Training Wheels ♥︎ Book 1

Chapter 1

            "I love everything you do,
     When you call me fucking dumb
           for the stupid shit I do,
       I wanna ride my bike with you,
                   Fully undressed,
        No training wheels left for you,
              I'll pull them off for you."
                 - "Training Wheels",
          a song by Melanie Martinez
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BEGINNING OF PART ONE
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"You know, Ben, me and your father, we worked in aerodynamics." Leia Organa followed Ben through the door, holding a box full of Ben's... Ben didn't actually know what was in the box. She placed it on Ben's nightstand, dusting her hands off and folding her arms. "We would've wanted nothing more for our son but for him to take up the family business. But no. What do you major in? Drama." Leia rolled her eyes .

Ben flicked his hair out of his eyes and turned to face his mother. "That was the last box, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I believe so."

Ben hated the sound of her voice. It reminded him of his high school years and the constant pressure inflicted upon him by his mother. He couldn't stand anything about her.

Ben could feel his pressure raising. His blood started to boil and he heard his heart pounding in his ears. He knew what would come next.

Before he could say anything else to his mum, Ben rushed downstairs. He could hear his mother calling, "Where the hell are you off to?" as he turned to the stairwell. He made it into the parking lot and went into his mother's car (she had insisted to drive him since her car could carry a lot and Ben didn't own his own car). He sat down in the front seat and he was starting to sweat. Ben fumbled around in his back pockets until he found his medication. He clumsily shook a pill out and was going to swallow it, but then remembered that he needed water in order to take it. Ben grunted and without thinking, ripped the steering wheel off his mother's car. A huge metal object that was where the steering wheel used to be jabbed out at Ben, and he flinched and jumped back. He dropped the steering wheel on the car floor and shakily stepped out of the car. His anger was gone for now.

Ben stood outside of the car and leaned against the door. He thought back to how his anger had become a legit problem for him in the first place. It had started at the end of Ben's sophomore year of high school, when he would go to bed hearing the constant sound of his mother and father yelling and breaking things. They divorced over summer break, God knows why. Ben's mother refused to tell him, and Ben hadn't spoken to his father in nearly a year (the last time he called Ben was last thanksgiving, and he was inviting Ben over to his new place, but Ben had said no). Ben didn't want to know the truth to why they divorced now, he just wanted to know why they were so selfish. They couldn't put their problems aside to take care of their only son. It was ridiculous, in Ben's opinion, and the separation of his parents had caused Ben extreme anger issues (diagnosed by the doctor as "intermittent explosive disorder"), that has stuck with him from 16 years old to now, at 18years old. The lack of a father figure in Ben's life and the stress from his mother weren't helping at all either. He'd never say it out loud, but Ben admitted to himself that he was lonely a long time ago.

He looked to his side and Ben could see his mother coming out of the building. He gasped, and made a beeline to the alternative entrance so she wouldn't see him. He watched from the window inside the building and saw her open the car door. She sighed loudly when she saw what Ben had done and yelled, "DAMMIT!"

Ben suddenly felt guilty and knew that she's have to get her car towed and the steering wheel replaced. But in his defense, she should really start locking her car doors. Anyone could break in and do a lot more damage than Ben did.
*******
Ben walked around campus for what seemed like the five hundredth time since he was accepted in May, and then walked back upstairs to his dorm. He pulled out the key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Benny!" Ben's cousin Rey Skywalker leaped at him from behind the door and stood on the tips of her toes to hug him around his shoulders. Ben leaned into her hug and wrapped his arms around her.

The stopped hugging and Ben stepped back to look at her. Her short brunette hair was in a messy ponytail and  she was wearing jeans and a cast t-shirt from the play she and Ben were in over the summer. Rey didn't do drama though. She was on aerodynamics, just like her father, her aunt and her uncle. "The family business" as Ben's mother has put it. Rey had only done the play for Ben, which was only one of the reasons to why he loved her so much. The top reason was that she was the only family Ben he had left that was still loyal to him.

"I just moved in now," Rey said, gesturing to her side of the room. Ben looked around at the small nightstand with lamp, the pink and black chevron bedsheets, the homework desk and the Panic! at the Disco band poster beside the window. Rey looked back at Ben. "I don't like being crowded with a lot of things. Makes for a distracting workspace. You wouldn't know though, seeing you have an assload of stuff..." Rey giggles and Ben lightly shoved her, walking over to his bed. He lay down, kicking his shoes off.

"I don't have that much stuff." He said defensively, watching Rey unpack his boxes for him. Rey laughed as she pulled out a SeaWorld orca snow-globe and showed it to him.

"You brought this?"

"Two words, Rey. Sentimental value!" Ben reached out and grabbed the snow-globe from her, Rey laughing harder. Ben was laughing too, and a couple seconds later the laughing subdued.

Rey lay on Ben's bed and raised her head to look into his eyes. "You know, Benny," she said. "You're so much fun when you're not angry."

Ben shook out his hair. "Oh god, Rey. Please. Don't mention-"

"No, I won't mention her all I'm saying is that I really like it when things are this way. When we can have fun with each other and laugh without worrying about anything or anyone. Just like old times."

Ben sighed with relief that Rey hadn't mentioned his mother. "You're the reason that I don't get angry as much anymore." Ben said, honestly. "You're my favorite cousin."

Suddenly, Rey reached for one of Ben's pillows and hit him on the head with it. Ben cried with shock, and began to laugh again.

"Gosh darn it, Ben." Rey said, nearly laughing, and Ben laughed harder at her refusal to curse. "I'm your only cousin."