I Love You, Benjamin Stone

Benjamin

Tonight was definitely going to be a good night considering it was already showing more promise than usual. I don’t know if it was because there were sales going on or the fact that there was a Billy Talent concert was playing tonight. Whatever it was, I was singing my praises ‘cause the girls walking around tonight were the best I’ve seen in awhile.

I get it. I’m a bit of a player even thought it’s not even remotely intentional. I can’t help it that when I grew out of my “tween” phase that I got to end up looking like this. I don’t mean to sound conceited or anything as I say that but I’ve definitely improved from when I was 12 to now. I lost the rolls that bulged over my belt even when I stood up, the acne that dotted my face and the braces that barricaded my teeth like a jail cell. For once, it was nice to be noticed and not for a negative thing.

So maybe the change from my former appearance made me a little bit shallow but what kind of 18 year old guy doesn’t want a tall brunette with big lips and big tits? It’s every guy’s dream to get the perfect girl who looks like Megan Fox and knows how to work her body in ways that you didn’t know existed. At the same time though, I was finding out that it’s pretty much impossible to find a girl who can meet the ideal standards I have. After awhile, Megan Fox was just Megan Fox but that didn’t mean I was going to give up trying on finding a replica.

Parker and I were standing in the middle of Papa’s, a beer set near each hand and cocky grins set on our faces. Tonight was just about relaxing, staying as calm and easy-going as possible. It always seemed to be that no matter how arrogant of a look I placed on my face, there would always be another girl worming her way into the empty seat beside me with a confident smile on her face. That’s what I like about this city, you didn’t have to try for anything.

Parker picked up the beer next to his right hand and chugged it, his Adam’s apple moving rhythmically with each gulp. He sighed in contentment and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before placing the glass back onto the counter. He motioned for the waiter to come back around and refill his glass. Chances are, Parker was going to get drunk tonight and whenever Parker got drunk, there was the chance that he’d be taking some random girl back to his place.

I took a gulp of my own drink and raised an eyebrow lazily at a thin blond walking past. She connected eyes with me for a few seconds then lowered her gaze with a smile. That might be her, I might be hooking up with her later tonight.

Parker ran a hand through is curly brown hair and thanked the waiter when he got his 4th glass of beer.

“So I invited that new kid to come here tonight.” He said nonchalantly and tapped a fork against the rim of the glass. I swirled childishly on my red stool, taking the chance to run my eyes over the crowd of people at the place tonight.

“Really? Who is he anyway? I haven’t seen a new guy around.” I answered and then spun back toward the counter. Parker shrugged.
“That white blond kid. That one that has the small lip ring and shit. You know, the one that roams around on his own and is sometimes chilling with Annaleigh Barker.” I racked my brain for some idea of who Parker was talking about, so far the only thing I could picture was the girl with the braids and glasses.

“Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Parker nodded slowly and then rubbed his chin.

“He’s unique, that’s for sure. Thought that the two of you would get along good.” The door opened and Curtis entered the building, his hair tossed across his head like he had just experienced a hurricane attack. He sat down next to Parker and took Parker’s beer, downing it in a few gulps.

“Thanks man,” Curtis muttered and then waved at the waiter. “Hey can I get three of these please!?” Parker glared at Curtis then punched him in the shoulder. I sighed and focused on my own drinks then casually glanced around for the blond girl.

“So this new kid-” I began.

“Rex is his name. Isn’t that weird? He’s named after a fuckin’ dinosaur.” Curtis said and then he laughed. A smile crept my lips but no sound.

“Rex then. Do you guys think he’ll actually show up?” Parker lowered his eyebrows in thought and Curtis simply downed his drinks. I watched the golden liquid disappear from the cup before getting an answer.

“No way man, the kid’s so wacked out that I doubt he’ll get along well with anyone here. The only person he hangs out with are bitch face and Emma.”

“Annaleigh you douche!” Parker shouted and clocked Curtis over the head. Curtis rubbed the new bump with a scowl. “Jesus, get her name right before Friday!”

“I agree with Parker, Curt. You come across as a total asshole every time you get her name wrong. She’s starting to actually seem annoyed with the whole thing.” I said and kicked the counter with my shoe.

“I didn’t think it was possible for someone like her to get pissed off, unlike her stupid friend.” Curtis mumbled and then blushed. Parker turned to me and grinned wickedly, an action I returned.

“You like her don’t you?” Parker inquired and nudged Curtis with his elbow. Curtis shot up and glared at Parker, his eyes forming slits on his tanned face. The blush crept further across his cheeks.

“What are you talking about!?” He exclaimed with a hint of nervousness in his voice. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“You like Court Reitman!” I shouted and everyone stopped to look at Curtis. By this point, Curtis’s face turned a scarlet color and I was positive that the boy might fall over and faint any second.

“No way man! I’ve known her since elementary! She’s a bitch!” He shouted and made the two of us laugh harder. Parker was nearly falling onto the floor and gripped my shoulder to steady himself.

“D-dude… Your… face!” I managed to choke out beyond the immature laughs and motions. Curtis reached a hand up to his face and scowled, dropping it quickly.

“You so like her!” Parker howled and hit the counter with his hand, the beer glasses jumped and landed back onto the counter with a light tink sound.

“Do not!!” Curtis exclaimed and punched Parker in the arm hard. Parker let out another laugh and gripped his shoulder, chuckling. “At least I don’t like her nerdy friend there!”

Parker stopped laughing.

“Who said anything about me liking Annaleigh?” He asked and I nearly fell off of my stool in surprise. Curtis’s face dropped some of the red color and he grinned victoriously.

“There’s no way someone like you could be so nice to her without having some feelings for her.” Curtis hinted and Parker shrugged.

“Don’t have any feelings for her. I’ve known her since we were small Curtis, she’s different and maybe I feel bad for her. But I don’t go out of my way to talk to her like you do with Courtney.” Curtis scowled and looked at me to support.

“He’s right Curt, you purposely trip on her desk leg everyday just to piss her off. It’s getting kinda obvious now.” I replied softly. Parker wasn’t saying anything anymore but instead was downing his drinks quicker than before.

If Parker had any feelings for this girl, he would have told me. Parker hasn’t ever kept a secret from me. His mother’s affair, his dad’s gambling habit, his first lay… He always told me as soon as he could. That’s how things worked between us, no secrets and no lies. That was what our friendship was since I first moved here from California. Parker was with me through thick and thin, through better and worse. Although that sounds completely gay, it’s the only way I can describe it. Parker’s my partner in crime.

His silence was bugging me a bit, especially since Curtis now was giving smug looks of winning. It was like he knew this the entire time and never told me but what pissed me off was that Parker never made any mention of it. It was either that he didn’t like her but cared about her more than he liked to admit as something more along the lines of a brother or he lied just now and has liked her but never told me. I doubt that he would lie to me.

“Anyway, what are you up to this weekend Benny?” Parker questioned, pushing the subject of the girls away. I pursed my lips and choked down the last of my beer, trying to go along like this whole subject wasn’t bothering me, even though it was nagging at my brain.

“Dad’s got a work party this weekend to welcome a new owner. Pretty much said that I have to go to that… I’m not impressed though. He and Bruce are hiring escorts rather than getting themselves dates in person. I guess they figure that they’ll have better luck of looking better with extraordinary women.” Parker and Curtis laughed, I even managed a small chuckle.

“You bringing a date?” Curtis asked me and stole Parker’s drink. Parker gritted his teeth but didn’t do anything but glare at the other boy.

“Probably. There’s a nice blond who’s been eye-fucking me the whole time I’ve been sitting here.” I jerked my head in the direction of the girl and the other boy’s eyes followed the motion. Parker whistled and Curtis turned back with his mouth hanging open. “Definitely not a Courtney, Curt.”

Curtis turned red again and stuck the middle finger up at me.

“Escorts huh? Those are the girls in the paper right? Like hookers, only not for sex.” Parker asked just as the waiter set down the deluxe pizzas we ordered. We each grabbed a slice and began shovelling them back.

“Yeah, pretty much.” I managed to say through my mouth full of pizza.

Parker just nodded.

Parker

I needed to play my cards just right, so I could somehow get Curtis to feel comfortable to admit to it. I could tell Ben was a bit annoyed with my answers toward Annaleigh and how I supposedly feel for her but I couldn’t help it. I’ve been trying to get the words out of Curtis for years.

It was obvious that he liked Courtney. He did everything he could to get her to notice him, whether it be throwing paper balls (or shooting spit balls, which fit in the same category), tripping her, drawing on her stuff, scaring her in the hallways… The list goes on forever but they all point to the same thing.

I don’t really care so much that he likes her, even if she is my second cousin. I’ve never actually told anyone since we aren’t actually blood related or anything thanks to her father’s remarriage but still, it would be some dirt that I’d have on Curtis to use as black mail whenever he pissed me off. Right now, his face was still red from the conversation, even though he was tossing back pizza like handfuls of M&M’s.

If I could make it seem like I actually like Annaleigh, maybe he’d open up to me about Court.

Benjamin wasn’t saying much now. He was taking small bites of the pizza slice in between his long fingers and every so often would turn back to flash that blond girl a seductive smile. It’s what we both did, regardless of where we were. It didn’t matter if we were in a pizza place or at Wal*Mart, standing in line to pay for groceries. Lately though, it’s been getting pretty crazy and I was getting tired of the same type of girls everyday.

They were always shallow bitches who were too pretty and lacking on brains. It was always about how short the skirts were and what party I hooked up with them at while I was wasted out of my mind. I was getting sick of the unintelligent conversations, the hands that seemed to slip into my pants without me being aware or the lips that seemed to trail down my throat as I downed my last sip of whiskey. I was starting to want something real.

I think Curtis feels the same and has for quite awhile now. Especially now that this whole Courtney thing is playing into effect. Curtis was a goof but always managed to get some girl back in his bed. I was surprised when I first met him at how much bullshit he could feed to one chick in one night. He was pro, just like Benjamin. It’s exactly why the three of us ended up getting along, even though Curtis runs his own shows.

Ben on the other hand was still hung up in the scene. Take for example the blond girl. Her legs were long and tan beneath her short skirt, her shirt was barely covering her breasts and her hair was obviously dyed. Not only that but the lip-gloss on her lips shone so bright that her lips looked like plastic rather than flesh. I won’t like and say that I wouldn’t want a piece of her but I was over it. I wanted to get drunk and get out of here.

The effects of the alcohol were taking over me, fuzzing through my brain like a bad poison ready to take over my cells. The clock was already reading 3 in the morning and suddenly the whole idea of coming here on a Tuesday night felt incredibly stupid, even though I was with my best friends. I rubbed my eyes and swallowed the last of my drink before slapping my hand down on the counter. Rex still hadn’t shown but it wasn’t like it mattered. He wouldn’t belong anyway.

“I-I think…” I slurred and frowned when the words didn’t come out the way I wanted them to. “I think I’m going HOME.”

Benjamin laughed at me then poked me. I slid off of my stool and onto the floor, landing firmly on my butt. I groaned and got to me feet, staggering slightly. Curtis got off of his stool, more sober than I was and steadied me.

“Is your friend okay?” A girl had stopped on her way to the bathroom, a friend standing beside her. She eyed me up quickly and giggled, I shifted on my feet the best I could without toppling over.

“Compared to your friend you are.” I replied with a drunken grin. She frowned but Curtis patted her shoulder in a comforting way.

“He’s wasted. You probably look like Gandhi to him right now, that’s okay though because I know that you happen to be absolutely gorgeous.”

“Curtis is in love with a girl who’s teeth are like Frankenstein’s. Don’t take his word sweetie, keep walking.” Benjamin muttered in the girl’s ear and she glared at him. She left while her friend stayed.

“Figure you could use some help.” She said to me sheepishly and placed my arm over her shoulder.

Benjamin had already made his way over to the blond, whispering words in her ear and grinning like the devil himself. This is what we did on a regular basis, reel them in and throw them out. Benny made that up for the two of us, saying that someday we’d be the biggest players in the school.

Funny how the idea doesn’t seem so great now.