The Girl Next Door | Baby Daddy

8.3 | Runaway Ben

"I can not believe you got us arrested!" Riley accused angrily as she paced back and forth behind Bonnie. Bonnie was seated casually in one of the chairs in the security guard's office as if this wasn't the first time this had happened to her. In all honesty, it probably wasn't.

"Don't worry, Riles. No extensions came out and I didn't even pop a nail! How much harm could I have really done?" Bonnie tested and Riley stared at her.

"They took Dianne away on a gurney. In an ambulance!"

"Ugh, that Dianne. She's always been such a drama queen." Bonnie muttered resentfully.

"Mrs. Wheeler, the security guard threatened to charge us with a felony! I can not get a felony! If I have a rap sheet, I automatically lose my internship at Brockman, Bender, Bauerman, and--"

"Bender, Bowman, Brockman, and--"

"Whatever! Mrs. Wheeler, I'm gonna be disbarred before I'm even barred!" Riley argued.

"Okay, let's calm down! We can't turn on each other. That's what they want." Bonnie said. "Don't worry, Riles. God, you're like a ball of tension in a mini skirt. Look, when walkie-talkie Tommy comes back in here, you're gonna get us out of this with your powers of persuasion." Bonnie insisted, but Riley seemed hesitant.

"Well, I mean, I guess I've picked up a few legal moves." Riley said shyly, sinking into her hair and twirling her bangs nervously like she always did out of habit when she was stressed.

"Legal moves? No, I meant use your skinny little ass and shake what the good people of Weight Watchers gave you!" Bonnie encouraged and Riley was reluctant yet again. Bonnie Wheeler's plans weren't exactly notorious for playing out well, but then again, Bonnie had eluded prison this long.

"That's called entrapment, Mrs. Wheeler!" Riley countered. "Or... solicitation, or something..." She began twirling her hair around and tilted her head down again, whispering the rest unsurely. "Something... intercoast--"

"Wow. You're good at this. If I ever get actual-arrested, I'll make sure you're my first call." Bonnie mocked sarcastically as Riley had a miniature meltdown. "Don't worry. If you won't do it, then I will."

"Oh my God, we are so going to prison!" Riley buried her face in her hands while Bonnie dug some cash out of her pocket.

"Hello, Officer." Bonnie greeted flirtatiously when the security guard came back into the office. She out her hand on her hip and casually held up the folded cash in between her fingers, as if it was a lit cigarette. "Oh, what's this? Oh, it's twenty bucks and a coffee card with only two punches left towards a free drink of any size you like." She said and began waving the card in his face as she enunciated, "Any. Size. You like."

"I don't drink coffee. I like to keep a slim figure." Bonnie glanced down at the plump officer, but decided it wouldn't help their case to argue. "And that's bribery." The security guard added.

"Oh, that's what it was!" Riley realized and Bonnie shot her a "shut up" glare.

"Come on, Officer." Bonnie started in a vaguely Valley Girl accent. "You know how it is. Sometimes, a woman you used to be friends with randomly appears while you're at the mall shopping with your sons' ex-fatpants friend and starts making threats so you gotta cut a bitch."

The guard stared at her blankly. "I'm a pacifist."

"Oh my God." Riley breathed again. "We are so screwed!"

###

Bonnie was still yet to return and Ben was growing antsy as the clock was inching towards the time Emma usually woke up to eat. A crying baby would definitely put a damper on the evening, which was going exceptionally well. Ben had been preparing Cassie drinks, all of which had tasted remarkably like another already-established drink. Cassie had told him a laugh inducing story of something that had happened on set that day while Ben told Cassie a funny story about his own day.

Finally, the time came and Emma stirred. This was audible from the one-way monitor that was placed on the counter of the kitchen. Ben quietly sighed as he shot a glance at the baby monitor. Maybe she would go back to sleep. His theory was disproved when Emma whined, indicating a loud cry was brewing.

"Do you want me to go get her?" Cassie offered, pointing casually at the baby monitor.

"No! I got it." Ben assured, jumping from his chair and grabbing the baby monitor from the counter before hurrying towards his bedroom. He slowly creaked open the door, as if he swung it open too fast a bomb would go off. Emma was lying in the crib, rubbing her face with her tightly balled fists and kicking up, her tiny toes wrapped in the feet of her blanket sleepers. "Hi, baby!" Ben said quietly when he realized Emma was, in fact, fully awake. "Daddy's got a real important date so he really needs you to go back to sleep, okay?" Emma's lip quivered and she whimpered again and Ben knew she was preparing for the water works. "Okay, Emma. We're gonna go see Uncle Danny and Tucker, okay?" He said, setting the baby monitor down on his dresser and scooping up Emma.

Cassie watched as Ben jogged back into the kitchen, Emma and a few diapers in his hands. He grabbed a bottle of of the fridge and held it in his arm that wasn't supporting Emma. "I'll be right back! Don't move!" Ben requested as he bolted out the door.

###

"Ohhh!" Danny and Tucker whooped and hollered as they watched the two famous boxers in the showdown of the decade. "No, no, no, no! Get up, get up, get up!" They cheered on when the boxer they were rooting for took a massive blow to the head and tumbled onto the mat.

"Guys!" Ben recruited, busting through the laundry room book. He was a little taken aback when he saw that the laundry room had been completely transformed into a mancave. The ugly floral couch Tucker's grandma had given that he lied about having his first kiss on was in the center of the room. Ben hadn't noticed until now that they had stolen the TV from their apartment and set it up. Actually, they had stolen about half of the apartment's contents, including bottles of liquor and even the neon sign they hung by the kitchen.

"Ben, you're missing a sweet match!" Danny exclaimed as he stood on his feet, intently watching the boxers battle.

"And I'm missing a sweet date. Guys, things are going really well with Cassie! Can you please watch Emma?" He begged, giving his brother and roommate pleading looks.

"Sorry, man." Tucker said, not even bothering to let his attention be distracted from the TV.

"We already told you. No chicks allowed in Mantopia."

"Dude, I thought we settled on Brotown." Tucker said disappointedly, dropping his shoulders and facing Danny sadly.

"Fine!" Ben interrupted. "But I'm gonna remember this next time one of you asks me for a favor!"

Ben turned back to open the laundry room door, but when he twisted the knob, he found it wouldn't budge. "Guys, what's with the door?" Ben wondered.

"Don't close it all the way. It'll lock from the outside." Tucker announced, his eyes once again glued on the TV.

"No, no, no, no, no..." Ben mumbled as he fought against the door knob.

"Why are you saying 'no,' dude?! This is good! Our guy is winning!" Danny corrected Ben, focused on the match.

"No, guys, the door!" Ben yelled, still struggling against the door. He realized that Cassie was still in his apartment, waiting for him. He hadn't gotten the chance to tell her how he felt yet and now he was trapped in the laundry room with no way of contacting the outside world. He began panicking, Emma starting to fuss. "We're locked in here!"