The One That Got Away || Benny Weir

15

Reagan walks on in front of the school, halting from what she saw ahead of her. "What a great way to start the morning..." She runs over to Ethan and Benny, who were being held by the school's jock.

"Ethan! Talk to me, buddy. You okay?" Benny asks as he was getting practically strangled. 

"I'm great! Nothing like starting the day in some guy's armpit."

"Hey!" Reagan gets the guy's attention. "Let them go."

The jock, David, laughs. "Don't worry, princess. Just go off to class." 

But Reagan doesn't step down. Instead, she walks closer, getting in his face, and looking straight into his eyes. "I said, let my friends go. Now."

Instantly, David backs off and lets go of Ethan and Benny. He scoffs. "All right, listen up, geeks. From now on, we're best buds. Got it? Even you, princess." The three best friends look at each other in shock. 

"Yeah, no tha--" Reagan was cut off as Benny slaps his hand over her mouth, his other arm around her. Her voice was muffled as she threatened Benny to let her go. 

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we got it." Ethan nods.

"Yeah! Awesome. Best buds forever. Yeah, totally cool." Benny says, finally letting go of Reagan. "Headlocks are like jock hugs."

"Awesome. See you around, Bro 1, Bro 2, and Sis 1!" He punches Ethan and Benny on the shoulder while he pats Reagan's shoulder. Once he walked away, Reagan groans as she shivers.

"That... was awesome," Benny says.

"Which part? The love tap, or the part where I could taste his deodorant?" Ethan questions. 

Benny smacks his lips. "Glide Stick. Extreme glacier ice. Two thousand... nine."

Reagan scoffs. "I'm going to class." She starts to walk away before turning back around. "Next time you're in a headlock, I'm not helping you."

*

As Reagan joins Ethan and Sarah in the student lounge, she hears Benny walk in. "Who's got two thumbs, three free candy bars, and is best buds with David Stachowski? That's right. This guy!" He points at himself as he sits down next to Reagan. He smiles at her before offering one of his candy bars.

"It's like he inserted himself into my life," Ethan tells a story about how David went to his house.

"So he eats all your food. It's not enough to break up a good bromance." Sarah says, pinching Ethan's cheek. Reagan and Benny quietly snicker to each other.

"There's more. The guy howls." Reagan cringes as she hears David howl from behind her.

"A lot of dudes howl. It's a jock animal thing." Benny explains. Then, Ethan explains how hairy David is.

"So? A lot of dudes are hairy. It's a... hairy guy thing." Reagan snickers. "Except for you two, you guys have baby soft skin." She pinches Benny's cheek as Sarah did earlier with Ethan.

Ethan rolls his eyes. "It's basic math: howling plus hair plus this town equals--"

"Awesome." Benny answers.

"Werewolf," Ethan says.

"Werewolf," Benny repeats. 

"Ethan, not everything is supernatural," Sarah tells him.

"You're obsessed," Reagan adds. 

"Yeah, he's just hanging out with us because he realized how cool we are. Watch this." Benny goes up to the two girls who were standing near the vending machine. When he came back, he had a Cheeto up his nose and Cheeto dust in his hair.

"Dude's a werewolf," Benny says. Reagan chuckles as she brings up her hand to brush off the Cheeto dust in his hair. "This is what happens when you try flirting with girls, Benjamin." Benny couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him as she got the Cheeto dust out of his hair. 

"Okay, we prove that David's a werewolf. Then we figure out what he wants." Ethan explains to the three.

"I've got better things to do than stalk back shavers," Sarah says as she stands from the sofa.

Benny laughs. "Like what?"

"Soccer tryouts." She answers.

"Be careful! Those girls are vicious." Reagan warns her. Sarah nods before walking out. She looks back to see the boys staring at her. "What?"

"Please. Soccer girls are harmless. You, on the other hand, are vicious. Why do you think we don't play with you anymore?" Benny questions.

"Because you're terrible at soccer." Reagan laughs.

*

Ethan and Reagan met with Benny at the stairwell. Benny goes up to tell what he found. 

"Guys, I've got it. A spell that will totally prove that David's a werewolf. A canine lupis. One hit and wham! Claw and tooth time. We get it on tape, throw it on the net, two million views later, ka-chow! Bucks, babes... Benny."

Reagan rolls her eyes. "You forgot about the biting and bodies."

"Do you want to know if he's a canine or not? Better to find out now, and on camera, because there's a full moon tonight. David may be part animal, but he's all money."

"Hey, guys." Rory walks over to them. "Who's a party animal? It's me, right?" 

Benny rolls his eyes while Ethan shakes his head. "No, it's David. Don't worry about it."

"Are you having a party?" Rory asks. "Because my Friday's wide open. And Saturday. And Sunday." Reagan chuckles.

"Uh, sorry, Rory." Ethan looks between his two best friends. "We're going to the... um, garlic and tanning bed convention. It'd be so cool if you came, but... you know, you'd burst into flames. Next time?"

"Yeah. For sure. I'll... see you guys later." His smile fades as he turns to walk up the stairs. 

Reagan looks at his retreating figure before yelling, "Rory, wait!" Rory stops and turns around, waiting for the Sullivan girl to talk. Benny and Ethan give the girl a look. "What you told him was harsh, and I'm not going to have his feelings hurt because you don't want him around."

"That's not it--"

Reagan cuts Ethan off. "Don't say it's because of David being a possible werewolf. You were fine with me being around him, but--" She pauses before chuckling. "But you didn't care if I was around him, right? Because I seem like I can fend for myself?"

"Reagan, no--"

She cuts Ethan off again. "You two figure out your werewolf situation. I'm going to hang with Rory." She glances at Benny who gave her a pleading look, but she shrugs it off before turning to walk with Rory.

Thanks to Rory's super hearing, he heard the whole conversation between the three best friends. He always knew that he was the odd one out, but he considered them his friends. And Reagan sticking up for him after Ethan's lie, he was beyond grateful that he had a friend like her. 

"So, where would you like to go?"