M A T H E R M E M O R I A L H I G H S C H O O L:
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 2:35 PM | The Loft
There really was nothing like reading a good book. Aside from providing him with endless knowledge, it doubled as a mechanism to escape his surroundings. It was a remarkably effective and quiet way of saying to those around him to leave me alone and fuck off. With one leg gently crossed over the other, he had quite a cold, yet sophisticated way of existing within the cacophony that permeated around him. With one hand relaxed on the edge of his book for balance as it sat nestled upon his elevated knee, the other hand was tasked with flipping through the pages, his fingertips autonomously dancing upon the crease until it was time for him to turn to the next page, his head tilting curiously in unison as he did so. Ben didn't pay too much attention to those around him, though he remained rather cognizant in the case that someone said something particularly interesting, taking only the briefest of glances to acknowledge who had spoken before returning back to the book.
Truthfully though, he was only half-listening. He heard everything, but was too shy to entwine himself into the discussion, nor did he care too quite frankly. One girl exclaiming that she'd like to be able to metamorph into animals got nothing but a peeved glance and an eye roll from him. Idyllic, yet highly impractical. But the girl who interjected shortly after was probably right. "Isn't the whole idea that no one wants to be hype in the first place?". Though Ben's eyes remained in his book, he couldn't help but slightly nod his head in agreement. It's not that he was ashamed of his powers, but was it really worth the persecution and discrimination? To him, naw....
He missed the mute girl as she communicated inaudibly to the class. A shame too, as he probably would have found her to be rather interesting. Only 15 minutes into the class and he had already burned through 42 pages; A bookworm through and through. He particularly listened in when someone mentioned technopathy as their power of choice, a much better idea than fanua morphism at least, though the notion of everyone being super-powered made him shiver. It was a frightening thought. The world was already messed up as is, and seemed this Gallagher kid agreed, though, his outburst towards the other kid seemed a bit, personal? Ben rolled his eyes and looked back to his book as the boy with the glasses was reprimanded. However, it wasn't until he heard his name suddenly called out, that he poignantly looked up from his book and essentially froze, his vexed gaze looking around to see that his professor and his classmates had suddenly focused on him.
"Err..." he mumbled, unable to synch his tongue and thoughts together as he shut his book with a clemented clap. Ben was very delicate with his books. When he looked back to the professor, his countenance was notably more aloof than before as he laid his hand upon his lap and sighed deeply. "Sorry professer, but I can't answer that fer ya" he said suddenly, his strikingly thick cockney accent finally revealed to the rest of this washed up committee.
Jonas looked at him curiously, his eyebrow suddenly rising. "Elaborate."
Benjamin's gaze had fallen to the floor, his hands frigidly clasped together in his lap. But before he could mutter anything further, a student interjected, his voice familiar. Benjamin looked to where the voice had originated and they shared a momentary gaze at one another. He hadn't even realized that this was the same boy with whom he had seen in the halls earlier, the one who was queerly familiar to him, as though they had met before somewhere. Highly impossible, but Benjamin just couldn't shake the feeling. It was then that another figure interjected, the sprightly young girl noticeably more cheerful than most as she entered, belatedly mind you. How opportune; Benjamin was quick to seize the moment to make his escape.
"Excuse me. Lavatory..."
M A T H E R M E M O R I A L H I G H S C H O O L:
Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 - 2:40 PM | Boy's bathroom 27 near the Loft
Down the hall from the Loft was the bathroom, numbered GB-27 and BB-27 respectively. Ben entered BB-27 with an uncharacteristic slouch, loosely hanging himself over the sink as though he were feeling nauseous and about to puke. God did he hate having a bunch of eyes on him. Just the thought of all their pupils plastered upon him made him want to gag. He nearly would have had he not made his cleverly timed and hasty retreat, though he did have the sprightly girl and the familiar boy to thank for their efforts.
He heard someone enter the bathroom but he didn't look up, too preoccupied as he sluiced his face in the refreshing cold water. Ben let out a relieved breathe as he patted his face down, though he came to an awkward pause when he noticed that the figure that came in behind him was now staring at him through the large bathroom mirror, the other boy's frame twice his size in musculature and height. He had on a jersey. A jock. Of course. Yippee....
They shared a brief glance before Ben looked away and returned to gaze upon his own reflection in the mirror. He patted his face in what seemed like slow motion, clearly perturbed by this much larger male standing and staring from behind him and then tossed the soaked paper towel in the bin and swiveled around so he was facing the jock, his body firmly pressed against the long sink counter to maintain their distance,
"I'm sorry, is there sumthin wrong?" he mumbled to the jock.
"Damn you're cute..." he muttered, though when he suddenly looked away and scratched his head, it was apparent that he hand't meant to say that aloud. Ben looked at him with a confused expression,
"Pardon?". The jock shook his head and heaved his backpack back up onto his left shoulder, "Nothing nothing. Umm..." he began, nervously stepping a bit closer to Ben, though the latter had nowhere else to backtrack so he reactively tensed up.
"Ben right?"
"Yes?" Ben answered cautiously.
"Cool cool...ummm, I'm
Hakeem. I uhhh..." he stuttered, "I just saw you running out of that class for hyper-freaks. Looked like you were about to vomit or some shit. Soo ummmm...so I just thought I'd...you know, check to see if you were good or...whatever."
Truthfully, Ben wasn't sure why this Hakeem guy was acting so nervously, but he was relieved that he hadn't followed him in here to cause him trouble. And based on his statement, he wasn't aware that Ben was one of those hyper-freaks he so openly referred to them as.
"I'm fine." he said quietly, linking his arms together as he returned Hakeem's equally awkward gaze,
"I'm sorry, hyper-freaks?" Hakeem grimaced, much to Ben's dislike, but he tried to keep his face as neutral as possible and charastically reticent. "Yeah. Those weird fucks in that class you came out of. They creep the shit out of me."
"Right..." Ben murmured, his expression suddenly downtrodden,
"Excuse me ..." he said abruptly, quickly making his way around Hakeem towards the exit. The jock must of felt that he might have disrespected Ben in some way because he hastily turned around and grabbed him by the arm to halt him from leaving, "Please wait..." he pleaded in a low-tone. Ben looked at Hakeem once he had been stopped from leaving, the jock's expression surprisingly regretful for someone of his social status in the school hierarchy, "Shit. I didn't mean to offend you. I didn't even think that you might be one of...." he paused as though thinking of right word, "them...".
Ben kept his blank gaze on Hakeem, though his expression had noticeably softened a bit at the jock's off-hand attempt at an apology.
"Well...I'm not" he lied, his voice almost fragile like he knew he just put himself into a glass jar just waiting to be dropped at the slightest mishandle,
"Now can you please let me go?" he asked politely, motioning to Hakeem's hand that was still wrapped around his arm. "If I do, will you go out with me sometime?"
"No" Ben said coldly, tugging at his arm in a feeble attempt to pull away. Hakeem kept his grip on Ben's arm, if not tighter, though he didn't seem to notice that Ben began to wince, a painful tingle suddenly surging on his arm where Hakeem was holding him. "Please?" he implored gently. Ben was really feeling a pain now and it was less of a painful tingle and more like a burning sensation,
"I said no! And your hurting me, let go!" Ben yelped, his powers triggering in the spur of the moment, causing his arm to simply fall out of Hakeem's grip. Ben fell to the ground, his eyes bubbling as he looked at his arm where Hakeem had been holding onto him, obvious burn marks tracing around his flesh. As Ben sniveled from the pain of the burn's he had suddenly been given, Hakeem, mouth gaped and in complete shock, slowly backed away, his eyes dilating as he was finally coming to the realization of what had just happened. He looked at his pulsating palms in complete confusion.
"Your a fucking hyperfreak!?" he stated, though, it was less of a statement, and more of a desperate and confused exclamation. Ben, still crying from the pain, stood up off the floor and began running water over the burns on his arm to try and alleviate some of the pain, too little effect unfortunately,
"So are you..." he whimpered to the jock. Hakeem was wobbling over to the door in a stupor, his gaze still upon his hands. He looked up to Ben with an apologetic expression on his face, "Fuck! Fuck! fuck! I'm so sorry. I didn't know! Shit! I'm sorry...I've gotta go!"
And so Hakeem fled the scene...
...leaving Ben to cry alone in the Boy's Lavatory 27.
Even through the pain, Ben knew that wouldn't be the last he'd be seeing of him.