over the sound of you falling flat on your pretty-boy face." Nathan mocked.
"Ben! Are you alright?" Kate screamed in horror as she knelt down to help Ben up. "What is your problem?" She barked at Nathan.
"Relax, Kate. Ben and I are just roughhousing is all. Like bros." Nathan said casually as he walked over to Ben's left side. "Right, bro?" He shouted, kicking Ben right in his stomach while he was still on the ground, causing him to roll over on his back. Ben let out a grunt of pain in reaction.
"What's the matter, Benny? All of a sudden there's no more wisecracks coming from you right now?" Nathan asked as he stomped on Ben's chest.
"Nathan, stop it." Kate pleaded as she approached Nathan and tried pushing him away. Nathan reacted by shoving Kate out of his way as she collided into the lockers.
"Don't ever tell me what to do you little Bible Basher." Nathan yelled at her. He then turned his focus back to Ben who was collecting his breath from the last hit he took and trying to get up. "Looks like you're not so tough when you only have one leg to stand on." Nathan remarked. He then picked up one of Ben's crutches and lifted it high in the air, ready to strike Ben over his head with it.
As Ben watched Nathan pick up the crutch, he noticed that he didn't swing it at all. That was when he had looked up to see something he wasn't even expecting. Nathan was completely frozen as Ben saw that Michelle, the drummer of the band, Totem Pole, was standing behind him and holding a drawn switchblade to his throat.
"Drop it, rich boy." Michelle ordered. Nathan had dropped the crutch onto the floor in compliance. "Now get the fuck out of here." She demanded.
"You're all gonna regret this." Nathan warned as he began to slowly walk away. The sound of the bell had followed right after.
"Alright everyone, you heard the bell. That means break it up and get to class." David Madsen urged to the large circle of students as he just arrived and missed the entire incident that occurred in the halls. As Kate helped Ben to his feet, they both saw Steve and Michelle approach them.
"I wish we showed up sooner to help you before you took a beating from Prescott. Never liked that guy anyway. You alright, Ben?" Steve asked.
"Trust me, I've taken harder hits on the field. Nathan's a wimp compared to what I normally go up against. Thanks for stepping in Michelle." Ben said.
"Don't mention it, dude. Totem Pole's got your back." She replied. "Hey, Kate."
"Oh, hi, Michelle." Kate said.
"It's good to see you again. Our whole Art class missed you." She admitted.
"I'm glad that you were all thinking of me." Kate said.
"Of course. It's good to see you smiling again. See you later." She told Kate.
"Stay out of trouble you two." Steve said as he and Michelle walked away.
Kate grabbed Ben's other crutch from the floor and gave it to him. "Thanks." Ben said as he took the other crutch and was ready to go.
"You're welcome." Kate replied happily. "Ben, are you okay? It looked like Nathan hit you pretty hard."
"I'm fine, Kate. You don't have to worry about it." Ben answered.
"Are you sure? You only just left the hospital yesterday and..."
"I said I'm fine." He repeated. "I'd still like to walk you to class if that's okay with you." He said more politely.
"I would like that, actually. We're both going to be late, but I could still use the company." She mentioned smiling at Ben. The two then continued to walk down the hall together, not even worrying what either of their teachers would say to them for being late to class.
As classes had ended later that day, Ben was now collecting a good amount of hours for his independent study with Mr. Jefferson. Since he was injured, he was still expected to show up to practice as usual. However, he would be on the sidelines doing some assistant coaching and providing feedback for some of the players. Ben wasn't needed for today's practice since the entire team would be spending their practice running laps as their punishment for losing their last game. Coach Ferris' rule about this punishment was that the entire team would run a lap for each point the other team scored. Their final score against the Razorbacks was 7-35. With Ben not needed for practice he decided to get an extra hour in for his independent study, working with the teacher.
"And there you have it, Ben. That's how the concept of cinema can be seen as its own language." Mr. Jefferson explained to Ben.
"Wow, I actually never really thought of it like that." Ben replied in amazement. "It's pretty cool that someone like you has had experience in cinematography, Mr. Jefferson."
"I'm glad someone else thinks so. You might just be the first person to take advantage of my experience to take on an independent study." He said.
"Well yeah, I've kind of developed a fascination for it over the summer. The school's Drama and film studies courses here are what kind of drew me to Blackwell." He mentioned.
"That's great to hear. Any plans for you after you finish this year at Blackwell?"
"I'm still looking for at a few colleges to apply to. At this point, it all depends if they have a really good Drama or Theatre program to enroll in."
"Interesting. I always figured someone like you to go to a school with a heavy football culture. University of Oregon doesn't seem appealing to you at all?"
"It's kinda hard to say, to be honest. I've been playing football for ten years of my life. It's hard for me to consider letting go of it for it good. But at the same time, I really want to explore other talents I may have. Like acting, writing, or even filmmaking."
"That's very ambitious, Ben. I think you'd be quite the artist in the world of film and theatre with that kind of mindset." Mr. Jefferson stated.
"Thanks Mr. Jefferson. I should probably get going now I've got some homework to start working on."
"In that case, I keep you any longer." He said. "Do you need a ride back to your dorm?" He then asked, feeling bad that Ben would have to walk all the back in crutches.
"Thanks, but I'm all set. See you tomorrow!" Ben replied as he walked out of the classroom. Walking down the hallway, Ben could see that the sun was setting and the orange sky made an interesting sight to see. He figured that if Max was here to see it, she would have pulled out her camera to take a picture of it without a doubt. As he made his way down the hall, he looked into some of the rooms that had their doors open and saw that Kate was sitting in the student lounge by herself. She didn't look like she was upset though. She was peacefully reading a book.
Ben figured that maybe the student lounge was where Kate preferred to do her studying, and who could blame her? The library and the student lounge where open to all of the students after school until curfew went into effect. Unfortunately, there were very few students who took advantage of this. Ben entered the room to approach Kate and see what it was she was up to. As he was getting closer, Kate lifted up her head after hearing the sound of Ben's crutches.
"Hi Ben." Kate said, greeting him with a smile like she usually did.
"Hey, Kate. What's up?" Ben replied happily to her. He then sat at one of the comfortable chairs right next to her.
"Nothing much really. I'm just getting ready for our weekly Bible Study session."
"Oh, I hope I'm not intruding on anything then." Ben expressed to her.
"You're not intruding at all, Ben. I just got here a few minutes ago. But it seems like there might actually be a few no shows tonight."
"Oh, really?" Ben asked.
"Yes. I checked my phone and got a few texts from people. Alyssa said that she has a lot of homework tonight and Stella said that she isn't feeling well." Kate explained. "Usually, when no one else shows up on time, I just read my bible for the next fifteen minutes and get ready to leave if I'm still the only one here."
"Gotcha! You don't mind if I hang out here for a while until one of your study buddies show up, do you?" Ben asked sincerely.
"Not at all. You're always welcome to join in on us too. We meet every Tuesday at this time." Kate offered. She looked at her phone to see that she received a text from Max.
Max:
Hey, Kate! Have you seen my camera at all? I could have sworn I left it in my room when I last had it and I've looked everywhere in there for it. No one else in our dorm has seen it either.
"Max just texted me saying that her camera is missing." Kate told Ben.
"Yeah, she just texted me too. That's weird. I saw her today in History class with her camera and she always has it on her. It's not like her to lose it." He said.
"You're right. It does sound a bit weird." She replied.
Kate:
Hey Max! Sorry, but I haven't seen it anywhere. I'm with Ben right now and he said hasn't seen it either. I hope you find it soon.
Max:
Thanks, Kate! Warren and I are currently searching it for right now. I hope Ben is keeping you company ;)
Kate:
What do you mean by that?
Max:
Come on Kate. You know what I mean :P
"What are you smiling about?" Ben asked with wonder.
Kate didn't even realize that she had a smirk on her face from reading Max's text. Not wanting to explain it to Ben, she thought of an excuse to tell him. "Oh, Max just texted me something funny, that's all."
"It was that funny that it made you blush?" Ben asked confused. He was referring to how she was also blushing along with her smirk.
"You know, I just remembered that I meant to give you something earlier today." Kate brought up, hoping to change the subject.
"Really? What is it?" Ben asked.
"You'll see." Kate said as she was opening up her folder to find the drawing that she made for Ben. "Here it is. I made this for you." She then handed the sheet of paper to Ben who accepted it.
"Thanks." Ben said as he took the drawing. He analyzed it thoroughly, seeing the little football player which he knew was him by seeing his number on the jersey. He even saw the little smiling angel tossing the football above him with the message that she even wrote for him. "Kate, this is amazing. I love this. And... You didn't have to do this for me."
"But I wanted to. I'm just really glad that we became friends. And I hated seeing you sad in hospital yesterday. People like you don't deserve to have bad days, Ben." She said.
"Thanks, Kate. That means a lot. And this is definitely going up on my wall for sure." He replied.
"Aw, Ben, that's so sweet of you." Kate said.
"You should get used to hearing that. I'm sure that people will be lining up outside of stores one day to buy your children's books so they can read them to their kids."
"I can only pray that does happen."
"Well I think it's bound to happen." Ben reassured her. "You know, I wanted to ask you something."
"What's that?" She asked.
"Well, the big Halloween Party that Dana organized is this Friday and I was wondering if you wanted to go." Ben asked.
"Do mean like... to go together like as a date?" Kate questioned.
"Well, yeah. But I was thinking of us going as friends more than anything. Plus we could get Max and Warren to tag along with us too. That is if they're not all goo-goo eyes over each other."
'Wait. Did I just unintentionally but intentionally put her in the friendzone? I think I did. Nice going Ben.' He thought to himself.
"I appreciate the offer Ben, but parties just aren't really my thing. Especially after the last one I went to." Kate answered.
"Nice going, Ferris. Out of all the things you could mention to her, you just had to bring up a sore subject like parties. Too soon!" Ben thought to himself.
"Well, I guess no one else is going to show up. I think I'm going to head back to my dorm now." Kate gathered her Bible and the rest of her belongings and got up from her seat ready to leave.
"I'm still here though." Ben said.
"Sorry?" Kate asked, trying to figure out what Ben was trying to say.
"What I meant to say was that I was kind of hoping you would still hold your Bible Study tonight." He said shyly.
"Ben, I'm surprised to hear that you wanted to talk about the word of God. What exactly did you want to discuss in particular?" Kate said as she sat back down in the chair.
"Actually, I was really looking for some guidance if anything." He answered.
"I might be able to help with that. What's on your mind?" She said.
"Well, I've been a bit uncomfortable with sharing it with other people." Ben said as he looked at his clasped hands.
"Ben, it's okay." Kate said calmly as she placed her hand on his arm. "Whatever it is you tell me, I promise I won't tell it to anyone. You helped me more than once, so the least you can do right now is let me help you."
"Thanks, Kate." Ben said, sounding a bit more confident. "To be honest, I just feel like I'm conflicted at times."
"About what?" She asked.
"Where do I even start? All I really just want to do here more than anything else is to act. I know that because I discovered I had an interest for it over the summer. That's why I decided to come to Blackwell this year."
"I didn't know that this was your first year at Blackwell. I started in September too." Kate brought up. "Where did you go before?"
"I actually went to a high school that was a lot bigger than Blackwell. Student population was at least 5,000." He said.
"Oh my. That does sound big." She said.
"Yep! It was like its own thriving city. I had lots of friends there and played for the football team, but it always seemed a bit too large for me. I wanted to go somewhere else. Somewhere where I could be a familiar face to people instead of being student number 1,342." Ben explained. "How bout you? Where did you go to school before coming here?
"I went to a private Christian school. They taught kindergarten all the way to the twelfth grade, which means I practically went there my whole life. So I wanted to go to Blackwell since I was seeking something new and different." Kate shared.
"Different can be good sometimes. It sounds like we both had our reasons to come to this place." Ben agreed.
"I suppose so. Anyway, what was you're saying before we got sidetracked." Kate said as she giggled that she was getting to have another conversation with Ben.
"Right. Basically, all I've wanted to do was get involved in the Drama club here at Blackwell and be able to perform in the school plays since it's my only year to do it. The only problem is that there's always these obstacles in my way that are keeping me from trying to go after what I want to do." He said.
"Really? Like what?" Kate asked.
"Like football. It's the reason that I couldn't audition for the school play like I hoped to. It's also the reason I'm like this right now." Ben said as he pointed to his cast to show Kate.
"If you really wanted to be a part of the Drama club so badly, why didn't you just leave the football team to follow your ambition?" Kate asked, sounding perplexed by all of this.
"That's the same question I ask myself. Maybe there's just more than one answer. There's the fact that my dad made me the captain of the team in the beginning of the season. There's the perks of being on the team in terms of popularity. But more importantly, it's just the sport that I've loved for as long as I can remember." Ben stated.
"I never knew that about you?" Kate admitted.
"Oh Yeah! My dad taught me how to play the sport since I was eight. Even if I wasn't playing on the field myself, I could always be caught watching an NFL game or even college ball."
"What's your favorite team?" Kate asked with interest.
"I'm a loyal San Francisco 49ners fan, considering I've spent most of my life there. You?"
"Oh, I don't really follow football." Kate admitted timidly. "My dad is a huge Seattle Seahawks fan, so he would probably have to disagree with you on your team preference." She said as she laughed.
"Yeah well, you aren't the first person here to tell me that and you probably won't be the last." Ben joked. "But anyway, what I was saying is that, this sport has just played a large role in my life. The reason I said I was conflicted was because as much as I want to try something new and exciting in life, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to let go of my life as an athlete. But maybe my injury was a sign."
"What do you mean by that?" She questioned.
"While I was in the hospital, my doctor told me I would be able to play again. He also told me that my knee would give me some problems if I were to continue playing in college." He told her.
"I shouldn't tell what to do in this kind of situation, Ben. I just don't want you to make a decision that you'll regret because of me. I only hope that you'll find your answer for what to do. But I'm glad you were willing to share how you were feeling." She said.
"Thanks, Kate. I appreciate that you listened." Ben said.
"Of course, Ben. You've been there for me more than once. And I feel like we're both naturally good listeners." Kate replied.
"Well, that was all that was on my mind. I'm kinda ready to head back to my dorm now too if you are."
"Sure." Kate replied. "Do need any help getting back to your room?" Kate said as she offered her assistance to Ben.
"Yeah! That would be great." Ben replied.
Ben and Kate were now on the boys' floor of the Prescott Dormitory, the dorm where students lived on campus. The two of them then began to make their way down the long hall. No one had even noticed them together since the boys on this floor always had their doors closed most of the time.
"Which room is yours?" Kate asked Ben.
"Room 110. It's the last one down on the left side." Ben answered.
They made their way down the hall, hearing the sounds of blaring music or audio from TV's coming from some of the rooms, complete with the scent of pizza, buffalo wings, or weed that the two of them could both smell. Kate stood behind as he opened the door to his room and flicked on the light switch.
"You can come in if you want." Ben mentioned as he saw her standing awkwardly in the hallway.
"Oh, thanks." Kate said as she felt slightly embarrassed after realizing she just stood there. This was her first time being in the boys' dorm after all, so she did feel as if she landed on another planet.
"Anyway, welcome to my office." Ben said as he proudly showed Kate the layout of his room.
"Wow, it looks so... neat." Kate said as she looked around and marveled at the sights of his room.
"Hey, I'll have you know that I take good care of this place." Ben joked.
"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that." Kate tried to explain.
"It's alright Kate, I'm just messing with you." Ben said as he laughed.
Kate was amazed at how Ben's room looked, she saw that there were posters of his favorite football players and movies hanging up on the wall, along with both an American flag and a flag of the state of California. There was even a football that sat on Ben's desk, which he would toss in the air whenever he was bored. As Kate still observed the many items in his room, Ben pulled out the drawing she made for him in his backpack and grabbed some pieces of tape to hang it up on his wall.
"Voila! Kate, you're masterpiece is now hung up on the wall of 'El Casa del Ferris'." He said to get her attention and to possibly get another laugh out of her. Only he noticed that she was paying no attention to a single word that he said.
"What's this?" She asked with curiosity in her voice. He looked over at her to see that she was pointing at the record player sitting on top of his shelf.
"Oh that? It's my record player. It actually belonged to my mom, but she decided to give it to me before I moved back to Arcadia Bay." He explained.
"I've never seen one of these in real life before." Kate expressed in astonishment. "How does it work?"
"Let me show you." Ben expressed eagerly. "First we need to pick a record." Ben moved over next to Kate, who was still standing in front of the record player and the shelf, where he kept all of his records. He slowly squatted down, making sure that he didn't cause any pain or discomfort to his knee. While peering through the records, he decided to search for one that he hadn't listened to in a while. That way, it would be a surprise for both him and Kate.
"I'm apologizing to you in advance for my taste in music. I only have my mom to blame for my love of the classics from her time." Ben stated.
"That's fine. I'm sure it will still be quite a listening experience for me." Kate replied while laughing. "Are there any bad words in these songs?"
'God, she's so freaking cute sometimes.' Ben thought to himself before snapping himself out of it.
"Not at all." Ben confirmed. "The music from this era was more meaningful and focused more about the rhythm, compared to the rubbish all the young folks listen to these days." He said in his best impersonation of an old man while shaking his crutch in one hand. Kate began to giggle once more at the boy's antics. Somehow, he just always knew how to make her laugh. Ben might have been injured, but he didn't lose his sense of humor. It was no wonder someone like him was at Blackwell to study acting.
"So what did you find, Grandpa?" Kate asked while mocking Ben.
"Something that people before our time would call a 'doozie'." Ben replied as he stood up with a record case in his other hand.
"A doozie?" Kate asked, questioning the meaning behind that word.
"That's right! Kate Marsh, I am about to introduce a man into your life named David Bowie." Ben stated excitedly as he held up the case of a vinyl album to her, which was titled, Hunky Dory.
"Is that a man or a woman?" Kate asked, sounding perplexed, while pointing to the figure on the cover of the album who happened to be David Bowie himself. He had long blonde hair that he was brushing behind his head with his hands and appeared to be wearing an oddly colorful dress shirt.
"A lot of people ask that question. I say, he's a musical genius. Come on, let's put this bad boy in. I'll show you how it works too." Ben said. "First we place the record onto the turntable and flip the switch to turn it on." Ben slipped the vinyl record out of its case and placed onto the turntable. He then began to instruct Kate on what to do next.
"Then, you take that tone arm over there to place it onto the record." Kate was surprised to see what happened next, as Ben took her left hand and carried it over to the tone arm. Her small pale hand felt so soft and warm as Ben had lightly grasped it. Kate placed all of her trust in Ben and let him freely move it over to the tone arm. She then grabbed it with her thumb and her index and middle finger, and watched as her and Ben's hands moved the arm together towards the record.
"Now we just place it on the record." Ben said as he lightly moved her hand down to place it on the record's surface. Kate was excited to see the record player now work in action, only to notice that there was no music that played immediately.
"Nothing's happening." Kate mentioned.
"It just takes a few seconds to start up." Ben explained. As the two talked to each other, the music then started as Bowie's hit song from the album, Changes began to play. Kate couldn't help but admire how music could be coming from such a small and old device. Yet again, her iPhone, which was much smaller could do the same, meaning it had to have taken some inspiration from somewhere else. As she bobbed her head and swayed left and right to the catchy tune and Bowie's mesmerizing lyrics, she turned around to see Ben bouncing around on his uncast leg. He was even swinging both of his crutches around, but not flailing them in a manner that would hit Kate.
"What are you doing?" Kate said as she couldn't help but smile, seeing him move in such a goofy manner.
"What? I always like dancing when I hear some good music. And I'm short on a leg here. What's your excuse?" Ben teased at Kate, who wasn't nearly as energetic as him.
"I don't really dance." Kate said coyly.
"Come on, church girl. Shake that booty like its Sunday morning!" Ben shouted playfully to encourage Kate to move around with him. Kate began to swing her arms and sway her hips to the groove of the song. She felt that she probably looked ridiculous, but she couldn't deny that she was having fun having a little dance party in Ben's room. Her smile had said it all.
"There you go, Kate!" Ben said gleefully as Kate was now more loose and moving around freely.
As the music still played both of their eyes had met each other's at one point. However, they were having too much fun together to even realize it. Kate thought back to her decision to attend the Vortex Club party on that fateful night. She wished that she had met Ben before and learned about his playful personality, now realizing that she never needed alcohol or parties in general to try and have a good time like everyone else at Blackwell. All she needed was good friends and maybe even some music.
The song eventually came to an end and the two had stopped dancing together when they realized there was no more music playing. Ben placed the bottom of both of his crutches on the floor to regain his footing and looked at Kate who seemed to also enjoy their dance session.
"That was really fun." Kate confessed cheerfully. She then used her hand to move a lock of her hair that was in her face from wobbling around.
"Tell me about it. I pretty much do this at least once a day." Ben admitted to Kate with a bashful smile. "Although today kind of proved a challenge with this whole injury."
"You should really try and take it easy. I'm sure your doctor didn't recommend you to start dancing as soon as they let you out of the hospital." Kate joked.
"I can't really help it though. I just love to dance. I kind of have the reputation of tearing apart the dance floor at parties here." Ben stated proudly. He then heard an alert on his phone go off.
"Did you get a text?" Kate asked.
"No, it's just a reminder for me to take my Acetaminophen the doctor prescribed for me. I'm supposed to take it with water too." Ben said.
"Let me help you with that." Kate replied.
"Kate, you don't have to..."
"Ben, don't be so stubborn. Everybody needs a little bit help doing small tasks every now and then. Besides I'm here anyway aren't I?" She said.
"This is true." He said.
"Exactly, so hush." Kate said playfully. "Here let me help you get onto your bed. Then I'll get your medication and some water for you." Kate said. She approached him and placed both of her hands on his arms to escort him over to his bed.
Before Kate could even move Ben over to his bed, the door to Ben's room flew wide open and caught both of them off guard. What followed after this was a bright flash that blinded both of them as they looked into the doorway. Kate who was startled, had held onto tightly to Ben. As the two both regained their vision, they saw three figures standing in the doorway and heard the sound of snickering from them. In the middle was Nathan holding a Polaroid camera, and standing next to him on both sides was Logan and his buddy who were both hassling Daniel earlier today.
"Oh man, talk about a money shot." Nathan remarked after snapping a picture with the camera. "I gotta say Ben, I didn't think you were gonna pull it off, but it looks like you're whole little plan was working after all."
'Plan? What are you talking about Nate?' Ben thought to himself.
Ben's thought came to a dead end as he could hear the sound of chuckling coming from outside of his doorway, where the three boys stood. There were more of his teammates, just coming back from practice, who were all standing out in the hallway trying to get a glimpse of what was happening in the room. 'This can't be happening right now.' He then thought to himself with a worried look on his face.
"Ben, what is he talking about?" Kate asked with a slight hint of fear in her voice. The sound of her voice caused Ben to look back at her.
"Aw, you mean Kate doesn't even know?" Nathan asked in a surprised tone. "Well allow me to explain."
Whatever it was that Nathan was going to do, Ben wasn't going to have any of it. "Nate, you better get the hell out of here right now if you know what's good for you..."
"Oh, spare me the threats, Ferris. Everyone saw me own your ass in the halls this morning, so I think we know how things would play out if we went for round two. Either way you're not getting out of this one." Nathan mocked.
Kate was now in a bad combination of both confused and worried about what was about to happen. More importantly, she didn't know what Ben would have to do with any of this.
"You see Kate, while you were in the hospital last week, Ben couldn't stop going on about how easily he could take away your virginity as soon as you came back."
"What?" Kate said in shock as she gave Ben a disturbed look. She released her grip on his arms and then averted her gaze from him.
"That's right. He told me all about it after he made his big speech dedicated to you, Kate. He seemed like he meant well with throwing the rally and visiting you and all, but nobody was aware of his true intentions. I was even shocked that he was thinking of something so vile, shortly after everything you went through."
Kate now had tears building up in her eyes and tried her best to get words to come out of her mouth. It was difficult for her as she began to choke up. "Ben, how could you even..."
"Kate, I would never try to do something like that. He's lying..."
"Now do you believe me, Kate? I know who the real Ben Ferris is better than anyone else here. Behind that whole kind-hearted football player personality and Blackwell Hero bravado, he's just nothing but a player who wanted to get in your holy panties this whole time. How do you even look at yourself in the mirror, Ben?"
Ben was tired of hearing Nathan's false accusations. This wasn't him at all. He saw Kate as a friend and nothing less. Not some object to slept with and thrown to the side. He dropped one his crutches to the ground and reached out his left hand to lift up her head and comfort her. He saw that she was now sobbing and had tears running down both of her cheeks. He didn't need to see her cry again, especially not like this.
"Kate, listen to me. Not him, okay? You're my friend and I will always respect you and your body. And I would never do anything to hurt you." Ben pleaded to her.
"Am I really Ben? Or was I just another girl that you thought you could add to your whole 'body count'?" Kate spoke angrily at him. She couldn't even hear the sound of laughter coming from Nathan, Logan, or the other football players out in the hallway who were also enjoying the drama unfold. Her attention was only focused on Ben.
"Were you just trying to be nice to me all this time so you could invite me to your room and take advantage of me? Like right now?" Kate asked.
"Kate, you know that's not true. Just let me explain everything to..."
"No!" Kate shouted. She pushed Ben away from her with enough force, which caused him to fall to the floor since he only had one crutch to help him stand. "Just leave me alone, Ben! Forever!" She cried out loud.
The room began to fill with more laughter as Ben fell on his back. He couldn't even see Kate storm out of her room with her teary-eyed face buried in her hands. She had brushed through Nathan and Logan and every other football player in the hall as they didn't even care where she was going. They were all focusing on Ben, who was now the center of attention.
"You know what's even more funny, Ben? It's that Kate told me to my face today that you were actually a real gentleman." Nathan mocked at Ben still on the floor. He shook the photograph that was taken on the camera and threw it to Ben who watched it slowly descend to the floor like a leaf falling from a tree.
"Keep the picture." Nathan told Ben. "I thought it would have been perfect to post all over social media considering Victoria decided to take down Kate's video. But I figured you could use it instead. I've got the perfect name for it too, 'The One Who Got Away from Ben Ferris'." Nathan said.
"You know what Nate? In fifty years from now when we're old, I hope we both die and go to hell together. That way, I can torture the shit out of you for an eternity." Ben said with an angered look on his face.
"Whatever, Ferris. I might actually consider asking Kate to pray for my forgiveness after I take her out to dinner tomorrow night, anyway."
'Kate? Going out to dinner with Nathan? That can't be true. He's just trying to rile me up some more.' Ben thought to himself.
"You know something, Ben? This could have all been avoided if you just didn't snitch on me to that worthless drunk of a Principal." Nathan commented. "And speaking of snitches, you can give that pixie-hipster, Max, her camera back. I'm done using it now anyway. Who knows, you can try seeing if she'll hook up with you instead of Kate."
Nathan then threw the camera in the direction of Ben, who then caught it with both of his hands before it could even hit the floor. As Ben looked back up, he saw that Nathan and everyone else was now leaving and going their own separate ways. What just happened was probably the worst moment of Ben's experience at Blackwell so far. Someone who was once his friend had been making constant efforts to attack him. Now, Nathan finally succeeded while hurting Ben's newest friend in the process.
Ben looked at the picture that Nathan had taken of him and Kate. He saw the surprised look on both of their faces, completely were unaware of what kind of humiliation they would meet shortly after the picture was taken. He ripped the photo in several pieces and tossed them away from him. Ben did nothing but continue to sit on the floor of his room in silence. He did this for hours and didn't even take his prescribed medication to treat his injury. He eventually began to feel a slight pain in his knee from sitting in such a manner and from not taking the medication combined.
The pain didn't matter to him though, as he felt the greater pain of losing a friend's trust. Kate was right about what she said to Ben during the first time he went to see her at the hospital. Nathan Prescott had to pay for what he had done, before he hurt anyone else. Ben was so reluctant to do so, that he allowed Nathan to hurt Kate again. That night, Ben swore that he was going to make Nathan pay for everything that he had done. But it wasn't for Chloe or Kate's sake. This time, it was going to be completely personal.
Damn Nathan, back at it again with the dick moves. Who knew that he could really kill the mood. As much I enjoy writing him as a current antagonist, I really have some bigger plans for him in this fic. And his motive for targeting Ben and Kate is more than what it seems, trust me. But that's up for you to figure out as you keep reading. Hopefully, either Kate or someone else can stop Ben before he does anything to Nathan that he'll regret. I haven't forgotten that Ben is still helping Chloe and Max find out what happened to Rachel either. This chapter was meant to primarily focus on the relationship between Ben and Kate and how there are some people at Blackwell that will stop the two of them from being happy. I'm not sure when I'll be posting chapter 11 tbh. I'm going to be taking a bit of a break as of now to work on some other things outside of my writing life. The next chapter will get done though, I promise.