Postcard--Field Trip
“Hey, uh, Benny? I…uh…know we’re good friends and all…but I don’t generally do this with an audience.”
There was a loud snort from behind them, but Benjamin couldn’t even command the corners of his mouth to curl at the joke. He wasn’t even looking…like he wanted to see Felix’s pale ass…like he’d never seen it before. They’d showered in the locker rooms all football season for goodness sake; and he’d already accepted the fact the future Marine would always have a better tush than he did.
And he was secure enough in his manhood to accept that.
“She warned you about drinking so much, but you wouldn’t listen!”
Benjamin did smirk this time even as Felix scowled over his shoulder. “Nobody asked you, kid!”
“Not a kid! Stop callin’ me that!” Peter grumbled, resting on his haunches as he picked up a stick and made shapes with it. “If I were, y’all wouldn’t have invited me along!”
Benjamin and Felix shared a look before Benny looked off into the distance again and Felix finished relieving his bladder. There was a reason they’d invited Peter on their brief road trip, and it was because Peter was a kid…well, not in the strictest of sense, but there was still a lot for him to learn. Since they no longer lived in the frat house, he and Felix stopped by every so often to check in on Barbara. Whenever they did, their “brothers” would give them the cold shoulder, which the pair of them gladly returned. It wasn’t if they all didn’t know what had happened…what that…that…bastard had tried to do to his woman…
“Benny! Come back to us, man,” Felix said, drawing him from the dark thoughts that had threatened to consume him.
Benjamin shook his head and stood straighter against the wall of the barn they’d chosen for Felix’s potty break. The blond man cocked his head to the side and slipped his hands in the front pockets of his blue jeans, regarding him carefully. Benjamin let a hand pass over the beard he’d started to grow and ruffled a hand through his hair.
“She’s all right now,” Felix said quietly. It was a testament to their friendship that he knew what’d been on Benjamin’s mind. It didn’t matter it had been a month since the incident; the memory of it was never far from his thoughts.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, man,” Benjamin admitted, shaking his head. “I just keep wondering if we’d been just five minutes later…a minute-”
“But we weren’t,” Felix said carefully. “And she’s fine and at home with her mother.”
And she was beautiful. The bruises had started to fade, and she and her mother had been a gracious host to let Felix and Peter, someone they didn’t even know, come visit. The decision to invite Peter had been spontaneous, Felix having a bit of a soft spot for the younger man who seemed to be straddling the fence of the past and the future. They’d noticed he still called Babs “Miss Barbara” even if he and Felix were no longer there to remind him…even if he were the only one to do so. They thought by giving Peter a face to the name starring in some very salacious rumors around campus, it would help tip him over onto the “future” side.
“Y’all done?”
They turned and regarded their younger charge. He had thrown away the stick and looked at them with a slight smirk. Benjamin recalled the women cooing over Peter, saying how handsome he was, making the kid blush.
Benjamin honestly couldn’t see it.
“You in a hurry to do somethin’?” Felix asked, crossing his arms at his chest.
“Uh, yeah, eat! I know y’all don’t live there anymore, but I’m not missin’ Miss Barbara’s cookin’ ’cause you couldn’t heed Miss Patty’s advice!”
Benjamin chuckled and shrugged when Felix’s blue eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. “The kid does have a point-”
“I’m not a kid!”
Benjamin and Felix rolled their eyes and started back for the car. Peter climbed into the backseat while Felix folded his large body into the front passenger’s side and Benjamin got behind the wheel. He started the car and pulled off; nothing but the Johnny Cash on the radio made a sound.
“Really, though,” Benjamin said after a while. “You couldn’t wait ten more minutes? It ain’t but a thirty-minute drive from Plumville!”
Peter hooted with laughter in the back and Benjamin snickered, hunching his shoulders to lessen the mild blow Felix dealt him.
“Y’all shut the hell up!” Felix demanded. “Y’all know I got a soft spot for lemonade!”
There was a loud snort from behind them, but Benjamin couldn’t even command the corners of his mouth to curl at the joke. He wasn’t even looking…like he wanted to see Felix’s pale ass…like he’d never seen it before. They’d showered in the locker rooms all football season for goodness sake; and he’d already accepted the fact the future Marine would always have a better tush than he did.
And he was secure enough in his manhood to accept that.
“She warned you about drinking so much, but you wouldn’t listen!”
Benjamin did smirk this time even as Felix scowled over his shoulder. “Nobody asked you, kid!”
“Not a kid! Stop callin’ me that!” Peter grumbled, resting on his haunches as he picked up a stick and made shapes with it. “If I were, y’all wouldn’t have invited me along!”
Benjamin and Felix shared a look before Benny looked off into the distance again and Felix finished relieving his bladder. There was a reason they’d invited Peter on their brief road trip, and it was because Peter was a kid…well, not in the strictest of sense, but there was still a lot for him to learn. Since they no longer lived in the frat house, he and Felix stopped by every so often to check in on Barbara. Whenever they did, their “brothers” would give them the cold shoulder, which the pair of them gladly returned. It wasn’t if they all didn’t know what had happened…what that…that…bastard had tried to do to his woman…
“Benny! Come back to us, man,” Felix said, drawing him from the dark thoughts that had threatened to consume him.
Benjamin shook his head and stood straighter against the wall of the barn they’d chosen for Felix’s potty break. The blond man cocked his head to the side and slipped his hands in the front pockets of his blue jeans, regarding him carefully. Benjamin let a hand pass over the beard he’d started to grow and ruffled a hand through his hair.
“She’s all right now,” Felix said quietly. It was a testament to their friendship that he knew what’d been on Benjamin’s mind. It didn’t matter it had been a month since the incident; the memory of it was never far from his thoughts.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it, man,” Benjamin admitted, shaking his head. “I just keep wondering if we’d been just five minutes later…a minute-”
“But we weren’t,” Felix said carefully. “And she’s fine and at home with her mother.”
And she was beautiful. The bruises had started to fade, and she and her mother had been a gracious host to let Felix and Peter, someone they didn’t even know, come visit. The decision to invite Peter had been spontaneous, Felix having a bit of a soft spot for the younger man who seemed to be straddling the fence of the past and the future. They’d noticed he still called Babs “Miss Barbara” even if he and Felix were no longer there to remind him…even if he were the only one to do so. They thought by giving Peter a face to the name starring in some very salacious rumors around campus, it would help tip him over onto the “future” side.
“Y’all done?”
They turned and regarded their younger charge. He had thrown away the stick and looked at them with a slight smirk. Benjamin recalled the women cooing over Peter, saying how handsome he was, making the kid blush.
Benjamin honestly couldn’t see it.
“You in a hurry to do somethin’?” Felix asked, crossing his arms at his chest.
“Uh, yeah, eat! I know y’all don’t live there anymore, but I’m not missin’ Miss Barbara’s cookin’ ’cause you couldn’t heed Miss Patty’s advice!”
Benjamin chuckled and shrugged when Felix’s blue eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. “The kid does have a point-”
“I’m not a kid!”
Benjamin and Felix rolled their eyes and started back for the car. Peter climbed into the backseat while Felix folded his large body into the front passenger’s side and Benjamin got behind the wheel. He started the car and pulled off; nothing but the Johnny Cash on the radio made a sound.
“Really, though,” Benjamin said after a while. “You couldn’t wait ten more minutes? It ain’t but a thirty-minute drive from Plumville!”
Peter hooted with laughter in the back and Benjamin snickered, hunching his shoulders to lessen the mild blow Felix dealt him.
“Y’all shut the hell up!” Felix demanded. “Y’all know I got a soft spot for lemonade!”