Chapter Text
MANY YEARS AGO
Partridge, Minnesota.
Benjamin Wyatt was the most hated kid. Not only in high school, but in his whole town. His own ambitions as a mayor drove Partridge into bankruptcy, and many businesses struggled to function. They had to get help from the actual government, and that’s how businesses could recover little by little, including Ben’s high school, which had to reduce the teachers’ salaries, but at least they still could get paid.
For that reason, he was banned from attending Prom, which was devastating for him since he thought his status had granted him the heart of his crush, Cindy Eckert, but the morning after he was impeached, she made something very clear in front of everybody:
“Do not talk to me, loser. My dad had to leave his job because of you; do not even think I’m going to be seen with you in public. Ew.”
For you, it was heartbreaking to watch him getting hurt, until…
“Hey", Cindy saw you and decided to include you in the conversation. "You, Hawking: Now you are free to ask him out, just like you’ve always wanted. Two losers together will be both pathetic and fun to watch.
Everybody started making Oooh sounds combined with laughter, but what you’d never forget was the look Ben gave you. It was as if he had seen you for the first time and he was trying to locate you in some part of his brain. As if you were an alien. He narrowed his eyes at you and then… You fought the urge to leave while staring at him, red as a light, but also daring him to both confront the truth and run away if he wanted. You wouldn’t do it, no matter how much you wanted to, the humiliation feeling like a heavy weight, because the laughter persisted, his confusion persisted, and you prayed to God that he did not make a disgust face, as other did in the past, because Ben Wyatt was your first love – the unrequited kind, that is, - but he wasn’t the first guy you fancied. This felt more serious now, after all; you were almost eighteen. That’s why you faced him.
He was the first to leave, making the laughter increase, but you remained there until the others left too. Then, you hid in the restroom, trying to refresh your face with water, which was mixing with your tears.
Your surname was not Hawking, but the fact that you used a motorized wheelchair and had a disability that prevented you from walking, which was a first in your high school, was enough for the popular girls to give you that nickname, the last name of a prestigious scientist. With a worse condition than yours, but a genius nonetheless. At least you took that comfort. The only good thing Cindy ever did for you was to keep your secret crush on Ben to herself… In exchange for helping her with English, all in secrecy, even though at one point you thought that Cindy was actually a nice girl and you befriended her… Which is why it hurt when you saw her allowing Ben to feel her up, aware that you were watching.
During the time Ben’s mandate lasted – a few weeks – they became the it couple, because Ben promised she would have access to every shop she wanted to go. After the impeachment, however… Everybody treated him like an outcast.
The only one who didn’t?
Exactly, you.
However, after Cindy exposed your feelings for Ben in front of everybody, you hid yourself even more, thinking Ben hated you and did not want to add more to his plate.
You fell for Ben the minute you saw him down the hall. He was not an athlete, far from it, but he was smart. You saw him in a few United Nations tournaments that you attended to see some friends here and there. Politics was not your thing, but being supportive of your friends was. And while doing so, you enjoyed the passion with which Benji Wyatt defended whatever country he got to debate about. That’s why, when your marks in Math started to go down, you grabbed his phone number from a board where he offered tuitions. That would surely motivate you to do better. Unlike some girls, your reaction when having a crush was to prove to the guy that you were smart and capable enough.
Ben was kind and never treated you any differently; nor once did he call you the way those bullies did. But his own ambitions barely let him time to socialize, and since his tuition lessons were in groups, not one-on-one, it was impossible to really connect with him. Nevertheless, it was enough that whenever you got a good mark, Ben seemed proud of you and even high-fived you.
At least that was what you thought; that it was enough, because maybe it was… Until he found out.
As I said, you did everything in your power to avoid Ben and act as if that terrible morning never happened, but destiny had other plans for you.
Ben was banned from going to Prom, but his parents surprised him by organizing one… And for that, his mother called the only people she thought would not have anything to hold against Ben.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Wyatt… Are you saying that Ben wants me there?” You asked when Ben’s mother called asking for you.
“Exactly, sweetie. Unless you have plans already for Prom.”
“Erm… No, no, I don’t, but I don’t think that Ben... We haven’t talked much ever since I stopped needing his lessons.”
“Come on, it will be fun!! Ben really would love to go to Prom, but he can’t, so we are… I mean, he is organizing this.”
“So… Are you organizing this as a surprise Prom?”
“Erm… Well, yes. His father and I think he deserves it. And he will be very happy to see you, really.”
“Ms. Wyatt, I…”
You sighed, knowing that your heart was melting at the gesture Ben’s parents wanted to have with him. And you would be lying to yourself if you did not want to see him again to have an explanation of sorts, if you ever deserved any. You needed to know through him that he felt offended, that you did not imagine it all. Only that way, you could move on.
No. Scratch that. You were an idiot too in love to look at Ben Wyatt back in anger, but you admitted to yourself that if he saw you and got angry, that reaction would help you to move on.
“Are more people coming over to your house? Also, you should know: I use a powerchair. I am disabled. Is that an inconvenience?”
After a few seconds of silence, Ms. Wyatt said:
“Of course not! You can come over. There is a little step on the door, but we’ll help you with it if needed, because it’s small enough. We had my husband’s mother living with us for a while, so… And - Oh yes! More people are coming, no worries.”
You sighed, not too audibly, thinking: I hope I won’t regret this.
“Okay, I’ll go. What time?”
“Wonderful! It will start around seven, so Ben has time to return from his political tournament.
You fought the urge to say I know, and just tried to not seem bothered.
“Okay, thank you.”
“Thank you! You are going to make Ben very happy.”
It was a nice sentiment the one Ms. Wyatt had, but you just knew it would be far from truthful.
Still, when the day arrived, you wore a beautiful blue dress that you had barely worn beyond a wedding in the family a few years ago.
Your parents were not exactly thrilled that you were going to that guy’s house, but since they had other plans, they ended up giving you permission.
When you parked your car in his street, you realized how nervous you were, recalling how you rehearsed a hello, Ben in front of the mirror once you were dressed, but quickly remembered that this was you, not Cindy. You quickly remembered that he would never look at you that way.
As you approached the house, you realized that the step at the entrance was small enough for your powerchair to get over it. The joy you felt made you feel uneasy, for no one should be happy to be able to access a house. Still, the house impressed you. It had a beautiful gravel path on the side and concrete on the main one, where you were moving through. You had to maneuver a bit here and there to finally get to the doorbell, but you managed.
“Yes? - A blonde woman in her early forties answered. She was very well dressed, as the occasion required. You could see Ben’s eyes in hers, being of a similar color. The two seconds she took to place you, however, made you feel unwelcome.
“Oh! You are...”
You said your name.
“I’m here for the… Prom party?”
“Yes, of course, darling! Come on in! Ben! You have another guest!”
You gulped, nervously, imagining all the worst-case scenarios: Ben getting angry at you being there, at his parents for inviting you; even you imagined the same confused face as that day, then disgust. Your stomach started to bother you.
Those were the longest five seconds ever.
Then…
“Mom, seriously, you don’t have to do… This.”
There he was, shocked. You ignored the pain your heart felt by looking at how well that suit fit him. He had a presence that was magnetic. Proper of a politician, no doubt. Even then, you knew he would achieve great things in life.
“Hi, Ben.” You said, smiling as friendly as you could.
“Hi!” The way he said your name felt normal, not accusatory. That was good. “Good to see you, erm… Thanks for coming.”
“You are welcome. Your parents were very kind to invite me.”
“Yeah, and yours too, for letting you come over. It seems that none of you guys hate me, so thank you. Come on in; we are in the living room.
When you entered, you understood why Ben did not sound super happy, nor mad. Those were from the group sessions he taught. You were part of those. The parents went straight to locating the losers to celebrate a guy who was learning to be popular. You deflected, thinking you looked ridiculous in a dress he barely had noti-
“You look great.” Ben offered with a smile. You fought the urge to blink twice and let your mother tongue, Spanish, get the best of you.
“Thank you. This exclusive party deserved my best, so… I tried.” You managed to say instead.
Ben chuckled. There. If there was something you considered yourself good at, it was making people laugh, using humor to navigate uncomfortable situations in a way that it seemed charming to your audience. And this was not the first time you made Ben laugh, but it was since that happened.
People greeted you as well, and you all did your best to have a good time with Ben, but you noticed how hard he was trying to be pleasant, offering people drinks and food as if he was a waiter instead of this being his Prom.
To make matters worse, at one point in the evening, his mother made everybody vote for Prom King and Queen, giving everybody extra sweets if you all voted for Ben. He was embarrassed; it was embarrassing, but Ben was keeping it classy and polite.
“Well, the votes are in!” His mother suddenly announced after disappearing with the box for a few minutes to count the votes. “And the Prom King is… - gasping – Ben!!”
He shook his head no, trying to laugh, but wanting to refuse to be crowned by his own mother in front of the few students he taught. Still, he did it. You watched all unfold with bewilderment, as if you were watching a bad comedy instead of living the situation...
“And now, the Queen…” – “You know what, mom? – Ben interrupted. “I think we all should feel like kings and queen for Prom tonight, so let’s all dance, okay?”
There is something I have not mentioned beforehand: You were the only girl at the party because you were the only one in his study group, so you feared what was coming, but it hurt you even more that Ben did not seem to want to dance with you as his Prom Queen. Your understanding of his embarrassment stopped when it came to the two of you doing something remotely romantic together. Over the years, you would feel guilty, but in that moment, you felt hurt.
Still, you stayed and danced, even with Ben, but not ballads- just pop and rock music, decided to leave back home after a while.
You started the night wanting to find a moment to talk to him, but now that was the last thing you wanted to do.
At one point, you passed by the kitchen and saw Ben and his mother talking.
“You should have danced with that girl as your Prom Queen, Ben.”
“Mom, you know I wanted Cindy to be my Prom Queen! Besides: I appreciate you guys’ efforts, but that was way too embarrassing. Please stop. I cannot wait for this to be over, really.”
Then, he saw you. His face was a picture. You started to say your goodbyes and headed toward the door.
Ben called your name, but you only stopped because the door was closed.
“Wait, I didn’t mean for you to listen, I…”
“It’s okay, I just have to leave. Why keep the farce? You are tired; you should see everybody out. Now, can you open the door for me, please?”
“No, wait, just… I’m sorry. I did not want to make you uncomfortable. I know my parents had good intentions, but you have to admit this is fucking ridiculous… I appreciate you guys coming, but you should be all at the real Prom, not at this… farce my parents organized to boost a little ego out of me. I’m sorry. I feel like such a loser ever since that day…”
Your heart broke a tiny bit for him, throwing to a mental bin your speech about why you were expecting a different apology from him… Or maybe...
“You are not a loser. I am, remember? Hawking… But hey, good news! I’m leaving back to Spain, so… This is the last time we’ll see each other. You can totally forget about what Cindy said about me being into you, and about me altogether…”
“Jesus, about that…”
“No,” you interrupted him. “Don’t say something I already know. It’s okay if you don’t like me, but that moment in the hallway was unnecessary. You looked at me as if I was an alien, and I felt insulted, but still I decided to come because I thought you’d want to apologize. I see you don’t.”
“But I just…”
“Hey, Ben,” one of the guys said, “I need to go to get more ice; be right back.”
“Wait! – You said, – I was leaving, so…”
“No, wait, I just…”
“Goodbye, Ben. Have a great life.”
His mother called him while she was recording with a camera, so Ben could not go after you. Good, you thought, ready to move on and hoping never to see him again.
But sometimes, life has funny ways to let us know that some conversations, and especially some people, are worth the wait.