"Okay everyone, I'm sure you already know, but I'm going to go over today's schedule one last time. It takes eight hours to get to Savannah. In about four hours,around noon, we'll stop to get something to eat. Once we get to Savannah, you and your groups will have two hours to eat, go on tours, look at historic monuments, explore the area, goof off, etc. After, we'll all meet back up at the bus and head to the motels.Everyone who has a phone has added Mr. Lee's, Mrs. Sarah's, and my number, correct? Alright, then let's get this show on the road!"
Ashlyn sat next to Aiden. Normally, me and her would sit together, but I noticed he wanted to sit next to ash, so I gave him the seat.
While searching for a new one, I saw that Ben was sitting alone behind them, with his backpack occupying the neighboring seat.He noticed my glance at the empty seat and, after a few seconds, moved his backpack to the floor. I smiled at him, and he returned back to his sketchbook. I quickly sat next to him before he could change his mind.
While I made myself comfortable next to Ben who sat at the window side, I turned my attention to Aiden, who was showing Ashlyn his collection of puzzles. I leaned forward in my seat to get a better look. He held a Rubik's Cube in his hand.
"You just have to make each side the same color, right?" Ashlyn asked him. "Yep, like this." He solved the Rubik's Cube in under a second, leaving both Ashlyn and me dumbfounded.
Noticing the many puzzles in Aiden's backpack, Taylor asked if she could try one too."Can I have one as well?" I also asked and Aiden happily handed out different toys to all of us. Taylor received something to untangle, while Ashlyn and I each received a Rubik's Cube.
I sat back and tried my best with the cube. After ten minutes of struggling, I was nearly ready to give up, sinking into my seat with my legs leaning on the seat in front of me.Ben took a side glance at me, noticing my frustration. He quickly wrote something in his sketchbook while I continued to fumble with the cube. As he turned the book towards me, I saw his message.
'Do you need help?'
I looked at him and answered his offer 'That would be nice. I'm just not getting these sides the same color." Ben put away his sketchbook, and I handed him the toy. I watched closely as he moved the sides of the cube, and in the blink of an eye, he finished it.
He's as fast as Aiden.
"'How did you—?' I looked at him in disbelief. He was still looking at the cube, avoiding eye contact."You're really good at that. How did you learn it? Did Aiden teach you? He's fast too, but you're just as quick. That's so cool!"
Realizing I'd bombarded him with questions, I slowed down and asked again, "Sorry, um, did Aiden teach you that?" He slowly nodded.
"That's really impressive," I said, smiling. "I've always found these puzzles so hard. How long did it take you to learn?"Ben hesitated before answering in his sketchbook, -A while. Aiden helped a lot.
"That's so cool. I wish I could solve them that fast. Maybe you could teach me sometime?" He gave a small, shy smile and nodded.
Ben reset the cube to its original state so I could try again. Whenever I needed help, he patiently showed me some tricks, though I instantly forgot them right after.
After some time, I fell asleep while Ben listened to music beside me. On my right, Logan was engrossed in his book, and the twins, along with Aiden, were chatting animatedly. Ashlyn was still busy with some new puzzles Aiden had given her.
I felt someone shaking my shoulder. As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw that Aiden was the one waking me up.
"Mhm?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and stifling a yawn. I was still leaning on Ben's shoulder, which felt surprisingly comfortable.Wait, what?
My heart raced as I abruptly lifted my head from Ben's shoulder. He sat there stiffly, staring at the ground, but I could still see the light pink blush spreading across his face and I could feel my own face growing warm in response.
"Y/N, we're already in Savannah, and Ben needs to get through, but he didn't want to wake you up," Aiden said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ben," I said, quickly standing up and letting out another yawn. "I didn't mean to be in your way." We both stood up,but before I could pass Aiden,he pulled me back. "You seem pretty tired,you nearly slept half of the drive," Aiden said.I tucked a strand of my h/c hair behind my ear, trying to fix the messiness. I must have moved a lot while sleeping. "Yeah, I'm kind of lacking sleep these days."
"By the way, you know, Benny didn't even move an inch while you rested your head on him," he whispered in my ear, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. I gave him an annoyed look and pushed his head away, trying to hide my light pink face. "Shut up," I muttered, knowing he just wanted to tease me.
We all got off the bus, and Ashlyn stretched, causing loud cracking sounds. While the others were startled by it, I was used to it and couldn't help but laugh at their shocked expressions.
Then our teacher reminded us of the rules again "Alright, everyone don't go too far out, make sure to be back here at five, and if anything happens call us immediately! When everyone is back..."
As he continued talking, I zoned out and glanced around. The atmosphere had a strange blend of creepiness and calm that sent a little shiver through me.
Our group decided to get some food first and then took a horse carriage tour. After that, we visited a place full with numerous lamps, which Logan eagerly photographed. Aiden, being his usual self, stuck his head into one of the lamps while Ashlyn side-eyed him.
Later on, Taylor spotted a face paint stand. We all chose different colors and designs, adding a playful touch to our evening. I opted for a black spider web design on my face. When I saw that Ben had given himself a mustache, I couldn't resist asking Logan to secretly take a picture of him.
I saw Aiden trying to steal coins from the wish fountain and tried to pull him back with all my strength, but I couldn't stop him. With a tired sigh, I stepped next to Ash, who was sitting on the edge of the fountain, engrossed in her phone.
"And, do you regret coming on the trip?" I asked.
She looked up at me, then glanced at the others. "This isn't as bad as I thought it would be."
I smiled and playfully nudged her side with my elbow, "Told ya."
She flinched and pushed my arm away, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.
Just as we were discussing whether to head back, since we only had forty minutes left, I noticed a woman with short, dark hair approaching us.
"Excuse me! Would you be interested in a tour of the Sorrel Weed House? A group canceled their tour last minute, so we have some empty spots. It's only five dollars a person."
Taylor's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wait, really?! This place is supposed to be really haunted! We gotta go!"
"Sure,I don't care." "I'm in"
It didn’t seem very professional for someone to just run up to a group of teenagers and let us takeover a reservation. Ashlyn seemed to share my thoughts, and we exchanged uneasy glances.
But not wanting to ruin Taylor's excitement, we just agreed.
But something just didn't feel right about this. ___________________________________________
A/n
Yippee another chapter,the continuing ones will have some more Ben moments.I hope I'm not too fast with them.
Word amount: 1368
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