Sorry to keep all of you waiting. I wanted to take a bit of a break after writing so much and today was my first day of Volleyball practice for my team's upcoming season, which kind of inspired me to finish up this chapter and update. I felt so accomplished in the end and I felt bad for leaving you guys with such a sad ending to the last chapter. But now, I bring you more of the story of Ben and Kate. Fair warning that this chapter is a little iffy as it goes to a couple of dark places and might trigger certain people, so reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 11: Invisible Wounds
Ben and Nathan Flashback:
It was just another fun-filled Friday night at Blackwell. A majority of the students were found attending the Vortex Club Party that took place after the Bigfoots had won their home game against Portland Tech by shutting out their opponents. This meant that every student had a reason to celebrate tonight, whether they were out playing on the field or showing their support and school spirit in the bleachers. As everyone was enjoying the music blaring from the DJ's speakers by shouting, singing, and dancing to the songs, Ben and Nathan were both seen leaving the VIP area and walking over to the bar. Nathan had seemed to be completely sober while Ben was absolutely hammered. He was just more than happy that his team won tonight's game.
"Whew! Dude, I am... so fucking twisted right now. What did Hayden even put in that bong?" Ben shouted ecstatically as he was walking with Nathan and slightly stumbling around. He began to lean against Nathan, putting some of his weight against him.
"That was nothing but the good shit that you just smoked, Ben." Nathan said as he was struggling to push his heavily intoxicated friend off of him. "Man, what have you been eating anyway?" He commented.
"My bad, Nate! I've just been having too much fun tonight." Ben said.
"Nothing wrong with that. The way I see it, a guy like you deserves to let loose whenever he wants." Nathan replied.
"You think so?" He asked.
"Of course I do, Ben. What do you say we hang out at the bar for a bit?" He suggested.
"Sure thing. As long as your rich ass is buying me a drink, sailor." Ben joked as he smacked Nathan's back very hard.
"I could buy you the whole keg if I wanted to, big guy." He said. The two friends had plopped down on two empty chairs at the bar. "Two bud-lights." Nathan ordered to the bartender.
"Man, I gotta say... this is definitely more than what I was expecting when I came to Blackwell." Ben shared as he was taking in the atmosphere of the party while sitting at the bar.
"It never gets old does it?" Nathan asked as he picked up on Ben's awe. "You know, it just occurred to me that we've been hanging out together for practically a month now and I've been meaning to ask you something."
"Okay, shoot." Ben said.
"Of all the places out there in the world, why Arcadia Bay? Why Blackwell? A California bigshot like you could be playing D1 football at any university he wants, but you chose to take part in the extended senior program that this school offers." He said.
"To be honest, I guess I was kinda tired of the big city life and just wanted to have a new fresh start for a change. So, what better than to come back to the town that I was born in? Plus, the school's Drama program kind of got my attention when I realized how much I wanted to act." Ben explained. "What about you? What is it that convinced Nathan Prescott to stay one more year at Blackwell?"
"Come on, Ferris? You know the answer to that." Nathan teased as he playfully punched Ben's arm. "My family owns this joint. I basically get to go here for free and I run all the parties here anyway."
"You've got a point. Long live the king, am I right?" Ben said as he chuckled. "What I meant was... what is it about Blackwell that really interests you? Everybody has their own personal taste in art at this place."
"Photography." Nathan replied.
"Really? So what kind of stuff do you shoot?" Ben questioned
"Just some modeling photos that I have people do for me." He said.
"That's pretty cool! You should definitely share some of your pics on Facebook and Instagram, then. Show people what your true passion is." He encouraged.
"I think I'll pass on that. Let's just say I prefer to keep my work to myself."
"Come on, bro. You should be comfortable with putting your stuff out there. Just like any artist would."
"Now you're starting to sound a lot like Mark Jefferson." Nathan commented.
"Hey, Mr. J's aloof, but he... definitely knows his shit." Ben said as he slurred his words. The bartender came back with two cups of beer for the two friends. As Ben put his red solo cup to his lips, he could see that Nathan was quiet and staring at the crowd of students having the time of their lives.
"You know something, Nate? A lot of people here might talk shit behind your back and say you're nothing but bad news, but you ain't so bad at all. I guess they just haven't spent enough time to know the real Nathan Prescott."
"Wow, Ben. I think that's the first time I've heard you speak so highly of me before." Nathan said as he looked back at Ben.
"Ah come on, don't get all soft on me now, dude." Ben joked. "Honestly, meeting you and joining the Vortex Club was probably the best thing that could happen to me here. Let's just make sure that as long we're friends, neither of us will let some girl get in the way between us." Ben lifted up his cup and held it out to Nathan, hoping that he would do the same.
"I'll drink to that, Sir Benjamin." Nathan said as he clinked Ben's cup and the two of them sipped on their beer together.
Ben and Nathan both continued to sit at the bar and looked out at the crowd of students. As Nathan looked further into the crowd, he could see Kate Marsh from the distance, hoping to find someone at the party that she would know. He began to develop a wolfish grin after spotting her.
"Right on time." Nathan mumbled to himself.
"Huh?" Ben asked as he heard Nathan say something.
"I didn't say anything." Nathan replied.
"Okay?" Ben said as he shrugged.
"Hey, Ben? What do you think of Kate by the way?" Nathan asked as he still kept his eye on the girl.
"Kate? Oh, you mean the cute blonde who leads the abstinence campaign? She seems nice. I just wish people didn't give her a hard time about her religion and all." Ben answered. "I haven't actually talked to her before. Why?"
"Well, I just happened to see her here and she's walking around by herself without a drink in her hand. Something's gotta change about that." Nathan said. He then ordered a cup of red wine from the bartender.
"You're right! I think I'm gonna go talk to her so she doesn't feel awkward being here." Ben stated confidently as he got up out of his chair and was beginning to walk over to where she was.
"Actually, that might not be a good idea, Ben." Nathan advised as he grabbed Ben by his shoulder before he could even leave.
"Why not?" Ben asked while sounding confused.
"Because you smell like a bar connected to a dispensary, dude." Nathan remarked as he referenced the smell of alcohol and weed that was coming off of Ben. "And you are known to be loud and reckless after having a lot to drink. We don't need you scaring away poor Kate at her first Vortex Club Party."
"I guess you've got a point." Ben replied sounding confused as to why Nathan was bringing this up.
"Look, I'll be real quick talking to Kate. In the meantime, why don't you head back inside the VIP area? I saw plenty of babes in there to keep you company for the rest of the night." Nathan said. He then raised the red solo cup that was in Ben's hand, putting it close to his face and titling it up for him to chug the rest of his drink. "I figured you could use a little liquid courage before you go back into the lion's den."
"Thanks for the beer, man. Try not to... take too long, okay? And be sure to tell... Kathy I said hi." Ben said as slurred his speech once again and even got Kate's name wrong. He began to stumble back to the VIP area to continue partying. "And, Nate..." Ben called out to get Nathan's attention. Nathan looked back to see what Ben had to say. "I love you, bro!" Ben said back in a caring voice before he went through the curtains of the VIP area.
Nathan only smiled and nodded at Ben. He then began to walk away from the bar, carrying the two cups in his hand. His own beer and the cup of wine for Kate.
End of Flashback:
It was hard to believe that night happened just two weekends ago. It was also no surprise that Ben was up early before anyone else. After the entire episode that happened in his room last night, which was all orchestrated by Nathan, how could he even sleep in the first place? Usually, when he did have a hard time trying to get some rest, Ben would go out for a run or even lift some weights to help alleviate some stress. He was in the school's weight room, which was only open to athletes at the school. It was also where Ben could be found in the mornings or afternoons to get in a good workout before practice. Sure he did have an injury that he was trying to deal with, but that didn't mean he couldn't train the rest of his body. He sat over at the flat bench press, finishing the last few reps of his final set. He placed the barbell back on its resting place and reached for his water bottle next to him. He lifted off the cap of the bottle and tilted his head back, guzzling as much of the water as he could. After he wiped away all the sweat on his forehead, he could see Zach entering the room. His friend was dressed in a t-shirt and gym shorts and walked over to the incline bench press station next to Ben. He removed his headphones, to which Ben could hear some sort of heavy-metal type song blaring from them, and initiated a conversation with Ben.
"What's up, dude?" Zach asked as he began to place a few weighted plates on the barbell.
"Not much. Just couldn't sleep really." Ben answered.
"You still worked up over that shit Nate did to you last night?"
"Don't I have every right to be? Besides, I'm sure you had a good seat to enjoy the entire shit show."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wasn't there. Everybody was talking about how Prescott had some kind of surprise for the entire team after practice, but I told them I couldn't be there. I took Juliet out for dinner and a movie last night."
"Oh, Really? What was the occasion?"
"Nothing special. I just had to find some way to get her to forgive me after she found out about me sexting with Victoria." Zach confessed. "Besides, Logan was raving all about what happened to me and Juliet when we got back from the movies."
"Of course he did. It's only a matter of time until word gets out to the entire school today."
"Actually, I kind of doubt that."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because I group messaged the whole team and told them not to talk about what happened last night. The Bigfoots aren't just a team, Ben. We're a family. And we don't ridicule one of our own. Ever!"
"You really did that? But why?"
"Because it's wrong, I guess." Zach answered. "Juliet kinda brought up a good point. She mentioned the fact that it was just you and Kate in your room together with the door closed. Whether you two were about to fuck or not doesn't matter to anyone else because it's your own privacy, which Nate should have respected."
"Good to see that's how she saw things."
"Oh yeah! And if you ask me, I doubt that someone like you had any bad intentions with Kate after everything you've done for her and all. You really helped open everyone's eyes on how she should have been treated here after she tried to... you know. And I know you've got the reputation of being every girl's eye candy and all, but I know better than anyone else that deep down inside, you're really a softie when it comes to the ladies."
"What?"
"Come on, man. I still remember your third Vortex Club party when you were twelve beers deep and told Victoria that you wanted to be more than just friends. Then she told you that she was satisfied with the two of you staying friends with benefits. You barged into my room at two in the morning, bawling like a fussy baby for hours." Zach said as he laughed.
"Okay, I get it." Ben replied sounding embarrassed.
"Sorry, I just had to think back to it." Zach laughed. "Anyway, I did see you and Kate walking in the halls together yesterday and you actually looked happier than usual."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning you should spend some more time with her, bro. Sure she probably hates your guts about the shit that Nathan made up about you, but she'll get over it soon. She has to with her whole beliefs about forgiveness and stuff. See, I'm even your wingman when there's no Vortex Club parties going on."
"I guess you're right. Thanks for the advice, bro."
"No problem, man. Just make sure you don't screw things up with Kate. I never realized it until yesterday, but she's actually kinda hot. I could have sworn Juliet almost caught me looking at Kate's legs in the hallway, but can you really blame me with those skirts that she always wears. And don't even get me started with her..."
"And, this conversation is officially over, Zachary." Ben said with a slightly annoyed look on his face. He stood up and began to leave the weight room to head back to his dorm and shower.
"Right, my bad." Zach said, looking embarrassed by how he was talking about Kate. "Just remember what I said, though. And I know it might be tempting, but try your best not to rip Nathan's head off if you see him today. He's still our friend after all."
'Yeah, friend.' Ben thought to himself as he left the room. He pulled out his phone to text two people. He could see Kate's name on his messages but felt that he needed to give her some time before talking to her. He had sent out two messages, one to Max and one to Chloe.
Ben:
Yo, Max! I found your camera last night. I'll explain where I found it when I see you. Can you meet me in front of the school this morning? I have to talk to you about something.
Chloe, I'm ready. It's time we took down Nathan together. Meet me at the statue in front of Blackwell in two hours and we can talk about what exactly you need me to do to.
Ben began to walk over to the shining bronze statue of Jeremiah Blackwell and could see Chloe sitting at the base of the statue smoking a cigarette. He knew that Chloe didn't smoke tobacco, but that she would sometimes stuff her weed into cigarette wrappers so that she could toke up peacefully in public. As he approached Chloe, she looked up at him to see him taking a seat next to her.
"You're late." Chloe commented with a cheeky smile.
"Yeah well, getting an injury does that to you. Don't even get me started on how hard it is to take a number two while trying to be comfortable with this cast on." Ben replied jokingly.
"Okay, that's hella info you're giving me right now." Chloe replied as she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, I thought there was a rule here about no smoking on campus." Ben joked as he mentioned Chloe's lit cigarette.
"Funny! For your information, wise guy, this is pure medicinal shit. Helps me with my hangovers. Plus I'm not a student here anymore, meaning the rules no longer apply to me. Which means we should talk fast before my step-prick sees me here." She said.
"Right, let's talk." He replied.
"So, like Max and I were saying last week, Nathan has to have a clue about what happened to Rachel..."
"And Kate." Ben added.
"Right! He's obviously not gonna talk, so we'll have to find a way into his dorm room and find any kind of evidence in there. Which is where you come in." Chloe explained the whole plan to Ben, who was looking out in the distance. She picked up on this and decided to question him. "You okay, dude?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." He deadpanned. "It kinda seems like a lot of work just to sneak into Nathan's room to find answers. You sure you just don't want me to beat the confession out him?"
"It's tempting, but the last thing we need is him coming after us." She explained. "So, you up to do a little reconnaissance?"
Ben let out a deep sigh before replying. "Ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay, I'll bite. What's up with you? And before you say 'Nothing Chloe, I'm good.', I was already able to read you and tell something was up."
'Damn, she's good. I shouldn't be surprised though. Chloe knows me better than most people at this school anyway.' Ben thought. "There was some... drama that happened last night between me and Kate. And Nathan was the catalyst of it all." He explained.
"I knew this would happen. You get him suspended once, and for a good reason, then he wants to do everything he can to ruin your life." Chloe commented. "So what did he do this time?"
"Oh believe me, this one really takes the cake, Chloe. Kate and I were just hanging out in my room listening to some music. Then she was trying to help me rest my knee and grab my meds for me to take, and all of a sudden, Nathan and the whole entire football team barge into my room and take a picture of us with Max's camera. He started lying to Kate and telling her that I was taking advantage of her this entire time and only being nice to her just so I could sleep with her. She believed every word he said and stormed out of my room in tears."
"Shit! I'm sorry, dude." Chloe said expressionless.
"You're not the one who needs to be sorry. I thought that after everything she went through, I would never have to see her cry again."
"I know it sucks, but you shouldn't blame yourself for it. Kate won't forget how much you helped her and once we find out what happened to her and Rachel, she'll definitely forgive you." Chloe reassured. "Is it a stupid question if I ask what you're gonna do to Nathan when you see him?"
"I don't know, Chloe." Ben said sadly as he sighed. "He was my friend once. But now, after everything he's done to people like you, me, and Kate, I'm going to make him suffer. And I won't let anything stop me from doing that."
"Now I'm kinda worried about you. Don't get me wrong, I think Nathan deserves to be drawn and quartered for all the fucked up shit that he's done in his life. But think about what'll happen if you kill him. You'll get in hella more trouble than when you mouthed off to my step-douche."
"I know Chloe. It's just been a long time since I've ever felt so betrayed or confused."
"So what about Kate? Are you gonna talk to her about last night."
"I have to. I owe her more than just an explanation."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"I have to tell her the truth. The reason why I went out of my way to help her in the first place." He answered.
Chloe paused before she spoke again. "You don't mean..."
"Yeah, I do, Chloe. I have to tell her about Ronnie. About everything from my childhood that... changed me."
"Ben, are you sure that's a good idea? I remember when you had a hard time telling me about all of that shit when I first met you."
"Yeah, I'm sure. Besides you, I haven't told anybody here about what happened to me all those years ago. But if there's anyone that deserves to know, it's Kate."
"Alright, dude. I won't tell what to do. But I hope you'll be okay trying to tell her about it."
"Yeah, me too."
As the two friends were in the middle of their conversation, Max had walked over to talk with them.
"Hey, guys." Max said.
"Sup, Max!" The two replied simultaneously.
"Ben, do you have my camera?" Max asked.
"Sure do, let me get it for you right now." Ben reached into the larger component of his backpack and pulled out the camera, handing it to Max.
"Thanks so much, Ben. I was freaking out all night that it was gone for good." Max replied. "So where did you find it anyway?"
"Nathan fucking Prescott." Chloe answered with disgust in her voice.
"What? Please don't tell me he wasted my film to take a bunch of sick twisted pictures." Max said.
"Don't worry. He only needed to take one." Ben said.
"Of what?" Max asked.
"A sick joke. He used it to pull a prank on me and Kate last night. The only ones laughing were him and everyone on the football team." Ben explained the short version to Max.
"Oh shit. That must have been why Kate was in her room crying last night. I tried to talk to her but her door was locked and she didn't answer." Max explained.
"Have you seen her this morning? I need to talk to her." Ben urged.
"I did but... Ben, she seemed really upset today. She didn't say a word to anybody in our dorm this morning either. And she's not too thrilled that she has to see the school counselor today since she's still on suicide watch."
"Suicide watch? That's insane, Kate doesn't need that. She needs to be with her friends who care about her." Ben protested. "I'm going inside to talk to her." Ben began to walk to the front entrance of the main building to find Kate.
Max reached out her arm to grab Ben's before speaking to him again. "Ben, I don't really think you should try and..."
"It's important, Max." Ben retorted as he shook his arm to be free from Max's grip.
"Ben, wait..."
"Leave him be, Max. I know what's going through his mind right now. He has to do this alone." Chloe said sadly.
"Kate?" A female voice said to Kate. She was completely unaware of the voice that was addressing her.
"Kate?" The voice repeated slightly louder. Kate looked up and made eye contact with the older woman sitting across from her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Beth. I just spaced out for a bit." Kate explained to the woman named Beth, the school counselor.
"It's okay, I was beginning to think I had lost you for a second." Beth replied with a light chuckle. Kate was silent once again. "I understand that being here isn't exactly your idea of spending your first week back at Blackwell, but it's required. We just want to make sure that you're successfully making your way on the road to recovery." She explained to Kate.
"I suppose you're right. I guess I should try to look at this more positively." Kate said. "What was the question again?"
"There you go, Kate. As long as you look at our sessions this way, you'll find them to be more meaningful as well as providing you with advice that can help you or even a friend." Beth happily replied. "So, the question I had for you was: How was your first day back at Blackwell yesterday?"
"It was good." Kate answered.
"Can you tell me more than that?"
"Well, all of my classes went well yesterday. Then I had our usual meeting for Meals on Wheels and then I had Bible Study afterwards."
"That's a good start. And how did the rest of your evening go afterwards?"
As soon as she heard that question, Kate thought back to what occurred last night. The short amount of time she spent in Ben's room which started out as fun between two friends and transformed into a moment of pure humiliation. She decided not to say anything about this and avoid the question as best as she could.
"Nothing else really happened after Bible Study. I just went back to my room and went to bed early since I felt kind of tired from being back for the first day."
"That's understandable, considering you were gone for so long."
There was a beeping sound that came from Beth's watch which was a timer going off. "It looks like that's all the time we have for now, Kate. Remember, these sessions are about learning ways to help you be happy with who you are in the future, despite what others say or think about you. We'll meet again next Wednesday."
"Thank you, Beth."
"You're welcome, Kate. Enjoy the rest of your week and don't hesitate to call or text me over the weekend if you feel you need to."
"Have a good day." Kate said as she smiled and left the counselors office.
As Kate began to walk down the hall she heard a familiar voice of someone calling her name.
"Kate!" Ben called from down the hall as he saw her.
Kate had looked behind her to see that it was Ben who was trying to come over to her. She didn't feel like talking to him though. Not after what had happened last night and what everything Nathan had told her. She wasn't sure if she could completely believe everything that he said about Ben. If anything, Kate just felt confused by all of it and wanted to distance herself from Ben for the time being.
"Kate!" Ben called out again.
Kate didn't even respond and only just walked down the hallway, trying her best to ignore the boy she thought was her friend. As she went around the corner, Ben still made every effort to follow her. Things started to get harder as Kate was now hustling through the hallway and began to blend in with crowds of other students walking to their first class of the day. He completely lost sight of her at this point and with him needing to use his crutches to walk around, there was no way he would be able to catch up to her.
"Shit!" Ben cursed under his breath. For now, he gave up on trying to find her and decided to head to his first class of the day before he was late.
As the day had passed by, Ben was the first student to enter the classroom for his Creative Writing class. His teacher Mrs. Hoida was said to be back from sick leave for the first time today. As he sat in his desk, Ben looked out of the window until more people would enter and class would start. He began to admire the view of the sun and the clouds and could even hear the sound of a few birds chirping. The surroundings of Arcadia Bay were a complete difference from the busy city life of San Francisco. Today looked like another perfect day for Ben to be outside and read a good book or toss around his football with his friends on the team. Sometimes, he would even lay down against the warm grass on the campus and look up at the sky, thinking about anything that was processing through his head. He certainly did have a lot of things to think about. He thought about why Kate had avoided him in the halls today and wouldn't let him try to explain things to her. He even thought back to his talk he had with Zach this morning. He didn't think that Zach could have even provided such thoughtful advice before. Maybe Juliet was beginning to rub off on him.
Regardless, Ben liked seeing his best friend and fellow team captain being with someone that made him happy. He felt the same about Dana, who was becoming more smitten with someone like Trevor. But then it made Ben only think about himself. What was it that he was doing wrong compared to his two friends? Of all the time he spent at Blackwell getting around with so many girls, not one was interested in dating and settling for a relationship. Zach was right about one thing for sure. Ben was definitely a "softie" around the ladies. He was reminded back to when he had first started dating in high school. He was still the same outgoing and friendly guy he was today, but he did have a sensitive side to him as well. Because he spent most of his life living in San Francisco with his mom, he saw himself to be somewhat of a mama's boy at times. Sometimes, his mother would urge the girls that Ben spent time with to try their best to be very delicate with him. Even if she did embarrass him by doing this, she only just wanted what was best for him and to make sure that he was spending his time with a girl that deserved him. The thought of those old memories had made Ben smile, but not for long as he heard the voice of the last person he wanted to see enter the room with a couple of his friends. Nathan was back and ready torment Ben once again.
"Look who it is guys. The 'Hugh Heffner' of Blackwell himself." Nathan remarked as he walked over to his desk, which was behind Ben's but in the row next to his. He was basically sitting diagonally from where Ben sat.
"What's up, porn star? You're still not mad that I intruded on you and Kate too early are you?" Nathan mocked. "I was going to wait, but the whole football was dying to find out what was happening in your room when they heard you, Kate, and your questionable sex playlist. If we all just waited another five minutes, I probably could have gotten a good shot of you ripping that blouse off Kate's hot bod…"
"You wanna do me a solid favor and shut up, Nate?" Ben snapped at Nathan, not even looking at him.
Nathan paused for a brief moment before he continued. "Ah come on Ben, don't be like that. It was all just a prank. Kate sure seemed like she enjoyed her five seconds of fame."
Ben had enough of this and wanted to make his point clear to Nathan. He turned around facing this Nathan this time, with a serious look on his face.
"Look, Nathan. I'm only gonna say this to you once, so you better listen, and listen good. I know that you hate me for getting you suspended and canceling your End of the World Party and I'm sorry, I really am. And you and I both know that what you did to me in front of Kate yesterday was fucked. So you can torture me all you want for the rest of the year, but ONLY me. So keep Kate and any of my other friends that I'm close with, THE FUCK out of it. You hear me?" Ben warned him angrily.
Shortly after Ben gave his warning to Nathan, Max had walked into the classroom as she was also in the same class as the two boys. She felt both perplexed and worried about the scene she had just walked into. She didn't hear Ben's threat towards Nathan, but she did hear Nathan laughing at whatever Ben had said to him.
"Ha, you and Kate? Close? What exactly do you see in her, Ferris?" Nathan snickered. "The way I see it, you keep spending time with her and she'll try to induct you into her whole religious cult. Next thing you know, her whole thing about practicing abstinence will get passed down to the entire football team." He mocked, making it sound like Kate's abstinence was a contagious disease.
"Leave my team out of this!" Ben growled through his gritted teeth. Max picked up on this and knew that things were not going to end well between the two boys.
"Or maybe Kate's just been after you this whole time. She probably thinks that she actually has a chance to end up with the one and only 'Mr. Bigfoot.'" Nathan theorized. "What's that old saying again Ben? Once you go black, you never go..."
"Don't you have anything better to do with your life beside antagonize people who are twice your size?" Max intervened.
"Why don't you mind your goddamn business you nosy bitch?" Nathan hissed at Max. "What? You gonna get you're little boyfriend, Warren GAYrham, to try and beat me up again? That didn't work out last time for him." He said as he kicked his feet up on his desk while laughing. Max only turned her head as she knew that arguing with Nathan wasn't even worth it.
"Just ignore him, Max. Nathan isn't even going to lay a finger on anybody ever again." Ben assured her.
"You sure about that, Ben? You couldn't even take me in a fight last time." Nathan said confidently.
"I won't need to fight you again, Nathan. Because I'm just gonna kill you instead." Ben said. Nathan was stunned at what he just heard Ben say and Max turned around again to look at Ben and make sure she heard what Ben said was right.
"Did you just hear him say that, guys?" Nathan asked his posse sitting near him. "I really wish I had recorded that. Maybe I should report you to the principal and we'll see how you like getting snitched on, Ben."
The bell had rung, indicating that class had started and Mrs. Hoida had walked into the room shortly after.
"Okay class, please take your seats. It's very good to see all of you again." She said smiling at everyone. "So, one of the assignments I had given you was to create your very own poem as we'll be starting our unit on poetry today. I'll be asking each of you to come up to the front and share your poem you've written with the rest of the class. This only counts towards your participation grade in the class. So who would like to start us off?"
"Ben would love to." Nathan shouted out.
"Okay. Ben, would you like to share your work with everyone first?" Mrs. Hoida asked him with a smile on her face.
"Sure." Ben replied. He pulled out a sheet of paper which he had written his poem on. And walked over to the front of the classroom. Mrs. Hoida had pulled a chair over for Ben to sit in, to accommodate his injury. As he sat down into the chair, he now faced everyone in front of him and was ready to address the class.
"I decided to name this poem, 'The Hero's Burden'. I hope you all enjoy it." Ben said.
What is a hero?
To many, the term is praised
To others, it is only abhorred
A hero is a selfless individual
He or she only wishes to do the right thing
They will ask for nothing in return
Not glory
Not fortune
Not fame
The hero only hopes to set an example
Of what the everyday person should strive to be
But not everyone agrees with the actions of the hero
There are some who see the world differently
They only wish to see society tear itself apart
Sometimes, they will try to destroy the hero
Other times, they will try to destroy his spirit
They will do this by hurting the people closest to the hero
Their family
Their friends
Their romantic partner
Putting those closest at risk is the hero's true burden
It is enough to break him and leave him forever vulnerable
So before choosing to be a hero, one must ask their self
Is it really worth it?
The sound of applause coming from the entire classroom was only what followed after Ben had delivered the last stanza of his poem. There were a couple of deep sighs of awe from a few students, who were amazed by how well Ben delivered the powerful and deep message of the poem.
"Thank you, Ben. That was very reflective." Mrs. Hoida said as she praised Ben while sitting at her desk. "I suppose we can just pick people from down the class roster alphabetically at this point. Evan, would you like to go next, please?"
Ben stood up from the chair he sat in and began to make his way back over to his desk. As he sat down, he heard Nathan speak to him again to grab his attention.
"Nice job up there, Ben. I never figured you to be edgy type." He commented. Ben just ignored him as he knew that it wasn't worth his time to sink to anymore of Nathan's insults. He remembered telling Kate how she had to be stronger than her bullies, so Ben only had to practice what he preached to her.
As the bell rang, concluding the class, everyone was leaving the classroom and heading to the cafeteria for lunch. As Ben was placing his notebook in his backpack, he was approached by Max, who stood in front of his desk.
"Hey, Ben." Max greeted.
"What's up, Max?" Ben asked with half a smile.
"Your poem was really... um, powerful. Don't you think it got a little dark towards the end?"
"It was mostly just based on how I was feeling at the time, that's all."
"Listen, Ben. About what you said to Nathan, before class started today..."
"I didn't actually mean it, Max. I guess I was still just worked up about what happened between us yesterday."
"What actually happened anyway? You mentioned that Kate was involved and she said that she was with you last night. Plus, she didn't seem like herself this morning either."
"It's nothing Max, okay? I appreciate that you want to me, but you can't. You just don't understand what's going between me and Nathan." Ben argued. "I don't mean to sound like a dick, honest. I just need some time to vent to myself is all."
"Okay, Ben." Max replied. "Chloe and I are always if you want to talk."
"I know. Thanks, Max."
Max had left the classroom, having deep concern to Ben as she had never seen him like this before. As she walked down the hall, heading to the cafeteria, she saw Kate who appeared to be talking with David Madsen. Max was alert by this after she heard about how David had given Kate trouble last week. She only just wanted to look out for her friend, so she walked over to the two to see what was going on between them.
"I'd just like to say that I'm deeply sorry for how I approached you last week. It was clearly unprofessional and my only intention was to ensure your own safety along with everyone else's." David explained.
"I know Mr. Madsen. And that's why I forgive you." Kate replied.
"Thank you, Kate. Don't hesitate to let me know if you ever need anything."
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Madsen?"
"Yes, Max. Is there something you have to say?"
"I have a question actually."
"Well in that case, I may have an answer."
"If I had a friend here who was possibly going to hurt someone, what exactly would I do about that?"
"That's simple really. You're looking at the person who you should come and talk to if that were to happen. If you think that a student here is in danger of hurting another person or even their self, then that should be brought to my attention immediately. That goes for the two of you." He stated. "Is this something that I should be aware about, Max?"
"No, it was just a hypothetical situation, that's all."
"Alright then. You two better head on down to the lunch room to grab some grub. I need to make my rounds around the hall instead of chit-chatting." He said as he walked away from the two girls.
Kate and Max both walked down the hall together, while Kate had a very puzzled look on her face and turned to face Max and ask her a question.
"David seems a lot nicer since last week. Don't you think, Max?" Kate asked.
"I don't know if I would use the term nice, but it's a start for him." Max replied.
"What was that question that you asked him all about?" She asked.
"Oh, that? It was just something that I was really curious about." Max answered.
"You are a strange girl sometimes, Max." Kate said as she laughed.
Kate Diary Entry October 16th 2013:
I feel so stupid! I know I shouldn't be thinking like this right now, especially after everything I went through last week. But it's just hard not to after what happened last night. I thought that Ben actually cared about me, I really did. But I was wrong about him. His best friend Nathan and his teammates were all standing outside of Ben's room. And Nathan took a picture of us to make it look like we were being promiscuous with each other. Just when Victoria had taken down that video of me, now I have to be worried if Nathan will post that picture on social media. What if people start calling me a slut again? It will be easier for Ben to deal with it because he'll just praised for it just like every other guy.
I still can't believe Ben lied to me all this time. Up on the roof, at the hospital, even when he threw me the rally. It was all just to try and sleep with me. I didn't want to believe what I heard Nathan say, but after what Ben told me when I saw him at the hospital on Monday, after how he told me how many girls he had been with. Some of them live on my floor with me and even have class with me. I don't know what it is that I do to keep being hurt by people here. Sometimes I just wish that my parents had never instilled their religion on me. That way, I could have actually had a normal life. I could have enjoyed the many pleasures that other girls could. Sleep away camp, concerts, a sweet sixteen, parties. I would have never had to deal with the humiliation of putting up those abstinence campaign posters. I probably could have lost my virginity coming here and my mom would never even know. I could have been just like Victoria, Taylor, and all those other girls Ben slept around with. I feel awful for thinking like that, but the other night I had a weird dream. I dreamt that I lost my faith, similar to how Ben had mentioned he lost his. And he was the only other person in my dream. It was just us and no one else. We were both free to do whatever we wanted and we enjoyed each other's company. And towards the end of the dream, we kissed. We kissed and held each other for as long as the dream had lasted. I felt happy and safe being with him, and he was happy too. That was all I remembered about my dream before it ended. What's wrong with me? Do I actually like Ben? I feel awkward writing about this. I feel even worse for dreaming about something like that too. It feels like I've sinned for thinking of Ben like that. What's wrong with me? Thankfully, no one else will ever read my diary. As for Ben, I just don't know if I'm ready to forgive him yet.
Maybe I was too quick to judge him yesterday though. What if Nathan really was lying about all that stuff that he said? The way he attacked Ben in the hallway yesterday. Maybe he did what he did yesterday to get back at Ben. By why would he involve me in it as well? Was it because I didn't agree to go to Homecoming with him? I was hoping that life would get better starting this week, but so far it's proven to be strange if anything.
As Kate sat at her desk and looked at everything she wrote into her diary, she heard a knock on her door. She quickly put her diary back into her desk drawer and turned her attention to whoever was outside her room.
"Who is it?" Kate asked.
"Kate, its Max. Can I come in?" Max asked.
"The doors unlocked, Max. You can come in." She replied politely.
"Thanks, Kate." Max said as she slowly opened the door. "Have you got a second to talk?"
"Sure, I just finished up all my homework anyway." Kate answered happily. "What did you want to talk about?"
Max sat down on Kate's bed right next to her and spoke softly to ask Kate a question. "I just wanted to know if everything was alright last night. I heard you crying in here after I came back from looking for my camera with Warren. And you said that you were with Ben, earlier tonight."
Kate looked at Max, with a blank expression.
"Oh, that. I was just crying over something stupid to be honest." Kate explained as she walked over her bed to sit down with Max.
"Kate, this probably shouldn't leave our conversation, but I'm kind of worried about Ben."
"Really? Why?"
"Well today in class, Nathan was giving him a hard time."
"What else is new about Nathan?" Kate said as she rolled her eyes.
"No, this is different. He kept talking about you in front of Ben to try to piss him off. What's even worse is that Ben told Nathan he was going to kill him." She explained.
"Is that why you asked David that question today? Oh, Max, I feel so terrible now." Kate lamented as she looked down at the floor, holding her head in her hands.
"Terrible about what, Kate?"
"Last night when I was with Ben, we went to his room to hang out. And then Nathan came in and started telling me that Ben only wanted to have sex with me. I actually believed him because the entire football was there too and the things that Ben told me the other day and..."
"It's alright, Kate. Just slow down."
"Max, this is all my fault. I listened to Nathan instead of taking Ben's side. I let Nathan Prescott win and Ben probably hates me now."
"Hey, you know that's not true. Ben's been a good friend to you. And you've been one to him. I doubt that a single thing Nathan told you was true. I heard those two fighting when I walked into class today and it's not like them to do that at all. The other week, they were literally the dynamic duo of Blackwell."
"You have a good point. I feel like I should talk to Ben but I don't know if he'll want to see me. Last night after all those things Nathan said, I yelled at Ben and I even knocked him down. He's probably still mad at me."
"That's not true, Kate. Before Ben made that threat to Nathan today in class, he said that he would make sure he would never hurt you, me, or anyone else ever again. He still cares about you Kate."
"He really said that? Oh thank you so much, Max." Kate said, sounding hopeful as she leaned over to hug Max. "I'll go talk to Ben. I just hope he'll listen to me."
"Ben's listened to you before. I'm sure he'll be willing to listen this time too." Max said.
Ben was taking deep breaths as he sat on the edge of his bed. He was mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. He was going to sneak into Nathan's room to find anything that could help him, Chloe, and Max find out what happened to Kate the night of the party and where Rachel Amber might have been. He then got up from his bed and walked over to the door, leaving his room. Seeing that nobody was present in the hallway, he had the perfect opportunity to sneak into Nathan's room. It was right next door to Ben's room and even if he didn't live on this floor of the dorm, there was the message on Nathan's slate reading, "THE PRESCOTTS RULE THIS TOWN!" in all capital letters, which gave it away. As Ben tried turning the doorknob to Nathan's room, he noticed that it was locked. Looking both ways down the hallway to make sure no one was watching him. He took a step back, lifted up one of his crutches and used its top end to try and break the lock. He hit the crutch against the doorknob three times and finally had success after the third hit. He checked his surroundings one last time before turning the knob and entering Nathan's room.
Ben was welcomed by some rather peculiar contents of Nathan's room. There was a broken lamp, which had to be the one that Chloe mentioned when she escaped from Nathan. On his desk sat an expensive monochrome camera next to several types of prescription pills and an empty bottle of champagne. Hanging from the ceiling of the room was a movie projector which, played footage of an old film in black and white. As he looked to his right, he saw a black and white poster of a woman who appeared to be topless and tied-up.
'So, this must be Nathan's work he wasn't so confident about sharing. Hopefully his model consented to doing this pic.' He thought as he found the poster to be disturbing and not what he imagined Nathan's style to be. Ben pulled out his phone and speed dialed Chloe so she could tell him what exactly he was supposed to be looking for in this room.
"Yo?" Chloe said as she answered the call.
"Chloe, it's me. I'm in Nathan's room."
"You are? Sweet! How did you even get in?" She replied.
"I broke the lock using my crutch." He explained.
"You badass. What else can you do? Anyway, where is that little prick anyway? I'm surprised he's not holed up in his room like the loser he is." Chloe asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, he's at a five restaurant right now expecting his date, Kate, to show up at any moment. Can you believe that guy?" Ben said sounding disgusted.
"Let's just focus on the mission right now, big guy."
"Right. What is it that I'm looking for in here exactly?"
"You're gonna wanna see if he has a phone or anything at all with clues. I'd start with checking his computer if anything."
"Got it! I'll call you back when I find something." Ben then hung up the phone and continued his search.
As he made his way over to Nathan's computer, he exited out of sleep mode and searched through each of the tabs open on his browser. There were emails he received from his father, his sister, and Principal Wells along with one that he sent to Victoria, expressing his frustration at how Ben cancelled the End of the World Party. Two other tabs showed one for an online drugstore website with an order of 100 diet pills and the other tab showing Kate's video. This only reminded Ben why he hated Nathan and the reason he was going to find out what really happened to Kate that night. He was unable to find anything else that would help, so he stopped his search and got off the computer, putting it back on sleep mode to cover his tracks.
Ben searched through some of Nathan's drawers to find any clues. In one drawer he found a note that Chloe had written to Nathan which read: Hey Asshole, we need to talk or I'm gonna tell everybody what you did and you're going to pay motherfucker. The note was obviously written to Nathan after he drugged Chloe and it seemed just like something she would write too. What Ben saw underneath the ominous note was a photograph that only shocked him.
It was a photo of Chloe lying on the floor of Nathan's room in a fetal position. Her eyes were wide open but she looked completely lifeless. This had to have been when she was drugged, it could have only explained the state she appeared to be in when the picture was taken. Ben looked even closely at the picture and could see a shadow that stood over Chloe, no doubt that it was Nathan who took the picture.
Before Ben was about to give up on the search, he saw that there were several markings on the floor, though he wasn't sure why they were even there. Though he saw that the couch was right near the scratch marks and realized that the couch could have been dragged. But why? Knowing that these couches the school provided students with could be moved and curious to know what was behind it, Ben had grabbed it from one end and pulled out using one hand. Looking at the back of the couch, he saw that there was a plastic bag taped to it.
"Score!" Ben said as he took the plastic bag containing the phone, putting it into his pocket. He then pushed the couch back into its original place and left the room, having what he needed and hoping he didn't leave any clues that would give away his presence when Nathan came back.
Ben was now back in his own room and texted Chloe, informing her that he found the evidence. He was still feeling tense about how he broke into Nathan's room like that. He would eventually know that someone went into his room and searched through his things. The broken lock would give it away more than anything else. Ben was telling himself to stop worrying about it though. He felt that he needed something to take his mind off all this. After how this week had been going so far for him, he felt that watching a movie would help him relax if anything. He walked over to his Playstation 3 and pressed the power button to turn it on. As he searched for a DVD from his shelf, he decided to watch The Empire Strikes Back. While he wasn't a big Star Wars fan compared to most people like Warren, it was just one of his favorite movies in general. Just before he could take the DVD out of the case, he heard a few soft knocks on his door. This made Ben slightly jump and question who it could have Ben. What if it was Nathan or someone who saw him enter or leave his room? He wasn't sure exactly sure how he was going to explain things.
Hearing the person behind the door knock again, Ben knew that he had to face this person, so he spoke out in a confident voice to address whoever it could have been. "Come in!" He said.
The door slowly opened and Ben stood his ground read to find out who it was. He was even ready to face them, if need be. But he realized that he didn't have anything to be so worked up about, as the person standing at the doorway was Kate.
"Hi, Ben." Kate said nervously. She had both of her hands clasped and looked down at her feet.
"Oh! Hey, Kate." Ben said in very similar tone. He wasn't exactly sure why the girl was back in his room again after what happened the last time she was here.
"I was hoping I could talk to you if you're not busy. Can I come in please?" She said.
"Yeah, make yourself comfortable." He told her. She walked into the room and closed the door behind her, but was still standing in the same position. This was starting to make Ben a little uncomfotable. "I was just about to watch a movie but I've got time to talk. What's up?"
"I... I just wanted to... apologize to you after how I reacted last night. I was wrong to have made an assumption about you after what Nathan said and I should have let you explain yourself like you tried to. And I'm sorry that I avoided you in the hallway today." Kate said with the utmost sound of remorse in her voice.
Ben was completely frozen by what Kate had just said. He thought that he was going to have to be the one to apologize to her. He thought he would have to ask her to forgive him a million times after how badly she had been hurt last night. But instead, here she was, in his own room giving him an apology that he felt that he didn't even deserve.
"Do you... forgive me?" She asked.
"Yes, I do." He replied softly. "But honestly, Kate, I feel like I should be the one asking you to forgive me."
"No, Ben. I believe that Nathan humiliated you in front of your whole team yesterday because he wanted to hurt both of us. And I should have known better to trust you more after everything you did for me." She explained. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure. What's on your mind?" He asked.
She then lifted up her head to face him before asking her question. "Why did you do all of those things for me last week. Standing up to David, Victoria, and Nathan, helping me on the roof, visiting me at the hospital, even throwing the rally for me. You didn't owe me a single thing before I met you but you still wanted to help me. Was it because you felt bad for me?"
"Kate, I have my reasons for why I did so much for you. And I swear that I'm going to be completely honest with you." Ben answered truthfully.
"I trust you Ben. I only want to know so I can hear your side as to why you helped me. I'm still bothered by everything Nathan said about you and I'm just seeking some closure is all. So I can finally move past it." She stated.
"Kate, the reason I helped you is because... I could relate to everything you were going through." Ben said.
"Oh, I didn't know that. We're you really bullied just like me too? Was that the reason behind why you lost your faith? She questioned.
"No, it wasn't me. It was someone else. Someone I was... very close with." Ben said softly. He was digging into one of his desk drawers while he was still talking to her. "But first, I just want to say that I owe you an apology."
Kate looked confused. "An apology? For what exactly? Is this still about what happened last night with..."
"No, it's not that. It's from last week. When I was up on the roof with you, I lied to you that I was an only child. I only did it because I was afraid I would get too emotional when your life was at risk and more important at the time." Ben explained. He pulled out a small orange envelope and walked over to Kate to hand it to her. He sat down at his couch while she was still standing. "You can open it if you want." He said.
Kate opened the envelope and placed her hand inside to find a photograph, she didn't see the actual picture at first when she pulled it out of the envelope. She was looking at the rear side of it which had writing in Marker that read, Ronnie and Me, 2003.
As Kate flipped over the photo, she saw the actual picture itself. It showed two boys standing next to each other and smiling. There was an older boy in the picture who had looked very much like Ben but had longer hair grown out than his. He was wearing a football uniform similar to the one that she saw Ben wear in his Facebook photos. She was eventually able to put two and two together and realize that this was a Blackwell Bigfoots football uniform. Whoever this boy was, he attended the same school as them. Kate then gazed over to the younger boy in the photo who looked like he could have been eight or nine year old. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and had a big bright smile similar to Ben's. The only thing was that, it was Ben. She couldn't help but admire how adorable he looked in that photo. But why exactly was Ben showing her this?
"Is that you in this picture?" Kate asked curiously.
"Yeah, that's me." Ben said with a forced smile on his face. He then looked down at the floor again.
Kate picked up on Ben's body language and could tell he looked different than usual. She decided to compliment Ben in the photo and casually ask who the older boy next to him was. "You were so cute! Who's the one next to you?"
"That right there is... was my older brother. His name was Ronnie." Ben shared.
Kate studied the picture once more and began to wonder what could have happened to this boy and why Ben never mentioned him. Plus, why did he lie to her that he was an only child? Did the two of them have a bad history growing up together?
"We're you two close?" She asked with interest.
"Yeah, we really were." He replied. "He was my best friend growing up. We were practically inseparable and we could always keep secrets between each other that no one else would have to know about."
"That sounds just like me and my sisters." She said. "So what happened? How come you never mentioned him before?"
"Because it was hard to?" Ben said. He took a deep breath before he continued. "You see, when my parents got the divorce, they both kept one of us. My mom kept me, which was why I moved to San Francisco with her, and my Dad got Ronnie which explains why he went to Blackwell."
"Did you two stay in touch, even when you were both far away from each other?"
"We did, for a while?"
"What do you mean by that?" Kate asked with concern.
"Remember how I said that we always shared secrets with each other and no one else?"
"Yes."
"Well, one year after that picture was taken, Ronnie shared one of his secrets with me. He was getting older and he realized that he was... different than most of the boys at school. He told me that he realized that he liked another boy and had... feelings for him." Ben said, his voice was beginning to get heavy after he finished his last sentence.
"Ben, are you going to be alright?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." He replied. "Anyway, when Ronnie learned that about himself, he decided that he was going to admit it to the boy he liked, no matter what that boy thought about him. And when he did, it completely backfired and people made his life hell."
"Oh my goodness, that's horrible." Kate said in shock.
"And it only got worse. For the next month, all these assholes would bully my own brother and call him a 'fag' or 'homo' when they saw him in the halls. Even his own friends on the football team were against him. No one helped him and he just... couldn't take it anymore."
"Ben, it's okay. You don't have to..."
"No, Kate. I meant to tell you this when you asked why I stopped believing. And this is why." He said in a melancholy tone. "So one night, Ronnie called me on the phone. He told me that he would always love me and to be strong no matter what. Later that night, my mom and I got a call from my dad. He told us that he found Ronnie passed out on the bathroom floor with an empty bottle of prescription pills next to him. My dad called 911 and by the time an ambulance showed up to the house... they we're too late." Ben told her with tears in his eyes.
Kate herself thought that she was going to cry too. She was always a sensitive person in general, but right now, she felt even worse. She had always remembered the teachings her parents shared with her about how homosexuality was a sin and that anyone who portrayed the image of being gay or a lesbian was destined to burn in hell. But that didn't even matter right now. The boy she only met just a week ago, who she considered her friend, had lost his older brother at such a young age. He was Ben's best friend and role model, and for almost ten years of his life, he dealt with the pain of never being able to see him again. It only made Kate feel even worse for trying to take her own life. She couldn't even imagine how much Lynn and Emma would have been grieving had she actually jumped.
"That's why I wanted to help you so bad, Kate. Because seeing people treat you like shit reminded me of those... fucking assholes that hurt my brother. And when I saw you on the roof, It only reminded me of Ronnie when he..."
Ben was unable to say his last few words, he felt weak trying to continue what he needed to tell Kate. To get her to understand his loss, which motivated him to fight for her. As he was reminded of the horrible past, he was caught off guard by what happened next. Kate had knelt down to the floor to look at Ben while he still sat on the couch. She grabbed both of his hands and held them up as she looked at him. This caused Ben to look up at her, as his teary brown eyes met her kind sympathetic hazel eyes.
"I'm so sorry Ben. You don't have to say anything else. You lost one of the most important and influential people in your life and you did nothing to deserve that." Kate said. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. "Despite what happened to your brother, you still showed everybody that you didn't let it stop you from becoming the strong person you are today. I know that's true because it's why you saved my life." Kate didn't want to let go of Ben. She knew that this was what he needed after what he just told her. It was no surprise that he never told people about this either. He had so much trouble just trying to tell Kate without choking up.
"Thanks, Kate. I appreciate you listening. And being my shoulder to cry on too." Ben said as he sniffed and was still trapped in Kate's hug. "He was only sixteen when he died, you know. I kept thinking that each year, it would be easier for me to cope with losing him, but it only gets harder. Especially now, knowing that I'm older than he was. I just miss him so much."
"I understand. I know what my religion says about being gay, but all I can say is that Ronnie is up in Heaven watching you do all of these great things."
"I feel like you always know the right thing to say. Thank you." He said as he wiped away his tears.
"You're welcome." Kate replied. She then handed the photo back to Ben, who stared it one more time before he put it back in the envelope. "You said that you were going to watch a movie before I came in. Do you mind if I joined you?" She asked coyly.
"Are you kidding? I'd be insulted if you didn't." He said in a more upbeat tone.
"Okay, thank you. So what are we watching?" Kate asked excitedly.
"Ever heard of the Empire Strikes Back? It's one of the Star Wars movies."
"I can't say I have. To be honest, I haven't seen any of those movies before." She admitted.
"What? Never? Now that means we have to watch A New Hope first." He said playfully.
"Really? Do we have to?" Kate questioned.
"You bet! The movies make up a trilogy, so it'll only make since if we watch them in the correct order." He explained.
"Okay. I'll put in the movie so you don't have to get up." She said as she stood up and walked over to the PS3.
"Sure thing, I'll just a couple bags of chips for us snack on during the movie." Ben said as he reached for his secret snack stash, which he had behind his couch, grabbing several snack sized bags of Doritos, Lays, Frito's, and Cheetos, and two water bottles. He saw Kate, studying the case of the DVD after she placed it into the PS3.
"Everything, okay over there?" He asked.
"Um, yes. I was just checking to see what the movie was rated that's all." She said shyly.
"Pretty sure it was PG last time I checked. It's nothing too intense, I promise." Ben said. He only smiled when hearing Kate say this. It was moments like this that made Ben think she was the cutest and most innocent girl he had ever met at Blackwell.
"Well, you probably know these movies better than I do anyway." Kate replied as she walked over to the door to flick off the light switch. She walked back to the couch sitting, on the other end opposite from Ben, grabbing a bag of Doritos and a water bottle that sat on the middle seat.
"Thanks for letting me join you." She said to Ben.
"No problem! Thanks for stopping by." He replied.
Ben then selected the option to play the movie using his controller. The two both began to glow with excitement as they saw the iconic opening title sequence, complete with the classic theme by John Williams.
Once the film had ended and the credits began to roll, Ben glanced over at Kate, who seemed to have enjoyed the movie from the beginning to the end.
"So, what did you think?" Ben asked.
"It was... amazing. That was far from what I was expecting." Kate said. "And you said that there's two more of these?"
"That's right. Which means that now you're ready to watch Empire Strikes Back, followed by The Return of the Jedi."
Kate yawned and checked the time on her phone before she spoke again. "Well, it is getting late now. And curfew is starting in a few minutes. Maybe we should watch the next one another time."
"Sounds like a plan to me. See ya, Kate!" Ben said.
"Goodbye, Ben. Enjoy the rest of your night." Kate said as she walked towards the door. She flicked the light switch back on and left the room.
"You too." He replied.
Kate left the room feeling so glad that her friendship between her and Ben had successfully reconciled. She really did enjoy watching a movie with him, even if she did feel embarrassed by asking him a question about what was happening every ten minutes. She wasn't very big into sci-fi or action films for starters, compared to the Disney movies she loved so much. The past two hours that they spent hanging out together in Ben's room felt like just the first of the many memories they would make together at Blackwell. As she walked down the hallway, she thought to herself that all she wanted was for no one else to get in the way of their friendship. Especially, Nathan Prescott. And speak of the devil, he happened to walk right around the corner and was now in the same hallway as Kate. He had his hair combed back and wore a black tie with his usual white dress shirt underneath his red jacket that he was always wearing. It was his spiffy appearance that reminded Kate about the dinner reservation he made for the two of them to his family's restaurant. She remembered this, but there was no way in hell that she was going to even go on a date with him, let alone sit at the same table as him after everything he did to her and Ben. Nathan looked upset about something and was most likely going to his room which she passed by. Kate just tried her best to avoid eye contact with him and walked closer to the other side of the wall, hoping that he wouldn't try to approach her. She had no luck as the boy questioned her as soon as he got closer to her.
"What the fuck are you doing in my dorm?" Nathan shouted.
"I was just leaving. And it's not your dorm. Other people live here too." Kate said in her most confident voice.
"You getting smart with me, bitch? Because this dorm has my name on it." Nathan said as he grabbed Kate's arm. "I said what are doing here? You were with Ben again weren't you?"
"It's none of your business Nathan. Now please let go of me..."
"Shut up!" Nathan barked as he pushed Kate up against the wall with enough force.
Kate had winced as she felt the back of her head hit the wall. She was now face to face with Nathan, who pressed both of her arms against the wall too, making sure that she couldn't try anything.
"You think you're so pure and above everybody don't you, Kate? Is that why you thought you could stand me up at my family's own restaurant tonight and make me look like an ass in front of everybody? You think you're better than everyone else here just because you believe in God and preach about abstinence. You know that's all bullshit right? I mean, why try to act all sweet and innocent so you can end up in some little paradise when you die, while you could be out there doing whatever the fuck you want right now?" He argued angrily.
As Nathan had interrogated her, Kate had looked at his face in fear and was disturbed by the state he was in. His eyes were bloodshot from the fury he was displaying. His breath also reeked of alcohol and he did seem drunk from how he was swaying and speaking. She also noticed that he had a white substance underneath one of his nostrils. Kate had never seen it in her life to tell that this was cocaine and the drug only contributed more to his rage. She was now fearing for her life as the boy who had her pinned against the wall was drunk, high, and extremely enraged.
"Nathan please, you're hurting me." Kate said in a more scared voice as she acknowledged that he had a tight grip on both of her arms.
"You know something, Kate? I kind of lied to you about Ben last night." He said ignoring her pleas. "But then I actually, thought about why he cares about you so much. You know what I think?"
"What?" Kate asked in a very nervous voice.
"Considering the fact that he's the pretty boy type, always keeps his body in good shape, and studies Drama. I think that Ben only wants to spend time with you because by hanging out with a virgin like you, he won't have to admit to anybody that he's really just a queer and he doesn't have to worry about coming out to everyone. Just like his older brother." He stated.
Kate only looked at Nathan in shock after what he just theorized. How did he even know about this in the first place?
"Oh yeah. I know all about that. My sister attended school here with his brother. It probably just runs in his family. I think that's why you need to be with a real man like me, Kate."
Not being able to do anything to fight back, Kate had no choice but to take a dirty approach and spit right in Nathan's face. "Leave Ben's brother out of this!" She yelled.
Nathan took one of his hands and slapped Kate across her face, causing her to let out a faint scream. "Now that wasn't very nice. I'm gonna have to teach you some manners. And your little God isn't gonna save you either." He said with a threatening voice as he lightly tugged on the golden cross on Kate's necklace. He began to take his hand, rushing it over Kate's breasts.
"Nathan, stop it! This is sinful." Kate said as she began to cry in fear of what Nathan was about to do.
"Like I give a fuck." He snapped. "My family owns this school and I can do whatever I want. And you need to learn your place, one way or another." He said as he began tugging at Kate's blouse in his state of intoxication.
As Kate felt the first few of her top buttons begin to snap, she began to close her eyes, feeling tears escape past her shut eyelids and fearing what was going happen to her. She never did anything to Nathan to deserve this and she would never wish this fate upon any of her enemies. She felt helpless as the boy overpowered her against the wall and was still attempting to unbutton her blouse by force with whatever strength he had. But suddenly, she could no longer feel the tugging of her blouse anymore as all she heard was the sound of a loud slam. It was so loud that it felt like whatever made the noise happened right in front of her. Still afraid to open her eyes, she only heard the sound of someone's voice that she was hoping to hear right now.
"Kate, are you alright?" She knew that this was Ben, which caused her to open her eyes and see him standing right in front of her. She was still too shaken up to say anything and only nodded her head to answer his question.
Seeing how he was standing, she had realized that Ben had arrived before things got any worse than it did in the hallway and he used the top end of his crutch to hit Nathan against the face. She could see Nathan lying face down against the floor. But he was beginning to get up.
"You broke my nose!" Nathan shouted as he could see blood on his fingers from where he just touched his face. "You are so fucking dead, Ferris!" He yelled out as he reached into one of his jacket pockets.
"Ben look out!" Kate screamed as she Nathan pull out the shining gun.
With quick reaction time, Ben used the bottom of his crutch and swung it violently at Nathan's wrist, causing him to let out a gasp of pain and the gun to fly out of his hand. The gun had built up so much momentum, that it slid across the hallway floor like a hockey puck and ended up getting stuck underneath the radiator at the end of the hall. No one even noticed this. Especially Ben, who had his attention on Nathan.
As Nathan tried to crawl away, he was unsuccessful as Ben grabbed him by his ankle and pulled him back towards him. Ben had now knelt down and placed all of his weight on Nathan, with his good knee on the kid's chest and his left hand wrapped around his throat.
"Get off me, bro!" Nathan demanded at Ben.
"Shut up and take your beating like a man!" Ben shouted in complete anger. "I'm not your bro!"
Kate was sitting against the wall, still scared and her eyeliner running from her tears. She began to look at the sight of Nathan who was pinned down by Ben, unsure of what would happen next.
"I thought you were my friend, Nathan. I trusted you. Treated you like a brother." Ben shouted. He then punched Nathan in the face as hard as he could with his right hand. "But all you ever did was hurt my other friends behind my back." He said punching him again.
"Remember what you did to Chloe?" He questioned him, followed by another punch to the face.
"Or Max?" A punch to his broken nose. This one making Nathan scream in pain.
"Or how about Warren?" A punch straight to his eye.
"And even Kate!" A punch to his mouth along with several more that followed.
"I wanna know something, Nathan. Did you dose Kate at that party?" He said while continuing to bash his face in. "Did you?"
Kate was completely disturbed by how Ben was taking this situation into his own hands. Still sitting against the wall, she placed her face into her arms, but still had to hear Ben shouting and Nathan begging for his life.
"Answer me you fuck!" Ben yelled.
"Yes!" Nathan whined.
"What? What did you say?" He questioned.
"Yes! I did it. I dosed her, okay? Just please stop." Nathan pleaded. He wanted to be spared from how much pain he was receiving. But now that Ben knew the truth, he wasn't going to hold back or show any mercy. Especially thinking back to that night when he saw Kate and now realized that he could have prevented Nathan from even talking to her that night.
"YOU... FUCKING... ASS...HOLE!" Ben shouted as he delivered several sharp blows to Nathan's face. He actually heard a cracking sound shortly after the last punch. He wasn't sure if he had broken a bone in his hand from hitting Nathan so hard, but that didn't matter. At this very moment, he was going to make sure Kate got justice. But was this really the right way to do so?
Ben could hear Nathan faintly crying to himself. He even got a good glimpse of the boy's bloodied face that he created. "Stop... I'm... sorry." Those were the only words Nathan could get out of his mouth.
"No. You're not sorry for what you did." Ben said as he looked down at him. "But you're about to be."
Ben took both of his hands and placed them around Nathan's neck, beginning to slowly strangle him. He gritted his teeth as he looked at the face of the guy who caused so much pain to him and his friends. He began applying more force to his grip on Nathan's throat and could even see that underneath all the blood, his face was starting to turn purple. Nathan was trying so hard to breathe as his life was now depending on it but before he even lost consciousness, the tight grip of his neck was released. Ben felt two sets of arms pull him off of Nathan. As he fell on his back, he saw Zach and Hayden standing above him.
"It's not worth it, Ben. He's had enough." Zach said as she shook his head.
Ben came to the realization of what he had just done as he sat up and saw Nathan sprawled on the floor with his bloody face. Everyone was now out of their rooms to see what all of the noise was about. But why couldn't they do that when Kate was in trouble in the first place? He looked around and saw that one guy had their phone out to record the entire thing.
"Zach, you don't understand. Nathan, he..."
"It's alright, dude. I heard the whole thing. We all did."
"Yeah, dosing someone at a party? That's real low, Nate. Even for you." Hayden commented.
"He's... crady guysh. He's... fugging crady." Nathan mumbled while he was still on the floor."
'Wait, where's Kate?' Ben questioned in his mind.
As Ben got up and found both of his crutches to help him stand. He turned around to see Kate, who was still crouched against the wall with her face buried in her arms. He began to walk over to her and got down on his knees to console her.
"Kate?" Ben spoke softly as he reached a hand out to her.
"No!" Kate shouted as she swung her arms in defense after feeling the hand touch her.
"Kate! Kate, it's me. It's Ben." He said.
She stopped hitting him to see the face of the boy who saved her once again. All she could do was just hug him and not let go. "Oh, Ben." Kate sniffed. "He... He was going to..."
"Shh, it's okay. I'm here for you now. And I always will be." He reassured her as he hugged her back.
The two stayed there in that same position for as long as they could. They we're completely unaware of everyone else in the hallway who were still surprised by what they witnessed Ben just do and wondering what to do with Nathan.
Ben had accompanied Kate on her way back to her room. She had asked him to do so as it only made her feel safer. As they were now at her door, Kate opened it using her room key and walked in with Ben, following her in. She flicked on the light switch and closed the door behind Ben before walking over to her couch.
"You can sit here if you'd like." She said as she moved her books which were on the couch.
"Thanks." He replied, moving over to the couch to take a seat. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, now that we're in here. To be honest, I still feel a little shaken up about what happened. Thank you for being there for me." Kate said.
"It's what friends do, Kate. And besides, I feel a lot better knowing that you're safe right now. I'm just glad that I decided to come out of my room as soon as I heard shouting in the hall."
"Ben, your hand!" Kate stated.
"What about it?" He asked.
"It's bleeding." She pointed out. Ben looked at his right hand to see that he had blood on his knuckles. He wasn't sure if this was his own blood or Nathan's. "We should get that cleaned up." Kate suggested.
"It's fine, Kate. It's probably just a scrape."
"Don't be ridiculous. You should really get that taken care of before it gets infected. Here, I have a first-aid kit with me." She reached into her closet, grabbing the first-aid kit next to her shower supplies and walked over to Ben. As she knelt down and placed the kit on the floor next to her, she opened it up and took out a disinfectant wipe. She took Ben's hand and started cleaning the blood off his knuckles.
"So, about what happened with Nathan... I know that you'd probably prefer not to talk about it, but I think we should tell Principal Wells tomorrow. Something like that, just can't go unnoticed." Ben suggested
"Are you sure, Ben? The last time I went to a faculty member for help was when I told Mr. Jefferson about my video, and he didn't believe me." Kate expressed with concern.
"Yeah, I remember that too. But it'll be different this time, because I'll be there with you. I guess what I'm trying to say is, do you want to go to the Principal's office together tomorrow morning? You know, before classes start?"
Kate looked up at Ben after she finished wrapping up his hand with a bandage. "Yes, I'd like that." She said sounding more comfortable. "I'm all done with your hand."
"Thanks, Doctor Marsh." Ben said jokingly. "I'm guessing I'm going to have to pay some sort of copay for this now."
"Lucky for you, I only have my patients pay me with hugs." Kate teased as she stood up to hug Ben. This was now the third time this night that she had hugged him. She must have felt so grateful that he was always there for her.
Kate then walked over to her closet again, putting her first aid kit back where it was and turning on a lamp that was close to her.
"I think I'm going to get ready to go to bed now if you don't mind. I'm going to change into my sleepwear." She told Ben, hinting to him that she wanted some privacy to change.
"I take it that's my cue to leave. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Ben said as he got up and began to walk to the door.
"Could you hit the light on your way out please?" She said.
"Sure thing." He replied. He flicked the light switch and saw that the only light in the room was coming from the lamp.
"Actually, Ben?" Kate called out after she kicked off her shoes and took off her cardigan.
Before he opened the door, Ben turned around to see Kate's worried face illuminating from the light of the lamp. "What's up?" He asked.
"Um, will you stay here with me for the night? Please?" She asked timidly.
Ben could tell that she still felt scared being in her room by herself after what she had experienced. He gave her a reassuring smile as he looked at her and then gave her an answer. "Yes, I will." He said.
"Thank you." Kate replied as she smiled back. "I'm going to go take a quick shower. I'll be right back though." She had taken off both of her socks and placed her golden cross on her desk before grabbing her shower supplies and walking out of the door.
Kate had no idea that Ben had watched her while she took off her cross. He wasn't trying to peek at her undressing or anything. He just thought back to that hot August day when he had saw her for the first time and she was wearing that cross. At that time, Kate was only a face that Ben couldn't even match a name to. If someone had traveled back in time that day and told Ben that that was the girl whose life he would save and even share one of his deepest secrets with one day, he wouldn't know what to think of it. It was now the middle of October and already, he had become closer with Kate in a just a week than he did with most of the other girls he had met at Blackwell. Sure, Ben wasn't as acquainted with Kate as he was with Dana or even Chloe, but he was starting to realize that it was moments like this that brought the two of them together. After about fifteen minutes, Ben heard the door open and saw Kate, wearing her pajamas and had her hair worn down which still looked damp from the shower water.
"I'm back." She said smiling at Ben who was still sitting on the couch.
"Wow!" Ben said louder than he had wanted too.
"What's wrong?" Kate asked with wonder.
"Uh, nothing. It's just that I've never seen you with your hair down before." Ben admitted. He had a bashful smile on his face when he said that and even Kate noticed this. "I know it's because your hair is wet, but you should really consider wearing it down in class one day."
"Oh, thank you, Ben. I actually never thought about it before since I'm so used to wearing my hair in my bun as usual." Kate said. "After we watched that movie tonight, I had an idea of trying to wear my hair in the style of Princess Leia's at some point." She shared.
"Well, if you ask me, I think you'd look great either way." Ben stated. He then noticed that Kate began to blush after hearing his compliment.
"I bet you say to every girl." Kate replied as she giggled.
"To be honest, I can't remember the last time I have told someone that." He said to flatter her.
Kate smiled and walked over to her bed. she took one of the spare blankets off of the bed and handed it to Ben.
"Thanks!" Ben said as he looked at the pink blanket and began to unfold it and place it over himself.
"You're welcome. I thought you could use it because it gets kind of chilly in here." Kate said as she dragged a chair over and placed one of her pillows on the seat for Ben to rest his leg on. Kate then climbed up on her bed and buried herself underneath her covers. She looked up at her ceiling before speaking again. "I'm glad that I got to meet you, Ben. The real you." She said.
"Um, thanks." Ben said as he looked her.
"I meant that in a good way." She said. "Before meeting you, I would always see you around Blackwell with some of the other football players and even the Vortex Club members and I always thought you were just like them. But that isn't true at all. Getting to know the real Ben Ferris was definitely worth it."
"That means a lot, Kate. I really enjoy spending time with you." Ben told her.
"Me too." Kate replied happily. "Good night!"
"Night." Ben said. He turned his head and looked over at Kate's bed to see that she was lying on her side and already fast asleep. She looked so peaceful and at ease. She was probably sleeping like this, despite what she had experienced earlier, most likely because Ben was in the room with her in case anything happened in the middle of the night.
'Dana has Trevor. Zach has Juliet. Warren has Max... I think. It's hard to say what's going on between those two. What if I have Kate, and I just don't even know it right now?' Ben thought to himself. He looked over once more to Kate sleeping and could see that she had a small smile on her face. This time, he could hear her lightly snoring in her sleep too. 'Only time will tell, Ben. Only time will tell.' Ben thought. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.
And there you have it guys! Another finished chapter of this story. There was definitely a lot that I threw into this one and I hope that reading it was worth the wait. Since this story is now at the halfway mark, there's a couple of readers notes and things that I wanted to share with you guys before I update in the future.
1. I'm actually in the process of considering changing the title of this fic. I don't think that there's anything wrong with BFLKM which I came up with when I first started writing it back in July. Now realized the direction I wanted to take with including the Dark Room as a second plotline. As you could see in this chapter, it is playing out a lot differently now that Ben is getting himself involved in this. Honestly, if FF gave you the option to chose more than two genres, I would definitely put down "Mystery" as a third. With that being said, I'm going to give it some time before I do so and will make my final decision by the time I upload Chapter 12. The new title won't be anything too far fetched from the original, just something that doesn't make this fic seem like it's just a love story as there's much more to that. I just hope that it won't create any confusion among people who have already been reading since the beginning. I'm still keeping the cover image the same no matter what the title changes too since I made it myself on Microsoft paint :P
2. I'm actually curious as to what you guys thought about the flashback sequence with Ben and Nathan, which happened just moments before Kate was drugged at the Vortex Party. I really wanted to create a moment that captured the friendship that the two of them once had and how Ben had trusted Nathan so much, that he wasn't even aware of the kind of things he had been doing behind his back. From some of the fics that I've read, most OCs usually end up hating Nathan from the start. Furthermore, seeing how Nathan would harass Ben was intended to serve as a reflection of how Victoria had bullied Kate in the beginning of the story. However, as Kate dealt with her bullying with depression, Ben responded to his through threats and violence. It was pretty foolish of Nathan to even provoke a 5'10" and 165 lb football player in the first place. Which brings me to the next point.
3. Yes, Nathan deserved to get his clock cleaned for everything that he did to Ben, Kate, Chloe and others. You probably wanted him to die as soon as you got to the point where he nearly attempted to sexually assault Kate in the hallway. I felt that Ben wailing on Nathan was a crucial point in this story as it only goes to show just how downhill their friendship has really gone. Even though, that moment took inspiration from when Warren had beat down Nathan, I read a couple of theories stating that it's possible that Nathan getting beat up and feeling defensivless could have only triggered him and reminded him of an abusive memory he might have had with his own father. So the real question is, was Ben's violent behavior towards Nathan justified, or did he go too far? I'll let you guys be the judge of that one. Also, just like LiS itself, Ben's actions will have consequences and you'll see just how things go for him in the next chapter.
4. And now for the biggest key moment of this chapter, Ben's brother, Ronnie. This only comes to show that despite Ben being the Mr. Popular who seems to have it all, he still has his own inner demons that he deals with on an everyday basis and has been hiding from people for years. The only people he's ever shared his past with are Chloe and now Kate. This won't be the last time you guys hear about this tragedy being mentioned either as it serves as a foundation for Ben's identity.
5. Lastly, how freaking cute would Kate look with Princess Leia's hairstyle? I only like the original trilogy of Star Wars and I was picturing what she would look like after I included that little reference lol.
That's all I've got for you guys. I start school next week Monday, but I'm going to try my best to write a shorter chapter for you guys before then. Be sure to review, favorite, and follow if you haven't. And remember, just a couple of days left until Before the Storm releases.