head over heels | benny rodriguez

| chapter twenty three |

My eyes cracked open, exposing my pupils to the red hues of the sun peeking through the blinds. A warm arm was thrown over my chest, as my body laid snug against Benny's. It seems he got comfortable pretty quick.

The small clock on his nightstand read the numbers 6:47, which is a god-awful time to be waking up over the summer. I have to go though before my grandparents realize their delinquent grandaughter snuck out and stayed over at a boy's house.

I brushed my hair out of my eyes and slowly rolled over to face the boy beside me.

"Hey, Benny. Mornin.'" I whispered at him, yet the boy didn't budge. "Benny?" I shook him a bit, eventually slapping his face gently until he let out a small groan.

"Mmph." He huffed as he swung his arm around my neck and pulled me towards him. I wrapped my arms around him, but pulled away a bit.

"Look, I gotta dash now, mkay? It's almost seven."

"What? Leave?" He mumbled out as he sat up slightly and rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the light.

"Dude I snuck out, and if my grandparents see I'm not there they'll send cops to find my ass." I sighed as I rolled out of bed and began to walk towards my clothes on the floor. The boy, however, gripped the back of my shirt, pulling me towards him. I fumbled over, my feet slipping against the wooden floors.

"Let go! Your mother wouldn't approve of this."

"Hey, don't speak about my mother!" He chuckled out as he grabbed my waist and pulled me into his lap. "Besides, I've finally got you after all these weeks. I've had my eyes set on you since day one, y'know that Perlman?" I blushed a bit as I looked over my shoulder up at him.

"Yeah, I know. But seriously, I need to go home. I'll see you in a few hours at the sandlot anyways."

He resisted for a moment, but eventually let me go and grab my things.

My clothes were still soaking, so Benny let me borrow a pair of pajama pants and a hoodie for. the walk home. I'll get my clothes back eventually.

Once I had changed into my new attire, I quickly brushed my hair and laced up my shoes before giving one last glance in his mirror.

"Alright, I guess I'm outta here!"

The boy rolled his eyes in pity as he stared at me. "Hey Elle, before you leave, can I ask you something?"

I hesitated at first but eventually replied. "Sure, what is it?"

"Just, I dunno. What is this?"

"What is what?" I asked as I played with my hoodie string.

"This. Us, I mean, I guess." He stumbled over his words and began to get very flustered as I thought about the topic.

"Well, I'm not really sure yet. Wait- not in a bad way though, but we just figured shit out last night, and I'm not sure I wanna label anything yet."

He nodded his head in agreement as he walked toward me. "No yeah, I agree. Too soon, I get it."

"... But maybe we just, I dunno, keep it on the down-low for now," I mumbled back.

"Like a secret?" He asked solemnly.

"Yeah, just from the boys for now. We'll figure it out, I promise you." Benny looked kinda sad at this point, making me feel like I said something wrong. "I still like you dude, don't worry," I said as I nudged his arm. His mood immediately lightened as he flashed me the biggest grin.

"I do too I guess." He said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, and one more thing!" I quickly stood up on my tippy toes, placing my hands on his face as I quickly kissed his soft lips. How does he manage to not have morning breath?

The boy blushed in awe as he couldn't stop smiling. He then leaned down towards me, pointing at his cheek. "One more for the road?"

"God, I hate you, Benny."

"You know you love me!"

I quickly pecked his cheek and flung his window open, where I quietly slid outside.

"Later, Rodriguez,"

*

HI GUYS! so sorry for the short chapter, i know it's been a couple of weeks since the last chapter, just tomorrow is my last day of school and i just finished my finals! again, so sorry i haven't updated very much, i just don't have the time.

but on a side note - ALMOST 1,500 READS? lordy lord, thank you all for the immense support, you've been the ones motivating me to write and i couldn't be more grateful.

im going on vacation to europe for a few weeks so i may not update over the following days, but after that, expect SEVERAL new chapters coming out veeeeryyyy fast.

love yall, have a good rest of your day wherever you are!

- alex