"About A Girl" The Academy Is...

Hi

Bored. Out. Of. My. Mind. No, actually I have a hand cramp so I'm just chilling. Can't really do anything but, so..

Setting: Bennett post-Rainie pre-Elisa

Bennett's POV

I was sitting at lunch. I saw her. Across the cafeteria. The way the world laid it out for me, I could see her perfectly. The people in between us framing her for me. But I tried not to stare. I kept picturing her. Illuminated by yellow porch light. And seeing her clearer than anything thanks to Paul Spinella.

Jonah came over. Turning to look where I had been. "What?" He did a full circle. Then he paused. "Oh you noticed?" He smiled gorkily. "I've been working out." He posed for me. But I jsut rolled my eyes loking down at the pieces of what looked liek grinded food that was my lunch.

Sean came over. "Hey," He sat down next to me.

"Bennett's spacing out." Jonah swung a leg over the bench so he sat sideways. Taking out an apple and biting into it, taking half of it into his mouth. He pointed in the direction I had been looking and wagged his fingers around. Showing Sean where my attention had been drawn. I slouched over. My eye was aching.

It took Sean three seconds. "Oo-oh." He said in a irly singsong voice. "Bennett's got a crush."

I looked at him. "No," I said defensivly. I didn't like Elisa. I didn't like anyone. I was done with all of that shit. I couldn't handle it anymore. I was already stupid when it came to that. And now I was on the outsde.

"Who!" Jonah said loudly lookign at me. "Someone who isn't eternally bound to a certain someone," He pointed at my eye. "With a certain beasty punch who punched a certain someone else."

I rolled my eyes. "Nobody." I said. I looked down.

Sean leaned forward. "Elisa Loren." He said.

Her name sent shivers through me. It was pretty. I always knew it was. It sounded like a song. All the syllables rang together perfectly and all of the sonds were in pitch. It was beautiful. But I tried not to tighten my fist in an attempt to stop my heart from highering the speed of my blood by that much.

Jonah stared blankly. Not syainganything. For once. Frozen looking confused.

Sean stuck a spork into a mound of mashed potatos. If they were. "You know that prick Nathan Pratt?" He asked.

"I think so..." Jonah said slowly. "The one who slept with Rachel Powers last week and was bragging about it to everyone."

And I felt my skin shift. Rachel Powers. That girl in our group. The day I met Elisa. I swallowed and scooped up a sumpy sloppy green bean. It was nasty. I stabbed them sharpl with the stubby points of my spork. "Yeah, that's him." Sean said. "He has a girlfriend. That's Elisa."



Jonah looekd at me. "Dude," He said. "You need to stop going after girls who are taken, you're biting my thunder." He poked his food too.

I looked up. "I don't like her." I said. This time more calmly.

"Fine, dude." Sean said. "Calm down."

That lunch I didn't eat. I didn't feel like it. I felt hung over and shaky. Catching flashes of her and losing her from my view. I could always find her, her friend- Cassandra or something, had this bright colored hair. I could always pinpoint her. And see bits and pieces of her. I just didn't know when. But when I did I felt my heart go numb on the outside as at sped on. Like it was being chased down with a gun.

We got up and left. Taking us right past her table. Sean did this on purpose I knew. But I smiled a little. She looked up and saw me. She looked terrified. Ready to force her eyes down. The same girl I had frist met. So different from the last one I had. "Hi Elisa," I said. And she became that girl on the porch. Her eyes shifting and becoming that same person. I didn't care that she didn't say anything back. Just knowing that somewhere nothing was different, somehow we were more the same.



Jonah looped his arm into mine. "You're in love," He said singing to me. "You've found your Rainie Joseph, Mr. Spinella, now your task is to beat the crap out of the Bennett Williams in this."

I rolled my eyes. "Will you give up on this already." I said irratated. "I don't like her."

Jonah looked at me steadily. And suddenly I cracked a little. To make them happy. "Maybe a little." That phrasewas a weight off of my shoulders.

Jonah patted my arm. "Babysteps," He said. "Babysteps."

* * *

I was at a party. It was small and I was drinking. Not because I was alone. It was because I was alone. And I knew Elisa was too, becuase Nathan was with her an hour ago and now he was in the laundry room with some drunk blonde girl. And they've been in there twenty minutes. But also across the room I had to watch them.

They were jsut talking thetwo of them. Her on a pool table. And him just standing there in front of her. His hands on either side of her. And her arms a loop around his neck. They talked quietly. And smiled and were in love.

Me, I met a girl a month and a half ago, she slightly terrified of me period. And now after everything. Being punched a few weeks ago, I was still alone. And falling hopelessly in love with a girl who was in love with the guy getting a blow job in the laundry room within ten feet of me.



I sipped finsihing off another drink. Looking across the room, Rainie was alone. Her feet carrying her to me. She smiled a little. I've heard a little from her. A sorry. And a hello. She's with Paul. It's meant to be. So why am I not happy? But I smiled a little too, forcing it.

"Hi," She said.

"Hey," I said.

She swallowed. "Are you okay Bennett?" She asked. Softly. Caring. The girl she always had been with Paul. With me she cried and smashed herself for him.

I paused. Shrugging. "Better," I said.

"How's your eye?" She asked looking at it. It was fading.

"Better too," I said.

"He feels really bad about it," She said softly. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "My fault."

And she paused, forcing a smile. "Jonah said you'e got a crush."

Figures. He was drunk earlier and all over the place. I sighed. "A little bit." I said. "Not really." And I scratched my neck. "How are things-"

She smiled. "Don't change the subject." She said. "Who is it?"

I swallowed. Looking around. "You can tell me," She said. "I'll probably end up telling Paul but he won't say anything to you or anyone." I must have been drunk. I must have had too much to drink. Too much. I didn't feel it. But I was.



"Elisa," I said. "Elisa Loren."

She smiled. "What does she look like?" She asked. I looked at her hesitating. "Come on tell me!" She said loudly.



I sighed looking across the room. "She's pretty," I said. Now I could feel whatever buzz I had. And suddenly she came downstairs. I stared. Rainie looking at her. "That's her?" She asked smiling.

"Yeah," I said looking away from her.

"Go for it," Rainie said. "She looks like your type."

"No," I said.

"Why? You obviously like her a lot. I can tell." I looked at Rainie she had her arms crossed and was smiling a little.

I scratched my neck. "She doesn't like me back at all." I knew that. She loved Nathan. And suddenly I saw Paul. Walking downstairs and seeing Rainie waving.

It took five minutes. Rainie was back with Paul. And I walked over to Elisa. "Hi," I said. She looked a little scared- calming down a little. "What's up?"

My goal wasn't to talk to her. It was to get her away as soon as I could. Nathan was still in that fucking laundry room. "Um, nothing," She said tugging at her hair. "I was jsut looking for Nathan."

"I saw him go upstairs a few minutes ago," I said pointing at them. "He looked like he wa looking for someone, but I'll tell you if he comes back down."

She msield a little. "Thanks," She said. "See you later."

I don't know why I lied to her. Got her away from here. I could have easily kept her here tlaking ot her. Nathan would emerge. With some girl. And I'd be there. But I didn't want her to get hurt. She wasn't ready to know. I didn't want her to. She would eventually. I knew that. But not now. She liked him too much.

Heard Academy Is... at the gym XD. Was singing and rocking out to it.
Jasey Ray