Saint Palisade's

[ 12 ]

"VERONICA please, don't break the copy machine." Ben hurried over to her, stopping the job she had in queue.

"I wasn't going to break it. Calm down. I've used a copy machine before."

"I don't think you have." He pointed to the paper placed in the wrong chute.

Veronica smiled awkwardly. "Oops."

Ben rolled his eyes and put the papers the right way. They waited for the printer to finish the job, just staring at it.

The office was quiet that day, with minimal employees bustling about. Dilt wasn't there and there were no major meetings for them to attend. Veronica and Ben had just been playing computer games and doing chores for Secretary Trion.

"So... Cameron, MJ... how's that going?" Ben asked meekly.

"I talked to Cameron yesterday. She sounds like she's doing okay in Italy. MJ, on the other hand, I haven't seen him since we got back from the airport."

"He's skipped the last three days of school. I'm worried about him. He hasn't answered my text or snaps of my dick."

Veronica choked. "Your what?"

Ben laughed. "Joking." He picked up the warm papers from the side of the printer and placed them on his desk a few paces away. "Not." He mumbled as he turned away.

Veronica shook her head, baffled by Ben's transparency. "Anyway, I was making plans to go to Italy for Thanksgiving break."

Ben nodded. "Sounds nice. I hope you have fun. The architecture is amazing there. I've always wanted to see all of the stuff in Rome and Milan." He said genuinely.

"Well... you would come, right? If we invited you?" Veronica was hesitant. DX didn't travel with companions, much less boy-companions.

"I would love to. But... I'm broke. My parents come together for this one day and eat dinner with me."

"Come together...?"

"Oh. My parents are divorced. I thought you knew. My mom wasn't at the house when you came."

Veronica broke eye contact and decided her shoes were way more interesting. "I'm sorry about... that."

"No, no. It's alright," Ben assured, "they've been apart for a while now. They've been divorced since I was in elementary school."

"Again, my bad." Veronica sat down at her desk. Why did she feel bad? Frankly, why did she even care about what she was saying?

"It's fine, really. But since we're talking about Italy... would you mind getting me something?"

Veronica tilted her head. "What could you possibly want from Italy? It's not like you know fashion designers." 

Veronica had this habit of assuming that she knew everything about everyone. Frankly, she knew that she was only right 50% of the time, but it helped her believe that her friendships weren't as shallow as she feared. That really was her worst fear, one of her friends dying or something and not being able to recount anything about them. So, she just pretended. Pretended she knew everything, pretended she was right. 

"I know this is really weird," Ben laughed awkwardly, "I was wondering if you could bring me a rock from outside the Sistine Chapel?" A rock from the Chapel was pure self-indulgence, but why not? It's already survived centuries of tourists kicking it around and revolution, it could survive a plane trip back. 

"A rock? You're really asking me for a rock?" Veronica knit her eyebrows while looking at Ben's blank expression."Why not a building set? Why a fucking rock?"