A Thousand Paper Cranes 2
By Delilah Anne Marie
2009, March 04
ALERT!: My homepage is up again! I took it down temporarily so I could revamp it, but now it's up and running! Take a look at it for photos and character biographies!
Summary: Benny leads a life of happiness. He's popular with his friends, talented in baseball, and has the adoration and support of the love of his life. All of that changes, however, after he rescues an unhappy and naive girl whose intentions may not be as innocent as Benny thinks.
Chapter 3: Girl in Green
Benny dropped Janie off at one side of the campus before heading off to gym class where his varsity baseball coach, Mr. Rose, also taught class.
"Alright, everybody settled down!" Coach Rose boomed as he entered the gym in his usual short shorts and one of the school's newest black cotton sweaters. He pulled out his silver whistle and began to polish, ready to use it for his first period class of intimidated victims.
"Let's take some roll call first before I send you all to your locker rooms. And then…we run the mile!" The class groaned as a sneer appeared on Coach Rose's face. It was when Benny walked passed him that his demeanor changed, and he suddenly became pleasant.
"Ah, Rodriguez!" He exclaimed as he began patting Benny's shoulder. "Good game on Friday, son."
"Thanks, coach. It was an easy win. Nothing impressive about that."
"Ah, that may be true, kid. But there was one very important person who was, let's say, more than impressed by your skills." Benny shot Coach Rose a puzzled look before he felt a warm hand touch his other shoulder.
Benny turned around and came face to face with a tall and well-built gentleman in a black business suit with a forest green tie. It was a youthful contrast to his hair, which had already turned completely white.
"Rodriguez, this here is a really good friend of mine. His name is Alford Green, and he's got some pretty extensive connections with scouts from the Dodgers."
"The D-dodgers?" Benny stammered in disbelief as he shook Alford Green's hand. "Well then it's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"
"Pleasure to meet you too, Benjamin. But please, call me Mr. Green. I've been watching your games for the past three years now and, I must admit, you've got some impressive skills, son."
"Mr. Green here has actually promised me that he'd try and get you an interview with some of the scouts, if you're interested." Benny looked at Coach Rose, and then turned his attention back to Mr. Green, whose smile had become much wider at Benny's reaction.
"Is this for real?"
"This is very real," Mr. Green confirmed. "I don't usually help scouts find their boys, but when I saw you, I knew you were the real deal. Besides, I've been donating money to the Dodgers for years now. I don't think they'd mind taking a look at you at my request."
Benny couldn't believe his luck. As a younger kid, he had always dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. The fact that baseball revolved around his life, however, brought him trouble once, and he promised never again to let baseball get in the way of the things that meant most to him—including his family, friends, and Janie. But now, the fact that he was being given the opportunity to become what he dreamed of the most was coming true, and it would do more to help the people he loved rather than pushing them away. Yes, if he became a professional baseball player within the next year or two, he could do more than just marry Janie. He could earn enough to support them and a family.
"So," Mr. Green said as he broke Benny's train of thoughts. "Are you interested in becoming a professional baseball player?"
"Yes! Of course," Benny replied eagerly.
With Coach Rose's permission, Benny was pulled out of gym class and spent the rest of the morning with Mr. Green, who proved to be an extremely likeable person. Too likeabale. If anything, Benny felt as if he were meeting Dylan Royce all over again. Dylan was, in all honesty, an intimidating figure who gave Benny the impression that he was smart and noble—at least moreso than the rest of the varsity baseball team members. But in the end, Dylan proved himself to be nothing but a selfish and conniving snot.
The situation with Mr. Green felt similar. The man was nice enough. He was polite, and often made clever remarks that made Benny laugh. But there was something strange about him—something Benny couldn't trust.
Regardless, Benny tried to enjoy his talk with Mr. Green, who treated him at a fancy restaurant. They talked freely about baseball before Mr. Green began setting up an appointment to meet again. There was to be a dine-out and dance in Los Angeles where, supposedly, figures in the baseball industry were going to attend. Mr. Green assured Benny that it was the perfect opportunity to meet some scouts.
At the moment, Benny wore the tuxedo from Adam's wedding. He sat in a black limousine, which had picked him up from his house around sunset, and excitedly waited to arrive at his destination. He had told his mother and father about his meeting with Mr. Green, but he made sure not to tell Janie about it for several reasons.
His first reason was that he didn't want her to worry. If anything, she was going to remind him about the incident in his freshman year when he had lied to his friends and disappointed his family, and all in the name of varsity baseball. It wasn't that Janie didn't like Benny's love for the game. She was, afterall, the one who introduced him to baseball. But because Janie was, well, Janie, Benny knew she would be a complete worry-wart. She would warn him not to "turn over to the dark side" again.
The second and most important reason he didn't want to tell her was because he wanted it to be a surprise. He had contemplated on the subject plenty of times. Going straight to pro over college baseball seemed more beneficial, as pro baseball players were paid more. And if pro baseball players were paid more, then of course they would stay on teams longer than college players.
So say he did hit it off with a couple of scouts? They'd have to see him at games, of course, and if they liked him, he would be guaranteed a spot on the Dodgers team. And if that happened, and if Janie accepted his proposal, then perhaps they could get married sooner than expected.
It was extremely far-fetched. Only about .5% of high school boys being drafted went straight to professional. But it didn't hurt to try, Benny figured.
"We've arrived, Mr. Rodriguez," the chauffer announced as he pulled up the limo. Benny looked through his tinted windows and suddenly felt intimidated by the grand sight in front of him. The light-colored stone building stretched high towards the night sky and seemed to disappear into the clouds. Unlike the other tall buildings, this one was covered with arched glass windows framed against tall marble columns.
Benny stepped out of the limousine and wiped his sweaty hands against his trousers. All around him were people. People in tuxedos, stylish waist coats, and grand gowns of multiple fabrics. He felt out of place, as if he were appearing at a school dance alone. Benny walked awkwardly down the red carpet, which was flanked by search lights that illuminated the outer walls, and he continued up the stone steps into the building.
Once Benny had given his name to the gentlemen in the entrance, he was permitted into the building where the party was in full swing. He found himself clumsily walking through the graceful crowd, unsure of where exactly to meet Mr. Green. He figured he'd take a stroll and try to find the man, but Benny found himself distracted by all the familiar faces. He saw Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale—two of the Dodgers' core members! Then he walked by Claude Osteen before painfully running into Maury Wills' back. It was the highlight of Benny's night so far.
Still, Benny felt extremely out of place, and his hopes of finding Mr. Green right away faltered. Unable to stand looking like a complete loner, Benny walked through the dance floor and towards the row of elevators, intent on entertaining himself by exploring. He learned from the plaque near the elevators that he was in an opera theater, and that the building reached up to fifty floors.
Benny reached the highest floor he could in about a minute. He had hoped he could enter the roof, but found that a key was needed to press the elevator button labeled "R." The elevator doors opened, revealing a dark room almost as big as the whole first floor of his house. It was cluttered with different shaped objects covered in white sheets, signifying that the room was currently not in use. There were three, large glass doors on the other side of the area. One of them had already been opened and was letting in a draft. Benny approached the door, entranced by the view it presented. The night sky was pure black. There were no stars and no moon, but the search lights from below casted enough light towards the top of the building. It seemed as if all of Los Angeles was awake, as Benny became astonished by the millions of lights spread across the earth. It was when he finally stepped out onto the balcony that a shape caught his peripheral vision.
Benny stopped in his tracks, realizing he was not alone. A girl in a forest green sheath stood in front of the stone railing not too far away from him. She looked so small and fragile with her thin figure. There was even an aura of vulnerability around her as long dark locks clung dully to her skeletal body.
Benny thought it was best he leave her alone. But when she suddenly slipped off her satin slippers and climbed onto the top of the stone ledge, Benny panicked and ran towards her.
"Stop!" He yelled, causing her to lose her balance in her surprise. As if in slow motion, Benny saw her body spin. Her foot had slipped, and she was now falling, her terrified eyes suddenly connecting to Benny's.
Luckily for her, Benny wasn't called "The Jet" for nothing. He reached her in the blink of an eye and had caught her arm. The action caused him to painfully bang his humerus against the edge of the stone railings. He felt his body nearly tip over the banister as the girl in green began to sway, but was able to steady himself as he held onto the baluster.
Hearing her whimper, Benny turned his attention back to the girl. Her large, brown orbs were wide with fear as a layer of unshed tears covered them.
"Here," Benny said as he led go of the baluster and offered his hand. "Grab it. I can pull you up without trouble if I have both your hands."
The girl shook her head before weakly crying. "No."
"Please," Benny whispered as he stared into her yes. "Please. I don't know why you'd want to do this. I won't try and be naïve by saying you can talk to me about your problems. But please, don't put me through this."
The girl only continued to look at him with frightened eyes.
"Please," Benny begged again. "Don't let me watch you die when there's something I can do about it. Give me your hand."
Despite the girl's light weight, Benny felt his strength weakening with each second she dangled. He felt her short silk gloves slipping off her hand, causing him to panic as she continued to stare at him. He wanted to shut his eyes and prepare himself for her fall, but he couldn't break eye contact with her now.
In his desperation, Benny used his strength and pushed himself to stretch forward. With his free hand, he grabbed her wrist and tightened his grasp, and then adjusted his other hand to grab her arm. With a stronger hold on her limb, Benny mustered the last of his strength to pull her up. He was only glad to see the girl use her free hand to clutch onto the edge of the stone ledge, making it easier for Benny to grab her waist and pull her body over the rails. Once her feet had made it to safety, Benny fell to the ground, causing the girl in green to collapse on top of him.
She stayed unmoving over his body, making Benny wonder if she had fainted. He hurriedly sat up and turned her over only to find that she had passed out. Her eyes were now shut, but it didn't stop the streams of tears that ran down her cheeks.
Benny held her in his arm and shook her. He was afraid that she'd die on him anyway, regardless of the fact that she was already out of harm's way.
"Miss. Excuse me, miss. Are you alright?" Benny continued to shake her gently and, moments later, she began to stir. She moaned slightly, and then nestled her head in Benny's chest. Feeling extremely relieved, Benny picked her small body up along with her slippers and carried her back inside the dark room. In the corner was a covered object Benny only hoped was a couch. He approached it and kicked the covers off, glad that his prediction was correct, and he lowered the girl into the heavily embellished red sofa. To his surprise, the girl refused to let go of the lapels of his coat, and Benny found himself awkwardly half-lying next to her.
"Don't go," she whimpered as she kept her eyes shut. Benny sighed in reluctance as he slowly tried to kneel on the floor without getting too far from her.
"Don't go," she said again.
"I won't go anywhere," Benny tried to assure her. "Just let go of me really quick, and then I'll hold your hand, alright?" The girl finally cracked her eyes open and stared at Benny, whose face was not too far from hers. She looked at her hands and began to release her clutch on his clothes.
Pulling away hastily before she could grab him again, Benny stood up and sat on the space next to her before holding her free hand. He was no psychologist, but he knew that if someone was in trouble, he had to give them as much help as he could.
"Thank you," the girl finally spoke in a soft, quiet voice. "Thank you for saving me."
Benny said nothing. He wasn't quite sure what was the proper thing to say in this situation. Why, you're welcome. It was my pleasure to save you from trying to kill yourself.
"I know you must think I'm crazy. Jumping off the balcony like that. I'm not exactly the happiest person in the world, you know. But I guess that's no excuse, is it? I'm sorry for putting you through all that."
Benny only gave the girl a weak smile as she stared at him with hopeful eyes. "It's alright," He managed to say. "Just don't try anything like that again. You're still young. Wait till you've actually lived long enough to judge life, alright?"
"Alright," she said a little more optimistically. "I'll keep that in mind."
Silence filled the air as Benny began to relive the events of not too long ago. He had actually saved a person from death, not that it was on his wish list or anything like that. But it was an overwhelming occurrence that he knew he would never be able to forget. He was curious, though, to know why the girl ever thought about committing suicide, but knew better than to ask. It wasn't his business. Was it?
"What's your name?" The girl asked Benny, breaking his chain of thoughts.
"My name? I'm Benny. Benny Rodriguez."
"I'm Madison Green. But you can call me Maddy." Hearing her name caused Benny's head to snap up. He had completely forgotten about meeting Mr. Green. How much time had passed since he left the party downstairs, he wondered.
"I have to go," Benny said as he began to stand up. Madison, on the other hand, continued to hold onto Benny, unwilling to let it go.
"Wait! You said you wouldn't leave me," she began to panic. "Where are you going?" Benny immediately kneeled on the floor, hoping she wouldn't slip back into some form of depression again.
"I actually came here to meet a friend," Benny began to explain in a soothing voice. "He's trying to help me meet some baseball scouts. You see, it's really important that I try and get into the league. Without baseball, I don't know what else I could do with my life." Other than getting married to Janie and having children, that is. But he didn't feel he had to go in depth with his life goals and dreams.
"That's why I have to go find Alford Green. He planned on introducing me to some scouts tonight."
Madison popped up from her sitting position and smiled meekly. "Alford Green? Alford Green is my father!"
"You're serious?" Benny asked in relief, elation, and surprise. "Then you know where he is right now?"
"Of course! He brought me and my brother along, so I know where he's sitting in the VIP section. Come follow me." Without releasing Benny's hand, Madison stood up and slipped on her shoes before pulling him towards the elevator.
"Oh, but before I go bring you to him," she began urgently, "don't tell him what happened. Okay?"
Benny nodded his head in understanding. A smart person would have told someone, Benny thought. A smart person would have gotten help when it came to someone's life. But Benny had a feeling Madison had never truly intended to kill herself. After all, she had only fallen because he had frightened her. Who's to say she really would have jumped. But if she did…Benny didn't want to think of it anymore.
"You promise?" Madison asked, sounding as if she were going to cry if he said no. "You promise you won't tell my father what happened?"
Benny smiled at her. "I promise."
Responses
Marshmalu: Thanks for being my first reviewer! I'm surprised at myself for updating so quickly, too. But I figure it's because I actually prepared this time and wrote an outline for my story. So…writer's block will definitely not be an excuse for me to not post. :] Anyway, I'm still waiting for you to edit and post your story, "Sam Tyler Leslie." I'm interested in reading it again, and I've been waiting for your sequel, as well. I hope you haven't lost motivation, because your story was great!
HeadstrongBlonde: Ah, that's for the suggestion about those, erm, intimate one-shots. I'll definitely consider it, depending on how many people actually like my sequel. Thanks again for the review! :]