what if → Benny Rodriguez

chapter 4 | 68 days

June 17th, 2019

AFTER A LONG DAY at the sandlot Benny, Smalls, and I took our usual route home. we talked about random stuff, our family, and i told them about my sisters.

"Not gonna lie i'm looking forward to seeing Evelyn again." Benny chuckles, "last time i saw her she was just in kindergarten. was super shy."

I let out a laugh, "Welllll, a LOT has changed Benny." i turn to him "calling her obnoxious is an understatement!" we laugh a lot for the next block before we get to the culdesac that we all lived on. Smalls says his goodbyes and runs up to his house leaving Benny and I in the street.

"we should take some pictures for my snap." i tell him, "it's golden hour," in a mocking sort of voice.

"Ok." he says. i look up to see him staring at me smiling. i blush a little. does he like me?

i go to snapchat and fix my hair. i then smile and lean in towards Benny snapping a picture. i study it closer.

"ewww!" i laugh. "that ones going in the trash."

"why?" Benny looked confused.

"do you see me?" i laugh pointing at the picture on my phone.

"yea," he says "you're beautiful." he does that half-smile staring into my soul thing that makes my heart melt.

"thanks." i say looking down at my shoes and blushing so hard i could barely get another word out.

did Benjamin Rodriguez just call me beautiful? even if he did mean as a friend sort of thing, it made my heart race.

"let's take one more." i take my phone back out and hold it out in front of us. he then wraps his right arm around my shoulders and squeezes me tight. i snapped the picture before we moved. i hope to have that picture forever. "you mind if i post this on my story?" i ask just to make sure.

"i don't mind." he shrugs.

"Ok." I post it to my story and say 'glad to be back with this one. i missed you lots♡'

He hugs me one last time and we head out separate ways for the night. i open my front door and close it leaning up against it trying to take in what had just happened.

"So, how's your boyfriend?" i look up and Evelyn is right there to make fun of me.

"what?" i say to her, confused.

"don't act dumb, i saw you guys flirting out in the street." she says with a smirk on her face.

"he's not my boyfriend Evelyn." i say rolling my eyes. "far from it. you may not remember, because you were just a stupid kindergartener, but that's Benny my best friend."

"mhm." she nods and walks into the kitchen. i was so done with her thinking she can say that stuff and just get away with it. nothing she says or does is okay. i actually start walking towards her about to give her a piece of my mind, but Jordyn runs in front of me and grabs my wrist saying "girl" and starts to drag me up to her room not letting go.

She grabs my shoulders and forces me to sit down on her bed, then stands in front of me and flashes me her phone with the picture i posted on my story with me and Benny.

"is that Benny?" she says, eyes wide.

"yea?" i answer a little suspiciously. my sister hasn't talked to me like this in forever.

"do you like him?" she asks.

"no. not that it's any of your business, but no i don't. he's my best friend and i don't wanna ruin what we have." i've seen in movies, shows and books that when best friends fall for each other, it usually doesn't end well. i wasn't about to lose the only best friend i've ever had just because of some crush i quickly developed for the boy when we had just moved back.