“We’ll need your help, and the help of Marissa, to get that punk in here at the right time.”
“Believe me,” Leah said, “Marissa hates him even more than I do, if that’s possible,
especially after she found out that he has the hots for her. Do you have any idea how disgusted she was? She’ll be more than happy to get involved in this.”
“Cool,” Mickey replied through clenched teeth, with the thought of inflicting harm upon Lonero filling him with a heated sensation.
***
Benny Lonero aimlessly ran about the deteriorating urban environment that he has always called home for over a half hour until it occurred to him to send a text to his one actual friend. He let Craig know that he needed to talk, and fast, since the thoughts he was now contemplating were potentially life-threatening. Despite the fact that the Pine Harbor apartment complexes were in a decrepit low income area of Buffalo’s West Side, the presence of his close friend there made him perceive them as a second home despite their squalor.
Benny hoped and prayed to no deity in particular that his cell phone would emit its characteristic jingle to let him know that his text was answered as he strode about the congested side streets of the inner city environment. He knew that worse cities existed across the U.S., and certainly in Third World regions elsewhere on the globe, but this didn’t do much to improve his thoughts of living in a blighted urban cesspool of a ‘lesser’ severity.
Finally, after roughly ten minutes, the jingling tune of “Dream Weaver” by Craig Wright notified the melancholic young man of an incoming phone call. A quick, instinctual perusing of the caller I.D. informed him that it was the much-desired response from Craig Minkel.
“What’s wrong, bro?” uttered Craig’s concerned voice as soon as Benny hit the touch screen’s ‘answer’ button.
“The usual,” Benny replied through an irritated sob. “I had a fight with my grandfather again.”
“So what else is new, dude?”
“I know, but this was one of those bad ones that really get out of hand and leads to fisticuffs, and… well, I had to get the hell out of there before it went any further. Do you mind some company right now?”
“Sure, use any excuse you can to mooch a meal off me, huh?”
Ben snickered. “Thanks. I could really use a talk in addition to that meal that I’ll be mooching from you. I hope I don’t deplete your supply of macaroni salad again.”
“I would worry more about depleting your overall welcome, dude. But far be it from me to disrupt our usual routine for exchanging shoulders whenever one of us needs to be convinced that life is worth living, right?”
“Yes, I know. Woe is we, huh?”
“Just get your silly ass on over here, and we’ll talk over some chips and dip. And maybe even some macaroni salad if I’m still in a generous mood by the time you get here, dude.”
***
Another 30 minutes later, Benny sat across from Craig on the ancient but reasonably intact couch in the small living room of his mother’s apartment. Like all flats in the glorified project area known as Pine Harbor, it was a modest, poorly heated residence that Craig’s divorced mother, Jewel Minkel, at least nevertheless kept provided with all modern accoutrements, such as digital cable and an Xbox 360.
The fact that Craig himself was highly adept with putting together most types of gadgetry insured that every device they had worked much better, and far longer, than their respective manufacturers ever intended.
“Damn, you sure are putting away those chips,” Craig told his friend as he watched him voraciously consume the snack. “One would think you hadn’t eaten in a week.”
“Or at least not since lunch in the school cafeteria earlier today,” Benny replied with his mouth stuffed full of nachos. “Don’t forget, you decided not to let me have the macaroni salad when I got here, and I also took a rain check on dinner at home, so my grandfather and I didn’t kill each other.”
“Dude, you really need to get out of that house before the old man finally does you in.”
“And I really need to get out of that school, too. And I often feel I really need to get out of this life. How can I run away from absolutely everything I know? I’m sick of being hated at both school and at home.”
“I’m not sure what to tell you when I don’t even know what to tell myself, considering I have the exact same life as you do. Well, minus the total nerd thing you have going on, of course.”
“Right. The respect you receive compared to me is so evident. I’m sure Leah really wants to jump your bones. Your rather big bones, that is.”
“Funny. The way you scarf down those chips, you may end up fat by the time you reach the big two-one, dude.”
“You know, it really sucks that those jock asshats get all the attention from girls like Leah. And Marissa doesn’t even look at me except to call me things like ‘faggot’ and ‘loser.’ And that’s when she’s in a good mood.”
“I’m not sure how else you expect those girls to react to us. What would we have to offer them, exactly?”
“Look, we may not be attractive like the jocks, and we may not be able to run down a field with a funny-shaped rubber ball in our hands as fast, or hurl a round version of that ball through a hoop extended ten feet in the air as well, or swat a flattened vulcanized rubber object down an ice rink with a crooked stick as skillfully as they can. But it’s not like we’re totally without talent. I can write a story without having to be assigned to do it by the English teacher, and you’re capable of actually building a CD player out of spare parts taken out of a garbage can. Why aren’t these things considered impressive or attractive?”
“You forget that it’s not exactly exciting to watch a bunch of nerdy guys sit in a room and compete with each other to see who can be the first to write a coherent story; or a bunch of fat boys in greasy blue work outfits scramble to assemble a Blu-ray player faster than another team like that. But like Mr. Walters once told us, watching a group of attractive guys with rippling muscles and six-packs running down a field, or skating down a rink showing off how fast they can move and how strong they are compared to another team of guys …”
“…well, it’s a really visceral experience that makes the chicks excited to the very depths of their hormones, man,” Benny concluded for him. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I was there too when those words zinged out of his mouth. C’mon, it was my complaints about the ‘sitch that prompted those pithy words of his in the first place, remember?”
“Of course, and maybe that’s your major problem. You complain all the time, but whenever I suggest you try to do something to improve things, you tell me that there’s nothing you can do about it. Remember what Mrs. McCall said about succumbing to fatalism and cynicism?”
“More sage advice from someone who doesn’t have a life anything like ours, and probably never did.”
“So, she isn’t worth listening to for that reason?”
“Look, I don’t exactly see you being proactive and rising above your less-than-exalted status in the social hierarchy either. And I don’t see your home life as being one you’re eager to brag about any more than mine, bro.”
“Okay, so what do you suggest we do? Buy a gun from Ratfink on the corner of Niagara and wipe out everyone at the school who ever treated us like cow dung, as a psycho would? Or point it at ourselves and pull the trigger instead, like a coward?”
“It’s getting to the point that I no longer care about going down either path. I just can’t take this anymore. I want it to stop.”
“We’re better than that, man.”
“Maybe you should speak for yourself, Craig.”
“Look, I don’t like choosing between being a psycho or a coward, instead of looking hard for a third alternative. If I didn’t think you were better than all of that, I wouldn’t be your friend and let you mooch my nachos like I do; not to mention my treasured supply of macaroni salad.”
Unable or unwilling to think of an appropriate r
esponse to that, Benny put his face in his hands and sighed, allowing despair to claim him as its own.
***
The following day was a Friday, and Benny reminded himself when he was rudely awakened by his grandmother to get up for school. He tried to console himself by noting that after today he would have a short but much needed reprieve from the peer bullying he routinely received. And he could sleep in to avoid much of the conflict at home for two consecutive days.
He was thankful that his grandfather had already left for his city job by the time his grandmother woke him up at approximately 7:00 AM every usual weekday morning during the school year. The risk of getting into a major fight with one of them was a bad enough way to start the day, but he considered his grandmother the lesser of the two ‘evils’ since she was less inclined to try and thrash him—not that she didn’t often want to just as much as her husband did.
Benny left the house without more than minor bickering with his grandmother, and he thanked the Fates for one of the rare small favors they granted him while he approached the school with the usual degree of anxiety. Little did he know how justified those usual feelings of trepidation would turn out to be, considering what a few of his least favorite peers had in store for him at the end of the school day.
Much to his pleasant surprise, he saw little of Mickey and Jeff that day, and he was only subject to taunting by many of the other students, who usually did so to a lesser extent if they weren’t spurred on by one of the ringleaders of his extensive personal hate brigade. But a much bigger pleasant surprise—or so it seemed—appeared to him as he prepared for his last period class.
He quietly stood at his locker, this time determined not to play the clown at any point during the day, thus decreasing his chance of garnering any potentially negative attention. As he retrieved his required text book and flash drive for his seventh period class in computer programming, he suddenly turned to see the lovely face of Marissa Robbins looking up at him with what actually appeared to be a friendly smile.
He was initially taken aback by the lovely sight before him, as this frequent subject of his dreams had only entered his presence on previous days to inform him of how much she despised the very atmosphere he breathed. She had also never before approached him sans the company of her fellow tormenters-in-crime.
After the surprise had worn off and he realized this wasn’t just another of his usual fantasies involving her, he found himself utterly captivated by Marissa’s soft features, freckled skin, bright emerald-hued eyes, flowing shoulder-length brown hair, and firm petite figure. As always, the sight of her put him in a state of awe, only this time it wasn’t from a distance, nor at the opposite end of her savage vitriol. As a result, he found himself atypically bereft of any words, sarcastic or otherwise.
“Hi, Benny,” she said in her characteristic soft voice that never failed to mesmerize him when he heard it, despite the fact that he usually heard it projected at him in harsh tones.
“Um… hi yourself, Marissa,” he replied with a notable degree of caution.
“Are you surprised to see me say ‘hi?’”
“In a word… yes. Considering that, in my recollection, ‘faggot’ was the nicest thing you ever said to me before. When you said anything at all to me, that is.”
Her pouty lips smiled in response. “Well, I know I gave you a hard time in the past, but I’ve been doing some thinking.” She then suddenly glanced a bit closer at his body. “Wow, have you been working out lately?”
“Actually, I do work out a few days a week at home. You noticed?”
“Yea, I certainly did. It’s been showing. Your biceps and your abs have been getting… bigger.” She smoothly moved her small, soft hand over his right arm, and then over his stomach region, to feel the contours of his muscles. His entire body enjoyed a pleasant tingling sensation that caused him to jerk involuntarily at her touches.
“Oh, did I make you nervous? I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s okay. I’m just… just curious as to what you want, Marissa, considering you’ve never shown... yanno, any interest of this sort in me before, to put it mildly.”
“You mean, because I’ve been starting to notice you in a different way now?”
“Yeah, pretty much. I’m sorry that I feel the need to ask this, but is this some sort of game?”
She giggled in a fashion that he found highly cute and appealing. “I understand why you feel that way. I certainly haven’t treated you very well before. I guess I deserve the skepticism. But maybe we can talk about it in private later? I think I certainly owe you that much, considering how I’ve treated you in the past without thinking.”
The expression on his face made it clear that he had now become completely dumbfounded. He still couldn’t resist feeling utterly love struck by the short brunette girl standing before him, a girl whom he considered akin to a goddess on Earth despite her ill treatment and contempt of him in the past. At the same time, though, he couldn’t just forget her ill treatment of him in the past, and how it always made him feel afterwards. Thus, the young man found himself torn between two powerful but opposing inclinations.
“Um, look, Marissa, I like you despite everything, but…”
She looked down for few seconds. “I can understand why a part of you might hate me just a little.”
“No, I don’t hate you, I just… I dunno, I guess I just don’t know whether or not to believe you.”
“I told you, I understand your wariness. Look, I won’t ever bother you again, okay? I guess I owe you that much, to leave you alone if you hate me and don’t want me near you.”
She turned to walk away, and Benny found his inner conflict leaving him in a psychic tug of war between two courses of action that competed strongly over his next decision. He had but seconds to allow one to win out over the other. In the end, he couldn’t be sure if the decision he ultimately chose constituted weakness on his part or the taking of a courageous chance.
“Wait, Marissa! You don’t have to go. I didn’t mean to act that way. I just have a few trust issues, as I’m sure your figure… I mean, as I’m sure you can figure! Look, I’m willing to meet with you after school so we can talk.”
She turned around and gave him a satisfied, wondrously beautiful smile that pleasurably bore into the center of his soul, making him tingle all over again. When she verbally responded, it sounded to him like a verse from a heavenly hymn.
“Awesome. How about downstairs in the gym room? Mr. Robin and Mr. Frost are out at this time, and I know for a fact that no practice by any team will be going on today. So, we’ll have the place to ourselves to… you know, talk.”
“Are you sure that no afterschool practice will be going on?”
“It’s the third Friday of the month. I’m very down with the schedule of the teams, remember?”
“Of course, you are. I mean, yes, I know. Okay. Okay, I’ll meet you there and we’ll… talk.”
“I look forward to seeing you.”
“Ditto to the max.”
“Bye for now, Benny.”
With that said, she smiled and gently rubbed her thin, long-nailed fingers over his left hand. He flinched in excitement, doing his best to conceal it so as not to embarrass himself by looking as smitten as he actually was. Get a grip, Ben. She’s only a girl. And one who happens to hate you. Well, used to hate you, I guess.
Marissa then beamed that captivating smile of hers again and quietly walked off to her final class of the day. He couldn’t help staring at her figure and buttocks as she strode away and noting how her clothing was form-fitting enough to her show off her shape to anyone with the gift of vision. He considered her nothing less than a living work of art, and he wanted more than anything else in the world to be justifiably flattered by her apparent overtures of interest, no matter how she may have acted in the past.
Should I trust her? he pondered interrogatively. Isn’t it totally conceivable that she could have changed her mind like she said? I me
an, I have been working out. I know she likes athletes, so I may have become more attractive since ‘hitting the iron.’ If I give in to fear and mistrust, I may be losing the chance for something that I’ve always wanted but never imagined could possibly come true. The Fates may finally be compensating me. I have to believe this could be true, and not let fear stop me from giving this a chance. I need to allow for positive thinking, just like Mrs. McCall always advised.
With that decided, Benny Lonero made the decision to descend into the arms of the Devil, while willing to believe that an angel awaited him instead. It was a decision that would lead to severe repercussions for everyone involved, and arguably a turning point for the entire world.
For the planned set-up wasn’t the only thing that Benny would be inadvertently wandering into in the near future; the Warp Event was but a few hours from manifesting in Buffalo.
***
Benny walked out of his seventh period class filled with an unbridled enthusiasm and sense of excitement that he couldn’t stifle despite trying to look as nonchalant as possible. Thankfully, his worst ‘haters’ were nowhere in sight.
Maybe their opinion of me will go up a notch or two if Marissa and I… well, yanno, actually became an item or something, he thought to himself. He had already told Craig that he wouldn’t be riding the bus home with him this afternoon, and exactly why he wouldn’t. His only close friend wished him all the luck in the world, despite the notable uncertainty in his tone that conflicted with his desire not to rain on his friend’s proverbial parade.
Quickly storing away everything he didn’t need for the weekend in his locker, Benny looked around to make sure the hallways were clear of any possible hostiles. Since they seemed to be, he quietly wandered the building for another several minutes until most of the student body and teaching/administrative staff had left. He was aware that the doors would be open for another two hours since the custodial staff had to stay on site to complete their jobs. Just two security guards would remain on the grounds during that time. Knowing their habits, Benny easily evaded them and headed down to the bottom floor where the gymnasium was located.
Centurion- Dark Genesis Page 3