Training Wheels ♥︎ Book 1

Chapter 3

A week passed. Then 4 days. On Friday,  Ben couldn't deny his obvious affection for Hux. He would never, ever say it out loud (he didn't feel lonely anymore after Hux came into his life), but Rey seemed to know. She made fun of him all the time for it ("You're in love, again, Ben! Just admit it!" She'd say, with Ben constantly denying it), but he wasn't angry about it and he didn't care. But he knew she was right, Ben was falling in love with Hux. He had been in a relationship before but it wasn't even love. It was nothing but temporary. Ellen had definitely had both a positive and negative impact on Ben's life but... it was time to move on and discover what he really was.

On Friday morning, ending the second week of school, Ben went through his classes and caught Finn for lunch. Finn had come up to him saying, "Ben, I gotta tell you something ?"

"Is it important?" Ben asked, straight-to-the-point.

"Uh... yeah, a lil' bit. To me at least. But can I tell you during or before class because I kinda have to show you."

"Uh, ok." Ben was curious, what did Finn want to show him? He didn't try to think about it then, he'd just wait for Finn to show him what he needed to later.
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Ben and Finn walked into English class and sat down in their seats, but Finn kept looking behind him. Ben looked back to see what he was looking at, but there didn't seem to be anything much. Ben felt Finn reach over and tap on his shoulder. Ben looked over at him, and Finn raised his eyebrows and subtly pointed something at the front of the room.

"What's his name?" Finn asked.

Ben looked over at the guy that Finn was pointing at. He had floppy brown hair, bold eyebrows and perfect white teeth (as Ben could see, he was talking to the girl behind him). "Um..." Ben started, thinking back. "Oh yeah. It's Poe, I think. I don't know his surname. Why?"

Finn looked at Ben and back at Poe, smiling. Finn did a weird kinda half-sniff, half-chuckle. "What?" Ben asked.

"I dunno." Finn said, slurring his words. "He's cute, I guess."

Ben laughed. "That's adorable." He watched Finn stare at Poe, and looked back at Poe. He now has his back turned to the girl, and Finn sighed in relief.

"I thought he was flirting with her."

"Oh my god, it's like we're back in the damned 8th grade!" Ben said, laughing still.

Finn looked up at Ben. "Seriously though, I think I might like him, as stupid and immature as that sounds."

"Do you want, like, advice or something? To get him to like you back?"

Finn nodded.

Ben sighed. He wanted to help Finn with his (excuse him for being rude) school boy crush, but he couldn't think of anything. He didn't know how to make boys like boys, only to make girls like boys. "I don't think I have anything for you right now. Try to ignore him for now, I'll help you later when I think of something."

"Oh. Ok."

Ben appreciated Finn telling him about is attraction to Poe. It was good to have someone trust him so easily. Ben felt like he should tell Finn about Hux, but he decided against it because he didn't want or need advice. Ben was normally a very secretive person anyway. It wasn't that Ben didn't trust Finn, it's that he felt like his attraction to Hux was silly and childish, and he didn't want Finn to think of him any differently than he did now.

In drama class, Professor Snoke had started the improv unit earlier in the week. He left the students to make their own improv scene to perform in front of Snoke when he called up a group. Ben was partnered with a girl with dyed blue hair, but he couldn't find her in class. When Hux took attendance, another girl that appeared to be her friend said that she was at a job interview.