The Devil's Playmate

TEN

   Benjamin has a routine.

He gets up pretty early, mostly because he can't ever have a good night's sleep, and slowly takes his time to get dressed. He barely takes any time to actually look good for school, so he doesn't bother fixing up his hair. Benjamin doesn't even take the time to find a decent pair of clothes that actually go well together. He takes whatever he can find from his closet and just puts them on.

But it was a little hard for him to do so. Almost everything belonged to Marcus. He just had to grab a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt that his sister bought for him a long time ago.

Benjamin didn't bother with breakfast as well. It was always at this time that Emma would come to pick him up, so he doesn't have enough time to eat and would have to rush. Once, he got up pretty early and got ready fast enough to make a decent meal. But when Emma learned of it, she got angry and reprimanded Benjamin.

Emma told him that she and Marcus would always be the ones to feed him. And so, Benjamin began to neglect breakfast and would starve himself up until lunch time. But even then, they'd give him nothing but scraps. He's gotten used to the feeling of hunger gnawing in his stomach, but he hoped he'd be able to feed himself properly now since he parted from the group.

Though it seems as if he forgot he did and never had the proper chance to think about making himself breakfast. It was hard to break out of habits.

Just as Benjamin walked outside to head to school, he was stunned when he saw a luxury car parked in front of his house. The owner stood beside it, patiently waiting with a soothing hum.

Eligos had dressed himself up with the clothes Benjamin bought for him. He wore simple jeans, a pair of white sneakers, and a plain shirt with a leather jacket that Benjamin couldn't remember ever buying for him. Still, the demon's features were eye-catching compared to Benjamin. He was sure Eligos would be seen as some sort of model.

"Ben!" Eligos excitedly waved at him. "Look! I got us a car!"

"What... about your license?"

"One of my demons got me one. Don't worry, I've practiced driving ten minutes ago! I'm totally ready for this."

Benjamin hesitantly got in. For some reason, he was a lot more nervous being in a car with a demon who can't really drive than a demon who could kill him on the spot. What if Eligos can't drive? Is this how he dies? Where does he end up after dying?

Probably in Hell. He wonders if Lucifer's okay with spending an eternity with his ghost.

But surprisingly enough, Eligos was actually a pretty decent driver. Benjamin didn't have to worry about him rear-ending anyone or driving headfirst into an obstacle. Eligos even drove with one hand while reaching out to touch Benjamin's choppy hair, a grin curling up on his lips.

"Still didn't fix your hair?"

"Um... no..."

"That's okay. I'll be happy to do it for you again!" Eligos was in a chipper mood. Benjamin didn't think he'd be this happy to go to some high school, yet he found himself smiling a little. It was reassuring.

But he withered away once they pulled up into the school's parking lot. It was easy for Eligos to be recognized since his car was a lot more expensive and luxurious than the rest. He was right on par with his old friend group. But when they got out, Benjamin hurriedly grabbed his wrist and basically ran inside of the school to get to the office before anyone could question them.

He was afraid of what Eligos would say to the other students pulling up. He didn't think it would be anything good though.

"What's the rush, sweet thing?"