Never Have I Ever...Been Real

I came for the ducks.

It was Christmastime in New York City, and Ben Gross's parents were making bank with Dwight Howard, Lakers star, back west, instead of having Christmas dinner with their only son. Ben didn't really want to see Dwight anyway, after their awkward encounter at the gym before his senior year, so he told his parents that a friend from school invited him to spend the holidays with him. He told the same lie to Devi, despite her insistence, not wanting to intrude on her beautiful family dynamic, one he always wanted. So here he was, his first Christmas truly alone, without even Patty's cheek pinching to break through his loneliness.

It was snowing when he decided to venture to Central Park. In all his studies and commuting to Princeton, NJ, he realized he had never seen this iconic location. Well, there's a first time for everything, he thought to himself as he braced through the cold in his navy blue Canada Goose jacket, something he had never needed in California. California. Mr. Shapiro, who the memory of made him smile despite himself, would point to his sleeves, then his heart, asking if he was cold in here or in here, and the obvious answer was both. Trent would say that global warming certainly had not hit New York City due to the 17-degree weather, and even if he was wrong, being called "little man" would actually make him feel better. It didn't take Andy Samberg to tell you that Ben Gross was still lonely. He had grown enough in the months since high school to realize that he still had growing to do, and that there was so much ahead of him. 

In the corner of his eye, a taxicab pulled up at breakneck speeds. As it pulled to the edge of the park, Ben heard the driver yell at a kid who was 16, maybe 17, "I'm a cab driver, not a philosopher, and if you can't pay me, get out of my cab!" He watched the kid get shoved onto the side while clutching a red hunting cap in his hand. Wincing as he rose, he stuck the cap back on his head and ran past Ben as he entered the park. 

Ben wasn't the type of person to run after a stranger, but after flying across the country to confess his love, he knew that there were benefits to taking risks. Even if you end up in a pizza parlor with an old man. And all those laps at the Relay-For-Life way back when helped him out when he decided to catch up to the boy, who seemed so different, despite only being two years younger than Ben.

"Kid, wait," he called out once he was in earshot. Ben got a glimpse of his graying hair before he kept running. "I'm not gonna hurt you." The red hunting cap paused long enough for Ben to see his eyebrows raise. 

"You're a phony." These were the first words spoken back to Ben, rewarding him for his efforts. Instead of feeling insulted, Ben felt pity for the boy. The overtones of hurt and pain in his voice sounded, in a way, like a boy he knew who got catfished by a 50-year-old. He came for support, support he never received. Suddenly the boy stopped running and faced him for the first time. "Wait. Who are you, anyway?"

Ben nodded and stepped forward with his hand out, like he was meeting his father's famous friend of the week, or a highly-established businessman. "I'm Ben Gross. I go to Columbia." The Ivy slipped out despite himself, though he got the feeling the boy wasn't too interested in institutions as such. "And you?"

For the first time he saw the boy waver. "I'M, uh, Rudolf, uh, Schmitt..." Ben raised his eyebrows at a kid who didn't know his name. "You know what, Ben? I'll be real with you." Ben's eyebrows rose even higher, if that was possible. Now with confidence, he said, "It's Holden. Holden Caulfield."