RUSH

Ch. 1: Wandering Eyes

"Doesn't matter. I already ate," I lied, much to his annoyance. But really, how could I explain how hard it'd be to keep track of calories or log in the meal into my health stats app if we went to some random, locally-owned restaurant without sounding absolutely lame?

Or worse...

Knowing Jonah, he'd somehow sway me into eating something horrendously greasy, and then I'd have to deal with the repercussions and burning shame later on when I got the phone notification asking me to log in my damn dinner for the day. At that point, I'd probably just ignore my phone for the rest of the goddamn day.

No thanks.

"Please, Ben? Benny? Benny Boy?" Jonah pestered me, trailing behind me like a shadow.

"It's Bennett," I replied firmly, even as I cracked a smile. "I've told you so many times already; I like my name."

"Benny sounds a lot cuter, though," Jonah muttered while poking at my cheek. "You're too uptight. You know that, right?"

"You have mentioned it before, yes."

"Come get lunch with me, Benny boy," he asked once more before manhandling my arms, swinging them back and forth. "Look at you... you're not eating enough, are you?"

"I am."

Jonah just rolled his eyes.

"I can't go... not today. Next time," I assured him before forcing a knowing smile. "Why don't you go ask Riley?"

I exaggeratedly mimicked the same expression of longing he always made whenever Riley was around, only for him to cover my face with his hands.

"Shut up! She's here... somewhere!" Jonah nervously glanced around, so easily flustered by a bit of teasing. "How are you feeling lately, anyway? You stress so easily, Benny boy," he mentioned, cupping my face and invasively pressing his finger over the bags under my eyes until I shoved him off me.

He was referring to the theory that I'd been idiotic enough to confide in him about, of course. Which, perhaps I did sound insane when I'd first mentioned that I felt like I was being watched during my classes, but wasn't a true friend supposed to embrace one's insanity?

I narrowed my eyes. "I've—I've been better about that," I muttered in response. "And I'm not being paranoid, shut up." My social anxiety had been much worse when I was younger, but nowadays I was alright in most public settings as long as it wasn't too crowded. And as long as it wasn't too busy. I did well when teaching the kids as well, so why...

If it was just me in there, why did I feel so fidgety lately? Or was that it?

"Have you talked to a therapist about it? Maybe you're projecting," Jonah tried, but there was a playful hint to his voice. "Or do you think our Benny's secured himself a secret admirer?"

I could feel my face shifting into a scowl. "I hate both of those options. I'd rather it be a murderer."

"Are you sure there are no cameras in there?" Jonah offered as a solution, curiously scratching the back of his head. "I really don't know what else it could be."

I shook my head in response. I'd already asked our boss about it as well. And no, there were no cameras in there. I knew better than to get hung up on something so trivial, and yet...