Summertime Haze
Part 1.12 - The Squad
Bennett was lounging in his bedroom, playing games on his phone, when Regan suddenly pushed open the door and looked him right in the eyes.
“So, Bennett,” Regan said, crossing her arms. “I’ve heard whispers that you’re assembling some sort of ‘super group’ to like, be mean to some grumpy old woman or whatever.”
“Yeah, and what of it?” Bennett asked cautiously.
“I’m going to be part of it, right? Cause I sure know how to put bitches in their place. And, I’m you’re sweet little sister, right? You’d never exclude your little sister from something, right?”
“You know what, Regan? I am. I am going to include my ‘sweet little sister’ from this, cause you’re hardly little and you’re certainly not sweet.”
“Well! Look who’s decided to get all big and bold all of a sudden!” Regan snickered. “It really doesn’t suit you, you know.”
Bennett rubbed his forehead. “I’m heading out.”
He got up, and left the room quickly, leaving Regan standing there.
Bennett felt bad, of course, but Jordan had a point the day before. Regan wasn’t anything like this even a few years before, she was deciding to act awful to set herself apart from others. And Bennett just had to hope that if he stopped giving that version of her attention that she’d move on, and grow up.
As he walked out the front door, headed for Henry’s, Bennett had no way of knowing the effect that one little conversation would have on Regan.
Bennett was the first to arrive at Henry’s house. As Henry shut the door behind him, he looked around Henry’s living room. He frowned when he saw no one else.
“Aw, Jordan isn’t here yet?” he wined. “Come on, man!”
“Jordan and not Toby? What’s going on Bennett?” Henry teased.
“I just don’t get on with religious folk,” Bennett shrugged. He gestured towards his mohawk. “I mean, clearly. I couldn’t be further from being like them. Toby’s cool though.”
“You should totally talk to him! He’s great, he really is.”
Bennett frowned. “I’m not going to deny that he’s a decent guy… but I think you like him a whole lot cause you think he’s one fine specimen of a man. If he was ugly? I don’t even think he’d be on his way here right now.”
“Oh… shut up, Bennett! Our relationship may have started that way, but now he’s a friend, and nothing more. Just like you.”
“I sure hope so,” Bennett said, smiling slyly. “Toby’s a married man.”
Henry rolled his eyes and headed over to the kitchen to continue cooking the snacks he was serving for his guests, both new and old alike. Bennett followed him, and sat down at the island.
“Sure, his wife is… less than pleasant, I mean, you don’t step into a stranger’s house with a plate full of food and leave a minute later if you aren’t trying to make power moves. But even if his wife is awful, that doesn’t mean you can sit there and just lust after him….”
“Lust after him? Bennett. Come on. Your language right now is ridiculous! I’m not lusting after Toby. I’m not anywhere near as into him as you’re into Jordan.”
Bennett held up his finger to Henry’s face, about to start yelling, but the doorbell rang, cutting them short.
“Let’s see who’s here. Hopefully Jordan, so you can lust over her,” Henry said mokingly as he headed over to the door.
He opened up the door, and Jordan walked in, an unfamiliar figure beside her. Henry made a face at Bennett from behind Jordan’s back.
“Henry, Bennett, this is Hope!” Jordan said. “Rival from culinary school, now friend, yada yada yada, you guys know the tale.”
“Hey, guys!” Hope waved. “I really hope Jordan hasn’t told too many nasty stories about me.”
“Oh no, not at all,” Henry said, shutting the door.
“Well, maybe one, or two, or seven from culinary school,” Bennett said casually from the bar. “But I’m sure you’re a real stand up person now!”
“Bennett!” Jordan exclaimed.
Hope smiled awkwardly. “Yeah… I probably deserve those stories. I just wasn’t a good person back then. But anyone can change, right?”
“That’s right,” Henry nodded, leading Jordan and Hope over to the bar. “I mean, once upon a time, I thought I was straight! Imagine that!”
The room fell into silence as Jordan and Hope took their seats and Henry put out some snacks. Henry watched the three anxiously, hoping this would work out. He, Bennett, Jordan, and Toby had all become pretty close. Even if Bennett didn’t get on with religious people, he sure seemed to get on with Toby. And Henry was worried that bringing in new people, like Hope, would ruin the dynamic that had started to develop. But, like her name, Henry had hope that bringing in new people would only help him stay safe from Ellen.
“Can I ask for the full story on this whole… Ellen situation? I’ve gathered the gist of it all from Jordan, but I’d like to hear it from you,” Hope asked gently, breaking the silence.
“Once Toby and Paolo get here, Hope,” Jordan said quickly, before Henry got a chance to respond. “Just so Henry doesn’t have to repeat himself twice.”
Henry gave her a thankful nod, and Jordan flashed him a giant smile in return.
The four of them made small talk until Toby and Paolo arrived.
“Hey guys!” Toby cheered, entering the house, Paolo looking out anxiously from behind him. “This right here, behind me, is Paolo. He’s never been the best conversationalist.”
The two of them crossed the room and joined everyone else at the bar.
“So, Paolo. You work with Toby at the gym, right?” Jordan asked in an attempt to bring him into the conversation.
It was a shock to everyone when Paolo spoke with an accent. “Yeah, we’ve uh, been personal trainers there for a few years now…”
“An accent!” Jordan cheered, leaning forward. “Hope used to be really into those back when she was a little bitch. So, where are you from? You might just be Hope’s type, you never know…”
Paolo laughed awkwardly.
“She’s joking,” Hope said gently. “Well… alright. I was, but back then! I was a lot of different things back then, none of which I am now! So, I can assure you Paolo, you are perfectly safe.”
Paolo still looked confused.
“He, uh, doesn’t know your history,” Toby interjected. “So all of what you just said basically means nothing to him. But he’s from Windenburg! Came here a total party animal that didn’t want to grow up. He’s totally devoted to the Church now though, don’t worry.”
As Henry’s meeting went on, Ellen sat under a massive tree in the Church gardens. The shade did little to protect her from the intense summer heat and humidity, but she’d set this spot as a meeting place, and she was going to stick to it.
She checked her watch, and scowled. He was 20 minutes late. For some reason, as soon as people had to meet her outside of a school setting, they no longer had to be punctual. She had to admit, she missed the respect she’d been able to so easily command back then, but she’d dug her grave when she moved. Now she had to lie in it.
After what felt like an eternity, Jaxon finally ran up.
He sat down next to her, and Ellen winced. “Jaxon, you’re absolutely drenched in sweat. And you stink too! Please, remind me to buy you some extra strength deodorant, Mother knows you need it.”
Jaxon looked down. “Alright. I will.”
Ellen cleared her throat. “Anyway. As you know, after you failed to even speak a word to Henry when I sent you over to his house, I had to go over there myself. Any guesses on how that went?”
“He listened, and you were able to explain your point of view?”
“No, of course not,” Ellen scoffed. “Just like I told you before I sent you over, Henry needed a familiar face, but not a face he’d recently had conflict with. I tried to contact that other girl that used to be his friend…. Tiffany, I think it was, but her parents said she’d gone rogue right after graduation and they hadn’t been able to contact her since. Long story short, I had to go forward with a plan that I knew was going to fail. And who’s fault is that?”
“Mine…”
“Exactly. If Henry had actually payed attention when I’d gone over conflict resolution in one of her sessions, maybe it would have worked out! But he was never the best at paying attention.”
“So… why am I here?”
“You’re here because we need a new plan, Jaxon. I’ve been doing some research in the local library, and I think I might have just found a new method for fixing Henry… it’s a bit unconventional, but I think it’s going to work. You just have to do something a little less than savory first… but the ends justify the means! We’ve just got to plan this perfectly this time…”
“I see now,” Hope muttered, Henry having just explained everything. “I see why Jordan’s so worked up over this whole situation.”
“What Ellen did is messed up on all these different levels,” Paolo said quietly. “I know it was obvious to all of you that I really didn’t want to come to this thing, today. But I’m glad that Toby pushed me now.”
“You’ve got to help out friends in need. And I truly do believe that you both can help us figure out what Ellen’s next move is, so we can keep Henry safe,” Toby smiled.
“Ellen isn’t going to give up easily, I can tell you all that much,” Henry said. “She dragged me into her counselor’s office week after week, even when I didn’t want to go. At the time, I appreciated it because it helped me come out of my shell. But now, I know that’s going to work against me. Once Ellen gets an idea into her head, she doesn’t drop it. So, I’d just like to thank all of you for being so supportive.”
“That’s what we do here,” Bennett chuckled. “We support each other. The name’s dumb, cause we all help each other with our problems.”
The six of them all exchanged smiles. They all knew that that day was the start of one extraordinary friendship.