South || Benny Rodriguez (Book 2)

15

Naomi's P.O.V.

Flashback
July 31, 1962

I roll my eyes and push him off of me, "Oh what do you want Banks?"

He huffed watching me closely, "You really don't get it do you?"

I crossed my arms, "No I don't."

"You aren't supposed to mess with my team and you did." He said pointing at me.

I threw my arms up, "I didn't go messing with anyone's team. I just don't mess with bullies. So why don't you do run along."

"Why should I?" He said, stopping me from walking.

I shook my head walking passed him, "You don't want to find out."

"I ain't scared of you." He spat.

"Good, maybe you'll learn something once I'm done with you." I spat back, continuing on my walk back to the apartment.

"Maybe you'll learn not to mess with the team, when I'm done with you." He smirked.

I turned around, facing him, and walked closer to him, "And what are you going to do? You have nothing. Even your little pee-wee team isn't here with you."

He crossed his arms, "I like to handle business alone, which is what this is."

"What are you trying to prove?" I said, putting all my weight on one leg, and crossing my arms too.

"That I don't like to mess around. Watch out Naomi, and your team too." He said, starting to walk.

"Touch them and I promise it's over."

He chuckled, shaking his head, and walking out of the alley.

I huffed and turn back around and finally got back to walking.

—

I heard a knock, "Naomi, can I talk to you?"

I look up from the pictures in my hand, quickly putting them under the pillow and looked up at Charlie.

"Yeah, what's up?"

He walked in shutting the door behind him and then sat down on the bed beside me.

He looked in front of him then, looked over at me, "I heard you talking to mom last night. Is it true that you want to go back to Utah?"

I sighed looking down at my lap playing with my fingers, "Yeah, it's true."

"Can I ask why?" He asked, looking over at me.

I grin up at him, "There's something pulling me back there."

"What do you mean by that?" He mumbled.

"How old are you Charlie?" I asked, surprising him.

"I'm 12, why?" He asked, now sitting criss cross leaning against the bed frame.

"When I was your age, which wasn't all that long ago, I was everywhere. I mean house after house, school after school. I wasn't never ever in one place for more then 6 months. We finally go back to my home state, Indiana, where me, Cam, and Lucy were all, including my father and mother. We stayed longer there then in any other place, then my father died. For the next 3 years of my life I was taking care of 4 of us since my mother couldn't do the job herself. When we moved to Utah, which again I wasn't there long, I met someone while I was there."

"Well, who did you meet?" He asked now curious.

"This boy, his name is Benny. He's just like me, he was the first person in Utah to expect me, he is my best friend." I paused pulling out the pictures from under the pillow , then handing them to Charlie.

"Is that him?" He said pointing to him in the picture.

I nodded, "He was always there. When things were getting really ruff on me and my family, he was there for me. Sometimes would let me stay over, or he would come over just to make sure that I was okay. He was everything to me."

"Is that why you want to go back?"

I smiled, "He is all that's really left in my crappy world. Looking back at the memories, and the pictures, just walking down the street, something reminds me of him. I just miss the energy and love that I got when I was around him."

I play with the necklace around my neck that I still to this day have not taken off.

"What will you do when you do go back?"

I shrug, "All I hope is that he hasn't stopped not playing the by the rules unless it's a game."

"What does that mean?"

"It was an old saying my father told me, I've said it more then once to Benny. It was one of them sayings that gave him reassurance that either everything was going to be okay, or that I would once be back. Or to break the rules once in awhile. Unless it was a baseball game." I explained.

He nodded standing up, "It getting late, I'll let you sleep. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night Charlie."

—