Rey dreaded going to school during the week. She didn't feel like she had much to look forward to.
She had friends, but no one close enough to tell her darkest desires and fears to.
She did well in school but didn't have any hope of attending college after she graduated as her grades were not good enough to earn her a scholarship to afford to go to the local University. Although she liked to think she would someday go to the same school that Ben went to.
She couldn't even look forward to eating lunch. Even if it were sometimes her only meal of the day. She didn't even like eating the school food but there hardly wasnt any food in her home to bring to school so she was stuck with getting the school lunch.
It was embarrassing getting lunch for Rey because kids that got the free lunch would need a special card that they would swipe to check out. Rey always used the card and there was always someone gawking at her with a look that was a mixture between pity and superiority.
She was the poor girl, the one that received free lunches and wore torn hand me down clothing.
She couldn't even look forward to seeing Ben at school anymore. He would act like she wasn't special to him, that she was just another student handing in papers to grade and proving answers to questions.
She could hold her breath for just a moment of a stolen glance from him as she stared at him.
She wasn't the only girl who fawned over Ben so she knew she didn't look too conspicuous. She felt like she stared at the back of his head while he was writing on the chalkboard with the intensity of a laser boring into his head.
She knew that he saw her staring. He just wouldn't acknowledge it in public. She also knew that he wanted to keep what they had just between them.
Their little secret. She relished his touches, small gestures like him brushing her hair away from her eyes that had fallen in front of her face or when his fingertips lightly touched hers. He would run his fingertips up and down her arm and send jolts of electricity down her spine.
When he had kissed her, she felt tingly all over and wanted to remember the moment forever. Every time she bit down on her bottom lip she remembered the way his lips tasted. Just like cherry chopstick. His tongue was warm.
Jessika Pava, the girl whose desk was next to Rey's tapped her on the shoulder one day when she was lost in a trance focusing on the back of Ben's head. His raven black locks catching the light from the open window across the classroom. His hair almost looked like he had streaks of celestial blue throughout them.
"Hey Rey, girl just so you know you are drooling. Everyone can see you right now. I'm sure Mr. Solo will turn around any second so wipe your face off before he does. Plus keep dreaming because You are a nobody. Mr. Solo would only go for a somebody,", Jessika declared in a hush tone but raised a few octaves above a whisper, loud enough for everyone in their immediate vicinity to hear her.
Rey just wiped her mouth with her sleeve and glared at Jessika.
Rey was not a nobody. She knew the truth. She was a somebody to Ben. She was his type. He told her himself that he liked her.
She just wished that she could throw that information back into Jessika's face. Just that once. She just wanted to get the satisfaction of seeing Jessika's face when she told her that she was dating Ben.
Maybe she would go as far as to say he was her boyfriend. Maybe not. Maybe it was too early in the relationship to put a label on what they were. A somebody though, she could say that with confidence.
Rey wasn't a nobody. She really wasn't.
Rey would prove people like Jessika wrong. She would one day be able to show off her handsome boyfriend and work hard in order to afford to go to the local community college, maybe even apply to a 4 year college and get a degree that would land her a fancy job where Rey would make a lot of money.
Jessika would be jealous of Rey's success and furious that Ben had chosen Rey as the girl that he wanted to be with.
She didn't want to be Rey the junk parts scraper or Rey the car part tinkerer. She wanted something different in life.
She wanted Ben to be part of that pathway, part of her future.
She may not look forward to being in school but she sure as heck looked forward to spending the weekend with Ben.
It was a Friday and Ben had promised her a date that she would never forget on one of their nightly phone calls. Rey had tried to press him for further details.
He refused her to provide her details beyond. It's a surprise and Rey will like where they are going on their date. Plus the biggest joy was hearing the words, 'pack an overnight bag'.
He had apologized for ignoring her during school. She had given him a dirty look in the hallway after the drooling incident. He promised to make it up with a hundred kisses, placed by his mouth anywhere on her body.
The offer was tempting and Rey instantly forgot that she was angry with him every time they talked on the phone. She just tried to look forward to the moment she could hold him in her arms again. The moment she cold kiss him and lick the cherry chap stick from his lips again.
Rey was going out of town or at least away from her home. Away with Ben. She was bringing her camera with her. There was no way she wasn't documenting this adventure with him.
Thankfully Plutt as away from home again for the night when she arrived home. She grabbed a small travel sack and started filling it with the essentials. She tried to pick some of her nicer clothing too wear for Ben. Also a plain white nightgown with spaghetti straps and a strip of lace by the bodice. Plutts ex wife had left the nightgown in the back of the dresser that Rey now had in her room. She hadn't worn it before there wasn't ever a opportunity that warranted such a fancy nightgown.
Spending the night with Ben warranted such a nightgown.
She wasn't sure what to anticipate. They had just started dating and an overnight trip seemed to Rey to be a big step. Just like anything more than heavy petting and kissing seemed like a huge step. Rey didn't think she was ready for anything beyond their magical experience kissing.
Rey was a virgin and she was pretty sure Ben was aware of that fact even if she hadn't directly told her. Ben was the one guy she was willing to give up her virginity to. Ben would be worth it. She just knew it. She knew that she wouldn't regret losing her virginity to Ben. She just wasn't sure that she was ready for that just yet.
When Ben arrived at her back door, Rey practically drifted downstairs. She didn't just walk, she flew down the stairs and ran up to the door. When she opened the door, she saw a grinning Ben. She couldn't help it, she smiled at him, melting inside.
He came inside her place and leaned his whole body into her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He took a deep breath and his face was buried in her hair, which she had put down, a change from her usual three buns up do.
"I missed you so much Rey, you have no idea how much I thought about this moment over the last week."
Rey smashed her cheek against Ben's jean jacket and inhaled deeply. She loved to take in the scent of him, a mixture of spearmint gum and woodsy scented aftershave. She never wanted to forget how Ben smelled and how he felt as he held her in him arms.
Ben let her go and he grabbed hold of her hand and led her to the couch. Once they sat down, Ben flung his arm over Rey's shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She curled into his side.
"Did you want to grab something to eat on the road?", he questioned. "I wasn't sure if you had eaten yet?"
Rey melted into his arms and hummed in a low tone.
"Rey, don't get too comfortable baby as we have about a five hour trip ahead of us and I need you to keep me awake since its going to be close to midnight by the time we arrive", he stated.
Rey cocked her head up to look at him. "Ben, where are we going? You never told me. Although I do quite like surprises as long as I know they will be nice surprises".
Ben leaned down and pressed his lips gently to the top of Rey's forehead. Rey felt the warmth of his lips as they brushed against her skin.
Rey sighed with happiness. She didn't want to get off the couch and away from Ben's warm embrace. She wanted to stay there with him forever.
Ben laughed. "You'll see when we arrive. I think you'll like it. It's a place I spent many summers at during my childhood. My parents don't go up there too often any more so we will have the place to yourself. I just don't want to spoil the surprise of catching the look on you face when you see where we will be", he said chuckling.
She grabbed a bag of chips from the cupboard to hold her over until they stopped for dinner as well as her bag. They left in his vehicle for their unknown destination.
While Ben drove down the boundless highway, she interlocked her fingers in his and held their tangled fingers up to her lips she kissed his knuckles gently. He turned to briefly glance at her and he grinned.
As Ben promised her he stopped for food about an hour into the trip. They ordered McDonalds from the drive through. Plutt had not gone grocery shopping in more then a week so she had survived off of cold cheese sandwiches for dinner so having a hot meal was exciting to her even if it was just fast food.
After they ate their food, Rey continued to pester Ben for a clue on where they were heading.
"Oh come on Ben, you can at least give me a hint. I deserve one hint.", she teased.
Ben signed and hummed the rhyme, "Suzy sells seashells by the seashore".
Rey bit he bottom lip and internally screamed. She knew what his hint meant. They were headed to the beach at Lake Naboo.
Rey had told Ben in one of their evening conversations that she had always wanted to go to the beach but had never gone.
She had imagined what it would feel like to rub her toes in the sand or dip her feet into the ocean. She wanted to lay on top of the sand and make sand angels just like she one day wanted to make snow angels. She hadn't experienced snow either.
Rey tried to keep her excitement to herself, at least until they arrived at the beach and then all bets were off. She would go running into the beach house with sheer joy knowing that on Saturday morning she could experience the things she always wanted to do while relaxing at the beach.
Rey heard a buzzing noise coming from the center console. She briefly glimpsed a text flash across the screen from 'Hux' that said. 'Have fun with your girlfriend this weekend'.
Rey almost let out a squeal. Ben looked down at the phone and then shifted his gaze to her eyes.
"You told Hux about us? I'm your girlfriend now?", she asked innocently giving Ben a shy smile
Ben studied her face for a moment before responding, "Something like that", he answered.
Rey was slightly disappointed by his response. He hadn't given her a direct answer. She wanted him to tell her that he had told Hux that she was now his girlfriend. Having Ben as a boyfriend was amazing to Rey. She didn't know how she had gotten so lucky.
Ben Solo was her boyfriend and he had told his best friend about their relationship. She hadn't gotten to tell anyone about him but maybe now that they were official, she could start announcing their relationship to the world.
They could be finally be together without all of the secrets.
Rey hadn't realized that she had fallen asleep until she felt a hand pulling gently on her shoulder.
Rey shook her head to clear her head and looked at him in confusion. 'I was asleep for four hours?", she questioned in a groggy voice.
Ben nodded as he parked the car in a driveway that led up to a large house on stilts that stood at the edge between the pavement and the sand.
"We are here Rey and you are going to really enjoy your weekend. I guarantee it", he stated as he gave her a wink.