My Next Door Bully

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 - PLAYGROUND FLASHBACKS

"I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN forever," I say, and smile at Ben.

"Me either," he says, "I've always been so busy with school duties."

He took me to Lively Ducklings children's playground—now, I know, a children's park, but if you grew up here in my town you would've known that Lively Ducklings park is memorable. Almost every kid who grew up here at least once came here. It's not fancy or cleaner than most and that's what's special. No one actually uses it, it's like a statue you just stare at because it's so beautiful.

I'm flooded with playground flashbacks of when I was younger. When I had both my parents and Ashton in my life and we spent hours here. It was perfect.

Occasionally people throw parties here since it's surrounded by forest grounds and sometimes elementary kids come here on field trips—I know, that's how great it is.

I sit on one swing and Ben sits on the one to my right, we move back and forth, the creaking loud and clear.

We both laugh at its decay, I bet it could probably come as prehistoric to someone looking at it for the first time.

"C'mon," he grabs my hand that was wrapped around the metal on the swing. He leads me to a patch of dry and almost dead grass, our hands still gripped together. He pulls me and sits on the grass, I sit next to him. "Just wait for it," he says. Then he lays down staring at the sky, I follow him.

"Wait for wha—" as I say this a streak of light shows across the sky. And then another. "Woah."

"Yeah, it's the Leonid meteor shower. It happens during November," he looks at me, "I was going to come here alone but then I met you, I'm kind of glad you're here with me."

"Me too," I respond, "how did you know about all of this?" I ask, and then out of the corner of my eye I see another light appear in the sky, I stare at the sky filled with many stars.

"I've always been interested in astronomy, I come here whenever I hear that they happen. Most times I don't see them but sometimes"—he gestures to the sky and then to me—"it happens when the universe calls for it to be special. With a special person." He stares into my eyes. He sits up a little to kiss me, but pauses, "I know it's so soon, but"—he suddenly seems nervous—"will you be my girlfriend?" He smiles softly.

"Of course, Ben!" I kiss him. I can feel him smile against my lips.

He pulls away, leaving a little space between us, "I was so worried you were going to say no," he breathes.

"Why would I do that?" I ask, curiosity coursing in me.

"Because of Ashton," he says, like it's the most obvious thing.

"What?" I stand up a little at this remark. Ashton? Like as in the Ashton Nicholson?

"Yeah," he says, "for a while I thought he liked you, I mean he told all the guys to stay away from you. It's brutal how people can sort of call dibs on you" he finishes, moving his head.

"Dibs on me?" Okay this is stupid, do guys actually do this for fun?

"Well yeah, it's basically against bro code to go for that girl."

"Um ... what?" I shake my head. My brain literally just doesn't want to process this. Boys and their idiotic ways.

"But don't worry, it's only been a week and he hasn't said anything about it. A couple of guys were saying how he made a bet to get you to kiss him. But I guess he backed out." Ben shrugs it off and takes a strand of my hair behind my ear, "I really like your new hairdo."