what if → Benny Rodriguez

chapter 8 | split

"i guess it's my turn to be there for you through something huh?" he half-smiles and grabs my hand.

"yeah." i manage a small shaky laugh. that's when i realized the good part. i get to stay.

i get to stay. i get to stay. i get to stay. i get to stay. i get to stay. i get to stay. i get to stay in the valley! i get to stay with all the people i love. no more moving.

"Benny." i look up at him with relief in my voice, "i get to stay."

he couldn't help but smile. he wrapped his arms around my waist, picked me up, and started spinning in circles around his lawn. i was filled with sorrow and happiness all at the same time.

-

"what do you say we have a camp out tomorrow night?" Benny asks.

"that would be really fun! that would also take my mind off everything."

"ok well i'll ask Timmy tomorrow morning if it's alright with his folks." Benny smiles at me.

*knock knock knock*

someone knocks on Benny's bedroom door. "come in!" Benny yells.

Benny's brother opens the door, "mom wants to know if you'd want to go hiking at a state park the day after tomorrow."

"sure. can you ask her if Brynn can come too?" he asks.

"nah man you can do that yourself." Owen shuts the door.

"would you want to go?" Benny turns to face me again. we had been sitting on the floor with our backs against his bed watching the karate kid on TV.

"no i'd much rather stay here and be miserable with my broken family." i said sarcastically.

"oh. ok then." clearly Benny wasn't picking up on the sarcasm part.

"Benny i'm kidding." i laughed and elbowed him.

"oh cuz i was gonna say," we both laughed.

we sat in silence for a few more minutes watching Daniel, the karate kid, get beat up by some guys only to be saved by that guy with the mini trees whatever his name is.

"heck, i could beat those guys in a fight." Benny piped up.

"yeah right," i laughed, "i bet i could beat you easily."

"you wanna bet?" Benny said picking me up from the floor and throwing me on the bed. "you're lighter than a feather."

"at least i'm not fat like some people." i joke giving him a look, even though i knew Benny was the furthest from fat he could be.

"muscle weighs more than fat you know." he lunges towards me trying to wrestle but i stand up just in time for him to only be able to grab my ankles. although now i couldn't move my legs.

"ahhh!" i scream trying to step out of his grasp only to fall onto his bed. he's still holding onto my ankles though, so i try to pry his hands off them.

that's when i remembered Benny's one weakness, i always won the wrestle fights when we were kids with this trick. i reach over and pinch his side, making him squirm away from me.

"i though you would've forgot about that!" he exclaims.

"well ya thought wrong," i start to slide off the bed and onto the floor again. "i win, game over." i flash him a smirk.

"you only won because you used my greatest weakness." he joked.

"it's your fault for having a weakness." i shrugged and we both laughed.

i'm glad Benny was there for me. for a while, he had completely made me forget about my parents. but when i went home, everything went back to reality. grey.

-

i was laying on my bed with my mackbook watching youtube when i felt the bed near my feet dip down.

"hey sweets." it was my dad sitting at the foot of my bed, looking at me with kind eyes. i didn't want to be rude to my father, but part of me was still mad they were splitting up.

"what." i say.

"i technically don't have to leave for the next location of my job for a few months, but it would mean a lot of extra money if i went now."

"just go. i don't even care anymore." honestly i had no tears left to cry. i mean it is what it is. why cry about it when that won't fix anything. i was attempting to numb my feelings towards the matter.

"i know you don't mean that." my dad says still looking at me.

"no, i don't mean that. but if you want to go, and it will benefit you. then no one's stopping you." i look away from my laptop now.

"well i just wanted to check with you guys if me leaving a bit early was okay. i'll come back to visit in between every location change. and who knows, maybe one day i'll end up back here again." my dad chuckles.

"dad like i said, no one's stopping you. certainly not me." i half smile. i truly do want what's best for my dad.

"i'm still in love with your mother. and she's still in love with me. but it's not fair to you guys to keep dragging you around from state to state just because of my job. you're children and teenagers. i want you guys to be with the people you grew up with and have best friends for life from here. right now, this is what's best for us. have some trust in your mom and i that what we're doing is for a good reason" my dad stands up.

"i really do understand. i guess my reaction today was just an in the moment panic when my anxiety got the best of me." i shrugged.

"alright well i have to go talk to Evs still, i'm leaving tomorrow morning around 9am so hopefully you'll be awake in time to say goodbye. i'll miss you squirt." he ruffles my hair.

"i'll miss you too dad." i stand up and give him a big hug.

~~~

This chapter is short and i kind of hate it lol. sorry to disappoint, there's just some in-between details that may be important later on in the story.

also my parents are happily married still so i'm not rlly sure how your parents getting a divorce feels and what that's like, but i tried my best to put myself in someone else's shoes.

anyways, thank you for reading:)