Let Me Be The One // Benny Rodriguez // COMPLETED

Chapter #15 // The Fight

Mateo's POV

I need to set some things straight with Mr. Benny. He's been too close to Opal lately.

As I walk up onto his porch, I hear talking. It's Becca.

"You know Mateo won't like that." I hear her say.

"I don't care if he does, she was mine first." Benny replied.

Now I'm curious.

"If I wanna give her a necklace with a heart locket, I can. It's not like he can stop me."

In all honesty, I really don't care. I know how close they were.

It's that cat I'm worried about.

I understand where he's coming from when he tells the story, I believe him. But it feels like he's trying to win her back. And I don't like it.

"Mateo?" A voice says my name. It's Becca.

"Huh?" I ask, stupidly.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh. Yeah. I just came to talk to Benny." I say.

"Oh. Okay. See ya." She walks off.

"You here for a reason? I was about to go play baseball."

"Could you not have an attitude with me?" I look at Benny. He looks... shocked.

"We need to talk." I say.

"Yeah. We do. Why are you here. And you better have a better answer than to talk crap." He looks at me.

"You gave my girlfriend a cat." I say.

"So?" It took him a while to respond.

"So, quit trying to take her away from me. She's mine. You had your chances, Rodriguez. She hasn't come back to you because you've broken her heart so much."

He pauses.

Benny's POV

He thinks he can walk up to MY house, where I live, and talk to me this way.

I think not.

"Get out of my yard." I say.

He doesn't move.

"I said get out!" I raise my voice a little louder.

"And I'm not done talking to you. I want you to back off. Opal is mine now."

Before he can even finish his sentence, I punch him square in the jaw.

Before I know it, we're tackling each other like rival football teams.

I punch him pretty hard in the stomach, knocking him back.

I'd never murder somebody, but I also never noticed when I picked up my bat.

I raise the bat, about to really hurt him—which was never my true intention—but somebody yanks me back. Fast.

"Benny! Stop!" It's Ceaser.

I end up slinging the bat in Mateo's direction, but only missing him by a few inches.

"He walks up here and thinks he can push me out of Opal's life!" I scream—not even knowing I am.

"All I told you to you was back off!" He yells back.

"Everybody hush!" Ceaser yells, louder than both of us combined.

"Benny. Room. Little dude I have never met, stay."

"I want him off our property."
I snap.

"I said. Room."

When Ceaser is mad, it's best to go with it.

I jerk myself away from him and up to my room. I don't slam the door, but I'm not nice about closing it either. I sit on my bed—and cry.

Opal's POV

I heard yelling come from Benny's house, so I ran over as quick as I could.

"Whats going on!?" I shout as I see bruises forming on Mateo's face.

"Your little friend tried to murder me." Mateo says, snappier than he meant to be.

"In Benny's defense, he did start it." Ceaser says.

"I was giving him a warning!"

"Mateo, just... go home. I don't wanna see you right now." Not even I believe I said that.

He hesitates—then leaves.

"He's up in his room." I hear Ceaser say.

"Thank you.." I choke out, looking at him. I've never said a word to him, so that earns a smile from him. I smile back.

As I walk up the stairs to Benny's room, I hear... punching noises.

Quickening my pace, I get to his room as fast as I can without looking desperate.

"Benny...?" I slowly push his door open. He's punching a punching bag... with his bare hands.

"Stop! Don't hurt yourself!" I shout, not meaning to be as loud as I was.

All I saw was blood... running down his cheek from where Mateo scratched it—off his upper lip from his nose—and even down his hands from his knuckles.

"Benny, let me help you." I insist, pulling him into the bathroom.

I close the door behind us and make him sit down. Tears stain his cheeks.

Oh Benny...

I get the first aid kit and start cleaning him up.

"He's trying to push me out of your life.." he whispers.

"Benny... that isn't Mateo. I do believe you more than I do him, I've known you since we were little, but I do know Mateo had another intention than to start a fight with you."

"He looked at me and told me back off, Opal. He clearly doesn't want us around each other. He told me I'd had my chances and that you hadn't come back to me because I break your heart so much.." he looks up at me.

"Benny.. please don't let him get to you. Who do you trust more, me or him?"

"Obviously you." He manages a small—weak—smile.

"Nobody could keep me away from you..." I smile, softly.

He pulls me close to him, and hugs me really tight.

I hug back.

If only he knew...