Rosalie entered the musical theatre, just under five minutes late. Her eyes scanned the room for the one person she was here to see. Benj sat a little outside of where the rest of the students were, outcasted almost.
The girl dropped her bag where everyone else had, taking a seat beside him.
Her face scrunched in confusion when the boy didn't even spare her a glance. His gaze never left the floor, his monotone expression kept her on the edge of her seat.
“Benj?” Rosalie spoke gently, uncertainty laced into her words.
The Nielsen boy barely acknowledged her, only letting out a small hum. No greeting, no smile, not even her name.
“Are you...okay?” The older girl reached out, debating on putting a hand on his shoulder but he subtly flinched away from her touch. “Sorry.” She mumbled, retracting her arm.
Rosalie felt slightly humiliated at the rejection of her touch. Benj and her were always affectionate and confided in each other.
What changed?
They sat in silence, Rosalie trapped her hands between her thighs as a reminder to keep her hands to herself. Physical affection was a huge love language for her, sometimes she forgot it wasn't the same case for others.
A couple of minutes pass by with the drama teacher — Ms. Jacobs, laying out a bunch of ground rules, information about the class and the upcoming performances they will have during the school year.
Benj still hadn't said a word nor even looked at her. She felt a pit in her stomach, her mind racking every possible thing she could've done to make him mad at her. Rosalie nervously dug her nails into her own hands.
“Everyone, get into pairs.”
The teacher demanded and the theatre erupted in chatter. People rushed to their friends, some trios among the crowd struggled to split themselves.
Only two remained stationary. The silent treatment was killing her. She grew more anxious by the minute, chewing on her bottom lip. “Partners?” Rosalie finally gained the courage to ask.
It was a rare occurrence for her to be scared to speak. Most of the time it was hard to get the girl to shut up.
Once again, she only received a hum.
“As a first day activity, we'll be doing a guessing game to loosen up and get comfortable with one another.” They both joined the rest of the students.
The class stood closer to the stage, facing their partners. Ms. Jacobs demanded the students to have a movie character in mind and act the part. Their partner had to guess the character.
“Begin!” She walked around the large class, the students giggling and shrieking with their friends. Rosalie sensed that he wasn't going to start, so she took the lead.
The girl didn't put much effort into the game, lazily covering her nose with one hand and waving her other hand around.
Benj had furrowed eyebrows, eyeing her cluelessly. “Become one with the character!” A voice boomed behind her, dissatisfied with her lack of engagement. The teacher seemed to have teleported behind Rosalie, causing her to jump.
Her eyes widened in shock, locking eyes with Benj. Both of them seemed to be equally as weirded out by the woman.
The slightest upward tug on lips made Rosalie smile.
Despite being hesitant, the teacher's eyes watched her actions expectantly.
She got into a dramatic defensive stance, still covering her nose. The girl's hand curled together — mimicking the grasp of holding a stick. “AVADA KEDAVRA!” Rosalie exclaimed in a strained raspy voice.
The Nielsen boy's eyes widened, his smile uncontrollable at the ridiculous sight. Rosalie instantly straightened her posture, grimacing at herself. Goosebumps went down her arms from the sheer cringe she just felt.
Though, it was worth it to see the smile come back on Benj's face. “Voldemort?”
Ms. Jacobs applauded. “Well done.” The lady praised before walked away, observing the other theatre kids.
“This teacher is way more of a nut job than last year's one.” Rosalie went closer and mumbled softly, being sure that she was out of earshot. Benj chucked quietly, looking down at her. He'd never been so close to her while standing, it only made him realise how much taller he had grown over the girl.
From him being barely reaching her shoulder, to now her barely above his.
The Bennet girl gulped, feeling the intensity of his gaze. His eyes wandered hers, admiring them as if he didn't do that enough already. She felt a feeling wash over her — one she couldn't quite label.
When Rosalie prolonged the eye contact, his heart dropped to his stomach. Both of their bodies unknowingly inched closer, like a magnet was pulling at them.
Without thinking, Benj ever so slightly leaned down. Her breaths came out ragged and she subconsciously licked her dry lips.
Why was he mad at her again?
The boy snapped back into reality and stood upright, taking a small step back. Rosalie did the same, crossing her arms timidly. He mentally kicked himself for allowing that to happen. Even when mad at her, he couldn't control himself enough to stay away.
What is wrong with him?
However, he came to his senses and went back to the same monotone act as before. Rosalie noticed his change in demeanor, holding back a disappointed sigh.
His smile was no where to be seen, the playful banter gone along with it.
A part of her was a bit relieved at his distant behavior. Him being close affected her more.
If you were to ask her what happened just now, she wouldn't be able to tell you. But what she would be able to tell you, is that she deeply wondered what would happen if neither of them backed away.
Benj wanted more than anything to be in that proximity again, but he couldn't enjoy it knowing that someone else was in that same spot just moments ago.
