Another lil Benley collection

Sitting in a tree KISSING

That summer, Ben went to visit his cousin in Baltimore. They spent most days riding their bikes around the neighborhood, enjoying the warm weather and the freedom that came with it. One afternoon, as they pedaled past a row of houses, Ben spotted a girl sitting in her yard, quietly reading a book.

"Hey, who's that?" Ben asked, nodding towards the girl.

"Oh, that's Mandy," his cousin replied dismissively. "Think her name is Miranda though. She's my weird, dorky neighbor."

Ben frowned. "That's not nice."

His cousin shrugged. "Well, it's true. Plus, you don't want to talk to her. Her mom's super mean. Just stay away."

But as they rode away, Ben couldn't shake the image of the girl in the yard. She didn't seem weird to him. She just seemed...interesting.

Another day came, and Ben and his cousin were outside playing basketball in the driveway. As they took a break, Ben glanced over and noticed her again. She was sitting on her front steps, this time scribbling in a notebook, completely absorbed in her own world.

"She's always by herself," Ben muttered, more to himself than to his cousin.

His cousin followed his gaze and scoffed. "Told you, she's just weird. Don't bother with her."

Ignoring the comment, Ben couldn't help but feel a pang of curiosity and sympathy for the young girl. There was something about her quiet solitude that made him want to get to know her better.

Then finally one day, Ben and his cousin were playing hide and go seek with some other neighborhood kids. As Ben searched for a good hiding spot, he noticed her sitting in her yard again, watching them with a hint of curiosity.

Determined to reach out, Ben walked over to her. "Hey, do you want to join us?" he asked with a friendly smile.

Miranda looked up, surprised. "I'd like to, but I'm not allowed to go further than my yard," she said softly.

Just as Ben was about to ask more, the front door swung open, and Miranda's mother appeared, her face stern. "Mandy, get inside" she barked.

Ben took a step back, startled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause any trouble," he stammered before quickly retreating back to his friends. Miranda gave him a small, apologetic smile before disappearing inside.

At dinner that evening, Ben couldn't keep what had happened to himself. As they sat around the table, he turned to his cousin.

"Hey, I asked Mandy to play with us today," Ben said, keeping his voice low.

His cousin raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Didn't I tell you to stay away from her? She's weird."

"Yeah, but she seemed interested. She said she couldn't leave her yard, though," Ben explained. "Then her mom came out and yelled at her to go inside. It was pretty intense."

His cousin shook his head. "Told you, man. Her mom's crazy. Just don't bother with them. They're trouble."

Ben didn't respond, but he couldn't help feeling that there was more to Miranda's story than his cousin realized.

His aunt, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "You know, you really should stop calling people weird," she said to her son. "It's not nice, and it's certainly not something you'd want someone to say about you."

His cousin looked a bit embarrassed. "But, Mom, everyone says she's strange."

"That doesn't make it right," his aunt replied firmly. "You never know what someone might be going through or what their life is like. We should be kind to everyone, no matter what."