After swim practice, Nicole grabs her duffle bag and nearly sprints to Benedict's classroom, making her best attempt to avoid any straggling teachers or students that were in the hall. She didn't feel the need to change back into her school clothes. Instead she threw on a pair of black shorts and a white muscle tank, and wrapped her hair into a loose ponytail. Her top priority at this moment wasn't trying to look her absolute best. It was to find Benedict and ask what had happened between him and the principal.
As soon as she reaches his doorway, she hears her name being called from behind. She spins around in her place to find Kevin standing a few feet away. He looked like he had been waiting for her. Like he expected to find her outside his classroom after practice.
"Kevin, what are you still doing here?" she asks, her voice a little shaky from the anger she has been feeling towards him for having done what he did.
He keeps his distance between them, being able to sense the tension in the air. "Nicole, I needed to see you. We have to talk about this. It's been driving me insane not having the guts to be able to talk to you."
She shifts her gaze to Benedict's closed classroom door. The lights were on which meant he had to be inside. He never leaves his room unattended with the lights on. She turns back around to face Kevin. "No. We can't. At least not just the two of us. It's going to be a lot easier to explain everything if you just come with me."
She takes his hand and opens the door, pulling him forcefully into the room. She shuts it tightly behind them making sure the hinges of the door latch. Benedict, who had been sitting at his desk doing some paperwork, jumps up out of his seat and freezes at the sight of both of them. He takes off his reading glasses and holds them down by his side.
"Nicole... Kevin? What are you two doing here?" he asks.
Nicole starts to walk towards him, but quickly feels her body being pushed to the side. Kevin had brushed past her, making his way over to Benedict. As soon as she catches a glimpse of his right hand curled up into a fist, she runs and embraces Benedict, blocking his view. "Stop!" she screams. "You can't hurt him!"
Kevin bangs his fist on top of the nearest desk, causing himself more pain then he had hoped. He shakes his hand back and forth. "He's the one that hurt you Nicole! He's a grown man whose taking advantage of you. I have to protect you. You're my friend."
"Turning Benedict into the principal was not protecting me Kevin," she says now enraged with more anger than before.
"What?" Kevin says confused. "I never did that. I would've confronted you first before taking a matter this serious to the principal."
She rubs her hand on the top of her head. Her stress levels rising immensely. "Then explain your message you sent to me earlier."
He squints his eyes trying to recall what she is talking about. "Oh," he sighs. "I may have been the one to start those rumors that are spreading." His talking speeds up and his voice becomes much higher feeling much regret. "I swear I only told one other person. And I only did it out of anger. I had no intention of hurting anyone."
Nicole ignores him by furiously pacing back and forth breathing heavily out of her nose before turning around to Benedict, who looked like he was quite startled with everything. "Are you going to go to jail Ben?" she asks. Her emotions instantly change from anger to fear real quick. Her eyes begin to swell up at the thought of him behind bars. He grabs onto both of her shoulders and looks her deep into the eyes. "You don't need to worry about me Nicole. I'm fine. We are fine. Trust me on that." He pulls her close and she rests her damp cheek on his chest. "Why was Principal Adler yelling at you?" she asks with a faint voice.
"Lets just say she's not happy with me leaving," he chuckles and kisses the top of her head.
Nicole pulls her body away from him and turns to Kevin. He was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.
"I forgive you," she says. "You were only trying to protect me like a good friend would." She looks up at Benedict beside her and intertwines her fingers with his. "But you need to know the truth Kevin." There's a slight pause as she smiles at Benedict and he smiles back, putting the back of her hand up to his lips and kissing it. "I'm in love with Mr. Cumberbatch," she says.
Benedict looks over to Kevin with his cheeks burning red. "And I'm in love with Nicole."
Kevin's skin turns white and he freezes all of his movements. He is in shock. He opens his mouth but actual words don't escape, only a few crackling noises. "How- You and the- In love? What?" He slowly falls over to a chair connected to a desk and slumps down into it. He stares blankly at the chalkboard.
"I know this will be hard for you to comprehend, but it's true," Benedict says wrapping his arms around Nicole and staring down to him. "We're in love."
Nicole frees herself from Benedict's embrace and moves over to a desk beside Kevin. "Hey, I'm still the same girl you knew before. It doesn't change who I am as a person. I'm still your friend." She sits still, constantly looking back and forth from Kevin to Benedict. Ben shrugs his shoulders at her and sits back down at his desk. He rolls his sleeves halfway up his arm and rests his hands clasped together under his chin, making little deductions about the entire situation.
"Hey, I know!" she says tapping Kevin on the shoulder eagerly. "Maybe it's hard for you to understand now since you've never actually witnessed Benedict and I together at the same time. You and Amanda should totally hang out with Benedict and I sometime soon so you can see us as a couple."
Kevin breaks his own silence and looks at Nicole. "Ehh, I'm not so sure about that. This is too much to take in as it is."
"Come on, I believe this could help a lot. Please, Kevin. For me?" she begs with earnest eyes. He breaks a smile in the corner of his mouth and his dimples appear.
"Oh, fine!" he yells laughing. "How could I say no to you when you make that face."
Nicole leans over to hug him, and he kindly hugs her back. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me," she says resting her head on his shoulder.
"I'm free tomorrow after school," he says.
"That works for me, if that works for you too Nicole," Benedict says leaning over to her, placing his hand on top of hers.
"Yes," she says smiling happily.
"I can't wait."
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A/N: I've been posting quite frequently lately, and I hope you guys don't mind! I honestly hope these last few chapters have been okay, and that you are still enjoying my story! I've just had some free time and once I get one written, I can't help but post it right away lol :)
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Mr. Cumberbatch
Fanfiction"Nicole was confused by all the emotions she was feeling for this man she had just met. Feeling this way was definitely a new experience for her. Never in a hundred years would she have thought she could meet a man like this. He's everything she cou...
