Babe.

16.

Benny. 

Embarassingly enough, I couldn't get her out of my mind, Blanca had set up camp in there. She'd been avoiding me more than usual lately even more than after Ella's party. Probably I'd fucking humiliated her at her house and I felt like such a piece of shit for it. "You made her cry?" Yeah-yeah asked incredulously. 

I groaned, "I made her fucking cry, I don't know what to do." 

"How about not that?!" he snapped whacking me across the head, "you're so stupid. You have to go apologise right now." 

"I've tried like fifty times," I told him, "she runs for the hills every time she sees me."

"What about assigned seating?" he asked, "she has to be near you then."

"Those lessons are always at the end of the week." I explained, "it's only Tuesday." 

Yeah-yeah elbowed me, "look she's leaving the cafeteria now and she's alone. Go now." 

I got up grabbing my bag and chasing after her as soon as she saw me Blanca started sprinting. As is running faster than I've ever seen her run before.  "Blanca wait!" I shouted after her speeding up. 

She ignored me running faster down the hall, biting back an insult I started running faster again. She was quick but I was a lot quicker than her so I managed to corner her at the back of the school corridor. 

I grabbed her arm as she tried to swerve away again pulling her to a stop, "decided to give up baseball to become a stalker?" Blanca asked hotly.

"Funny." I asnwered sarcastically before realising I was supposed to be being nice to her, "no uh- no. That's not it."

There was an uncomfortable silence before she asked: 

"What do you want Benny? To make me cry again, because I'm really not in the mood. You made your point just fine on Satuday didn't you? Do you really have to prove it in front of the whole school?" 

"No!" I exclaimed quickly, that was the last thing I wanted. 

She narrowed her eyes at me, "then what?" 

"I want to apologise for acting like a huge ass to you on Saturday." I told her, "I really, really didn't meant to make you cry and as for all of the double personalities stuff I'll drop it. You won't hear anything more about it from me." 

She frowned, "are you messing with me right now? Because if you are there's no need to set me up for a trick I'm not going to fall for." 

I sighed, I had really dug myself into a deep hole with her hadn't I? I just hadn't considered that one day she wouldn't annoy me to death anymore. "It's not a trick Blanca, I'm being serious." 

Blanca pursed her lips looking like she was contemplating whether to believe me or not, "thanks, I guess?" She replied unsurely. I could tell she didn't know what to make of this, but neither did I. I was just as confused by myself as she was. 

I really didn't want to drop it, because I was actually interested in the girl I'd only gotten small glimpses of these last two weeks, but I realised it wouldn't do me any favours in her book. And if I wanted to get to know the real Blanca, I'd have to butter up her fake version first. 

"How does tomorrow sound for a good time to work on our project?" I asked her, regretting  every word that left my mouth.

Her eyes widened in shock, "jesus, my tears must have really fucked you up. I don't think you've ever apologies to me before let alone asked me to study." 

I hadn't been able to get her tear stained face out of my mind and it had freaked me out so much that I was going to all of these lengths to repair what I had broken. Which was throwing both of us off. 

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then." She told me pursing her lips in a half smile, "bye asshole." 

"Bye brat." I replied watching as she turned down the hallway her skirt swaying with her steps.

Blanca. 

What the fuck? He had never been that nice to me before, ever. And I'd known him since we were babies because our parents were close friends. The only reason I'd even let him off so easy to begin with was because I'd been stunned into complacency. 

"What the hell was that about?" Emmanuel asked falling into step beside me. 

I shrugged helplessly, "no idea. Usually our conversations end in screaming matches." 

"You can hardly blame him for that you can be a little shit sometimes." My brother teased grinning at me.

I shoved him, "says you chicken legs. All of your conversations end in screaming matches, mine are just with that idiot." 

My brother shoved me back a little to hard sending me stumbling to the side, I knew he hated it when I called him chicken legs. He wasn't crazy skinny or anything but he was a bit scrawnier  than Alfie and it annoyed the hell out of him so I used it as my main insult. 

E glared at me, "fatty." 

I gasped, "asshole!" 

"Stupid cow." 

"Dumbass." 

"Bitch face." 

"Hey! Cut it out!" Alfie called as he walked down the hall. "You're not five and six anymore.

"Okay Dad." We muttered under our breath at the same time, I snickered catching my brother's eye, Alfie was so bossy sometimes. 

"Are you coming? School's over and Blanca you're needed at tennis in an hour!" Alfie urged us motioning his hand for me to move faster. I had no lessons after lunch on a Tuesday and Emmauel had gym so if we were lucky we just left after lunch. 

We nodded walking down the hall after him, "we're coming we're coming, take it easy." 

Alfie rolled his eyes amused at us as we walked out into the parking lot, "babies." 

"Shut up."