New Girl on the Block

Chapter Seven: Helena

 "Wait!" Benjamin calls after me. My cheeks burn with embarrassment. I glance back at him then at the kids rushing out in front of me. Why does he even want to be friends with me anyway? He's got to be lying that it isn't out of pity

I successfully make it out to the hall and start blending in with the kids around me. I pulp my headphones out of my pocket and shove them into my ears, playing my Spotify at the same time. I hear Benjamin's voice faintly in the background, but I choose to ignore it. I take deep breaths, trying to calm my body down from the horrible anxious buzzing rushing through my veins.

I practically jog to my English class on the second floor. This school is huge compared to the other schools I've been to. There are two floors, eight hallways, a cafeteria, a Performing Arts Center (auditorium), an arts hall, and a sports hall. My last four schools consisted of two hallways, one floor, and a cafeteria. The arts and sports teams practiced outside or in the cafeteria, and all major meetings were also held in the cafeteria.

A warm hand is placed on my shoulder. I turn around impulsively to find Benjamin standing over me, his hand falling to his side. "What?" I ask, glancing at the clock on the wall next to me. I have less than two minutes to get to my class. "Wanna hang out after school?" He asks somewhat timidly. I look around again, and my eyes unwillingly fall back to Benjamin.

He isn't much taller, his muscles are lean, and his brown hair falls in curly locks under his baseball cap turned backward. His eyes are a gorgeous brown. My cheeks begin to burn again, so I stop gawking at him. "I have..." I begin to say, but his kind gaze catches me off guard. "Uhm..." I shift my weight uncomfortably. I look down with frustration and pull his phone out of his hands, typing my number within seconds. I text myself and hand his phone back to him.

He seems slightly shocked, but he smiles. "Cool! Text ya later!" He says as I walk to my English class. I can't help but smile slightly. Giddiness fills me, but I can't quite tell why. I push the weird feeling away and walk into my English class.

. . .

Lyra waits for me outside my last class of the day. "Hey!" She says, pushing herself off the wall she was leaning on. "Hey," I say, and my phone immediately dings. I turn my phone on to see Benjamin's name on my notification list. I open the chat and skim through the messages.

Benjamin

Benjamin:

Hey

Benjamin:

Fro-yo?

You:

...

Benjamin:

I'm not taking no for an answer

Benjamin:

Please...?

You:

Fine. Meet me outside the school.

Benjamin:

Okay! Cool!

I smile at my phone, not realizing until Lyra says something. "What's got you smiling like that?" She jokes, elbowing me in my ribs. "Nothing!" I say, pushing her back. She laughs and says, "Yeah, suuuuuurrrreee." I smile giddily for what feels like no reason. Lyra laughs at this as we walk outside. Benjamin is leaning against the brick exterior wall, his clothes loosely hanging on his perfectly sculpted body.

"Oh. My- That's who's got you smiling?!" Lyra shouts, pointing clearly at Benjamin. I shove her arm down, my cheeks flushing again. I see Benjamin stand with a smile, pulling his bag onto his shoulder and walking over to us. "Lucky..." Lyra says as if I'm married to this man. I roll my eyes with a smile.

Benjamin nods upward at Lyra, but she narrows her eyes and swallows slowly. She looks like she wants to kill him. "Uhh," Benjamin says, slowly pulling his eyes away from Lyra. She seems pleased with herself because she smiles and flicks her brown locks off her shoulder. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and presents a cocky look on her face.

"Ready, Helena?" He says. The way he says my name causes a shiver to rush down my spine. "Yeah!" I say more cheerfully than I meant to. He smiles, nods to Lyra, and begins to lead me down the concrete path away from the school. I glance back at Lyra to see her holding up a heart with her fingers. I roll my eyes, but my body seems to dance on the inside.

Benjamin leads me to the parking lot and to his car...well, truck. New, but used blue pick-up truck. I go to open the passenger door, but he runs around and opens it for me. I mutter a soft thank you and get in the leather-interior cab. Benjamin closes the door and runs over to his side and gets in.

"Have you been anywhere around town yet?" He asks as he begins to drive out of the parking lot. "Nope!" I say, drumming on my legs softly. I can't tell if anxiety or excitement rips through my soul. I take quiet deep breaths regardless. Benjamin smiles cheerfully in his seat. "Good," he says, causing me to slightly question if this was a good idea.

Benjamin makes small-talk the entire ride to wherever we're going. "Where were you born?" He asks. I turn my head from the window and look at Benjamin. "Practically at the house my parents lived in at the time," I say with a laugh. Benjamin laughs as well, keeping his head focused on the road. "What about you?" I ask, knowing he's probably going to say some hospital around here.

"I was...uhm home birthed in my parents' bathtub," he says, his cheeks burning bright pink. I smile at his embarrassment. "Why are you so embarrassed over that?" I ask, not meaning for that long of a sentence to come out. "Because it's not normal?" He asks like I should already know that. "I mean, I guess so, but home births still happen," I say, looking out the windshield at the road we breeze through.

Benjamin and I continue talking for a few minutes until he pulls into a small parking lot on the side of a cute, pink, little shop with the name "Franny's Fro-Yo Shop." Benjamin rushes to get out of the car, and I smile when he pulls my door open, seconds before my hand lands on the handle.

"Thank you," I say, holding his hand softly as I jump down from the tall cab of the truck. I let go of his strong hand and look up at the small shop. "Shall we?' Benjamin asks, and I nod.