[Hello everyone! The RedBubble accounts are now set up and ready! Check out EternalLaughter (changed my username) and Yooniverse on RB! Your support is very much appreciated!

Music in the multimedia is: Synchronice- Rewind!

Enjoy the chapter!]

Stay Creepy, My Friends!~

Chapter 9

Reese's POV

The next two weeks have been interesting.

Whenever Ben does a Corrupted-killing, he always tells me about it. I think he over-exaggerates because, one time, he got his head decapitated and he swears it happened. I called bullshit on him.

That's not all he texts me for. Sometimes he just likes to tell me jokes, and late at night, too (why then of all times). When it's late at night, I either reply with pity L-O-Ls or with 'go the fuck to sleep's. He keeps sending me jokes anyway.

He's visited my apartment about four more times, two per each week that has passed. So far he hasn't been caught, and whenever Mom or Hunter comes close to confronting him, he just disappears in a burst of pixels again. He also keeps taking the liberty to take my bed over and over again. One time, I had to argue with him, then when words didn't work I just grabbed his ankles and pulled him off. After that he either sits on the floor or on my desk chair.

I've already had my stitches removed so I don't get weird stares anymore. Well, sort of. The scars are on my face are still there looking glazed over, and every now and then I catch someone staring. The scar on my side has healed nicely but it's still noticeable against my skin. Thankfully no one ever sees that one but me.

Today was a Tuesday. The cafeteria was alive with students walking in-between tables or chatting. Most of the noise was drowned out by my music, so I only paid attention to people moving about. After a few minutes, I got a lunch tray and sat at a nearby table with an empty side. As I was opening up a bottle of water, my phone buzzed and I checked it. A text from BEN.

-Hey! How'd your Stats exam go?? :D

As I propped my elbows on the table to text a reply, I noticed a few students at the table in front of me looking at me. When I glanced at them, they didn't really turn away like people usually do. Some did, others kept gawking, or snickering amongst themselves. With a huff, I turned my attention back to my phone to ignore them.

Just as I hit the Send button, a random girl sat in front of me. She propped her elbows on the table, holding her head up in a cute fashion--well, at least it would be cute to others. With her big, alluring eyes, she looked at me, and with her lip-glossed lips, she smiled at me. I kept giving her a blank expression.

"Hey, Reese, right?"

"Yeah..."

"I wanted to ask if you would like to come to a party this Saturday? There'll be drinks, and snacks, and no supervision." She giggles. "What do you say?"

I furrowed my brow and said, "Why are you suddenly inviting me?"

She pauses for a second before responding, "Well, to be honest, we want a bunch of people to come. Kinda wanna out-do another kid from Lexington High, you know? Anyway, wanna come?"

After thinking for a moment, I smiled politely and said, "Okay, sure. That sounds nice. And, should I bring a clown suit, too?"

She blinks. "What?"

"Well, if you want me to come just to have people gawk and make fun of me, sure! I'd be happy to go out and buy a clown suit, maybe even a wig. Might as well go all out to entertain everyone because they just looove a good laugh. And, what better way to get a laugh than to bring me along?"

She laughed nervously and stammered, "T-That's not what--."

"Don't try to lie to me. I can see through your bullshit angel facade. You don't think I noticed you laughing with your friends just now? That's kind of fucked up to just make fun of someone one moment, then turn around and pretend nice with them. Thank god you're not in drama because you'd be a piss-poor actress. Now that I've said what I wanted to say, go back to laugh with your friends and take your bullshit party invitation with you. I hope it turns out to be a failure."

When I finished, I gave her a little wave to send her off. She scowled and huffed as she got up and stormed away. I rolled my eyes and finally took a sip from my water bottle. Just as I took the first bite of my food, another person came up right next to me and I groaned. Turning my head, I saw a guy standing next to me, sneering down at me. With a bored tone of voice, I said, "Let me guess, pissed-off boyfriend?"

"You think you're such a smart-ass, don't you?" he growled.

"I don't think--I am."

"Look, you said some unnecessary shit, so apologize to my girlfriend."

"I didn't say unnecessary shit, I said the truth, now can I eat in peace before you get on my ass?"

Quicker than I expected, he grabbed onto the collar of my hoodie and hissed, "Apologize and this will be much easier for you, you walking freak show."

"So you did want a clown," I remarked.

Without any hesitation, he shoved me back off my chair and I fell onto the floor. Sighing, I muttered, "And I'm the one always getting in trouble..."

Before the angry boyfriend could get on top of me, I struck a kick right against his inner thigh. I was going for his crotch, but I missed. Still, it got him so I took this chance to get to my feet. Angry Boyfriend was starting to recover but I landed a punch across his face before he could do anything. When that wasn't enough to get him to back off, I shoved a kick square into his chest and he went falling against a few people in a booth. Students were getting up to get away from us, but others were gathering to watch. There won't be much to watch though--this won't take long.

The moment I was gearing up to punch him one last time, I felt someone grab my hood and yank me back. I went falling against the cafeteria chairs, dazed. The next thing I knew, I received a hard punch to my left cheek and groaned. When I looked up, I saw another angry guy, and another. Shit, I forgot about the possibility of Angry Boyfriend's friends butting in.

I was too overwhelmed too fast, and there were wasn't enough time to figure out a plan. Confused and frustrated, all I could do was flail a few weak punches as all three boys jumped me. After what might have been two minutes (two minutes was too much), security guards finally pulled the boys off of me. I laid on the cold, tile floor, covering my head as I winced in pain. My sides, shoulders, head and arms ached from where I was hit. Hands gently grabbed my arms and I looked up to see one of the on-duty teachers helping me up.

"C'mon, let's take you to the nurse," she said.

"I'm fine," I grumbled, weakly shaking her off.

"Sir, please--."

"I said I'm fine!" I snapped. Quickly, I grabbed my backpack and rushed out of the cafeteria. I didn't care for the people I bumped into and shoved aside, all I wanted to do was get out of this suffocating room. Security guards called out to me but I never listened. The moment I was out of the cafeteria I ran. I ran to wherever my legs took me until I stopped in the science wing. There, I pushed into the boys' restroom and threw my backpack against the far wall. I cussed loudly, knowing that the building was pretty much empty because the science teachers always take lunch at this time. With the restroom to myself, I swore and kicked at the stalls all I wanted. Even though something like this should have eased my stress, it didn't. I was still angry, still frustrated, and still exhausted.

Looking in the mirror, I scowled. I could already see the red spots on my face where bruises would form. There was one on my cheekbone right on top of my fucking scars. I turned away before I could start berating myself and sat against the wall next to my fallen backpack. Taking this time to breathe, I remembered that I was texting Ben before things went to shit. I took out my phone and checked my lock screen.

-Omg, that's awesome! Stats is like super complex. Congrats on passing! :D

It was sent about ten minutes ago. With a sigh, I texted him back: You can come through my phone, right? Come pick me up from school.

A response came a minute later.

-Um, don't you get out at 4? It's barely 12...

-I don't care. Just come get me. I'm hanging out in the boys restroom and no one is going to come in any time soon. Hurry up.

There was no message after that. I left my phone hanging from my fingers and leaned my head against the wall. Closing my eyes, I rested and tried not to think too much about what happened during lunch. There was a sudden flash of light beyond my eyelids along with a brief jolt from my cell phone. I opened my eyes to see Ben standing in the middle of the restroom in his human form.

"Geez, I haven't been in a restroom like this since--." The second he saw me he flashed a big grin, then it immediately faded as he asked, "What happened to you..?"

He kneeled down in front of me, placing his hands on my knees as he looked at me. I turned away and answered, "Just a fight. No big deal."

"You have a little blood on your lip," he said, grabbing my chin. I shook him off, but he held my face anyway. With a concerned frown, he reached up for one of the paper towel dispensers on the wall beside us and tore off a sheet. He dampened it with some water from the sinks before pressing the paper towel against my mouth. I winced and listened to him when he asked, "How did it happen?"

I shrugged. "A group of students were making fun of my scars. One of the girls came up to me to invite me to a party this Saturday, but I knew she only did it so more people could ridicule me. I said some crap to her, then her boyfriend got involved, then two of his friends jumped in and now I'm here. I didn't even get to eat lunch..."

"Teenagers are assholes," Ben remarked, pulling the paper towel away to check my lip, then pressing it back in place. "But, not you."

"Nah, I'm still an asshole," I corrected. Ben managed a small smile before grazing his knuckles against the scars on my face.

"At least you're not an asshole like those kids," he added. "Why would anyone make fun of you for something you couldn't control? You didn't want these scars. Don't they know what happened?"

"Maybe they didn't. Maybe they did but didn't care."

"It's still common sense to figure something horrible happened to get scars like these," he muttered. Then his face fell and he said, "I'm sorry."

I cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"If I hadn't just stood by and watched you fight that Corrupted, maybe you wouldn't have gotten the scars on your face. Maybe if I had come sooner..."

"Don't do the 'what if' bullshit," I said. "What's done is done. And, I wouldn't blame you for what happened to me. Besides, this isn't my first fight. People just don't like me."

"I like you," Ben retorted.

"You're not people."

"I'm not a person, but still."

"Well, you are a person, just not human, kinda."

"What are you trying to get at here?"

"I don't know, you're the one who said you liked me," I grumbled. Ben only chuckled.

After checking my lip one more time, he tossed the paper towel in the trash can and asked, "So, you really want me to take you away from here?"

"Yeah. I can afford to miss the rest of my classes."

The blonde smiled and extended a hand to help me to my feet. I took his hand and grabbed my backpack on the way up. Standing next to him, I got another chance to notice his height again. I also took notice that he kept holding my hand but I didn't bother to say anything.

"I'm going to warn you, you might feel sick," he started. "My teleportation isn't a normal thing for humans, ya know. Whatever you do, don't let go."

"Why not?"

"Unless you want part of you to stay stuck in a void somewhere, you'll hold on," he quipped, squeezing my hand for emphasis. Now I don't mind holding his hand so much...

"Take a deep breath, close your eyes and relax," he instructed. I did as he said. Suddenly, there was a queasy, weightless sensation in my stomach, like I was on a roller coaster or one of those 50-meter-drop machines. It nearly took the breath out of me, and I understood what the deep inhale was for. I kept my eyes closed for fear that I might see something my mind couldn't comprehend. All around me I couldn't feel anything like the floor, or wind--nothing. I felt suspended, but I could still feel Ben's hand in mine, and I couldn't resist tightening my grip.

As soon as it happened, it stopped and the floor was under my feet again. But it wasn't the floor, it was ground, and I could feel the fresh air of the outside. My head hung so when I opened my eyes I could see that all of my body parts were intact. When I turned to look at Ben, my vision went blurry and I nearly fell over. Ben caught me and kept me on my feet. Everything felt fuzzy and weird, and I was nauseated. Whatever appetite I had before was probably gone now.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked, chuckling a little.

"Y-Yeah," I murmured, using him to keep myself steady. "I feel like shit, though..."

"You get used to it," he chimed.

Leaning my head against his shoulder, I panted, "W-Where are we?"

"New York City."

"What?!" I exclaimed, snapping my head up, but that made me dizzier.

"I figured you wanted to be somewhere new instead of same old Wriamont. NYC is the perfect place for that."

New York City, huh? Jesus, this guy is insane. It's...it's cool.

Chuckling with some nervousness and some glee, I said, "Okay, then. T-Take me sight seeing."

"You wanna sit down first?" he offered.

"Not in an alley way," I grumbled.

"Right. C'mon." Still holding my hand, he led me out of the alley and out onto the sidewalk. It was then that I finally noticed the bustling noise of such a big city. There were pedestrians everywhere, cars passed on the streets, people rode their bikes with a grace that only New York City-bicyclists could have. Everything, from the color of the sidewalk to the looming buildings was different. Even the weather was a few degrees colder than back in Indiana. All of it was so overwhelming, but I was still standing and gawking at everything. This was something that only dreams could pull off yet here I was standing in the middle of it all.

"We caught a good time to be here," Ben commented. "Once school ends there'll be a shit ton of more traffic. Let's enjoy the space while it lasts, yeah?"

I could only nod since I was still at a loss for words. Ben led me along the sidewalk to wherever he wanted to take me. There were people taking up most of the sidewalk so we couldn't be side-by-side, but I strolled behind him. When I wasn't staring at the buildings, I was staring at our hands. Or I would stare at the back of Ben's head and catch sight of that quarter-sized chip that makes him look human. Being in such a famous, crowded, and new place made me feel small. I'm not used to feeling so uncomfortable, so I tried walking closer to Ben. He glanced back at me, smiled, then pulled me to his side. After a few seconds, the people walking against our direction learned to make room to accommodate us. It was such a weird thing to see but still amazing.

After walking for a few minutes, Ben and I crossed the street and went onto another sidewalk. Then, he led me into a restaurant that just smelled of all things Italian. The moment I recognized pizza, my stomach growled. I guess my appetite is still here.

"Hungry?" Ben chirped to me. I nodded eagerly. He chuckled and went up to the employee at the front.

"Table for two!" Ben pulled a charismatic grin as he held up two fingers. The employee nodded and led us further inside the restaurant. (I expected the place to be packed, but considering it's the middle of the day it made sense that there wouldn't be many people.) We were seated at a booth and I took this opportunity to reflect on everything that's just happened.

Got beaten up. Went through some disorienting, sci-fi travel. Ended up in New York City. Now I'm sitting in an Italian restaurant with a ghost boy like everything is normal.

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked.

Finally pulling a smile, I said, "I feel fucking fantastic...!"

"I knew you'd love it," he said. His smile was giddy and the excitement reached his blue eyes.

"This definitely beats sitting around in government and eco," I remarked, touching the table and feeling its glossy realness. Ben laughed lightheartedly at me, looking at me with kind eyes. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

It was five minutes until a waitress came up to get our drink orders. After we got drinks, it was another five minutes until we ordered food. It was ten minutes or so until the waitress came back with our plates. I got pasta while Ben stuck with pizza. We ended up sharing our meals though, so I took a bite of his pizza while I fed him some fettuccini noddles slathered in sauce.

We finished, and the both of us leaned in our seats, full beyond recognition. The bill came and Ben paid for the meal. When I saw him whip out cash out of nowhere, I asked him, "Where the hell do you get money from?"

"It's a secret," he chimed as he pinned the money on the receipt tab.

"You steal it, don't you?"

"No..!" But the grin on his face told me otherwise.

"I just hope you don't suck dick for it," I joked.

"I mean, I could, but I don't," he remarked.

I nearly choked on my water when I was taking a sip and shook my head. "Pervert."

"You still like me," he said as he left a tip and got up from the booth. I followed after him out of the restaurant, diving back into the city again.

"What do you want to do now?" Ben asked me. He didn't hold my hand this time, and I felt weird now without him in my grasp. There was no way I would grab his hand, though. That'd be too awkward.

"I don't know. There's a lot. I'm a little overwhelmed," I replied.

Ben held his chin as he thought of ideas. Suddenly, he gasped, grabbed my hand (I was a little relieved), and said, "Hey, why don't you show me how to ride a penny board?"

"I don't have my board with me though..."

"I'll get you one! C'mon!" Without a moment to lose, the blonde dragged me hurriedly away to wherever we could get a new penny board.

Eventually we found some sort of shop and Ben immediately asked an employee where the cruisers were. A minute later, the two of us were standing in front of a rack of penny boards of assorted colors.

"Are you sure you want to get me a new board? We can just go back to my place to pick mine up...," I murmured.

"No, this is fine! You get to have another one just in case. Don't worry about money, and pick whatever you want!"

Pursing my lips, I stepped forward to get a good look at the boards. All of them had some sort of design on them. Some with cool art like skulls or roses, others with ridiculous patterns like dogs or tie-dye (definitely not getting tie-dye). I wasn't sure what to get, so I just shrugged and told Ben, "You pick. There's too many to choose from."

He smiled and stepped up. "Okay, then. How about...that one?"

He pointed to a board and I wasn't too surprised to find that it was themed green. When I pulled it out from the rack, it had a green bottom, and a white top with...weed leaf patterns on it. Of course.

"Um..."

"It's green!" Ben chimed happily.

"Yeah, but.....okay, I'll get it." There wasn't a point to arguing about it. At least the weed leaf image isn't illegal. I'll have to explain some stuff to Mom, though.

After we had an employee install the wheels on the board, we took it to the counter to buy and Ben paid in cash again. Since we couldn't exactly put it in a bag, I had to carry it and there were funny stares. Ben led me into an alley, out of sight from people, and we teleported again. The second time wasn't any better than the first, and I was afraid I'd throw up my lunch. Luckily, no pasta was thrown up, and I found myself in a grove of trees. Ben was beside me, holding my hand, and he led me out of the trees to reveal a park. Afar, I could see a skate park area and I figured that's where we were going.

Ben and I walked past a picnic area, and a lake to get to the skate park. Very few kids were there, and whom I guessed were college kids only hung out nearby. I set my backpack on a bench and threw down the penny board on the concrete.

"So, how do you use it?" Ben asked.

I got on top and pushed forward with ease. Casually, I cruised around Ben and the bench while saying, "It's not that hard. You just need to have a good balance and relax."

"I figured," he remarked, resting his hands on his hips. "Teach me how to use it."

I stopped beside him and hopped off the board. With a showy hand, I gestured to the cruiser and said, "Get on."

Ben placed one foot on the board, but when he lifted his other, he wobbled and yelped. He leaped off and whined, "I can't."

"You can," I insisted. Holding out both hands, I said, "Grab on and balance."

Ben placed his hands in mine and carefully stepped on the penny board. This time he was able to get on and stay on. Gently, I attempted to let go but he didn't want me to.

"You can't learn how to ride if you're clinging onto me," I said.

"But I'm going to fall...!"

"That's part of learning."

He pursed his lips nervously, then sighed. Hesitantly, he let go and stood idly on the cruiser. I smiled and told him how to stand properly. The blonde did as I said and wavered in his spot for a moment. After he stood correctly, I told him, "Okay, now kick off and lean forward just a little."

"Um. Alright. I just--." Immediately, as soon as his foot touched the ground to push forward, the penny board slipped out from under him and he fell forward. Luckily, I caught him by the waist just in time and he hung limply in my arms.

"I'm bad at this," he murmured.

"You're barely learning," I assured him. "Don't worry, I kept fucking up, too."

I helped him stand to his feet, then pushed the board back to our spot. "Try again," I said.

Using me for leverage, he got on the board again and stood properly. This time, instead of making him kick off by himself, I got in front of him and held out my arms. "I'm going to lead you, okay? Don't freak out when you start moving."

"Okay..." Ben clutched onto my arms. Carefully, I walked backward and pulled him along. The board jolted under his feet as he rolled forward. Ben kept looking down, being wary of falling over again. All I focused on was not tripping on anything as I walked backward. But sometimes I'll pay attention to Ben's grip on my arms, which would tighten and loosen depending on if he panics. I told him to practice kicking off and he did. Slowly at first, then a little faster as he got comfortable. It was entertaining seeing his body stutter and hearing his random, awkward noises. I remember when I was this inexperienced when I first learned how to use the cruiser. Hunter had helped me out and this is how he did it, even though he never knew how to ride. But it worked, so maybe it'll work for Ben.

Eventually, I was able to walk along side him as he cruised at a gentle speed. He still held my arm, of course, but he wasn't so jittery now. Every now and then, he'd glance up at me to see if he was doing well. I smiled and so would he. As he concentrated more and more on controlling the board, I slowly slipped out of his grip. It felt nice to see him not freak out the second our fingertips separated. Stepping back, I watched him ride the weed leaf patterned board (still can't believe it's mine), and grinned.

Once he finally realized I wasn't there anymore, he hollered in excitement and glanced back at me. "Reese, I'm doing it! Holy shit, I'm really doing it! Haha!"

My glee was put to a stop when I saw that he was rolling towards a dip in the concrete. It was then that I realized I forgot to teach him one other important thing: how to fuckin' stop.

"Shit--Ben, be careful!" I warned aloud, but it was too late by then.

Ben gave me one last puzzled look before falling toward onto the concrete, and exclaiming, "Fuck!" The penny board tumbled, righted itself, and rolled away in an ironic nature. I gasped and ran to the fallen wraith in a hurry. I kneeled down and touched his shoulder, asking him, "Are you okay?"

The blonde lifted his head and blood was all over his nose and mouth. Even though it looked bad, and he was surely in pain, I kept thinking about the way he cussed as he fell and started laughing.

"I'm glad you can laugh at my misery," he murmured sadly.

"I-I'm sorry it's just--." I kept laughing harder and harder every time I tried to talk.

Eventually, I stopped cackling and Ben sat up straight. "Are you okay?" I asked again, wiping a tear from my eye.

"I mean, I'm profusely bleeding from my nose, and I'm pretty sure it's broken, but I'm good," he remarked.

I froze. "Crap, is it really broken...?"

He smiled. "It'll heal in just a little bit. Scared you though, didn't I?"

"Maybe," I said, looking away.

Ben chuckled and touched the blood on his face. I remembered the way he cleaned up my lip a few hours ago and figured I should do the same. Scooting closer to him, I rolled my hoodie sleeve down and delicately pressed it against his face. He flashed me a surprised look, before grinning and saying, "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah. Damn, you have a lot of blood on you. This is going to be hard to wash out..."

"You're the one who sacrificed your hoodie for me."

"Whatever," I grumbled, cleaning off the last bit of the blood on his nose. After that, I took off the hoodie and folded it up inside my backpack by the bench.

After I got up to grab my penny board, I took a seat next to Ben, whom was sitting on the edge of the empty skating pit. Checking the time on my phone, I could see it was barely 2 o'clock. Two more hours until I have to go home--all the way back at Indiana. Glancing at Ben's nose, I could see the swelling was going down already. Damn, he does heal fast.

"Thanks for making my day better," I told him, staring off at the park's lake far away.

Ben beamed and replied, "No problem. You deserved it."

I smirked. "Did I really?"

"Yes. You got beaten up by three dickwads." He ran a hand through my hair, probably trying to fix it. Looking at my face, he retorted, "Your cheekbone has already bruised.."

"It's whatever," I murmured.

Ben grinned mischievously and added, "Hey, what would you think about me spooking all of the kids at that party?"

My lips tugged into a smile and I said, "Well, it doesn't sound like a bad idea..."

"Want me to?" His expression was a little too eager.

"Calm down there, psycho. I'll think about it."

"Okay." A pause. "Because I was thinking I could, like, disable all of their electronics, right? Then they'll be like 'oh shit, what's happening' and then I'll make everything, like, go static so there's constant shrieking and people will get super uncomfortable and cry and--." He kept making silly, spooky gestures and I laughed at him the entire time he ranted.

He stopped flailing about and commented, "Seriously, I can't understand why people would make fun of your scars. I think they make you look badass."

"Really?"

"Hell yeah! Even that little baby scar on your lip has its own coolness," Ben chimed, pointing to my mouth. I stifled a wry laugh.

"Speaking of," he started, "how'd you get it?"

That's when my smile faded and I glanced down at the skate pit beneath us. Pressing my lips into a line, I furrowed my brow and stayed quiet for a few seconds to collect my thoughts.

"I fell down the stairs when I was little," I stated shortly. "Doctor said I was lucky I didn't break all of my front teeth."

"How'd you fall?"

Again, I went quiet and swung my feet back and forth against the concrete wall of the pit. From the corner of my eye, I could see Ben's expression change to one of concern. I couldn't stand to let there be tension, so I managed a light chuckle to ease the mood. "Uh, it's a personal thing. It's not like it's a secret, but I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."

"If you don't want to tell me, I'll understand," Ben replied. "Just know I'll still be a little worried, yeah?"

Sighing, I laid back on the ground, closing my eyes to avoid hurting them by staring at the sky above. "No, it's fine. I've told people this dozens of times before. Nothing new. I've got a routine story-line by now."

"Story-line for what...?"

"Mmm... To answer your other question," I started, "at an old house I used to live in, I fell down the basement stairs because my dad pushed me down."

Ben faltered before inquiring, "On accident, right?"

"Nope," I said blatantly. "Did it on purpose. From what I remember, it was because I spilled water on the floor when washing the dishes. I mean, that's to be expected, right? A five or six-year-old can't reach very high. But, anyway, my dad got mad, chased me to the basement, and as I was fleeing down the stairs he pushed me. Went to the hospital, doctors said I'd live, and then I went back home to be treated like shit again."

When I glanced at Ben, he was gaping at me with a saddened expression on his face. Quickly, I shifted my gaze away and added, "I'd share more with you, but you seem upset enough already."

Ben hardened his mien and replied, "It shouldn't matter if I'm upset."

"I don't like when you're upset," I admitted. "It doesn't feel right."

"It might not feel right, but it happens," he argued quietly.

"Still, I shouldn't put you down. We were happy-go-lucky just a moment ago. Let's get back to that." I sat up, then stood to my feet carrying the penny board.

"Reese...," Ben called to me. Looking down at him, I could see the concern still set on every inch of his face.

Managing another smile, I told him, "It's fine. I've been fine for years. What's done is done, and I've learned to accept it. My dad's an asshole, but he's gone, and that's what's important. Now...c'mon. Maybe I can show off some tricks and fail miserably." I offered him my hand. After spending a couple of moments staring at me, Ben grabbed onto my hand and stood up.

"Please don't break your nose," he remarked, smirking.

"I'll try not to," I said.

As we walked to one of the mini ramps, Ben piped up, "Hey, after this, you wanna check out Lady Liberty? I hear people like to go and make-out up in her head."

"Ew, no way."

"Yeah! Wanna go?"

"You just wanna see people make-out," I teased.

"No! That's what porn is for."

"Pervert," I muttered.

"Hey, I'm not a pervert; I'm sexually awakened," he boasted.

"Well, sexual Buddha, I still say you're a pervert."

"Oooh, clever nickname, Reese's puffs!"

I frowned. "Don't call me that."

"But it's cute."

"Is this cute?" I grumble as I flip him off.

"Oooo, the peanut butter cup is angry," he cooed.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

"Ah, I like when you're feisty," he remarked. Shaking my head, I tossed the penny board down on the ground, got on, kicked off and flipped him off with both hands as I rolled away. He cackled with amusement and hurried after me. After I pulled off a few basic tricks (which Ben thought were absolutely amazing), we went to the Statue of Liberty like he offered. And whadaya know, people were making out. It was gross.

...

We visited Central Park afterwards, and holy crap it was bigger than I thought it was. We spent a good hour walking around and that was only half of the area. Ben and I decided to stop and sit by Gapstow Bridge, right beneath the stone structure on the edge of the river bank.

"So, what do you think of New York City?" Ben asked me, tossing a few small rocks across the water.

"It's...a lot," I replied, watching him fail at skipping stones.

Ben smiled at me. "I'm glad you're so amazed."

"Do you usually go to these big cities?" I asked him, finding a few small rocks of my own.

"Sometimes," he answered, "but not a whole lot. It's nice to get out, though. I never realized how awesome these kinds of places were until I saw your reactions to them."

I smirked. "Was I awestruck like a child?"

"You have no idea how many times I wanted to close your mouth because you kept hanging it open. I was afraid a bug would fly in," he teased, and I stuck my tongue out at him. As I tossed a rock across the water and watched it skip, Ben leaned closer to me and started, "You know, we could always do this again if you'd like. It doesn't have to just be NYC, either."

I glanced at him. "Where else would you take me?"

He lazily flung a rock into the water as he responded, "There's always Cali, and New Jersey, and Las Vegas if you ever wanna hit up a casino. Miami, D.C., Philly. Anywhere you want to go, I can take you. Well, as long as I've been there myself, but you get it. There's so much I can show you, and all you have to do is just ask."

As he talked, I kept tossing rocks into the water and making a few skip across the surface. When he finished and I let his words sink in, I only smiled and said, "As much as all of that sounds tempting, I don't want to get carried away. I don't want to end up using you, so I'll stick with what I know."

Ben chuckled lightly. "You wouldn't use me. I'd be happy to be your personal tour guide."

"You'd just show me weed shops and strip clubs if you could be my personal tour guide," I remarked.

He gasped. "Oh my god, you so get me...!"

"I was kidding."

"And I'm not--I take my weed shops and strip clubs seriously."

I rolled my eyes and playfully shoved him. Ben laughed to himself, his blue eyes lighting up with glee. Suddenly things got quiet and the sounds of the park were more prominent now. The tree branches rustling with the wind, people strolling on the Gapstow Bridge next to us, the sound of a little turtle popping back into the water a few meters away. All of it felt so surreal--my presence here is surreal, and its all due to Ben.

"You mentioned that I was like a break to you, right?" I said.

He nodded. "I hope that doesn't offend you."

"No, it doesn't," I replied nonchalantly. "But it still, I guess, dumbfounds me knowing you'd wanna waste time with a kid with emotional issues. I mean, I haven't given you anything, except for cake, and yet here we are, hanging out in the Big Apple because you just decided to take me here."

Ben leaned back onto his hands and said, "Well, sometimes you need a little normal, you know? It's nice to just get away from all of the weird shit. I mean, the weird shit is normal to me, but it's good to be around normal-normal. Plus, you're an interesting kid with emotional issues."

"Thanks, I guess?" I murmured, furrowing my brow.

"I know my logic might be weird, but it makes sense to me."

Shaking my head, I responded, "No, I think I can understand."

A wry chuckle left his lips and he said, "Good. I'm glad you can."

I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was almost four o'clock. "We'll have to leave soon. My brother will have found out about my fight so he'll already be at the school to pick me up. Can't afford to be late."

"Then, are you ready to go?" Ben questioned.

I gazed up at the trees around us, at their branches and leaves that are barely turning out of their autumn colors. Even though I wanted to stick around longer and see so many other things, I nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Ben stared at me, pausing for a few seconds, before holding out his hand and saying, "Give me your phone."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just give it," he urged. I handed my phone to him despite my suspicions. He swiped once, had our backs face the Gapstow Bridge, sat right next to me, and held out the phone with the front camera on us.

"Say cheese," he chimed, grinning joyfully. I gave a small smile and he grumbled, "You've smiled better than that."

"Fine, fine," I muttered through my teeth as I flashed a wider smile.

"Cheese!" Ben took the picture and the phone screen blinked for a split second. He lowered the phone and gave it back to me. "A little memento for you, angry peanut butter cup."

"Thanks." I grabbed my phone and put it back in my pocket.

"Let's go," the blonde man said as he stood up. He held out his hand for me to take and helped me stand up. Still holding it, he led me away to an area where we wouldn't be seen. He gave me a warning before we would teleport again. I just closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and then everything around me felt like it disappeared except for Ben.

I think I'm getting better at handling his teleportation, because it seemed to go by faster than the previous times. Still, I was dizzy at the end of it, and it took me a few moments to register that we were at the back of my school.

"Right on time," Ben commented while I struggled to stand.

"Do me a favor and take my penny board back to my place," I slurred. "I don't want my mom and brother to be suspicious of anything."

"Gotcha." Ben took the cruiser from me and hung it at his side.

Once I got my composure back, I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder and said, "Well, I'll see you around. Again, thanks for today."

"No problem. Later, Reese's pieces." And with one last wink and a cocky grin, he vanished in a plume of pixels and light.

The final bell rang and I took that as my signal to head to the front. As I expected, Hunter's Corolla was already parked at the pick-up line, waiting for me. I geared myself up for a lecture, but, surprisingly I wasn't anxious. The anger and frustration I had earlier was gone now, replaced with calmness. I'm glad I ditched school with Ben.

When I opened up the passenger's side door and hopped into my seat, Hunter immediately asked me, "Where the hell have you been?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You were absent in your last couple of classes--why?"

"Uh...I arrived too late for them to count me tardy," I lied.

"How do you arrive too late?" He shifted the car out of park and began exiting the school grounds.

Without looking at him, I casually replied, "Look, I just arrived late. I didn't want to go to my classes but I did. It was a rough day."

"I'll say," he remarked. "Thanks to whatever fight you got into you've been suspended the rest of the week."

"What...?" I was surprised.

Hunter shot me a sideways glance. "You didn't know? You should've. Your counselor told me the front office had been calling for you in all of your classes after lunch, but teachers say you weren't there. You should have found out then."

I knew I was had, and a sigh left my lips. "Alright, I skipped. I didn't want to be at school anymore."

"So, you just left?"

"Yeah."

"Where did you go?"

"Anywhere but on-campus," I said.

"Reese."

Leaning into my seat, I added, "You're not going to ask why I got into a fight?"

"Do I need to anymore?"

I shot him a narrow-eyed look and muttered, "Thanks for the concern, dear brother. I'll spare you the details and say I fought out of self-defense. Because people were making fun of my fucking scars just to be assholes. Because apparently I can't be left alone. I'm a 'walking freak show', as everyone seems to think. So there. That's the story. Maybe I'll tell the whole story to Mom since she might actually care."

Hunter gripped the steering wheel tighter. "Reese, you know I didn't mean it like that--."

"It's whatever. I'm actually in a good mood so I don't feel like arguing with you."

"It's not whatever!" When we hit a red light, Hunter turned to look at me sternly. I could see the emotion in his chocolate brown eyes but I didn't have it in me to undermine or strengthen that emotion.

Shaking my head, I continued, "It's whatever. I'll be fine. It's not the end of the world. So on and so on."

"Reese--."

"I'm fine," I repeated with more ardor. I stared back into his eyes, hopefully not portraying any anger, because that would only provoke him into talking more.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the traffic light turn green. Hunter kept his eyes on mine for a split second before facing forward again and driving. After that the Corolla was completely silent. Hunter didn't even turn on the radio, which is what he usually does to fill any silence. He just focused on driving, but I could see on his face that he was thinking. If I looked at him any longer, I'd start thinking too, and my mood would be ruined. To get my mind off of the silence and tension, I put my earbuds in, played my music, and texted Ben: Hey, guess who got suspended from school and has three days off this week??

-You...??? :)

I smirked.

-Bingo.

...

When we got home, Hunter sent me to my room so I could change and so he could talk to Mom real quick. Once in my room, I tossed my backpack next to my bed and threw my shoes off. When I went to lay down on my bed, I spotted the weed leaf pattern cruiser laying in the middle. And on top of the board was a king size Reese's Peanut Butter Cups candy with a note that had a single smiley face. I groaned with a grin on my face and picked it up.

In actuality, I hate Reese's brand stuff, no matter if it's pieces or puffs. But this time I opened the candy and took a bite out of the peanut butter and chocolate treat.

"Fuckin' gross," I murmured, and kept eating and eating and eating.