she's alright {benny rodriguez}

~26~

You, Benny, Smalls and Ham were walking home together and talking about the most recent baseball game of their favorite teams. You were only half listening, as the date tonight was taking up much of your thoughts. By the time you came to, Benny was the only one left.

You walked up to your drive and turned to Benny. "I'm gonna shower and get ready, I'll see you in an hour Ben."

"I mean, you could just go like that," he said, but you shook your head.

"This is a date, remember? I gotta look real nice."

"But you already look good. I like this version of you a lot more, y'know. It's real." He reaches up and wipes a streak of dirt off your cheek.

"Thanks, Ben. I really appreciate that, but if I went to the carnival like this I would get looks. I'll be quick." You pat his cheek and run up to your front door.

+++++

Half an hour later- a quarter 'til six, you were ready in nice jeans and a blouse, and had and your natural hair loose.

Exactly at six, there was a knock at the door and you opened it. Benny stood there, a flower in hand, looking smooth in jeans and a short sleeve button down with a white t-shirt underneath, and his hair was combed through.

"You look really pretty, Y/N," he states, and you smile. "This is for you." He holds out the flower, and you take it.

"Aw, thank you! You look pretty sharp too, Ben. Bye mom, dad!" you walk out and shut the door behind you.

He holds out his hand, and you take it while following him down the street and to the carnival.

At the ticket booth, you reach for your money but Benny had already paid for both of you by the time you got it out. "Ben, I can pay for myself," you chuckle.

"I know but I don't want you to worry about anything. Just have fun!" You throw your head back and laugh, walking towards the rides. Benny smiles down at you, listening to your laugh like music.

"Oh, let's go to the tilt-o-whirl!" you yell, and drag Benny behind you.

You give your ticket to the man who ran the ride, and secured a spot for the two of you. It started up once everyone was on, and you threw your hands up as the booth spun around. You and Benny cheered as it got faster.

The next ride was the roller coaster, which had a long line. Benny started a game where you had to guess people's names as they walked past.

"She looks like a Saffron- no, a Celeste. Oh, and that mom looks like a Mary."

"That girl looks like a Robin."

"That guy's a George."

"Y/N, that's a girl."

"Oh... Georgie?"

"Sure," Benny laughs.

The roller coaster was a bit too full of bends for your liking, but it was fun. You got to hold Benny's hand the whole time- which was a plus.

After the rollercoaster, Benny offered to win you something at the games. You tried to tell him not to, but it was too late. He was throwing rings onto bottles and shooting water guns at plates before you finished protesting.

Of course, he didn't win anything at those, but then he saw a baseball booth. "Y/N, look. I'm gonna win you that one right there, okay? Watch and learn." He pointed to a bear with a Yankees cap and jersey, and grabbed the baseballs. He wound up his arm, and threw a ball at the bottles. All in that row fell, and he moved on to the next one. Again, that happened until he had knocked all bottles over in under a minute. The booth-runner grabbed the bear for him, which he then handed to you.

"See, I told you I would." You thank him with a laugh, and walk up to the booth yourself, handing over a quarter from your own pocket. "What're you doing?"

"Watch and learn, Benny man. Watch and learn." You smirk and grab the baseballs, throwing one after another rapidly, beating Benny's time by half. You choose a bear with a pink tutu and hand it to him, smiling. "Here ya go bud."

Benny playfully glares at you, and you smile. "Wanna get something to eat?"

"That sounds good. I'm hungry after beating you," you pretend to yawn, and Benny punches your arm.

"Hey!"

He leads you to a food truck, and orders a shake and cotton candy. "Why's there only one?" you ask when he gets his order and sits down on a nearby bench.

"We're sharing." He smirks and shakes the drink.

"Ohhh. Well, in that case, give me the shake." You grab the drink from his hand, and take a huge gulp before handing it back and taking a piece of cotton candy. "Here, eat this." You put a piece up to Benny's mouth, and he takes it. You smile and take some for yourself. You scoot closer to Benny and rest your head on his shoulder.

+++++

You were actually yawning, so Benny decided to take you home. You walked hand in hand, talking about anything and nothing. It was a sweet moment shared between the two of you, and you hoped that this would be a normal occurrence after tonight. As you reached your door, you squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Thank you so much for tonight, Ben. I had a lot of fun."

He smiled and brought your hand up to his lips. "I'm glad. Thank you for joining me, m'lady."

You laugh and look up into his big brown eyes. "Of course." Before you headed inside, you wrapped your arms around his torso and held him tight. He hugged you back, putting his face in your hair and taking a deep breath.

"Have a good night, Y/N."

"I will, you too Ben. See you tomorrow!" you step away and wave, opening the door and letting yourself in. You watch as he walks down the street to his house, and smile to yourself.

"He's pretty alright."

a/n- LAST PART! this book is done! i hope you guys enjoyed reading as much as i enjoyed writing. if you want an epilogue, please let me know! I would be happy to do an extra part.

on another note, thank you for all the love and support on this book! it grew so fast, and i really appreciate everyone who interacted with the story. the comments made my day, and i love replying to all of them. i love you all!

-j
{jun. 8, 2021}