Young Love Was Such Dumb Love

"Please, like I would even go there!" Benny called out to the same group of guys who had been harassing her since freshman orientation. Benny crossed the cafeteria and sat down at the table next to her friends the one where coincidently enough Max and John shared with their friends. Benny buried her face in her hands, frustrated with how high school had failed to live up to her expectations. "I just want a guy who thinks with his head instead of his dick is that so hard?!" She called out louder than she anticipated causing all of her brother's friends to stare down the table. She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"Well, I heard that David Aguiano wants to ask you to Homecoming," Megan said just as loud causing all the boys to look back down again. Melissa told Megan to shut up before she stabbed her salad away. Benny groaned tucking her head into her arms and wondered what she had done to get all the douchy guys to like her. Honestly it was getting slightly old.

"Well, maybe it's not a bad thing," Melissa said with her mouth full as she forced herself to keep chewing the greens, her bright blue eyes looking pained. Melissa was already dieting to look perfect in her dress. Benny wasn't even planning on going, "Bennett you're the only one of us who doesn't have a date and it's in, like, a week," She shrugged taking another forkful in after swallowing.

John turned to see Jared standing up and walking over, brushing past Megan, Benny turned around curious to see what he wanted when he was simply down the table from her. "Yes?" She asked turning around to face him and resting her elbows on the table. Max stared on, with a glare in his eyes as if he could stop this form happening solely with will power. It was a death glare that could rival and famous antagonist.

"Do you wanna go to homecoming with me?" Jared asked all in one breath, showing how nervous he was to be asking her, this flattered Benny in two ways: one, she had made him nervous and two, he was an older boy who had asked her to Homecoming. She looked to Megan who still seemed in shock and catatonic. Jared shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants, trying to broaden his shoulders as if it would impress her.

"Why not?" Benny shrugged jutting out her bottom lip. Jared smiled cockily and they exchanged numbers before he returned to his side of the table and the girls broke out into gossip about having to get Benny a dress and how exciting it all was. John simply stared wondering what had just happened, he titled his head ignoring Max verbally abusing Jared for hitting on his sister. John spent the rest of lunch trying to ignore girls' laughter and guys talking about who they were taking because incidently John had been dateless too.

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"This is a bad idea," Bennett said fixing her hair in the mirror, she triple-checked her reflection. Her makeup was dramatic and made her look like an actress which was good because Benny had gotten her dress on sale at Norstrom Rack, for the grand total of 19.99. She fixed the red halter dress that clung tightly to her curves, flaring out at the bottom that hit mid thigh. Her hair was up in a low bun, curled stands framing her face and she bit her lip, flipping her new side-swept bangs turning to Melissa who was applying her makeup, already in her strapless navy dress.

"Shut up, Bennett, you look hot, you have a date, worse case scenario say you got your period and you wanna go home," Melissa said finishing up with many coats of mascara. She was rather apathetic to Benny's nerves simply because she had the same ones. She was going with best friend's older brother who happened to be friends with Benny's older brother. This resulted in them joining groups which Max seemed genuinely unhappy about, that was what worried Benny the most. She prayed he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"I guess," She muttered slipping on some black heels that made her about five foot eight, a whole three inches on her natural height. She took a sharp breath and she walked down the stairs after Melissa put her shoes on, chasing after her. Benny looked down expecting to see Jared waiting for her, instead she saw John with his jaw dropped staring at her. This made her blush even more.

"Oh Suzanne, she looks gorgeous," Mrs. O'Callaghan gushed with a camera in her hands. Time had been fairly good to both mothers, just a couple of gray hairs and small wrinkles, but both still acted like twenty-year-olds. "Oh! John take a picture with her please, I don't feel like waiting for your date to get here, whenever she decides to," Mrs. O'Callaghan said anything less than subtly. John rolled his eyes, but inside he was nervous and ecstatic, mostly nervous.

She smiled standing a seemingly good distance next to him, placing her exterior hand on her hip and waiting for him to get next to her. He was unaware of what to do, how to take a fucking picture. He inched closer to her, moving his hand around her back, where should he put it? On her hip? On her waist? He felt completely inadequate and finally settled for her slim waist. Mrs. Fallon went running off to get her camera to join in while Melissa texted Tim wondering where he was.

"John, get in closer!" Mrs. O'Callaghan ordered and John nodded pressing his body, both of their hipbones touching, Benny had to bite her lip to stop it from shaking. It was more than evident the pounding of her heart wouldn't stop whenever John was near her and this was pretty damn near. She tried to forget these feelings, she was going to homecoming with his best friend. Besides they had known each other forever and he barely spoke to her. "Alright smile!" She said grinning brightly herself, both John and Benny flashed their best smiles and Mrs. O'Callaghan commented on how cute it was.

John felt his hand slipping lower and lower from her waist, unaware of whether he should lift it back up of just let it fall, suddenly he felt her hipbone. Wary of how low he had gone, he tried moving it back up when her hand cupped his which took him back, until he saw that it was Mrs. Fallon directing them for more pictures. Benny's arm swung under his and then wrapped around his shoulder.

"This is kinda weird," Benny whispered just to him between pictures when she could release her smile. John let out a small chuckle.

"I don't know man, moms get crazy. Do you remember our first day of school when we were kids and our mothers made us take a million pictures so we ended up being late?" John laughed softly, Benny let out a laugh nodding her head. John felt a little relaxed, he had made her laugh. The doorbell run interrupting their photoshoot and Jared and Megan stood waiting awkwardly. Megan's date had ditched her last minute for Estelle Stevens, classic hot girl, so she was still depressed and was still going for some reason.

"Hey party people!" Jared smiled walking in, he turned his attention to Benny after she slipped away from John, grabbing her wrist awkwardly. "Bennett, you look beautiful," He grinned causing her to blush, her eyes fell to a small plastic container her had in his hands. "Oh, I got you something, sorry if you hate it," Jared said shyly, retreating his hands to his pockets after giving it to her. She opened the box curious as to what it could be and her jaw dropped when it revealed a freshly cut white daisy.

"Aw, Jared, thanks! You're so sweet," Benny said giving him a light hug and observing it. It was attached to a small clip and slipped it on behind her ear. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything," She said, the moment was awkward enough without everyone staring at them. Mrs. Fallon insisted that she take a million more pictures of Jared and Benny. People began trickling in and finally everyone was here minus John's date. He had just asked Doris Linaman if she wanted to go, and she had said yes. She wasn't exactly America's Next Top Model, but she would do.

"Ugh, forget it, let's start taking group pictures, John why don't you just couple up with Megan?" Mrs. O'Callaghan said, seeming irritated from the lack of usage of her camera. John groaned looking over at a very, very enraptured Megan, her smile so big it looked painful. John went over to the girl with braces, and joined the line of people.

What seemed like hours later and definitely well over a hundred pictures, they decided to go piling up in TIm's father's Tahoe, Jared and Benny got the back seat along with John and Megan, John looked over with envy seeing Jared whispering things just to her and her smiling in response. Megan kept trying to invoke conversation, but it was just getting annoying. John sighed when he stole one more look and saw Benny looking at him, before he could say anything she gave him that charming half-smile before looking away. John was going to have to do something, anything, he knew he couldn't hide his feelings anymore.