Do You Love Me? (Sequel to Just Being Friends)(Benny Rodriguez Love Story)

When Running Way Catches Up To You

𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕒 ℙ𝕆𝕍:

I was siting in the loft in the barn. I used to hide up here when I was little. It was the one place I knew I could think without anyone bothering me. I barley ate anything this morning because I felt sick to my stomach. I thought to myself wha the boys and Benny may be doing. I was doodling in my journal when I heard footsteps enter the barn. It was Jack. He was taking care of the horses. I didn't feel like talking to him now so I ducked down so he couldn't see me. When he finally left, my sister's words were on repeat in my head. I knew why my sister wanted me to keep my distance from Jack but what happened with me and Jack happened years ago. Its hard to re live what happened but it happened and I try to put it in the past. "Anna?" My eyes widen and I turn to see Jack. I give a small smile and say "hey Jack. What are you doing?" "Just cleaning the barn. Wanna go get something to eat in town. I was going to head to Minnie's." "Sure let me just climb down."

𝔹𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕪 ℙ𝕆𝕍:

I hear a knock on the door and head down stairs. I'm home alone and getting ready to go meet up with Destiny. I answer the door and I wish I wouldn't have. It was the boys. "Hey Benny! Me and the boys here wanted to see if you wanted to play a game." Smalls said and they all looked at me. "No guys I don't want to. You guys should leave." "Benny Man what's up with you lately?" Ham said and they all looked curiously at me. "Nothing is wrong with me I am just done playing stupid games with you guys. I had to make a choice and I made it. Destiny is my everything and I can't have friends who don't except that. Sorry guys but I honestly think that the only thing that was holding us together was Anna. Now that she is gone, I'm done. I know we have all been friends for a long time but people change. I've changed. Sorry but I think we all just need to go our own ways." They were all shocked and had no idea what to say. "Well you can go to hell Rodriguez!!!" I slammed the door and walked back up stairs to my room. I just started to cry and wanted to sleep, even though it was 1:00 in the afternoon. I jumped in bed and pulled the sheets over me.

𝕁𝕒𝕔𝕜 ℙ𝕆𝕍:

Me and Anna headed into Minnie's Diner. Anna seemed a little off because she barley touched her food. "What's up, I know you can eat more that that." She looked up at me and gave the smallest smile. "I'm not the hungry" I know something was bothering her but I didn't know what. I guessed it had something to do with her home life. "Anna you never told me that long story of yours." "Oh that story. It's long but I guess long story short, this guy back home broke my heart. We didn't date but I liked him a lot. He had a girlfriend and... I don't know. You can figure out the rest." I knew right away. "Let me guess. You ran." "Yeah." There was silence between us for a couple of seconds. "How'd you know I ran?" I looked up from my food and said "Cause I know you and I have been in a situation where you have ran." She looked into my eyes and I could see the tears started to collect on her lashes. She stood up and walked out. I was so shocked that I paid for the food in a hurry and ran after her.

𝔸𝕟𝕟𝕒 ℙ𝕆𝕍:

I couldn't believe what Jack had just said. I knew what he was referring too and it just punched me in the gut. I knew he was running after me but I also knew I could out run him. I ran as fast as I could.

*A little while later*

I ended up stopping not know where I was. I was in the middle of a dirt road with a huge green field next to it. I just sat on the side of the road and started crying. Do I just cause trouble everywhere I go? Literally I can't even come home to my hometown without running away from something. As I a in mid thought an old truck pulls up beside me. It's Jack. He gets out and just looks at me. He finally reaches down and holds out his arm. I grab his and he pulls me up. We walk to the back of the truck and he pulls down the tailgate. He grabs me by my waist and lifts me up onto it. We sit in silence. Finally, when I can't take the silence anymore, I say "How did you know where I would be?" "Just a wild guess." He looks over at me and says "Why'd you run?" I keep looking down as I say "Cause I knew what situation you were talking about when you said that you had experience with me running away. But that night, a year ago, I had every right to run." Tears started coming down my face as I continued to say "You didn't even say sorry. Didn't even care that I could have lost my life. And for your information I didn't physically run away. I just had to get away from our friendship." We sat in silence. He wasn't saying anything, not even looking at me. I took a deep breathe and said "Why!? That night I should have never gotten in the car with you. You crashed the car and then left me for dead in the middle of an empty road. What!? Because you didn't want to get caught by the police?" He finally looked at me and said "Anna in that moment, I knew I had hurt you. But I don't know I just got scared. So I called 911 and hid in the bushes until they had came and taken you. But what you didn't know is I came out of the bushes and went to the police men taking you out of the car. I told them I crashed it. That's why I didn't visit you in the hospital. I was at the police station. They wouldn't let me see you." I couldn't believe Jack. I looked at Jack who had tears in his eyes and just feel into his arms. I heard him whisper to me "Anna...I'm so sorry for putting you through that. I would trade my life if I could go back to that night and change it."