Prompt: "Just pretend to be my date."

.

I guess I never really noticed exactly how rare people that looked like Ben were in Charleston. Copper skin, long black hair, eyes that touched every shade of brown you needed for painting shadows in Renaissance master pieces… you know, google "Native American man" and flick through the images–especially as Ben's hair keeps on growing. I mean, I met him my third day on Morris and he's always just been Ben. And on Morris, we have a distinct advantage of diversity, but in Charleston, in Mount Pleasant, he must stand out, and I know I subconsciously rely on it to pick him from a crowd. Look for the brown kid with long hair and a black shirt… easy.

I stand in the half-full parking lot at Congaree National Park staring like the tourist I am. The entire campsite is teeming with Ben-looking people-not in that gross racist way, but in that oh-my-god they could all be brothers and sisters way–which makes sense, sorta. They have campers and tents, boom-boxes, and camping chairs. They have a big banner that declares the Blue-Tucker Family Reunion, so there's no mistake, this is exactly where I'm supposed to be. But I cannot pick him out of this crowd and I feel lost.

My phone has no service. My dad has already started the car and is backing out of the spot. I am pouring sweat, not like the usual sweat, but the "I can't find my boyfriend and now I'm stuck in the wilderness" sort of sweat.

"You lost?" A woman as big around as she is tall asks. She's got grey streaks in her hair and a hooked nose that Ben didn't inherit. She looks me up and down me with squinting eyes that make me sure she's suspicious.

"A little… Um, I'm here to meet Ben Blue?'

"Which Ben?"

"Um, he's eighteen, lives in Mount Pleasant," I offer what I hope are distinguishing details. Her eyebrows go up. She mutters something but she doesn't point. I stay standing, looking.

Five boys and one girl approach me. Three look so much like Ben, I almost smile. But not one of them are actually Ben.

"Look! OMG, look!" The girl points directly at me. She swats the boy next to her. "You're that girl, aren't you?" I've been around enough mean-girls to notice the thirstiness of her posture. She's looking at me like I'm prey.

"Um, I'm a girl," I push my hands in my pockets, I don't want to seem a threat.

"What girl?" the boy that got smacked asks.

"The girl that got Benji in trouble," she responds.

"Um, yeah, I guess so. He is here, right?"

"Jenny, your mom wants you to set up the tents like now," Ben barks like an order, coming from behind a camper. He is my knight in shining, black T-shirt armor.

"Don't use that tone with me. I was rinsing out Eddy's cooler, not my fault you didn't look useful. Anyways, that girl-scout is lost and we don't want those cookies." Jenny looks at me sideways, crosses her arms and steps away.

Ben jerks around to look at me, never intending to be rescuing me, but smiling almost instantly. That rare, Ben Blue smile always gets one in return from me. I'm every level of relieved to see him.

"Tory, you're here!"

"Yep, I'm here." He touches my shoulder when he's in reach and wipes sweat off his brow with the other hand. "This is a bit bigger than I kind of imagined."

My family was my mom and her parents. Three people, all dead now, and nothing really extending beyond that. And my new family, Kit and my Aunt Tempe were just as small. I had no idea a family reunion would be such a circus.

"Oh, yeah?" Ben looks around, shrugging, "It's an off year. The big one is next summer. Come on, let's drop your stuff at my dad's tent. Then we gotta go get ice, lots of ice."

He grabs my hand and my sleeping bag, not that it would actually get cold enough to use it, but I thought it would be nice to have some padding. When we turn, we're face to face with five boys all within year or two of Ben. They have their arms crossed and open, unreadable expressions. Ben takes a step, they don't move. Ben takes a deep breath and starts to move around them, they shift.

"Fine…" Ben points with his fingers, "Bobby, Junior, ME, Emmitt, Jose…. Tory."

"She your girlfriend?" one of them says. I think it's Junior, he's smaller and slighter than the others, I get the impression he's the youngest, but I'm not certain. He can't hold a poker face and his smile is teasing.

"Yep." Ben sounds annoyed and sort of in a hurry.

"Ooo, Benji has a girlfriend," Junior says, sing-song tone coating the phrase.

"Which is 100% more girlfriend than you," Ben chuckles while he brushes of the attempt and forces his way through the line.

"Nice to meet you," I call back over my shoulder.

"Don't keep the camp up, love birds!" one calls, Ben's fingers flinch angry around mine. I walk so close to him that our sneakers collide when we step.

"Don't worry you'll be fine. They're just avoiding tasks and staying bored."

"So, Benji… I know I said I was cool with meeting more of your family and all, but there's like two hundred people here!"

"Two hundred people that send me birthday cards and gave me candy at Christmas dinners, it's not exactly the same as walking into a garden party with the politically connected of Charleston."

"Touche, but obviously those kids don't like me. What am I supposed to do?"

He grins, squeezes my hand, "Let's see, what was it you said three weeks ago at that damn Cotillion dance? Just pretend to be my date?" He laughs, completely enjoying my discomfort after numerous occasions of being paraded in society functions.

"No dice, Benji, my boyfriend, Ben, will not approve. And he's like big, and usually angry," I tease him back.

"Yeah, can that like… never leave this campground?" he cringes.