Chapter 2

High School (Nine Years Ago)

“Get down here, Benny, or you’ll be late for school,” her dad was yelling from down the stairs.

She quickly ran a brush through her dark brown hair and kissed her dog, B. She picked up her school bag and hurried down the stairs.

There was some toasted bread and scrambled eggs on the small dining table by the kitchen. He urged her forward to put some of it in her stomach. Her mom had gone to work already.

As soon as she was done eating, she got into his car, strapped on her seat belt, and waited for him to enter the car. He was plump and had a fat temper to back it up. He was confident, too, something Benny didn’t know how to be. She was timid and easygoing like her mom and always gave in to whatever he wanted.

Upon reaching the school gate, she alighted from the car and listened to him yell that she was to pay full attention in class. It was the reason her classmates called her Benny, even though she’d insisted that her name was Benita. She didn’t like how the nickname made her feel like a boy. It was bad enough that she wasn’t as pretty as other girls in class and that she’d, on several occasions, been called ugly. Did she also have to be called like she was a boy?

Her dad had been doing it since she was in elementary school. Whenever she alighted from his car, he would shout, ‘Pay full attention in class, Benny.’ And so all her classmates called her Benny.

She walked into the school building with her eyes on the floor. Her looks were something she was ashamed of—her plain Jane face and her plump body. She only looked at people she admired when they weren’t staring.

The classroom was filled up already, but the teacher had yet to show up. She walked in unnoticed, which was usual because she was insignificant to most of her classmates.

She sat beside those she usually talked to in class: Charlotte, Molly, and freckled-faced Trent. They were just like her—plain and unimportant in class. She didn’t like to consider them her friends because she never shared her longings with them. They had no idea that she loved to draw or that she was mad about Aiden Turner.

He was seated in front, with his friends and with girls drooling over him as usual. She wasn’t allowed to flirt with him like that or to get that close to his light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. She was a nobody in school.

Minka Harris, the hottest girl in class, walked in. Her red manicure and pedicure were perfect. Her style was chic and cool.

“How is her hair always so sleek?” Charlotte said, staring in awe.

“She’s a perfect creature,” Trent said.

Minka was as evil as she was beautiful, Benny thought. Her sleek blonde hair and turquoise blue eyes matched all her wicked jokes and pranks. She’d once framed a girl called Abby for stealing her phone, but the real reason was that Abby had answered a question in class that Minka couldn’t answer. And Benny had known the truth as she’d seen Minka slip her phone into Abby’s bag.

Abby was eventually expelled from school. And though Benny still felt guilty that she’d remained silent as Abby had cried and insisted on her innocence, she hadn’t wanted to be victimized for exposing the truth. It was bad enough that she was bullied from time to time. Should she have made it worse?

Besides, Aiden had known, too, and had said nothing. Benny knew it made him bad. But you couldn’t choose who you loved. Plus, Minka might have manipulated him to say nothing.

“I bet she’s gonna become famous one day. She loves to be heard,” Molly said sadly. She’d, on several occasions, been the subject of Minka’s wicked jokes because she was a little person. Minka usually used the word ‘dwarf’ to refer to her.

“I agree. She’s pretty and hard to ignore,” Benny said.

Minka moved to where Aiden was sitting and began flirting with him, rubbing his back. And Benny felt sick to her stomach.

“Those two suit each other,” Charlotte said.

“Narcissistic and insensitive,” Molly added in a low tone. She didn’t want anyone to hear her for fear of being punished by Aiden and Minka.

“He thinks he’s too good for her,” Trent said sarcastically.

“No! He’s actually too good for her,” Benny said, causing them to stare at her.

“I mean, he’s from a wealthier family and all,” she quickly said.

“Well, that’s true,” Molly agreed. They all shifted their attention back to Aiden and Minka.

Benny was glad that, like other girls and her, Minka was still dying to date Aiden. He just wasn’t interested in anyone in school. Perhaps he had a secret girlfriend somewhere. But one thing was for sure: he’d laid so many girls in class. Whether Minka was part of this list was something Benny didn’t know.

***

Benny returned home to her dog, B. She called him B because he was her best friend and the only one she ever expressed her deepest thoughts. He was given to her by Aunt May, her mom’s older sister, who died several months ago. Benny was the only child of her parents. Her mom was already home—making lunch downstairs. She brought B out of his crate.

So B, she began. She rubbed the brown hair on his back. Today was the same. I sat at the back of the class with Charlotte, Molly, and Trent. Aiden sat in front as usual. I wish I could flirt with him like other girls do. I want to be like those girls, especially Minka. To look like her and be wanted like her.

She put him back in his crate and observed the look in his eyes. It was as though he felt her pain, too. She opened her drawers and searched for her drawing book and pencils. Slowly, she began penciling the shape of a woman, a woman in a dress she thought was elegant. The kind of woman she wished she were. She held the book close to her chest when she was done and cried a bit. She would rather be a pencil artist than a scientist like her dad wanted. But he would never approve.

The following day at school, Benny watched as Aiden Turner opened his locker in the hallway and scoured through the items in it. She stood at a far distance from him and pretended to be pressing her phone. Her glasses enabled her to see his features.

She did this a lot, especially when he wasn’t looking. She would observe his daunting features, drool over him, and wish he would look at her as though she mattered. But she knew it would never happen. This was all she could ever have of him—watching and admiring him from afar.

Benny!

She was startled and immediately collected herself as she saw who it was.

“What are you doing here?” Charlotte said.

“Um, I was just, um, going through some things on my phone.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in class.” She walked away from Benny.

Aiden was still standing before his locker. He seemed to be having little luck finding whatever it was he was looking for. She hated to see him frustrated. But he was even more handsome in his frustration.

Three thousand miles, a thousand years. Name it, and I’ll do it for you as you wish unless it’s impossible, unless death stops me. She spoke to him with her heart.

“Fat girl!”

She almost flinched and was even more frightened at the sight of the person who spoke.

“Mi...Minka,” she stuttered.

“I know you’ve been stalking him,” Minka said, downing the pack of yogurt in her hands.

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Benny. You stare at him most of the time, just like you’re doing now.” Minka moved closer to her. She was five inches taller than Benny.

“And I’m not the only one who knows.”

Benny panicked. Who else knew? Aiden? Minka’s friends?

“I was just using my phone.”

“Liar,” Minka raised her voice. Aiden was walking away already.

Minka stepped on Benny’s right leg.

“Aww,” Benny said lightly, trying to ignore the pain of Minka’s black heel.

Get your leg off mine, b*tch, she wanted to yell.

“Please, your leg is on mine,” she said instead.

“Do I tell Aiden?”

“No, please,” Benny said, pressing her hands together in a plea.

“Okay. I won’t.”

Minka smiled.

“But you have to do something for me.”

Benny swallowed hard. Doing something for Minka could only mean getting her hands dirty. She didn’t want to be involved in any of Minka’s wicked pranks.

“Are you in?”

“Um, I, I, um…”

“I’ll tell Aiden then. Imagine fat girl Benny Myles becoming popular for stalking golden boy Aiden Turner.”

“What do you want from me?”

Minka chuckled. She poured the rest of her yogurt on Benny’s dark brown hair and watched as it dripped on her dress.

“Wait for it,” she said and walked away laughing.