I Love You, Benjamin Stone

Annaleigh

Luckily, today was a snow day which meant that the remakes of ‘Hamlet’ were postponed until tomorrow. I wasn’t going to complain, we hadn’t had one serious practice since we were assigned the project. Although Parker and Ben weren’t exactly firm about their acting abilities went it came down to actually acting, I blamed Curtis more than anyone.

Only Curtis could manage to turn every situation into some gimmick that involved talking about female parts or Parker’s mother. I can handle joking and whatnot, especially in scenarios like this but I definitely couldn’t handle it constantly.

Rather than being outside to freeze to death in the extreme cold, I remained inside. A book was placed on my lap and I sipped from a glass of hot chocolate. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do both at the same time unless I sat at a table or other area but I wasn’t willing to leave the comfort of the basement couch. Downfall was that I couldn’t read and my skin was numb from the lack of heat.

Courtney had phoned about five minutes earlier, notifying me that she was going to stop in sometime today to discuss ‘Tequila Sunrise’. The whole thought of even going as someone’s escort was ridiculous. It was almost like a less vulgar form of prostitution but felt just as demeaning. I would have to hang off of some old man’s arm with a ditzy smile plastered on my face while pretending that I cared about the political aspects of the Conservative party. I’d rather stab myself in the eyeball with a pen while sitting on Stephen Harper’s lap.

One thing’s for certain: I would most definitely not be wearing the fishnet nylons that Courtney threw into the mix while I wasn’t looking. Those were just screaming herpes-infected hooker.

“Anna!” My head jerked up from the mug of hot chocolate as a response. There was no other noises, which meant that I had to get upstairs right then and there or endure the harsh lecture of responding when talked to.

The book clattered onto the floor along with, not one, but two blankets as I dashed toward the stairs. My cast banged against my thigh as I jogged up the stairs and I could feel my cheeks heat up once I made it to the top.

My mother was standing in the kitchen, her arms folded over her chest. Luckily for me, it wasn’t a confrontational pose but rather one of relaxed interest. Shea was at the table, his mouth covered in chocolate as he munched on the freshly baked chocolate cookies on the table. Across from him sat a familiar mop of white blond hair with a cheerful smile.

Rex took another cookie from off of the plate and managed to engulf the whole thing in one bite. He waved while chewing but all I could wonder is how he managed to shove a cookie that big in his mouth alongside why he was here. My mother raised an eyebrow at me and I sat down beside Shea, shooting Rex a curious glance.

He swallowed and rubbed his hands on his black skinny jeans, keeping his lips pursed for a second. The white hand reached across for yet another cookie, the long fingers lingering in the air for a second before diving down. Of course, the largest good from the mix was taken and forced to enter Rex’s mouth to it’s death.

“Your mom pretty much makes the best cookies in the universe,” Rex mumbled through the bits of cookie he hadn’t swallowed yet. I grimaced slightly and reached for one. “I’m kind of dying here, the sheer awesomeness is sending me into a coma.”

“Judging by the amount left on the plate, I can see that,” I took a small bite out of the cookie and chewed slowly, my eyes still staying on Rex. “Why are you here? School’s not open today.”

My mother chuckled lightly and left the room, leaving me with my brother and Rex. Rex watched her leave and shrugged, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. Shea hopped off of his chair without a word, but shot a look at Rex before leaving the kitchen.

“Do the words ‘lack of friends’ mean nothing to you?” He snipped, his left eyebrow raised. There was a small scar through it, just tarnishing the perfect blonde strands. I dropped my eyes down to the cookie in my hand.

“I guess not,” I mumbled in response, placing the cookie on the table as a feeling of stupidity flooded my veins. “You didn’t need to make it seem so…”

The blonde eyebrow now furrowed with the other.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to make it seem like you were the last person on Earth I’d want to hang around with. It’s just hard not having someone to talk about boobs or cars with. Not that I necessarily talk about those things or anything,” a coy grin formed on his lips and I scowled in disgust.

“You’re perverse,” Rex picked up my cookie and devoured it without a word. I shot him a dirty look but didn’t say anything, since there really wasn’t anything I could do about it anyway. My fingers wrapped around the cold fabric of my cast and I pursed my lips firmly.

“So’s your mom. I seen her eying me up. I swear, every girl you hang out with has just got the hots for me,” His long fingers began tapping on the wood of the table rhythmically.

“Along with perverse, you’re extremely conceited,” I retorted and folded my arms over my chest firmly. Rex gave me a smug grin, like he confirmed my last statement with pride. Sometimes, boys make me sick to my stomach. I can see why some women become nuns, I’d consider it if Benjamin wasn’t running through my mind all day.

It made me think of that cheesy pick up line: ‘Are you tired? ‘Cause you’ve been running through my mind all day!’. I think that I’m borderline needing a life. Seriously.

Rex polished off another cookie, which was most likely his twelfth or something. Chocolate stuck to the corner of his mouth but disappeared as a hand flew up and wiped it off. Just as this occurred, the doorbell rang and we both glanced at each other. I gave him my best ‘behave, you immature beast!’ look and trotted to the door, my cast banging awkwardly against my side.

The way the snow was floating around in the cold blizzard made me wonder who on Earth would even bother trying to get to my house on a day like this. Their fingers were most likely numb after ringing the doorbell and their cheeks would be frosting. The only person I could think of was Courtney, she was the only person crazy enough to try and get to my house in this weather.

Once upon a time, it was nearly 45 degrees below and she decided to walk to my house in her mother’s parka, a ski mask, two pairs of ski pants, double-lined boots and 3 pairs of mitts. Despite her best efforts, when she got to my house, she had the slightest tinge of frost bite on her face but claimed that she didn’t care only because having frost bite was better than being at home, bored.

I stopped a moment to look outside, to catch a glimpse of whomever was standing in the snow. Unfortunately, the only thing I could see was a blue coat. Courtney’s coat was a bright pink, close to neon which meant that she got a new coat or else it was someone else. In the kitchen, Rex was dancing around, rubbing his stomach with another cookie in his hand. I swear, whoever dates that tool is going to dump him in a week.

When I finally opened the door, Courtney wasn’t standing there but rather Curtis. His hair was a wild mess of curls and his cheeks were extremely red, matching his nose. His teeth were chattering as his hands rubbed up and down his arms.

“Are you going to stand there or invite me in!?” He squeaked and I moved past in order to let him in. He bolted into the house and breathed out a sigh of relief as he unzipped his coat. I furrowed my eyebrows in curiosity, wondering why Curtis would even think of coming to my house on a day like this. It was beyond freezing and there was no way that someone like him would like to be associated with me.

He slid off his boots and placed them along with the other shoes lined up in the closet. Another shiver erupted from him before he turned to give me the time of day. Rex stopped dancing in the kitchen and peered around the corner in curiosity. His eyes narrowed in dislike and he crossed his arms over his chest, a huffy look now on his face. I darted a glare at him and he turned away from me, disappearing back into my kitchen. I could then hear the sound of the fridge opening and grit my teeth.

“Hi, sorry I didn’t call first or anything before showing up, err…” He scratched his head sheepishly and frowned. “Marley?”

I sighed heavily and rubbed my forehead with my free hand. You really had to wonder how this kid made it into grade 12, considering he can’t even remember a fellow classmate’s name.

“Annaleigh,” I replied and dropped my hand to my hip. Curtis nodded quickly and glanced around the house quickly, his blue eyes fluttering over the dark wooden floors, fireplace and entertainment center in the living room.

“Annaleigh,” he repeated and folded his arms over his chest quickly. “Look, I realize that this is a bit… unexpected and whatnot. It’s just that there’s been this thing that’s been bothering me a lot lately and now that I realize that Parker kind of has this like crush thing on you or something, I’m not really too terribly afraid to make this confession.”

After he finished rambling, my mouth dropped. He shook his arms around and breathed out then placed his hands behind his head and then grinned in a silly fashion. I could have sworn that my eye twitched when the name ‘Parker’ matched with the words ‘crush on you’. This is… What the hell!?

“Parker?” it was all that would come out of my mouth and that didn’t even sound good. My voice went up an octave and I could feel my face burning up. Curtis nodded really quick and was still pacing like he was terrified that any minute a ghost would fly out of nowhere and devour his soul out of his head. “No, that’s impossible. Parker definitely doesn’t like me.”

Curtis ran a hand through his hair, winced then turned to me again.

The words that came out of his mouth were probably the weirdest words I have ever heard in my entire life.

“I think I’m in love with Courtney, like to the point where I can’t stop thinking about her,” the words came out in such a rush that I almost didn’t catch what he said but then considering I caught fragments and seen the look on his face, they suddenly made sense. My hand slid over my mouth in surprise, my eyes widening immensely. The noise that came out of my mouth sounded like a very surprised ‘Oh!’ and Curtis plunked down onto the couch and ran his hands over his face in stress.

“I just can’t help it. There’s something about her that draws me in and the way she beaks me every time she sees me is something I love about her. It’s like she keeps me grounded, reminds me that I’m not amazing just because I’m friends with Benjamin Stone, y’know? That little look she gets on her face as she calls me a little bitch is just…” his gaze at the window fazed over and his eyes went a little cloudy for a second. I was still looking like a gape-mouthed fish, surprised that Curtis of all people had this huge crush on Courtney. It just didn’t work in this society, EVER.

“Oh wow,” I muttered under my breath and exhaled. This was huge, incredible even!

Curtis then spun around, his body leaving the couch for a second. His face then went incredibly serious for the first time ever and his glassy smile faded.

“You CAN’T tell her or anyone even. This is like, the biggest secret of my very short life and I really don’t want anyone fucking telling anyone cause they wanted to get a good laugh,” He paused and looked like he was thinking over his words. “N-not that anyone would laugh at it, I didn’t mean it that way or anything…”

“I get what you’re saying Curtis, it’s fine,” I murmured and even let out a small giggle. I couldn’t help it, this whole situation was so weird for me. Here we are, me and one of the most popular guys in the school, and he’s admitting to having a semi-stalkish crush on my best friend. The giggles then turned into full out laughter.

“What?” Curtis pressed, getting off the couch and moving next to me. His face was so scared, like he had just discovered that I had taped the whole thing or something. It was just priceless. At one point, I almost couldn’t breathe and began to hyperventilate, little laughs still appearing out of the blue.

“It’s… It’s just that…” more laughter followed and I wiped my eyes, which were now filling with tears. I took a second to gain some composure before finishing my sentence. “It’s just that this whole thing is so surreal. Guys like you never like… girls like us.”

Curtis turned a deep shade of red but then jumped when a cough came from the entrance of the living room. Rex was leaning against the frame, his arms crossed over his chest and eyebrows raised in slight surprise. His mouth curved into a half-smile as Curtis looked from me to him over and over.

“Shit!” Curtis exclaimed, cupping his head in his hands. “Shit, shit, shit!”

Rex gave me a small grin and folded his arms over his chest, stepping beside me. I gave him a look of shock and swallowed sharply, my gaze turning back to an obviously distressed Curtis. He was still cursing horribly then turned to Rex and pointed a finger in his face.

“I swear to God, Grayson, if you mention this to anyone that I’ll knock your fucking lights out!” The aggression in Curtis’ voice was something new. I hadn’t ever heard him use a threatening voice or anything. He was always such a goof, that I didn’t think it was capable for him to act in this manner.

Rex stared down lazily at the finger wagging in his face and lifted his own hand. He then grasped his long fingers around Curtis’ finger and pushed his hand away from him, a beaming smile on his face the entire time. This could end up very badly. Curtis’ face turned even more red and he clenched his jaw tightly. Rex jammed his hands into his pockets.

“Look buddy, it’s not like I have this whole hate-on for you or anything. Besides, who am I going to run and tell? It’s not like I have many people to speak to out here,” he gave me a small grin and I nearly slapped him for being so cheeky about the whole thing. “However, your little stalk-ee happens to being stalking me already so maybe I should tell her and get the heat offa me, hey?”

Curtis looked like he was going to faint that very second. His color drained as quickly as it had appeared and judging by the way he was slightly wobbling on his feet, it wouldn’t have been unimaginable. Rex’s face turned stern and his hands left his pockets and made their way to his narrow hips.

“Y-you…” Curtis stammered but didn’t finish his sentence.

He fainted on the floor.

Benjamin

Normally on snow days, I was pretty down with making snowmen or heading down to the city park to see what kind of things I could be inspired by but today was more of a day for me to relax. After all, it was difficult to focus on anything with a throbbing head, a dry mouth, and eyes that felt like the would escape from your skull any second. If I had known that I was going to be such an idiot last night, I would have stayed home.

My fingers grazed through my knotted hair as I sat up. The clock read noon and it felt like I had only slept for about ten minutes, which maybe wasn’t a far off guess. I arrived home at 5 and tried to fall asleep, but yet I couldn’t. The only thing that came into my mind was how stupid I was being.

As soon as I became ‘popular’, everything had changed so much that sometimes I wished that I would have stayed as the old Benjamin. Back then, everything seemed to make sense and I could even justify the reasons why I was picked on, everything was just easier. I can’t really blame myself for wanting to change so much but yet I still wish that I hadn’t met Parker some days and that I hadn’t gone to Molly Hartley’s party that one night.

Everyone knew that Molly Hartley’s parties changed everything.

It was June 25, 2007 and I had just finished my first real year of high school. By then, girls noticed me a lot more and I had become extremely close with Parker, leaving my old friends behind me as a fuzzy memory. I had already made my way to second base, had more girlfriends than I cared to remember and had been to more parties than I should have been to. It was a great start to my new life but there was still the one thing I had to do before I was fully accepted by Parker and the school’s famous cliques. That was Molly Hartley’s party.

I’m ashamed to say that I hardly remember it after playing too much beer pong and dancing to one too many songs. The only thing I did remember was that that night I lost my virginity to Molly Hartley, just like most guys in the school. That day, I wasn’t just Benjamin Stone anymore. I was THE Benjamin Stone and since then, I’ve been stuck in this lifestyle.

Right about now, I pretty much would give anything to go back to the days where I was a nobody.

I got out of bed and scratched my stomach, still trying to make clear images of my room. My head banged unpleasantly and all I could hear was the radio playing as my alarm, which had been going for about 5 hours now.

It was irritating waking up alone in this big empty house. My dad was gone again, which wasn’t a large surprise considering the days he was gone beat out the days he was home. I’d like to say that I missed him every time he left, but really I didn’t. It just meant that I was free to do whatever my little heart wanted to, which wasn’t always a good idea.

I knew that sometime today I had to go around time to find a new suit for my father’s business party. Normally, I never had to go to them, but since he wanted me to perform in front of his fucking asshole friends, I didn’t really have a choice. He wouldn’t even let me invite Parker.

Parker… Did he even make it home last night?

I slid into the stool behind the counter after grabbing myself a water bottle and flipped open my cell phone. A new crack shone brightly on the LCD screen and I wondered why I even had a cell anymore. This would be the fifth one this month, not that dad noticed.

Sure enough, 4 missed calls from Parker and close to 7 texts from 3 different people including the 3 from Parker. I scowled and slid the phone across the counter. Today, it would just be a ‘me’ day. As gay as it sounds, I was needing one more than anything.

It was like I wasn’t even sure who I was anymore. I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror sometimes and the thoughts that ran through my mind weren’t thoughts that I would have ever found myself thinking about before. It was like the only thing that reminded me of who I was was my music. Music was everything.

The message machine beeped a few times, meaning that while I was in my stupid coma, someone had called me a few times.

I left my seat and pressed the ‘play’ button, waiting to hear the sound of my dad’s voice lecturing me for not answering the phone. Sure enough, my father’s voice boomed across the room and I couldn’t help but smile at the fact that I was right. The next message wasn’t much different but was definitely quieter than the last. He still mentioned the whole ‘call me when you get home, I miss you and I’ll see you when I get home’ even though I never knew when he was home.

The last one was a little bit surprising. The voice that rang in my ears was one that I wasn’t familiar with even though I could have sworn that I had heard it a few times somewhere. I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to pinpoint where I had heard it before. The softness was something new, normally girls who phoned here were so obsessed with sounding sexy that their voices almost sounded gritty with dirt.

When the message stopped, I waited a few seconds before replaying it.

‘Hello Mr. Stone, this is just Tequila Sunrise returning your call. I just wanted you to know that… *cough* I would love to be your escort at the meeting next weekend. Just to clarify, my escort service doesn’t involve any ‘extras’, it is strictly an appearance and that is all. Thank you.’

Now what kind of escort would sound that soft and be named ‘Tequila Sunrise’?