Rewind (Completed)

Bonus Chapter: A Blend of BoyBand

Bonus Chapter: A Blend of BoyBand

Three years ago:

"Hello, Benjy!" the chipper voice echoes into the phone. "Are we still on for tomorrow night? Your father and your sisters are expecting you to actually show up this time!"

"Can you not shout, Ma?!" I respond in exasperation.

"Can you not shout back, Benjy?!" she only shouts louder in turn.

I sigh, cringing at the nickname. "If I ever go deaf, it's on you."

"Don't give me cheek. Just be there for once," she reprimands, using her sharp tone of voice on me. "And bring that girlfriend you always go on about, the one that apparently always takes you away from attending family events."

"My girlfriend?" I ask, rubbing at my temples in exhaustion.

This woman is giving me a migraine. This is exactly why I moved out at seventeen. Living with four women is emotionally draining. I had to leave.

"Yes," she exclaims in irritation, "the one you always use as an excuse to not visit us," she reminds me.

It's getting difficult keeping track of all the excuses I've used. I love my family but they tend to be overwhelming. My sisters are way too invested in my social life and my parents are always pushing me in my studies.

"Right, right," I yawn, running a hand through my hair, "got it, Ma. Love you. Can I go now? Can I be released from this phone call from hell?"

"Why do you sound so tired?" she muses, being the paranoid, interrogating mother that she is. "Where are you right now, Ben?"

"Home."

She pauses, suspicious, before taking her chances in asking me the inevitable. "You're not out drinking again, are you?"

"No, Ma," I reassure her, "I'm not. I'm at home studying. Those days are behind me."

"Don't lie to me, Benley. I can practically smell the alcohol through the phone cord!" she raises her voice, playing the motherly card on me in the hopes of sending me on a guilt trip.

"What does that even mean?" I roll my eyes in impatience, expressing my confusion. "I really am at home, Ma."

"Or you're with Bex clubbing?" she states more than questions, sure of her theory.

I flinch at the name. "That was years ago, Mom. You know how I feel about her, it, that thing, whatever-you-want-to-call-her, now. She's a soul-sucking demon-"

"A bloodthirsty witch, yadda yadda ya," my mother cuts me off with a lighthearted laugh. "I've heard all the complaints, my boy, one too many times."

"Do you want to hear more? I've got more," I reply, swallowing a grin as I anticipate her predictable response.

"Okay, Ben, so long as you're not out drinking. Can't chat, see you tomorrow, bye now," she answers all too quickly before hanging up.

Works every time. She's so obvious.

I smirk, turning back to the wild, expectant crowds at hand as I put my phone away. "Let's get this party started again!"

I grin in satisfaction, elated when they all cheer my name in unison.

"A girlfriend?" Greg Warner raises an eyebrow at me, an amused smile on his face, breaking me from my glimpse of freedom. "Since when? Every time you come here to the bar, you have a new girl on your arm."