Author's notes:
So, schedule wise, I try to post a new chapter every 5 to 10 days. But it's getting busy, my schedule, so I'm leaning more towards 10 days... Well, this chapter was something to write... kinda cathardic if I'm honest. Reliving personal experiences through the characters.
Enjoy!
"So, who's going in what car to the rodeo?" Darius asks as the Gutierrez's prepare to head to Uncle Cesario's rodeo.
"Can we ride in the back of the truck?" Kenji asks.
"The back of the truck is what we use to transport dead bodies," Carlos says seriously.
Kenji looks at the back of the truck and hops in. The group laughs. "Looks like he knows his place," Holly smirks.
Kenji pops his head up and grins. "Geet outta there and git in the truck," Mr. Gutierrez shakes his head with a smirk.
"Did… you just pronounce 'get' two different ways in one sentence?" Kenji laughs, climbing out of the back of the truck.
Between Mr. Gutierrez, Travis, Justin, and Carlos's trucks and jeeps, they managed to transport all the kids to Uncle Cesario's rodeo. The old man shows the newcomers around before bringing them to the ring. "This is where all the action goes down!" Uncle Ces exclaims.
"Woah, what kinda tricks could you do?" Brooklynn asks, leaning on the rail.
"Well, I could stand up on top of a horse, among other cool acrobatic tricks," Sammy says, wheeling herself next to the railing. "See those stands around the top of the bleachers? Those are where we'd put targets for me and Miriam to shoot at while riding our horses."
Sammy's face falls. "Well, used to…"
"With some physical therapy, I'm sure you'll regain everything," her father says, putting his hand on her shoulder.
As Sammy and her sisters watch, along with Brooklynn, Milton, Darius, and Brandon, the adults bring out a riding horse and begin to teach Kenji how to ride. With his bit of experience with Tornado and Bumpy, it wasn't too hard for him to grasp. It was a bit easier; their backs weren't as wide to straddle as dinosaurs.
"He's gonna be sore later tonight," Holly laughs as the horse trots along.
Kenji fumbles the reins and just about loses them. He nervously pulls the horse to a stop. "Whatcha think, kid?" Carlos asks.
"A lot safer than riding dinos," Kenji chuckles.
"Think we should bring out ol' Bruiser?" Jorge asks.
"Oh, yeah," Uncle Cesario asks. "See how well he does on that ol' boy!"
"Who's Bruiser?" Kenji asks as he dismounts the palomino horse.
"One o' the bulls," Mr. Gutierrez shrugs. "Let's bring 'im out!"
"What's happening?" Darius asks from the bleachers. He had used his crutches to sit behind his friends.
"We're gonna teach Kenji how to ride a bull!" Travis tells the onlookers.
"Wait, what?" Sammy asks in concern.
"What she said," Kenji nods.
"Relax, you'll be fine," Mr. Gutierrez sputters.
"Papa, he'll get killed!" Sammy argues. "He ain't got a good track record with horned animals! Toro, Sarah, Tornado!"
"Yeah, he seriously has a bad record with charging animals," Brooklynn agrees.
"He won't get hurt," Sammy's father insists.
"I don't know," Darius says, putting in his two cents. "While this is certainly dangerous, I'm starting to believe Kenji is immortal."
"Eh, he'll be fine," Holly shrugs. Kenji got the feeling that she didn't care how this ended… or that she was hoping it would end with him injured.
"I don't think so…" Rio says shyly, sticking herself between Holly and Miriam.
"Relax, Sammy," Justin chuckles. "Your uncles put me through bull riding when I was on trial."
"So bull riding is just part of the Gutierrez initiation?" Kenji asks. Holly's fiance nods. "Right, I can do this," Kenji sighs, stretching his arms.
"I am strongly against this!" Sammy snaps.
Her sisters start laughing. "I don't think you have too much to worry about, Sam," Sandra laughs, pointing to the bull Uncle Cesario and Carlos were leading out.
The bull was a hefty one, dark brown and black with thick horns. The Gutierrez sisters were laughing, but Sammy was still not convinced.
Mr. Gutierrez laughs. "Bruiser is a gentle ol' bull. Never was very aggressive in his youth. When we're trainin' new bull riders, he's the one we use to train 'em. He hardly ever bucks; he just lets 'em get used to the feel of ridin' a bull."
"Oh," Kenji sighs. "I thought I was about to be flipped."
"I ain't that stupid," Mr. Gutierrez chuckles. "C'mon."
Sammy's father leads Kenji towards the bull while Sammy crosses her arms and glares. Kenji was nervous around the two hundred pound beast, but he didn't have too much to worry about. When Kenji would approach Bruiser, the old bull would turn and plod a few feet away. Uncle Cesario could approach the old bull and the horned creature would nuzzle the old man, though. "Bruiser's skittish around those he doesn't know," Uncle Cesario explains, scratching his curly, white beard. "But once he likes you, he follows you around like a puppy!"
After several attempts to get near enough to touch the bull, Kenji succeeds. The next ten minutes were spent letting Bruiser get to know Kenji. By that time, the old bull seemed pretty content to allow Kenji to climb on. "You're sure this is safe?" Darius calls from the sidelines, concerned for his friend.
"He'll be fine!" Travis insists as he and Mr. Gutierrez help Kenji up onto the back of the bull.
"Pfft, men," Sammy mutters, still against the idea.
"Okay, I think I got this," Kenji mumbles, sitting nervously atop the bull. Bruiser calmly meanders along, following around Uncle Ces and seemingly not caring that the newcomer was on his back.
As Brooklynn videos Kenji riding the bull to send to Yasmina and Ben, her father arrives. "Hey, what's going on here?" he asks, leaning on the railing next to his daughter.
"We got Kenji learning to ride a bull," Brooklynn explains.
"Seems pretty tame for a bull," Mr. Monell says.
"Yeah, Bruiser is pretty tame," Brooklynn nods. "He hasn't bucked once."
Not ten seconds after she had said that, Bruiser unexpectedly kicks his legs up and bucks. "HUAH!" Kenji exclaims as he is thrown without warning off the bulls back. He goes head first, and just about lands on his neck. The boy miraculously turns at the last second and his left shoulder takes the brunt of the impact; his legs flipping over his head. Kenji lays there on his back, unsure what to do.
"Oh, Lord!" Brooklynn manages to say before bursting into uncontrollable cackles. The Gutierrez girls start laughing as well. Rio is the only one who covers her mouth and tries to stop, knowing that Kenji could've—and still could—be seriously injured.
Sammy barks out a laugh before choking it back; it was funny only in image. "Kenji!" she exclaims, worried. Darius was wheezing like Brooklynn, and the two try to stop for Kenji's sake.
The Gutierrez men, on the other hand, thought it was the funniest thing ever. "Boy… are you okay?" Mr. Gutierrez wheezes, kneeling down next to Kenji.
"My neck and shoulder hurt," Kenji groans.
Bruiser moos and approaches Uncle Ces—who was kneeling down next to Kenji. The hefty bull's hoof comes down and just misses Kenji's crotch. Even so, Kenji jumps back and scrambles to save himself.
"Did he get ya?!" Milton wheezes.
"I would like to one day have children, muchísimas gracias," Sammy says sarcastically. The group starts laughing again, albeit, Darius's face turned a bit pink at the idea he was desperately trying NOT to think about.
"Huh?" Shelby frowns, confused as to why that had anything to do with the situation. Eventually, she decides that Sammy doesn't want Kenji to die because she wants children and drops the subject.
"Wanna try it again?" Travis asks, helping Kenji up.
The boy winces, rubbing his shoulder and neck. "I guess."
"What is going on here?" Mrs. Gutierrez demands, walking up to the railing with Abuela and Travis, Jorge, and Carlos's wives.
"Just teachin' Kenji how to ride a bull," Mr. Gutierrez explains.
"Why is his shoulder brown?" Abuela asks.
"Eh, Bruiser bucked him off," Carlos shrugs.
"Wha?! Kenji, come back here! You are not learning to ride a bull right now!" Mrs. Gutierrez demands.
"It's fine!" her husband insists.
"No, it is not!" Trinity snaps.
"What do you mean, dear?" Travis asks. "We can ride a bull."
His wife stares at him in shock. "Yeah, you've had experience!"
"How's he supposed to have experience if he never tries?!" Uncle Ces reasons.
"He can have experience when he's more accustomed to the farm and doesn't have a broken toe," Abuela argues.
"Wait, your toe is broken?!" Sammy exclaims. "Kenji!"
"I'm fine!" Kenji insists, not wanting to disrupt the Gutierrez initiation.
"Kenji Oliver Reese Kon!" Sammy shouts. "Out of the ring! Now!"
"Okay," Kenji squeaks, shuffling out of the ring.
That had the whole group in tears. "Boy, they ain't even married and she's already bossin' 'im around!" Jorge guffaws.
Kenji's father appears behind the group, having been led to the ring by a staff member. "I heard my son's full name. What did he do?" Mr. Kon asks.
Sammy turns her wheelchair around and fakes a smile. "When men get together, they share half a brain. So the more men there are, the less of a brain each one has… It's worse if they are rednecks in a rodeo!"
Mr. Kon chuckles. "I take it that my son did something stupid."
"Oh, he was egged on by the adult children," Mrs. Gutierrez frowns, putting her hand on Kenji's shoulder to stop him. "Et, let me see your shoulder."
"What happened to you?" Mr. Kon asks in concern.
"Broke my toe, and hurt my shoulder and neck in less than a week," Kenji explains. "Technically, the broken toe was my fault."
"Apologises for my husband," Mrs. Gutierrez says, sending a glare over at him.
Sammy finds a stick on the ground and whacks Kenji in the rear with it. "What were you thinking?!"
"Your Papa thought it would be a good idea and Justin said it was part of the Gutierrez initiation," Kenji explains.
"Kenji, be smarter than my uncles," Sammy says. "I'm not allowed to say anything about my father…"
"Austin, if you didn't like Kenji, I'm not sure there's much you can do to stop them from gettin' married," Travis laughs. "They pretty much already are."
"What are you gonna do? Make them divorce?" Uncle Cesario teases his nephew with a chortle.
"Your full name is Kenji Oliver Reese Kon?" Brooklynn asks, having recovered from laughing hysterically. Her face was pink from lack of oxygen.
Kenji grimaces. "My parents had an argument over Western or Japanese names for me before I was born. Dad won, so Mom got the middle names…"
"Abigail was… spirited," Mr. Kon chuckles. "Couldn't let me win. So she chose two Western middle names."
Kenji sighs. "Do you not like your middle names?" Darius asks. "I like them."
"Oliver is fine, it's Reese that sounds girly," Kenji groans. "But… it's what I got from Mom…"
"We won't tease you for it," Brooklynn promises. "I like it. What I will tease you about is that failed bull riding lesson!" She cackles. "I have so many meme edits in mind for this thing."
As the adults argue over the recent development in the Kenji trials—with Sammy butting in—Brooklynn begins to edit the video. Her father leans closer. "So… what are you doing?"
"Editing Kenji's fall into a meme," Brooklynn grins.
Her father nods. "Cool…" he nods.
Brooklynn's face falls slightly. "You don't know what a meme is, do you?"
"Of course I do, it's funny pictures with captions," he says, trying to impress his daughter with knowledge of the Internet.
"It's… a form of memes," Brooklynn nods, allowing him that victory. "Ooh! I know the perfect song to go along with this! Right after the coffin dance vine."
"Just what I was thinking," Mr. Monell nods in confusion.
After a bit of silence, he breaks it. "Are you always going to wear that eye patch?"
Brooklynn winces. "I mean, my eye is hideous, so…"
"What I meant was, it's Ben's, right?" her father says, trying to choose his words carefully. He was failing, though. "Are you going to get your own? One without a pirate logo?"
"Does it look back?" Brooklynn grimaces, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.
"No, no, I just thought… thought you'd want something girlier," he winces, trying to fix the mess he created.
Darius watches their interaction from the bleachers. He has to work hard not to contort his face in anger in case Mr. Monell turned around. "Why did she have to have a father like this?" he hisses with contempt in his head. "Why couldn't she be born to a father who cared? Who spent time with her and didn't leave her neglected?! Why did she have to be born to this guy, who let her fall into depression and anorexia instead of lifting her up like a good father?!"
The more Darius thought about it, the more he hated Brooklynn's parents. "Had they just cared about her like a good parent should, she wouldn't have felt lonely and neglected! She wouldn't have gone to the Internet and sold her soul! She wouldn't have run into Leah! She wouldn't be starving herself and desperately performing for viewers just so that she feels loved! Why did she have to be born into this family?!"
"Why couldn't she have met Dad…?" Darius wonders sadly.
As the thought sinks in, Darius starts to imagine what it would be like if Brooklynn had met his father… She would've loved him. He always took interest in his kids' activities, as well as their friends. Mr. Bowman knew the latest drama going on with Brandon's bandmates, and could quote a few weird lines taken out of context from Darius's video game friends. He could geek out with Darius over dinosaurs, and then change tactics and jam to rap music with Brandon.
Against his will, Darius imagines Brooklynn interacting with his father. He could see the two wheezing over a particularly funny video edit… his father would start quoting vines and Tiktoks and whatever else was relevant in the day and Brooklynn would bounce off of his quotes. Everyone else would be sitting there, confused, just like when Darius and Mr. Bowman would geek out over dinos… He would love being on her Youtube videos… he would be the Dad she never had… He would team up with her to pull pranks on Darius and his family and the other campers…
Darius could see it so clearly. Brooklynn would come to their house after school, and hug him. Then Darius's father would pull both of them into a great big bear hug. He would tell them to go up and finish homework. Brooklynn would sneak her phone up there and her and Darius would mess around on the Internet instead of doing homework. His father would find them and chastise them for neglecting their homework… until Brooklynn showed him something funny… then he would join them in the rabbit hole of Youtube until Darius's mother chastised them all… Then they would come down for dinner… maybe they would invite the other campers over…
Kenji would waltz through the front door and greet his Dad… Mr. Bowman would become Kenji's father, and he would be loved and cared for and not neglected. Or perhaps Mr. Kon would come around and join them at the dinner table… Maybe Kenji's mother could be alive and conversing with Darius's mother… Yasmina would bring her family along. Perhaps Darius's father could become a second father to her… between her step-dad and Darius's father, maybe she could piece back together the shattered pieces of her broken heart; broken by her abusive, biological father. Sammy would feel right at home with Darius's family; her and Yaz would be the sisters Darius and Brandon never had. Sammy would bring that spark of joy to the house; her personality would blend with Mr. Bowman's and the two would make everyone laugh and feel happy. Ben would come along with his parents and be the soft-spoken, caring brother everyone loves. Bumpy would be the adorable pet that everyone loved…
Maybe the Indoraptors and Tornado and Bumpy would be there. They were family. Mocha would be constantly exploring the house and curious about everything and anything. Princess would be content to squeeze in between people on the couch and snuggle. Toothless would be the life of the party, constantly getting her head stuck in things and getting into all sorts of mischief. Indigo would be Brooklynn's little star; performing for the Youtube channel and relishing in the attention she got. Rima would be the mischievous troublemaker; she'd go around stealing socks and hair ties and anything else she could get her teeth on. She'd probably chew on Yasmina's hair like she used to, just to annoy her mother… Tornado would fit in with the Gutierrez's cattle. The young kids would enjoy riding on the crazy Triceratops. Bumpy would be the grumpy older sister who would temperamentally buck people off just for the heck of it. But she would love the little kids… and snuggle up with Ben like a giant puppy…
Darius can't help the tears sliding down his cheeks now. "It's so perfect," he wails in his head. "Why couldn't everything just be perfect?! Why couldn't our loved ones be alive and healthy and everyone loves each other?! Why do we have to live in a world where the kindest souls die while the neglectors stay?! Why did Dad have to die?! Why did Kenji's Mom die?! Why did Yaz and her siblings have to be abused?! Why did Sammy have to become paralyzed?! Why did Yaz have to lose her leg?! Why can't we have the dinos here?! Why does Ben have to be separated from his beloved pet?! Why can't they come here?!"
As he quietly sobs, only one thought can be processed. Over and over again, it's repeated. "Why can't things be perfect?"
It was things like this that brought back the pain. Just when Darius thought he was finished grieving, a memory or a thought would come along and tear a hole in his heart. The memories felt like daggers stabbing his heart; stabbing the healing wound that his father's death had left. He needed to leave. He had to get out of there! Darius was suffocating; his emotions slowly pushing him into uncontrollable sobs. He couldn't cry here… not where everyone would see him and ask him what was wrong! He couldn't tell them what was wrong… it hurt too much…
To his relief, Brandon was the first to notice him over the squabbling Texans. Taking action, the older boy approaches his brother, wraps his arm under Darius's right arm, and helps his brother limp away. He helps him limp to an exit, hiding him between two bleachers to give him privacy.
Brooklynn notices Darius limping away, shaking like he was crying. In concern, she follows, only to be gently shooed away by Brandon. "I think he wants to be alone," he tells her. Nodding, Brooklynn gives one last look at her friend before heading back to her father.
Brandon sits next to Darius on the ground, rubbing his back as he cries. "Why can't things just be perfect? Why can't things just be perfect?" Darius repeats through his sobs, shaking.
"I wish I knew," Brandon murmurs sadly. He knew exactly what was going through his younger brother's mind… If only he could fix the problem… If only he could bring their father back from the dead…
The fear of losing Brandon and all his loved ones begins to take over. "Don't leave me," Darius whispers. "Not like Dad…"
"I… I'll try not to," Brandon says, knowing that Darius was smarter than that. He couldn't promise for sure… they would all die at some point.
"Promise?" Darius asks.
"I promise," Brandon nods.
"Morning, Yaz," Ben mumbles, yawning. He looks over and doesn't see her head on the pillow. "Yaz?" he mumbles, sitting up slightly. There was a long lump underneath the covers, so she was still in bed…
Ben pulls the covers back and does a double take. "Yaz? Are you okay?"
Yasmina was in the most uncomfortable position Ben had ever seen; it was impressive as well as creepy. The flexible athlete had somehow ended up in a split; left leg stump up next to her pillow, right leg stretched out and relaxed. Ben was impressed with that part… It was the rest of the pose that made him cringe. "How do you even bend like that?" he cringes.
Yasmina had bent backwards—practically in half—and was breathing lightly. Ben could easily kick her in the face.
"Yaz!" Ben says louder, gently nudging her face with his foot.
She snorts. "Huh?"
"How do you?" Ben gaps, gesturing to her position.
"What?" she mumbles sleepily, disassembling her sleep position. "What's wrong?"
"Wha?!" Ben's jaw drops, flabbergast. "How do you bend like that?!"
Yasmina smirks sleepily. "What? Like this?" She turns away from him on her knees, bends backwards, before twisting around so that she could see him rightside up.
Ben shudders. "Ouch! You… you… HOW DO YOU?!"
"I'm flexible," Yasmina chuckles, untwisting herself like a pretzel. "Not fully a contortionist, but pretty close."
"That's Satanic," Ben shudders, making her laugh hysterically. "Can you… do that thing… That thing where you bend over and… bend so that you can kiss your own butt?"
She laughs. "Nah, my back's not that flexible."
"Do you use that flexibility for athletics?" Ben gaps.
"No, Ghaleb and I were watching a horror movie, and he said it was impossible to bend backwards and walk down the stairs like that," she smirks. "I told him it was, and he said prove it. So I did. Turns out, it's a fun party trick."
"I'm not sure which I should be concerned with," Ben mutters. "Your flexibility or the movies you watch."
Yasmina laughs.
"Oh, no, I know what I should be concerned with," Ben says. "The fact that you'll hurt yourself bending backwards just to prove someone wrong."
"Eh, I wouldn't say my competitiveness is concerning," she shrugs.
"If you're taking out your spine to do it, then yes, it is," he chuckles.
Ben leaves the room to give her privacy to get dressed. After dressing, Yasmina sticks her head out the door. From what she could tell, Ben was sitting at the counter top in the kitchen alone. Grinning, she lays down on the floor, goes into a backbend, and begins to walk towards him. It was a bit of a challenge with half her leg missing, but she managed to carefully use the stump to walk. It added to the creepy effect.
Ben looks up to see Yasmina practically spider crawling upside down towards him. "Uh huh huh!" he shudders, curling into himself in horror.
"What?" his mother asks, poking her head around the refrigerator.
Yasmina immediately drops her torso and scrambles to turn around and stand up normally, making Ben wheeze. "Forgot where you were for a second, huh?"
Yasmina's face turns red and she gives him a "Shut up" look and sits next to him on the barstools.
Ben chuckles as his mother serves them breakfast. "You know, you sleep talk, apparently," Ben remarks. "During the two months we spent on the island, I never heard you sleep talk once. Or move around like that."
"What did she say?" his mother asks.
"She started arguing with me," Ben laughs. "Honestly, at first, I thought you were awake. Your legs were over on my side, so I asked you to move them back. You told me no. We got into an argument and I told you it was rude to hog someone else's bed."
Yasmina smothers her giggles, knowing that that sounded like something she would say.
"And after I said that, you scrunched up your face in disgust like this," Ben says, demonstrating. "And then you said, 'You're Mom!'"
Mrs. Pincus and Yasmina start laughing. "You're Mom?" his mother asks.
"Yeah, 'You're Mom!'" Ben laughs. "You said it like it was the most insulting thing ever."
Yasmina nods, seemingly used to her saying something like that.
"And that's when I figured out you weren't conscious," Ben continues. "So I asked you if you were awake and you were like, 'Yeah?' I asked you if you would remember this in the morning. And then you sat up, got in my face and said, 'Yes!' You were so sassy and serious about it!" Ben laughs. "It was as if I had insulted you by suggesting that you were asleep. Do you remember any of that?"
Yasmina shakes her head with a laugh.
"You were pretty violent in your sleep, too," Ben remarks. "I tried to move your legs to get room, and you kicked me hard. We started kicking each other before I got out of bed and gave you time to calm down."
"Sorry," Yasmina mumbles sheepishly, leaning over the chair to give him a hug.
"It's fine," Ben laughs. "I've never seen you do that."
"Are you being mean to my son?" Mrs. Pincus asks jokingly. Yasmina doesn't take it as a joke and pulls away from Ben. "Sweetie, I'm kidding," she says. "I know you were asleep when it happened. You're okay."
"Okay," Yasmina whispers, nodding nervously.
Mrs. Pincus leaves the kitchen, and Ben takes a bite of his food. "Do you not like my parents?"
"I do, I'm just shy," Yasmina says quickly, almost snappily. "I'll warm up to them eventually."
"Wasn't trying to nag," Ben says. "Sorry about my Nonna last night. She's… something."
Yasmina chuckles. "Heck yeah."
The two are silent for a minute. "I really only sleep talk if I'm having nightmares," Yasmina says, almost confused. "There are some instances where I'll just say something random, but it's super rare. Usually I can only have a good night's sleep if I exhaust myself right before bed… If not, I'm a light sleeper and wake up due to nightmares or just lucid dreams in general."
"So, you're saying last night was a particularly good night of sleep?" Ben asks.
She nods. "Kinda weird, since I didn't exhaust myself." She chuckles. "Maybe the emotional trauma of being hugged tired me out," she jokes.
"You didn't have any nightmares?" Ben presses.
"Nope, did you hear me screaming at all?" she asks. He shakes his head. "Well, I didn't have any nightmares then," Yasmina shrugs. "Did hallucinate while dealing with a bout of sleep paralysis, but…"
She shrugs again, leaving out how the hallucination disappeared when he prayed.
Ben didn't need to hear her say it, though. He had been praying periodically throughout the night. Almost as if his sleep was distrubed so that he could… He didn't feel tired at all, despite being woken up several times.
"Wonder if prayer had anything to do with your peaceful sleep," he thinks to himself, sipping his morning tea. He refrains from saying anything about it, though; no need to start an argument early in the morning. He didn't need her to be irritated at him all day.
The rest of the day and night, Yasmina slowly seemed sadder and sadder. Ben knew from dealing with Brooklynn that some days were worse than others. Since that day seemed to be a particularly bad day, he would excuse himself periodically to pray for her. From his perspective, it didn't seem to work. The only thing that made her laugh was when Brooklynn sent Kenji's bull fail in several meme formats. Some were meh, while others had Yasmina and the Pincus's rolling on the floor with laughter.
"Some… BODY once told me!" Yasmina repeats her favorite one, falling back onto the couch, wheezing.
"That one was perfect," Ben sighs, wiping away his tears.
The next day brought on a new set of challenges. Ben and Yasmina were sitting on the couch together. Yasmina was drawing while Ben was scrolling through Youtube, checking up on what Brooklynn was doing. They were both bored; Ben's parents thought it would be pointless to start Yasmina in school when they would be moving to Texas in about a week. Things were chaotic enough between preparing to move and coping with everything that happened, so the Pincus's decided not to bother with school yet.
As Ben is scrolling, he comes across a Leahkangaroo video. He rolls his eyes, not even wanting to listen to her annoying voice. Then he read the title… "Stop the hate?" he reads in his head. "What kinda crap is she pulling now?"
With reluctance, Ben clicks on the video. As soon as Leah's personal theme song plays, Yasmina's head shoots up. "What the f…" she trails off, glaring at him to make sure he knew what she wanted to say.
"I'm curious," Ben rolls his eyes, unable to believe he was doing this as well.
"Ten hut, Troopers!" Leah gives her usual video greeting.
Yasmina sticks her finger in her mouth and pretends to gag. "And I thought Brooklynn's, 'What's good, Brooklanders?' was bad."
"So, I've been seeing some… concerning hate going out towards Brooklynn and Yasmina and the other campers," Leah continues, pausing as if she was choosing her words carefully. Ben and Yasmina couldn't help but roll their eyes. There was no way she hadn't planned the whole script. "And… Like, I get it. I'm not saying what they did to me was right, but… Like, they don't deserve the hate they're getting from you guys. And, like, I'm super thankful that I have such a supportive fan base that's willing to come to my defense, but, like, please back off a bit?"
"Creating a monster just to tame it," Yasmina snarls.
"Like, obviously, they've been through some really horrible stuff," Leah says, holding her hand to her heart in sympathy. "I… Like, I can't even imagine the horrible things that they went through. Like, I've done a video interviewing survivors from the Indominus rex incident. The link to the video is in the description below."
"Of course," Ben sighs.
"And, like, all the pterodactyls and the T-rex and all that," Leah sighs. "Not to mention the Indominus rex… There were a lot of horrible things going on on that island. Like, imagine the horror of seeing other people getting eaten… the terror they must've felt when running for their lives… Like, I don't even know how they made it. Like, they're incredibly lucky to have made it two months on the island."
"Would she stop saying like? It's driving me nuts," Yasmina spits.
"Like," Leah sighs. Ben chuckles. "My heart goes out for them… That's incredibly traumatic…"
Yasmina's snarl falls for a second. "She… almost seems genuine…"
"I really do feel bad for them," Leah says, almost trying to convince Yasmina of it. "That's… incredibly horrific. And…" The usually manipulative girl seemed to genuinely choke up at the thought of what they endured on the island. "And I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I wish them well on their recovery journey."
Leah sighs, that subtle tone to her voice that tipped Ben and Yasmina off that she was faking it came back. "Like, to survive something like that, like, they would have to bond in a way no one else could possibly bond in. Like, you know, they had to become super close to survive. They're not going to just drop that friendship."
Ben pauses the video. "I wonder if she's jealous?"
"What?" Yasmina frowns.
"I wonder if she wants what we have," Ben says. "She seems to feel bad for us and what we went through, but… she seems jealous."
Yasmina's face contorts, not liking the idea of feeling sorry for Leah.
"Think about how Brooklynn's life was," Ben says. "She seemed like she had it all together for the videos, but inside, she was super lonely and dealing with depression. Maybe Leah's the same way."
"Her family is too nice to neglect her," Yasmina huffs. "I can't see Mr. and Mrs. Jaakobah neglecting her like that."
"Just saying," Ben shrugs, playing the video.
"They're protective of each other," Leah explains. "Like, you don't just go from gut-wrenching terror to a comfy, cosy life at home. They're, like, going to struggle with PTSD. And, like, one way that can manifest is overreacting to simple things. I guess, like, for whatever reason, I triggered some flashback in Yaz and she lashed out. And, like, of course, they're super close, so the others took her side. Like, Brooklynn isn't just going to leave Yaz for me, like, it doesn't work that way."
Ben chuckles. "She's not wrong."
"And, like, some of them were struggling before the island," Leah explains. "Like, Brooklynn was dealing with depression and anorexia before she went there. I think she's suicidal now."
Ben and Yasmina gasp. "She. Did. NOT!" Yasmina snaps.
"And I'd be willing to bet, like, Yasmina is dealing with the same things," Leah says. "And she's probably still struggling with, um… abuse she received from her biological father as a kid. Like, I remember times where she would just… like, just cry because he made her feel worthless."
Yasmina clenches her shaking fists in rage. She had a hard time opening up about her struggles with her friends. Now the whole world had heard about her struggles!
"And some of them were dealing with anxiety before," Leah continues. "And, like, I think one of them lost his Dad not too long before the accident. So just, like, have compassion on them, please."
"I can't even stand that b****!" Yasmina swears angrily.
"Frankly, I agree with you," Ben snarls, angry that Leah just exposed his friends like that.
"I wish there was, like, a way to help them," Leah says. "I mean, with the genetic power we possess, maybe Yaz's leg can be grown back. Or Brooklynn's blind eye. Maybe even, um, Sammy's spine could be fixed. A petition could be started for that."
"That mother******* b****!" Yasmina curses, practically on fire. "Use genetic power to grow back my leg?! What the f***?! I lost my f****** leg due to that s***! Why would I trust those b*******?!"
"Dang, that's more swear words than all you said on the island combined," Ben says, slightly impressed by the reaction Leah got out of her.
"I know it's profanity!" Yasmina snaps at him, livid. "I don't care right now!"
"What did I just hear from you two?" Mrs. Pincus asks, appearing in the hallway to investigate the foul language she heard. Yasmina gives her the most challenging glare Ben had ever seen her give. "Make me shut up, if you dare," her stare challenges. Ben's mother senses that it might not be the best time to reprimand Yasmina's foul mouth.
Enraged, Yasmina stands up and moves to head back to Ben's room. In her moment of rage, she forgot that she was missing her leg and tries to step on it. The athlete unexpectedly falls flat on her face. Ben moves to help her up and she smacks his hand away, not in the mood to accept help. She angrily grabs her crutches from the side of the couch and hobbles into Ben's room.
"How dare she expose all of us like that?! The AUDACITY to call us out like that! The NERVE to suggest fixing our problems! Like she knows how it feels?!" Yasmina fumes in her head, searching through her suitcase for her headphones. She finds them in a small pocket. As she pulls them out, something else falls out. She picks it up, and a pit of dread forms in her stomach.
It was a ring, appearing like gold, but obviously a knock off. It had three yellow jewels on top, the middle bigger than the other two.
Memories painful to remember flood her mind. "Yazzy, Riley, I wanted to give you guys something," Leah said, holding something behind her back with her usual mischievous grin.
"What is it?" Riley asked.
"What did you get?" Yasmina asked, flipping upside down and hanging from the tree branch with her knees.
"Jabari! Stop it!" Leah shouted as Yasmina's younger brother stole one of the boxes. She chased after the then seven-year-old, treating him like he was family to her. Riley and Yasmina watched in amusement. "This is what I get for doing this at the community picnic," Leah muttered to her friends. She handed Riley a light pink box, and Yasmina a silver box.
Riley pushed back her flaming red hair and opened the box. She pulled out a gold ring with three jewels in the center. "Aw," she said, putting it on her finger.
Yasmina opened the box. Due to being upside down, the ring fell out. "Silly monkey," eleven year old Leah giggled, picking it up from the grass and handing it to the athlete. Yasmina laughed, putting the ring on her finger.
"What's it for?" Riley asked.
"It's a friendship ring," Leah explained, showing them hers. "It means we'll stay friends forever!"
"Thanks," Yasmina said shyly, admiring the gold ring on her right ring finger while her friends discussed their mutual crush on one of the school boys.
Yasmina blinks back hot tears. Leah had given them the ring at the community picnic… not ten minutes before Josh asked to date her. Not ten minutes before the drama that separated the girls started…
"You didn't mean it," Yasmina sobs as she holds the ring. "You didn't mean it! If we were truly your best friends, you wouldn't have let Josh get between the three of us! If you were truly friends with me, you wouldn't have let something that happened between you and Riley separate you and me!"
Anger fills Yasmina as she remembers everything. In fury, she hurls the ring into the corner of the room and holds her fists to the sides of her head trying to scream in rage. Nothing but a soft whisper comes out.
Yasmina takes her headphones, connects them to her phone, and scoots into Ben's closet. She closes the door and turns on a song. Particularly one that fit her mood. As she angrily mouths the lyrics, she comes across another song that fit her mood. Creating a playlist, she adds more and more songs out of rage.
"Wonder if Brooklynn would want this…" Yasmina thinks, sending the playlist to Brooklynn.
The athlete spends time in the closet, letting out her rage by passive aggressively listening to songs. Yasmina closes her eyes, letting the angry feelings out as the song changes. Confused, she opens her eyes. "What the… this doesn't fit…"
But it did… Yasmina listens to it. She had heard this song before. It was written after the artist's boyfriend went with another girl. It was written in anger… but also in sadness… and longing…
She entertains the song, listening to the lyrics and weighing it's meaning. Somehow, she had been blessed with a rock cover of the song, and when the chorus came, she angrily sang along. But the anger was starting to eb… Memories were coming back. Good memories. Memories that made her sad…
Yasmina puts the song on repeat and for the first time, allows herself to think about the good times. "Okay, Yazzy, you know where we should go?" Leah asked, grinning as she pops up behind Yasmina on the bleachers.
"Where?" Yasmina grinned, never knowing what her friend would say next.
"The Blue Ridge mountains in North Carolina," Leah grinned, facing Yasmina on the bleachers. "Particularly a ghost town where they filmed District 12 in the Hunger Games!"
"Wait, you found where they filmed it?" Yasmina asked in excitement.
"Uh huh!" Leah nodded. "My parents want to travel to Asheville, anyway. My grandparents live there. Maybe some time, you can come with us and we can walk where Katniss Everdeen did!"
"That would be so awesome!" Yasmina laughed.
Tears slip out.
"Yasmina!" Leah said, hugging her friend from behind. "Guess what?"
"What?" Yasmina asked, closing her locker door.
"Guess which artist is going to be touring our state in December?" Leah asked.
Yasmina had to really think. "Okay, who is it?"
"Lindsey Stirling," Leah grinned.
"She's not very popular," one of Leah's school friends remarked as she passed by.
"So?" Leah shrugged. "I like a variety of artists." She turned back to Yasmina. "We need to convince our parents to allow us to go in December! I've heard her performances are awesome!"
Yasmina nodded. She hadn't cared too much for the artist in the beginning… it was over the course of Leah obsessing over the music that she came to love the violinist.
Yasmina wiped away her tears, sobbing silently. When Sammy had mentioned the artist on the island, Yasmina hadn't wanted to say much about her. It was because of Leah that she got into that music… Well, Leah was the introduction. It was more of a slow build up through Youtube and Spotify recommendations that got her into that particular genre. She loved the music far more than she let the others know…
Yasmina laid on top of the sleeping bag, miffed. They were at a friend of Leah's birthday sleepover. Yasmina didn't exactly know the girl, but Leah and Riley were invited, so the girl invited her as well. It was the first time the athletic girl had ever been to a sleepover before that wasn't Leah or Riley's house.
She groaned. It was impossible for her to sleep on the hard ground, and all she could do was lay on her back. Her side hurt if she moved any other way.
Yasmina looked over at Leah and Riley. Leah was on her back while Riley was on her stomach. "Are you asleep?"
"No," Leah groaned, but it appeared as if she was half asleep.
The rest of the group came back into the living room, jabbering on. Yasmina groaned, wishing they would shut up so she could fall asleep. Wishing she had said no to the sleepover.
"Habadabadabada ba!" Riley said, lifting her head, talking completely gibberish, and letting her head flop back down on her pillow.
"... Riley?" Leah asked.
Yasmina and Leah started giggling. "I think she was sleep talking," Yasmina whispered with a giggle.
Yasmina opens her eyes, staring into the dark closet as she cries. It hurt… It hurt to remember the good times… For so many years, she had hated Leah… She didn't allow herself to think about the good times… She didn't allow herself to grieve the loss of the friendship…
A sad song begins to play, this time, reminding her of Riley. Reluctantly, Yasmina allows herself to remember her other friend… the quiet, shy girl with a beautiful voice. Riley was like a younger sister to Yasmina… in a way… she reminded the athlete of Brooklynn… vulnerable… sweet… wanting friendship… the only difference was, Brooklynn could put up a face and was more outgoing.
Yasmina pulls her knees up to her chest and sobs, missing the friendship she used to have. Mourning the death of those good times. Grieving her old friends…
"Why did you have to leave me?!" Yasmina sobs, gripping her legs. "Why did you have to leave me…"
"Well, how do ya feel?" Sammy asks with a smile as Brooklynn comes back from the room.
"Uhh, I don't know?" Brooklynn shrugs. "I guess, it's nice not to have to worry about getting my stitches wet anymore. And now the scars can heal up…"
She sits down next to Sammy while waiting for her mother to check them out of the Doctor's office. Subconsciously, she takes Ben's pirate eye patch and puts it on again, hating the curious stares she was getting from kids in the waiting room.
"It's lookin' much better," Sammy smiles encouragingly. "And someone texted you."
Brooklynn chuckles. "Thanks for the update."
"Yaz sent you some Youtube link," Sammy explains.
Brooklynn checks her phone. "It's a playlist, actually. Bad Blood, by Taylor Swift. Look What You Made Me Do, by Taylor Swift… I Knew You Were Trouble… also by Taylor Swift. We Are Never Getting Back Together…"
"Lemme guess. Taylor Swift?" Sammy smirks.
Brooklynn laughs. "Yep. Never saw Yaz as a fan of that type of music… Oh, wait… Behind These Hazel Eyes, by Kelly Clarkson? I think she's mad at someone."
"Who? Ben?" Sammy suggests.
"Well, the playlist is called… 'Playlist for the B-word' so I'm guessing she's mad at Leah," Brooklynn says.
"Tell her I said language," Sammy frowns.
"You do that," Brooklynn laughs. "If she's mad, I'm not saying anything. Should've When You Could've… Set Fire To The Rain… odd assortment of songs for someone who's mad… I can see it, but it's still kinda funny… Wait…" Brooklynn squints. "That's a love song… why would she pick that one?"
"What do ya mean?" Sammy asks.
Brooklynn lists off the next songs. "Driver's License... My Immortal... Safe and Sound... Someone Like You... These are all sad… if you're in a certain mood… they're about losing someone…"
Sammy smiles sadly. "I think she's mourning the loss of a friendship… Maybe… with all her anger and hatred and hurt… she never gave herself time to grieve the loss."
Brooklynn nods. "I get that… I miss Leah's friendship in a way. She… she was kinda like an older sister… It's hard to believe she's the same person as the jerk bullying us now. She was fun to hang out with. Spunky, creative, always on the lookout for something new to try. And…" Brooklynn sighs. "She was understanding. She would sit there and listen to you if you wanted to talk… I would open up to her about a bit of stuff… I never told her about… you know… depression and all that. But I could complain about my family being neglectful and she would listen. I just… I don't understand…"
"Maybe she is caring and understanding," Sammy suggests. "But, for whatever reason, she's so focused on being in control of everything, that you lose her sympathy the moment you step an inch out of line."
"Yeah," Brooklynn sighs. "I… I kinda feel sad about it. She… I mean, I… Leah was the one who helped me rise to fame. I highly doubt I would've gotten as popular if it weren't for her. On one hand, I owe my success to her. On the other hand… she trapped me in the endless cycle of needing affirmation by making sure I knew I couldn't make it on Youtube without her… It's fine. I shouldn't be sad about it. I have you guys."
Sammy smiles sadly. "Brook, you don't have to be fine with it…" She puts an arm around her friend's shoulder. "It's great that you have new friends. Better friends. But Leah was still your friend for a while, and you guys had a relationship. Sure, it might've been toxic, but there are parts you miss, right?"
Brooklynn nods.
"It's okay to grieve the loss of your friendship with her," Sammy says, rubbing her shoulder. "It hurt you when she betrayed you, and you don't have to pretend like you're fine with it. You can remember the good times with her and miss that. It's okay."
Brooklynn nods, fighting back tears in the Drs. office. "I know it's stupid to be upset about it. We… It was a toxic relationship. I shouldn't miss it. Come to think of it, we weren't that close… I don't know why I miss it…"
"Because, you thought you two were close," Sammy says. "And she gave you the attention you craved. And, hey, maybe she had good intentions… deep down. But selfishness clouded her judgement. All I'm saying is, from your perspective, you two were close. You felt close to her, even if she wasn't being real with you. Of course, you're going to feel pain and hurt from this. Don't feel bad for being upset about it."
Brooklynn nods, tears slowly dripping down her face. She leans on Sammy and buries her face in the Texan's shoulder. "Thank you, Sammy. Thank you for being a really great friend."
"You're welcome," Sammy smiles, squeezing Brooklynn close.
"Don't leave me… please?" Brooklynn whispers.
"I won't," Sammy says. "I never will."
"...Yasmina?" Ben asks quietly, hearing her sob in the closet. He crouches down near the door. "Are you okay?"
The only answer he got was sobs.
"Do you want me to come in?" Ben asks, moving closer to the door.
"No," she sniffs.
"I can be there for you," Ben reminds her.
"Go away, Ben," Yasmina says shakily, still crying.
"You don't have to go through this alone," he says.
"I want to be alone!" she snaps through her tears.
"Ben," his mother whispers from the doorway, beckoning him to come with her.
Ben sighs and follows her. "It's my closet, you know," he thinks dryly as he leaves.
"Give her some alone time," his mother says softly.
"She's hurting," Ben murmurs, looking pleadingly at his mother. "I want to be there for her."
"She wants to be alone," Mrs. Pincus says.
"She's the one who closes up and shuts out the world when she's in pain," Ben explains.
"And you're afraid she'll become isolated again," his mother smiles sadly. "You don't want to lose the friendship you gained on the island, I know. You care very much for Yasmina and the others. But Yasmina is introverted. Her preferred method of dealing with things is to go through it alone."
"Yeah, that's not a good thing," Ben says. "I'm willing to give her alone time, but I hate seeing her pushing her feelings down and shut off!"
"I don't think that's what she's doing," his mother says softly, pulling him into a hug. "I think she's grieving. Grieving something from her past. She's allowing it to come out, Ben. Yasmina just wants to let it out alone. Maybe she doesn't fully understand everything. With how angry she was when she stormed out, I don't think she wants company."
"Pride gets in the way," Ben nods, understanding that Yasmina's independent nature was disrupted when she lost her leg. Trying to help her too much made her angry.
His mother nods. "If it's something in the past, you don't know anything about it other than what she's told you. She may not want you to help her through it, you know?"
Ben nods sadly.
"Let her talk about it at her own pace, okay, Ben?" his mother says, rubbing his back.
"Okay," Ben nods glumly.
"I passed Drivers Ed!" Kenji exclaims, flinging his arms out.
"Yay!" Sammy grins, clapping for him. Shelby and Sandra clap with her.
"Could've used that on the island," Darius laughs.
"Eh, good thing Yaz had her restricted license on the island," Brooklynn chuckles.
"She's not even sixteen yet!" Kenji exclaims. "How could she get a restricted licenses?! Wait, how could she even get a learners permit?!"
The adults start laughing. "State differences," Brooklynn's mother chuckles, crossing her arms. "In New Jersey, you have to be sixteen to get a learners permit. In North Dakota, you have to be fourteen, I think, to get a learners permit. Fifteen to get a restricted license, while in your state, seventeen. And here in Texas, the ages are different, too."
"Of course, I'm in the state that makes me wait until I'm older to drive while Yaz is in the state that allows her to drive at the youngest possible age!" Kenji sputters, making his audience laugh. "Okay, enough of that. I've passed Drivers Ed and I got to drive with the instructor for the first time!"
"What do you want to do now?" Sammy asks.
Kenji thinks for a second, and his happiness starts to falter. "Well, I've always wanted to go driving with my Dad for the first time… well, first time after my instructor takes me out."
"Welp, maybe he can take you out driving," Mr. Gutierrez says.
The rest of the Gutierrez family heads inside, while Darius and Brooklynn sit out on the porch chairs. Kenji flops down on the front step, texting his father. "I passed Drivers Ed and got my restricted license! Now I can work to getting my full license. Can I drive with you?"
Kenji waits five minutes before asking again. He gets a phone call from his father's new secretary. She wasn't familiar with Kenji, and was slightly harsh. "Mr. Kon is in a very important meeting right now," she tells him.
"When will he be finished?" Kenji asks.
"His schedule is very busy today, young man," the impatient secretary says. "If you would like an appointment with him, something can be planned out."
Kenji doesn't hear her out on the rest and hangs up, glum. "I don't want an 'appointment' with my Dad. I just want to go driving with him!"
"Who was that?" Brooklynn asks.
"Dad's secretary," Kenji sighs. "He's busy today. Can't talk."
"Wait, she answered his phone?" Darius asks.
"No, Dad leaves his phone out with the secretary during important meetings," Kenji explains. "If someone calls him with an emergency, that's the only time they can disturb his meeting. Guess she was annoyed with the constant notifications I was sending him… I liked Jeanine better. She was a nice secretary…"
Kenji thinks for a second. "Maybe I can go driving on my own."
"You'll get in big trouble," Brooklynn says.
Kenji grins. "Well, that's the exciting part of it."
"Why would you want to get in trouble like that?" Sammy asks, wheeling herself out of the house.
"Eh…" Kenji trails off. "Cause my Dad is busy, and getting into trouble is my past time when waiting on him…"
"So, ya goin' with your Dad?" Mr. Gutierrez asks, opening the door and taking up the whole doorway with his wide build.
"No, he's busy today…" Kenji says, trying to hide his disappointment.
Mr. Gutierrez smiles sadly. "You wanna wait until tomorrow? Or I could take ya out, if ya want."
Kenji gives him a small smile. He thinks for a moment. He really wanted to drive with his father for the first time. But anger was starting to build up. "He said he was going to spend less time with work and more time with me," he thinks, irritatedly. "Guess he didn't mean what he said… cause he said he'd spend more time, now I'm driving alone…"
"Then again, he has tried… some…" Kenji chews on his lip. "But… it's his loss. Mr. Gutierrez is offering to take me out. If I can earn his respect… then I'll be approved to marry Sammy… he'll be like my Dad… maybe…" The thought makes his sad. "Maybe I should give up on my Father…"
"If ya wanna go with your Dad, I understand," Mr. Gutierrez says, interrupting Kenji's thoughts.
"No, let's go," Kenji shakes his head. "He's busy with work."
"You don't want to spend that special 'first' drive with your Dad?" Darius asks.
For a second, Kenji meets Brooklynn's eyes. She was slightly more comfortable without an eyepatch since she got the stitches removed the day before. But only around the campers. Even the Gutierrez's were slowly being allowed to see the eye. But it was heartbreaking to realize that she wasn't comfortable showing her scars to her family. Her brother and parents couldn't see her eye without Brooklynn feeling uncomfortable.
The two share an understanding stare. "The special drive might not ever happen no matter how long you wait," Brooklynn says through her sympathetic smile, understanding that hesitation around parents.
"No," Kenji says, trying to smile. "He's probably going to be busy for a while. Moving the business to a new location and building the house and all. I want to go now."
"Sometimes waiting to make things more special is better than going in the moment," Mr. Gutierrez advises.
"I think…" Kenji says, deciding how honest he wanted to be… He was a bit angry at his father, and he trusted Mr. Gutierrez… "I think it would be more special with you than my Dad. Besides, I think I'd be waiting a while if I wait on him…"
Mr. Gutierrez sighs, sounding as if he was sad for Kenji. "Welp! Let's go then!"
"Can I come?" Sammy asks. "He's allowed to have one passenger in the car under twenty-one, right?"
"If they're not family, yes," Mr. Gutierrez nods. "Guess you could come along."
Kenji and Mr. Gutierrez help Sammy into the car, and the man takes them out into the field. "Here we are," he says as he and Kenji switch seats. "Lots of room to drive and not much to break."
Kenji grips the steering wheel before chuckling. "I forgot everything for a hot second."
The two Gutierrez members laugh. Kenji hears a click as he's adjusting the seat and fixes the rearview mirror. Sammy had not only buckled herself in, but she had also taken the other seatbelt and strapped it over her. "Extra precautions," she grins.
"Hey! You don't trust me?" Kenji laughs.
"Not in that hot second," she teases.
After going through everything Kenji was taught again, he begins to drive. After he feels more comfortable in the car, they drive through the town. Mr. Gutierrez points out different places and stores in town. He stops after it distracts Kenji and he stops just in time at the light.
After driving around for a bit, they stop by for some ice cream, and hang out in the car. Mr. Gutierrez and Sammy give him some history on their small town in Texan, before the man hits on an interesting subject. "So," he says, taking a bite of his chocolate ice cream. "Why do you two want to get married."
"Papa, it's been almost a week," Sammy chuckles, licking her sprinkle-covered ice cream. "What took you so long to ask that?"
"Huh, yeah, I would've thought that would've come sooner," Kenji nods, crunching the oreos in his.
"I could think of a million reasons," Sammy says. "He's super nice, the kindest gentleman I've met. He's super funny, I can't stop laughing at his antics. He's strong, he's very loyal. I trust him with my life, and I know for a fact, that if I was in danger, he would do his absolute best to save me, even if it cost him his life."
Her father nods, taking another bite. "That's five reasons. And you?"
"You want the top ten reasons?" Kenji says jokingly. "Cause I could come up with more."
"Top ten," Mr. Gutierrez chuckles.
"She is the sweetest person I know," Kenji says, starting to list things. "She has the most sensitive soul I've seen and always wants to do her best to help others. She's so happy, and makes everything feel like an adventure. She's my chaotic partner in crime."
Sammy giggles.
"That's four," Mr. Gutierrez counts.
"She's very smart and knows a lot about animals and life," Kenji lists. "She is humble and willing to give up her needs for others. She's encouraging and extremely supportive. She's forgiving; I don't think there's anyone on the planet who's as forgiving as her."
Sammy blushes.
"That's eight," Mr. Gutierrez grins.
"She's persistent and never gives up on you," Kenji says. "Or Yaz."
Sammy laughs. "Oh, yeah."
"She's absolutely beautiful, inside and out," Kenji says, smiling shyly at her.
"You two are cheesy," her father chuckles. "What do you dislike about each other?"
"What?" Kenji frowns.
"Papa, what's that supposed to mean?" Sammy asks.
"You tellin' me there's nothing about the other that annoys you or makes you irritated as all git out?" the man asks, casually taking a bite of ice cream.
"Minor things, but it's not a big deal," Kenji shrugs.
"Wait, I annoy you?" Sammy asks, trying not to be hurt. "Am I annoying enough that he'll leave me?"
"Well… yeah, everyone's annoying at some point," Kenji shrugs.
"Well, what's annoyin' about me?" Sammy asks.
"It's not a big deal," Kenji shrugs.
"Kenj, what is it?" Sammy asks.
Kenji grimaces, not wanting to say it. "Well… sometimes you can… talk too much."
"I'm too talkative?" Sammy asks.
"It's not too bad," Kenji assures her. "It's just, sometimes it's… a little overwhelming. Think Yaz. Sometimes people want peace and quiet."
Sammy's face falls. "I know Yaz and the others have thought that at times, but I thought you didn't mind it."
"I'm fine with it most of the time," Kenji says. "It's just once in a while. You're fine."
"Do I talk too fast?" Sammy asks.
"Sometimes, but I can understand you most of the time," Kenji says. "It's really not that bad, Sam… What's annoying about me?"
"Uh…" Sammy hesitates. "You don't take things as seriously as you should, sometimes."
"Really?" Kenji asks. Now it was his turn to feel under attack.
"Yeah," Sammy winces. "But humor is a good thing that keeps our spirits up. Most of the time, your humor cut the tension at the right time. But… you bordered on undermining the seriousness of the situation sometimes."
"Oh…" Kenji says deflatedly. "Why didn't you tell me when I was doing that?"
"It wasn't bad," Sammy says. "I wasn't going to harp on you."
"Okay, that is something about you I don't like," Kenji says, sensing an opportunity to bring up something that had been bothering him. He turns his neck to look at her and winces. "Stupid bull riding lesson," he grumbles in his head. "You can be too nice."
"I thought being nice was one of my positives!" Sammy says defensively.
"It is!" Kenji exclaims. "But if you go too far, it becomes a weakness. You can be nice without being a doormat."
"So, I'm a doormat?" Sammy frowns.
"Well, you can be," Kenji sighs. "If I was to annoy you, or even hurt you, would you tell me?" Sammy hesitates. "No, you wouldn't," Kenji answers for her. "You would excuse my behavior and take it because you love me and you want to be nice."
"Well, you can be a hypocrite," Sammy retorts, a little heated.
At this point, the two didn't even remember that there was another passenger. Mr. Gutierrez was casually eating his ice cream while listening to the argument.
"A hypocrite?" Kenji sputters.
"Uh huh!" Sammy nods. "If I was nagging you and being mean, would you tell me? No! You wouldn't! You're too afraid of hurting me that you'd allow yourself to be abused!"
"Would not!" Kenji huffs.
"Really? And if I talked your ear off nonstop, would you tell me?" Sammy prompts.
"If you talked nonstop, I wouldn't be able to get a word in!" Kenji shrugs, making her huff. "And, no, I wouldn't have to tell you anything, because you wouldn't hurt me!"
"But you still wouldn't tell me!" Sammy strongly points out. "If it wasn't me, would you tell them?"
"That depends on the person," Kenji sighs. "You would be nice to everyone!"
"I wouldn't be nice to Mitch and Tiff!" Sammy retorts.
"Oh, really? So, you'd be totally fine—" Kenji starts to snap. He turns around in the driver's seat to fully face her and ends up spilling cookies and cream and oreo ice cream on his shirt. Sammy starts cackling, and Kenji soon follows with Mr. Gutierrez. "Hopefully I didn't get that on your truck," Kenji laughs, wiping his shirt with a napkin.
"Okay, okay," Sammy laughs. "This is getting us nowhere. What are we arguing about?"
Kenji sputters. "Well, it started with minor annoyances and then… I think we're arguing… I'm not sure now."
"Okay," Sammy says. "I think we were arguing over being a doormat."
"Oh, yeah," Kenji says. "Let's try this again."
Sammy nods. "You go first."
"Okay, what I think I was trying to say, is that…" Kenji sighs. "While being nice and believing in someone when no one else does is good, there has to be a balance. You believed in me and saw the potential I had, and because of your encouragement, I changed for the better. But not everyone is going to act that way. Some people are… some people are just going to be set in their ways. And you can believe in them and encourage them, but you can't put yourself on the line with those types of people."
Sammy nods, having heard this many times.
"What I'm… afraid you might do," Kenji grimaces, "is believe someone will change and allow yourself to be abused. Everyone has potential. But… nice people like you—people who… don't want to believe the bad side of people—tend to… tend to excuse bad behavior in an attempt to be nice. I don't like the idea of you getting stuck in an abusive relationship because you're too nice to leave or even say something."
Sammy nods. "Yeah, that is one of my problems… I get that."
"What was your point?" Kenji asks.
"What I was trying to point out, is that you want me to exercise caution in abusive relationships," Sammy says. "But you don't do the same thing. You…" She sighs. "You feel bad about being selfish and having narcissistic tendencies in your past. What I'm afraid you're doing is going the opposite direction. Now you're not selfish; you're overly selfless, to the point that you're a doormat. If I was being a naggy friend and constantly nitpicking you, you wouldn't say anything. You would ignore it in the name of being selfless and loving. And I get the struggle, but… if you want me to tell you when you're doing something hurtful, can I expect the same from you?"
"That's fair," Kenji nods. "I guess, even if it's hurting me instead of you, it's still hypocrisy."
"Why don't we both try not to let others step all over us all the time?" Sammy suggests.
"Deal," Kenji says, giving her a fist bump.
"So, you still want to get married?" Mr. Gutierrez asks calmly, casually taking a bite of ice cream.
"Papa, did you try to make us fight?" Sammy asks.
"Not necessarily," he says vaguely, making the teens laugh in protest. "If yer gonna get married, you need to know how to fight. And while it's great to love someone for everything good about them, the real test is loving them despite all their flaws."
"I heard that loving someone because yada yada is a crush, while loving someone despite yada yada is love," Kenji says.
Mr. Gutierrez nods. "I'm pretty impressed with that argument. Y'all fight better than most married couples I know. You stopped insulting each other, found the reason you were arguing, and listened respectfully to the points the other was making. That's really mature, y'all."
"His minor annoyances are no reason not to love him," Sammy smiles. "And sometimes what others find annoying, I find funny or adorable. Like spilling ice cream on yourself."
Kenji grins, licking the ice cream off his spoon. "Just wasted a lot of my ice cream."
Sammy takes the spoon from him, takes a scoop from hers and sticks it in his mouth. "I'll share."
Kenji's face is tinted pink. "Sam…" he says carefully. "Would your Papa approve of this?"
"Cause I'm sittin' right here," the man chuckles.
"Well, would you?" Sammy asks.
"Nope," he shakes his head. "At least, not until he's approved."
"For the record, that was her," Kenji says, trying to save himself from trouble. The trio laughs.
For the rest of the day, Yasmina locked herself in Ben's closet. She only came out to use the restroom and eat. At night time, she left the closet and laid in bed, not talking to Ben. The boy could see tear stains on her cheeks. Ben wanted to help her, but he refrains himself. "She's just going through grief. Give her time," he tells himself.
The next morning, Yasmina spends her time in the closet again. Ben helps out around the house and hangs around, bored. "Don't go talk to her. Don't nag her," he repeats, forcing himself to stay on the couch.
He receives a text from Kenji, shouting that he had gotten his restricted licenses. Ben can only send a congratulations when Yasmina wheels herself out of the room. "Hey," Ben smiles, trying not to seem too happy. "How are you feeling?"
"Just…" Yasmina sighs, wheeling herself up to the couch. "Hollow. I cried myself dry… But I also feel relieved… if that makes sense."
Ben nods. "You were holding in a lot of feelings. Not just anger, right?"
She nods. "I didn't know I was sad… or missing her… I didn't give myself time to be sad. It… it hurt too much."
"Yeah," Ben nods.
"I just… I don't know how to not be angry at her," Yasmina sighs. "How do I just… feel fine with everything she did."
Ben types something into his phone, then scootches to the edge of the couch to face her. "Think Disney. Let it go! Let it go!" Ben starts playing the song and dramatically lip syncing to it.
Yasmina was not expecting that turn of events and cackles. "That was so perfectly timed, for a full second, I thought that was your real voice."
Ben grins. "Come on, lighten up. You like using songs to express how you feel, right?"
She nods. "I got a whole list meant for Leah. Ignore the title."
Ben rolls his eyes, and adds a song. "This is how you get over what she did. Look at the songs you put on, and look at the song I put on."
"I'm Still Standing?" Yasmina reads, looking up at him dubiously.
Ben hits play and begins to dance. He keeps his elbows in and awkwardly dances. Nonetheless, he was grinning and having fun.
Yasmina laughs. "You look like an old man. Or Donald Trump."
Ben laughs. "Come on, dance with me! This is your song!"
"No, it's not…" she says softly.
"Come on, Leah is the one who's losing in the end," Ben tells her. "You have the best group of friends who aren't going to leave you. In the end, she'll lose her followers and fade. She doesn't need to be relevant here."
Yasmina sighs and nods. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I can dance…"
Ben holds out his hands, and she takes them. He pulls her up out of the wheelchair, puts one arm around her back, and holds her right hand with his left. He begins to bop with the music, leaning down on his left side, then coming back up sharply with the music. It was slightly awkward, but the dancing made Yasmina laugh, so he continued.
He continues to awkwardly slow dance to the peppy song with her. She grins. "I've never slow danced with a boy."
"My parents made me take swing dance lessons," Ben chuckles. "Come on, let's try some moves."
"Bro, I'm missing my leg," Yasmina says sadly. But she hadn't said "bro" in a while.
"So? Saw a lady dance on some Got Talent show and she was missing her whole leg," Ben says. "She just hopped up and down. Come on, I won't let you fall."
Yasmina rolls her eyes, but she was smiling. "Fine."
Due to her lack of dancing experience and lack of a leg to stand on, it was more of her standing there and Ben moving around her. He'd twirl her to the music, spin around her, and pick her and spin wildly. By the end of the song, Yasmina was laughing with joy, forgetting about why she was upset.
The next song she picked. "I Will Survive," she huffs, throwing her hair back. Ben and Yasmina dramatically lip synced to the songs, laughing and having a great time. For the time being, she was not mad at Leah, or even sad. The athlete was over it. Leah was the one losing, she didn't need to give the girl the time of her day.
Ben's parents come to investigate the source of dancing and laughter, and Yasmina doesn't stop dancing and laughing. "Looks like someone's having fun," his mother grins.
"That makes two of us," Yasmina says quietly, grinning.
"We have made progress!" Ben thinks triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air.
Yasmina quirks an eyebrow, and throws a pillow at his face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm warming up," she silently sneers, making him laugh.
"I am sorry about Mrs. Livingston," Kenji's father says, walking up the steps of the front porch. "I told her that if you wanted to tell me something, that you are a priority."
Kenji looks up from the porch boards. Shelby and Sandra were on top of him, "wrestling" him. He was going super easy on them. "Oh, it's fine. I figured that…"
"If you want to go driving, it's not too late," Mr. Kon says, looking up at the setting sun.
"Oh, I went driving with Mr. Gutierrez and Sammy, but we can go again!" Kenji says. Part of him didn't want to get his hopes up that this would last. The other part was too giddy with happiness that his father was apologizing and making up to think about that.
A flicker of disappointment passes Mr. Kon's face, but is soon replaced by an expression of accepted defeat. "Oh, he offered to go with you?" the man gets an idea. "Would you like to bring Sammy along? I haven't gotten to fully meet my future daughter-in-law. Last time we got to talk, Kenji was under anesthesia."
"I'm still salty about that!" Kenji huffs.
"They ain't officially together yet," Mr. Gutierrez says, sticking his head out of the door. He must've heard them through the window. "Yer son ain't approved yet. No offense."
Mr. Kon was tempted to roll his eyes at what seemed to be overparenting, but refrains. "Fair enough," he shrugs, knowing the impression a rich, estranged family would make on the ranchers.
"I'd love to go, though," Sammy says.
"Yeah, let's go!" Kenji says, trying to wrestle himself from the impressively strong grip of Shelby and Sandra. "Oh, before we go, any updates on Yaz?"
"You mean, her playlist?" Brooklynn asks.
"Tomato, tomahto," Kenji shrugs. "She's expressing her mental state through the playlist."
Brooklynn rolls her eyes and smirks. "Oh, we do have a new development. I'm Still Standing. I will Survive. Set It All Free. What Doesn't Kill You. Sounds like she's getting over it and feeling better."
"Awesome, been waiting to hear that," Kenji says, standing up and prying his leg free from Shelby's koala bear grip. "K! Let's go!"
Mr. Kon tosses Kenji the keys as he helps Sammy into the car. They drive through the city. "So, if yer done with your learners permit, that means you've been driving' a year," Sammy points out.
"Yeah, just never with Dad," he says.
Sammy notices a flicker of guilt on the man's face, but he stays pretty neutral. "So, is Kenji your first boyfriend? Er, potential boyfriend?"
Sammy laughs. "Uh, I'm not allowed to date until eighteen. But I've had a lot of official, unofficial boyfriends."
"What?" Mr. Kon asks with a confused laugh.
"Well, we wanted to date, but since I wasn't allowed to date we couldn't," Sammy says. "So we had a little promise that we would date when I was allowed to, so we were sort of together. None of those promises were kept…"
"I see your father doesn't approve yet, but would you say Kenji has gotten farther than most?" Mr. Kon asks. "... Sammy?"
The girl wasn't paying attention. She was staring forlornly out the window at someone on the street. "Sammy?" Kenji asks.
"Oh, nothing," Sammy says softly. "Just… saw someone from my past…"
"Who?" Kenji asks.
"Sean," she says. "My first crush… first heartbreak, really…"
"Oh… do you still…" Kenji asks.
"Love him? No," Sammy says. "He was a bad boy… in a bad way. A big jerk."
"Gave up on changing him?" Kenji asks.
"He wasn't like you," she says. "He was a bully. Found out he was dating three other girls when he promised me that he would wait. It still hurts to remember."
"Do you wish he was a nice guy?" Kenji asks.
"No… well, yeah," she laughs. "But I'm not sad about leaving him. It just hurts cause… It was my first heartbreak."
"Who was your last crush before me?" Kenji asks.
"Blake," Sammy says. "He was nice, but he found a different girl."
"Well, he's your last heartbreak, unless your Papa says otherwise," Kenji promises, making her laugh. While they were stopped at a light, Kenji uncomfortably turns in the seat and holds out his hand for her. "I'm not going to leave you. I promise."
"I'm not going to leave, either," Sammy promises softly, trying her best not to glance at Mr. Kon in mild dislike.
The man notices. "Would I be messing up the moment if I said the light is green?"
"Oh, sorry!" Kenji yelps, turning his attention back to the road with a chuckle.