"No we're not I spoke to Mr. Merrill and told him we both would rather work alone and he agreed. You're right, I don't need to be in your fucked up world so it's best if we just never talk to each other again." Ben walks away leaving him.

What Ben saw really frightened him and that's what Mackie was afraid of, the one chance to make a good impression in a school full of people who think he's a creep and he proves them right. Not that he cares what the others think, but for some reason he cared what Ben thought and now he knows that Ben only thinks of him as a violent person.


The next 2 days everything felt like it was back to normal, no one talks to Mackie and Ben is with his friends. He didn't tell his friends about what he saw he's staying focused on spring fling "we should get ready at my house tomorrow night and just have the guys pick us up from there." Ali suggests

"Yes definitely, you can do my hair in those curls I love" Brooke agrees. They wait for Ben to chime in but he's so lost in his thoughts he isn't even paying attention to a word they're saying "Ben?" Brooke tries to get his attention

"Hmm?" He turns to look at them as they stare at him weird "Everything ok?"


"Yeah fine... I should go find Jeremy we haven't talked about his suit yet" "Ok see you at lunch?"

"Yeah" he walks away. Ben lies because he really just want to be alone, he doesn't want to talk to anyone but for some weird reason was on the lookout for Mackie. Not that he has anything to say to him but if Ben saw him he'd talk to him.


Skipping lunch with his friends Ben finds a Bench behind the school to sit on and hide, his world hasn't felt the same since Monday and it's all because of- "mind if I sit?" He looks up to see Mackie standing there, Ben shakes his head and Mackie sits down "Skittles?" He pulls the pack of candy from his jacket pocket offering Ben "when I sit alone on benches I like to eat candy" his smile is faint but Ben sees it.

Reaching out he waits and Mackie pours some in his hand "thanks" he takes it. They sit quietly on the bench eating the candy staring at everything else but each other "does anything scare you, Mackie?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean you ride a motorcycle and get into fights, you have to fear something"

Mackie thinks "hairless animals" he answers and Ben turns to him. He starts to laugh "I mean those things are so freaky looking and they're naked" Ben doesn't want to but he chuckles along. They get quiet again "you know I wouldn't have let anything happen to you, right?"

Ben turns to him "how would I have known that? We don't know each other"

"Yeah we do, you're Ben, you have terrible friends and your boyfriend's kind of a dick." "And you're Mackie, you get into fights, and go about the world alone"

"See" he smiles, "I told you we knew each other."

"Can I ask you something?" Mackie nods "what the heck kind of name is Mackie Denver?" They both laugh "it sounds like the name of a used car salesman"

"Who says I'm not one?" "You sell cars?"

"It's my dream, owning my own dealership and everything" "Are you joking?"

Mackie shakes his head "you've got me all figured out"

As they're smiling at each other Ben's phone rings "hey?" He answers Ali's call "Where the hell are you?"

"Um" he looks over at Mackie "I'm still looking for Jeremy" "Well he's looking for you too"

"Why what's wrong?" "You haven't seen it?" "Seen what?"

"Jenny Field's IG check it now!"

Hanging up Ben goes on the app typing Jenny's name, the first thing to pop up on her page is a picture of her and Jeremy in bed together while Jeremy sleeps on her chest, with a caption that reads he's still mine bitch.

Ben stares at the picture shocked as tears form in his eyes "you ok?" Mackie asks noticing "Uh" He stands up "I have to go."

"Wait" Mackie goes after him as he rushes away "Ben what's wrong?" He tries to stop him

"Nothing" Ben lies ditching the worried boy.

Skipping school Ben goes home and ignores everyone.

—

It's spring fling day and everyone knows what happened "what did he expect would happen Jeremy's not gay and he's way too hot for Ben" Mackie hears as he's walking. As someone who's always out of the loop, he isn't sure what happened but he knows it involves Ben.

As he's walking to his locker with his head down because people are staring "Ben!" He hears Jeremy behind him and speeds away, running to catch up Jeremy stops him "Ben wait let me explain" he stands in front of him.

"I don't care Jeremy" Ben tries to keep his cool "Jenny's lying nothing happened!"

"You laying on top of her is nothing happening? Do I look dumb to you?!" Everyone stops walking watching them "God why was I stupid enough to fall for your shit!"

"I want to be with you Ben"

"I do not care! Get that through your thick skull! Go be with Jenny you 2 deserve each other" "What about us and spring fling?"

"WE'RE DONE JEREMY!" He cries

Turning the hall Mackie sees them arguing and stops to watch "you can't believe a stupid post over me Ben come on that's not fair! I don't want to be with her"

"Liar! You're a cheating liar!" Ben shoves him about to walk away "Listen to me!" Jeremy grabs him

"Get off me!" Ben pulls away and keeps walking

"DON'T WALK AWAY WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He yells shoving Ben against the locker holding him there.