a song (for you) // Ben Gross x OC

9 ~ better

"Shaking in waiting for something more" 

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"Jez, are you seriously still ignoring us?" shouted Paxton, his arms in the air, trying to get the long-haired girl's attention.

Jezalyn had avoided all eye contact with any of Carlos' friends and had managed to ignore them all, too. It had been a week since her fight with Carlos and she only spoke to him with short phrases, usually said in Spanish for extra effect.

As she sped past Paxton and his locker, Devi took a step closer to his. Jez decided to make a mental note of the interaction but was too preoccupied with where she was heading.

Jez had been spending a lot of time with Ben, while also trying to spend a lot of time with herself. Over the weekend, she was feeling inspired and picked up her old acoustic guitar, the one her dad bought after she watched Coco for the first time.

She started to play a melody and decided to record the track. Now, all she had left to do was fill the instrumentals with lyrics. The problem? She had no idea what to write about.

Jez was on her way to the local coffee shop to hopefully find some more inspiration and to stay awake. History was rough today.

"Alright J," Ben opened up the passenger seat of his dad's car, "I already searched up the best parking spot for this shop. The one place you wanted to try and focus on just had to be in downtown?" the boy's eyebrows raised as he teased her and flashed a smile her way to make sure she knew he was joking.

"Alright Gross, save the pageant ties for the poor baristas we'll be annoying today," I laughed and pulled the door shut, buckling in.

Things have really... changed a lot, pretty quickly. I mean, living at home again is alright on its own. But now? Now I have my own best friend who's also my neighbor who doesn't really have plans that often? Sounds like an absolute dream. And it kind of feels like one too.

Jez smiles to herself and peaks at Ben out of the corner of her eye. His arms gripped the wheel with a whole other world of intensity, but the rest of his body looked relaxed.

Don't even get me started on the nickname. I mean, at first, yeah he didn't need to start calling me 'J,' Jez was short enough. But... something about it makes me feel special. And maybe it's okay that I like how it feels. I don't know.

Ben glances over at the girl while she stared out the window with a quiet smile across her face. He kept his eyes on the road, except for when the sunlight reflected in her eyes. Then, he couldn't help but gaze at her.

After she revealed her past to him, Ben realized that Jez was more than just his hot neighbor. She was beautiful, sweet, and honestly? Kind of the best friend ever.

She does actually spend time with me, and kind of makes everything fun, too. She has really nice eyes too, and she's been helping me work on things with Shirs! It's been great. I really appreciate her friendship.

"We made it! And in the best spot too, yes!" Ben cheers and Jez rolls her eyes pushing on his arm playfully. "We made it after the old lady struggling to use her walker beat us down the street! Let's go Sonic, you have to study and I have to... find something interesting to write about." Ben scoffed jokingly and opened the door to the shop with a goofy grin.

Friendship... yeah... idiots.

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It's been a minute hello!! I hope u enjoyed this chapter! Sorry if it's short, I just thought a time skip could help us get back on track and see how Jez and Ben spending time together without drama could bring out some fun emotions !!! I can't wait to dive back into the Carlos drama and the inevitable Daxton drama !!! I'm also considering starting a Julie and the phantoms book, thoughts?? <3 vote and comment pleaaase my loves!!