Notes: Nina is 14 and on the brink of high school as a 19-year-old Benny officially joins the Rosario's Dispatch team.


"If it isn't the Barrio's Best!" Nina heard over her shoulder, causing her to slam her notebook shut as she continued to narrate over the dispatch microphone. The last thing she needed was Benny catching her doodle his name all over her notebook! It was the summer before her freshman year of high school and her dad was making her run dispatch to cover lunches.

"Hey Benny!" she grinned at the nineteen-year-old wearing his new uniform, minus the tie he still held in his hand. "Excited for your first day?"

"Yeah, if I could just get this stupid tie on. I swear I tried a million different ways of messing with this thing and no dice," he complained slumping into the seat next to her. "How about you? High school starts in what a week?" he asked.

"Yeah, but it's just going to be more of the same. Lots of tests lots of papers, stupid math and ugh...gym." she groaned the last part causing the young man to laugh.

"I'm sure you'll be fine. You're the only person I know who brings a bag full of homework to actual work like you'll have time while running dispatch!" Benny commented eyeing her notebook.

Nina shrugged off his comment, given the option she'd prefer he thinks she's a super nerd than find out about her silly little crush. She just couldn't help it though! He was nice to her, he helped her parents and Abuela Claudia every chance he got plus he'd basically been on his own since he was sixteen! Sure he lived with his mom up until a week or two ago when her whole family (Including Usnavi, Sonny, and Abuela Claudia) had gone to help him move into his tiny apartment, but the woman was never really around. From what Daniela said Benny's mom was a...word she wasn't even allowed to think, who usually staying with one boyfriend or another just having enough decency to pay the bills, most of the time. Up until the moment her dad had offered Benny a job, he had spent most days helping Usnavi and Abuela Claudia at the bodega even though they couldn't pay him much. "I only run dispatch for about an hour at a time...if that. So I have a lot of time to read." Nina finally commented.

"At least there's AC." he grinned just as Mr. Rosario walked in.

"Nina, stop distracting my employees." he barked, causing both teens to blush abate for different reasons. "Benny, come on. Let's get that tie figured out, today you join the family, and I can't have you looking like that. Then we can go over today's schedule."


As the sun set on her last day of summer vacation, Nina climbed to the highest point on the fire escape outside her building, much higher than her second-floor bedroom. Taking solace in the solitude and distance the height had to offer, Nina found herself climbing higher and higher as the years went by. Accustomed to the familiarity of academics, she wasn't nervous about a more challenging curriculum so much as the much larger venue in which she was expected to thrive. Being a nerd living in the barrio was a lot harder than people seemed to realize, she wasn't street smart, or hardened by hardship despite her family's lack of luxury. She was the only person she knew who had two parents who were still around and together to boot! The Rosarios were kind of like the parents of the barrio, constantly making sure Abuela Claudia and all the strays she took in were doing alright. Usnavi and Sonny may as well have been Nina's brothers or at very least cousins for the amount of time they all spent having family dinners. She couldn't quite say the same thing about Benny simply because he was more independent than the other boys. Even when they were kids and he was always getting into trouble, he played by his own rules. He was distinctly an outsider living amongst Latinos, just a little more reserved and closed off than the rambunxious bunch she was used to. That was most likely due to his lack of a father and mostly absent mom. Nina at least knew for sure her family was from Puerto Rico, Benny once told her the only thing he knew about his dad was that he was probably black based on his own appearance. That was three years ago and the first and last time she heard him mention the man.

Looking in the general direction of Benny's new building Nina spotted a tiny figure sitting on their fire escape. From the distance, she couldn't make out more than the vague silhouette of a human but she liked to think it was the young man who continued to occupy her thoughts. Just a few months ago Benny was living in the building across from the Rosario's and every so often when she was out particularly late he would come out and stand on his own fire escape, arms crossed with a disapproving look beckoning her to get back to the safety of her bedroom. With one final wave at the mysterious figure (probably some homeless guy) who couldn't even see her, Nina made her way back home.