Who Would I Be Without You? //Ben Cook fanfic// *FINISHED*

Five: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

A/N: I love reading the comments, and I'm so glad so many of you want me to continue writing! Also, to the comments that ask if there's gonna be a thing between Sky and Olivia...well...that would be telling, now wouldn't it? ;) (Well, for now, they're just friends x) Enjoy this chapter! <3

Yet another point I must make, this time about my dad: he over cooks EVERYTHING. Non of my siblings live at home anymore, but he's still in that mindset where he thinks he needs to cook twice as much food even though there's now only 3 of us, (me him and Mom) so our fridge is made up of left overs most of the time.

Christmas is the exception, as everyone is over and it leaves our fridge baron until new years (and that's fine with me, always an excuse to get take out!) All in all, it always tastes amazing and I truly cannot complain.

We were all sat around the large, round oak table, which had been adorned with an old table cloth we had all help make a few years ago that Mom brought out every year at year, the nice place mats only to be used on "special occasions" which I guess means Christmas to our dad! and these plates I had made in a pottery class last summer.

My head was kinda in the clouds as everyone was talking about life stuff, Emma about college, Kate and Nick about work and their partners and Ben about work and his friends, I tuned it out as I made a snow (well, mash potato to be precise) man and just as I was about to add peas to his face to make the eyes, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Via?" I jump slightly, slipping out of my trance and swiping some of my peas onto the floor.

"Huh?" I ask, looking up to see my entire family staring at me.

Nick, who has finished, chuckles and pushes his plate away, "I said, what's up with you? Ya' know, with the whole monkey graffiti and all?"

I groan, slouching in my chair, I almost forgot Ben put the photo up on the Sibling Group Chat,, I fold my arms and glare at Ben who just laughs silently with Emma.

"It's nothing, I've been scrubbing it off for the last 2 weeks, am taking a months detention and being band from my art class next semester, so I think I've had enough punishment for it, no need to bring it up okay?" I grumble silently, scooping up the head of my mash potato man (who only had one eye and a shred of carrot for a nose) and chewing quietly.

The whole table was quiet for a few moments before Mom put her knife and fork down and turned to me, "actually sweetie, that's not the reason you won't be attending art class..."

I lift my head and look at her, cocking my eyebrow, "what do you mean?"

She smiles, looking to Be, "you wanna tell her or should I?"

I stare at them both, baffled, "tell me what?" I ask firmly, a knot forming in my stomach.

Ben shrugged, pushing his plate back, "I wanted to save it for tomorrow but...now seems like the perfect time--"

"If someone doesn't tell me what's going on, I swear to god I will flip the table!" I snap, interrupting him and making everyone laugh.

Ben sighed, "you're coming to live with me in New York."

At this, the fork slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor, "what?!"

"Would you mind picking that up sweetheart?" Mom asked, trying to calm the situation down, but I was having non of it.

"What do you mean I'm going to be living with you in NEW YORK?!"

The whole table had gone quiet, Nick, Kate and Emma slowly picking up their plates and quietly making their way to the kitchen mumbling something about "getting the dishes started."

That just left me, Mom, Dad and Ben at the table, me waiting for an answer to my question.

Mom huffed, sitting up straighter, "I know this is a big thing to wrap your head around sweetheart, but I think it will be for the best--"

"The best?!" I interrupt, groaning loudly, "that's bullshit!"

"Language!" Dad snapped, speaking up for the first time in this conversation, "I know this is going to be a bit of an adjustment and it doesn't seem fair right now, but it's in your best interest."

I fold my arms and eye him slightly. "How? How on earth could I benefit in the slightest?"

Dad shrugged, "you've been wanting to go out to New York for years, you told us about that Scholarship you applied--"

My eyes widen and I cough loudly as a signal for him to stop, waving my arms lightly, but it was too late, Ben sat up and furrowed his brow at me, "you applied for a Scholarship? To NYU?"

I look down at the carpet (still covered in peas and my fork. I bend down and picked up the fork, setting it back on the table before slowly picking the peas up one by one, my face a deep shade of red.

"I'm not getting in, not with my lousy grades..." I grumble, putting the fallen peas back onto my plate and slumping back onto my chair.

Ben smirked at me, his eyes twinkling lightly, which could only mean one thing:

he was up to something.

"what...?" I ask cautiously.

"There's a summer placement at the university, they sent the letter yesterday and..." He says, trailing off as he handed me a letter, I took it hesitantly and opened it carefully, skimming through it, "they want to offer the placement to you."

I was speechless. New York University...want to offer me a placement...to hopefully get a full scholarship...ME?

"So..." Ben asked hesitantly, "what do you think?"

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, not knowing what to say. I fold the letter up and shove it back in the envelope, "I'm gonna go take a bath and get back to you on that." I say a little too quickly and raced out of the room as fast as I could and ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

***

I wasn't taking a bath.

I had climbed down the drain pipe and crept around the house to the side gate and ran for the park.

After a few minutes, I slow down and text my friend Alex.

V: Hey Loser! You free for 20 minutes? x

30 seconds later, I get a reply

A: Hey bitch! Long time no talk! Can you make it 30? My family's driving me CRAAAZY! X

V: What happened this time?

tell you at the park :)

I roll my eyes and type back a quick sure you you there and continue on my way to the park.

Alex is probably the only real friend I have left, other than Talia, but she moved away last Summer. The other "friends" I had were girls from my school who basically followed me around because of Ben, they dropped me as soon as I built my own rep as a "rule breaker" (using that term loosely as I don't intentionally break the rules on purpose!) and spread all sorts of rumours about me.

Alex was new to school sophomore year and he said a year or two into our friendship that he was kinda drawn to me, because I was the weird, quiet arty kid and those were his quote unquote "people" which I had no problem with, cause now I could say I had at least one friend who actually wanted to know me and not the girl written about in the bathroom stalls and whispered about in the halls between classes.

I made it to the park and ran across the grass to the small play area was. It wasn't an overly spectacular park, just a soft play area, a lot of grass and trees, a drinks stand and a few picnic benches, but it's still the best park in the world to me.

Alex was sat on one of the swings in the soft play area and looked up from his phone, seeing me and smiled. He waved at me and I waved back, jogging the rest of the way over. He leaned back on the swing as I approached, "hey friendo! What's the dealio with you-o!" I rolled my eyes, why he spoke like this I would never understand!

I sat in the swing opposite him, also leaning back, "where do I begin...?"

A/N: Probably the longest chapter I've written so far! Hope you enjoyed, vote if you do and please send your feedback :)