𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, benj nielsen x reader

3 | caprisun and complications

Y/N

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"I'll text you on Snapchat or something," I murmured, maneuvering through the throng of students flooding the hallways. Despite walking together, Benj and I maintained a conspicuous gap, as though acknowledging each other's presence might shatter the fragile truce we'd silently agreed upon.

He nodded, the gesture almost imperceptible, as we arrived at my locker. I busied myself with gathering my things, while Benj leaned against the adjacent locker, his posture one of studied nonchalance. "So, what's your snap?" I asked, not bothering to turn as I rifled through the chaos of my locker.

"Oh, it's just my name," he replied, his voice devoid of the self-consciousness I'd expected.

"Of course it is," I muttered under my breath, lacing my words with a touch of irony. His puzzled look made me bite back a smile, but he simply shrugged, letting my sarcasm roll off him like water off a duck's back. "Anyway," I continued, my words tumbling out in a rush, "it's probably better if we have our session at your place instead of mine. My parents..."

Benj blinked, clearly struggling to follow the rapid shift in conversation. "Wait, what?"

"You can't come over because my parents wouldn't allow it," I explained, trying to disguise the embarrassment in my voice with a shrug. "You're, well, you, and if you did come over, my mom would practically camp out in my room. Every five seconds she'd find an excuse to 'check in.'" I slammed my locker shut with a finality that echoed down the now-empty corridor. "So just text me your address, and I'll come over. Does 4:30 work?"

"Yeah, 4:30's fine," he agreed, but there was a slight hesitation in his voice, like he was holding something back.

I paused, studying his expression with narrowed eyes. "Is everything okay?"

He hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Yeah, it's just... I'm grounded."

"For what?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"I... I took K..." he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, as though confessing a grave sin.

"K?" I echoed, the letter hanging between us like a question mark.

"Ketamine," he clarified, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Oh." The single syllable was all I could muster.

We parted ways, the air between us thick with the awkwardness of unfinished conversations. Once home, I shed my school uniform in favor of something more comfortable—a white tank top and a pair of well-worn jorts. After a quick shower, I twisted my hair into a simple ponytail/puff and settled in to binge a couple of episodes of my latest Netflix obsession. Time slipped away, and before I knew it, the clock read 4:00.

I quickly typed in Benj's Snapchat username and sent him a friend request. Almost immediately, his bitmoji popped up, and he accepted, sending me his address in the next breath. He lived only five minutes away—a convenient proximity that felt oddly close.

By 4:25, I was out the door, and at 4:32, I was standing on his porch, knocking with a mixture of anticipation and dread. The door swung open, revealing Alyssa, a sophomore with a reputation as sharp as her tongue.

My eyes involuntarily flicked to the her nose, but I quickly averted my gaze, not wanting to give her any ammunition.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her eyes sweeping over me with a mix of curiosity and disdain.

"I'm [y/n]," I replied, my fingers fidgeting nervously as I rose onto my toes, trying to peer past her into the house. "Is Benj here?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then a smirk curled her lips. "Holy shit, you're that cheerleader," she said, her tone laced with amusement. "What's a girl like you doing here looking for Benj?"