"There you are!" Rose cried, finding Rey rising upon her tiptoes to place a textbook on her locker's top shelf. "Where did you disappear to Friday night?"

Rey turned her head, following the sound of her friend's voice she searched through the mass of bodies flooding the hallway over third hour's passing period. Still having the weekend's events with Ben on her mind Rey hadn't considered any explanation to the questions her friends might have, regarding why she had left Poe's party so quickly that Friday night – or who she had left with.

Fuck! How could she have forgotten?

"Oh – hey Rose," Rey muttered, seeming apologetic when Rose finally appeared. She smiled, hoping it would be enough to hide the unsteadiness in her voice while scrounging up a believable alibi. "Yeah, sorry," she stammered, lying through her teeth. "I started to feel a little woozy there after our game. First time drinking alcohol and all..."

Well, it wasn't that much of a lie. The thought of kissing Poe did leave her feeling a little nauseous afterwards.

"Why didn't you just say something?" Rose asked, looking quizzical. "I could've taken you home."

"I know," Rey replied, sighing as she grabbed the textbook for Agricultural Science. "I didn't want to be the Debbie downer of your fun."

"Don't be ridiculous," Rose snipped defensively. "I'm your friend! Wait –," she paused, creasing her brows when realization set in, "how did you get home?"

"I –," Rey started instinctively, only to realize that she couldn't say what every neuron in her brain wanted to admit. Frowning, her eyes shifted over the locker's interior, searching for another excuse that wouldn't endanger her feeble relationship with Ben. "I called a cab," she admitted, voice remaining steady in hopes that Rose would buy into the little white lie.

Did they even have cabs here in Mishawaka?

"Oh," Rose replied frankly, bearing a wounded expression. "Still, you should've just said something. It would've saved you the change needed to get home."

"It wasn't that big of a deal, really," Rey confessed, shrugging. Slamming the door to her locker closed single-handedly while the other remained occupied with textbooks and trapper keeper, she turned to accompany Rose through the hall. "Besides," she teased, "there's no way you were fit to drive either of us home."

"Fuck, true story," Rose whimpered. "I had to call my sister at two in the morning to come pick me up."

Rey chuckled, "I bet that went well."

"Let's just say it took a great deal of convincing for her to not tell our parents," Rose explained, unenthused. "She didn't have much room to talk though, considering she's the one that bought us the alcohol."

Rey winced, regarding the meticulous bottle of booze and the unwelcome memories it triggered. "Did – Poe happen to mention anything to you about that night?" She asked timidly.

Rose pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes in thought. "Um – No, at least I don't think so?" She replied tentatively, raising her chin enough to look at Rey. "Why? Did something happen?"

Rey nodded, apprehensive. "He may have made a brash move on me."

Rose blinked, drawing her mouth agape with surprise. "When did this happen?"

"Right after the 'never have I ever' game," Rey replied tediously, rolling her eyes. "He just tried to kiss me is all."

"Well, that's a relief!" Rose affirmed, widening her eyes along with lifted brows. "I mean, I'm glad that it was nothing more serious. So, it was you that poured the beer over his head?"

Rey snickered at the memory, nodding. "Yes, but it was Boones Farm. Not beer."

"What!" Rose gasped, voice raising an octave. "I'm sorry, I love you, but you couldn't have just grabbed the beer from his hand or something?"

"It was on impulse!" Rey countered, laughing. "I wasn't exactly thinking about alcohol while having his fucking lips come at me."

"Oh – I'm not mad at you," Rose corrected, pointing a finger dramatically at Rey whilst maintaining a tight grip on her books pressed against her chest. "But I will fucking kill Dameron for making you waste a perfectly good bottle of Boones Farm on his head."

"And I won't stop you," Rey promised, scrunching her nose. "Honestly, though, the party scene just wasn't for me."

"It's no biggie," Rose reassured, shrugging. "I suppose it would be a good idea for me to lay low for awhile as well. Hangovers fucking suck."

"I wouldn't know."

"Well, I can speak for us both when I say that hangovers fucking suck."

Rey laughed as they rounded the corner of the hall, elbows nudging sternums and biceps belonging to the new swell of bodies in the crowd.

"So," Rose added, "I hope Poe being a douche didn't ruin the rest of your weekend?"

"No," Rey replied, smiling wistfully. Biting back the urge to tell Rose about her weekend with Ben (and the horses) was proving itself harder than she thought it would be. "I can honestly say that I can't complain."

"Oh?" Rose quirked a brow, curiosity piqued. "What did you do?"

Rey shrugged, readying another fib to add to the growing list of lies prior to hearing someone calling her name from the mass of students behind herself and Rose. Looking over her shoulder, she frowned when she saw Poe, appearing to be dead set on a mission to reach her as he pushed through the crowd with determined ease.

"Great," Rey grumbled aloud, pivoting her head around to see Rose exerting a look that appeared equally annoyed as hers.

"We can just keep walking," Rose offered, acknowledging Rey's discomfort. "Just pretend that you couldn't hear him or something."

"Rey!" Poe called out, heaving a sigh in relief when he finally caught up to her side opposite of Rose. "Rey, can we talk?"

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Dameron," Rose spat, glaring at him from behind Rey's back. "And neither do I. You made her waste a perfectly good bottle of my Boones!"

"This isn't about fucking Boones Farm, Tico," Poe growled. "I need to talk to Rey."

Rey rolled her eyes, jaw set as she paused in the middle of the hallway to face him. "Can it wait?" Rey asked, standing impatiently with a knee bent. "I need to get to my next class. I'm going to be late."

"Then let me walk you there," Poe offered, remaining undeterred.

Rey grimaced, scoffing. Why couldn't Poe just take the hint that she didn't want to talk to him? It was the only time she could talk to Ben during school, literally two minutes tops before class started and was quickly ticking down to the passing period's very last second – and all of it being wasted from having to argue with Poe.

"This seriously can't wait until lunch?" Rey demanded, taking a breath. "It's Agriculture, clear across the school from your class, Poe."

Poe remained steadfast, flexing his jaw. It was enough to get the point across that he clearly wasn't willing to settle with 'no' for an answer. Typical. Rey sighed, considering the only beneficial reason to have Poe walk with her was the fact that she could be on her way to have those few extra moments with Ben – finally.

"Fine," she agreed sharply, turning to see an apologetic look on Rose's face.

"Are you sure?" Rose asked; worry etched between her brows. "I can take a tardy and walk with you."

"I'll be fine," Rey assured, smiling with a nod. "I'll see you at lunch."

Rose nodded, conceding to Rey's request. Her eyes narrowed, casting a final glare at Poe before begrudgingly leaving her friend behind.

"I take it that you told Tico about the incident at the party," Poe accused, jutting his chin toward Rose.

"And why wouldn't I?" Rey retorted, glowering whilst taking a step to lead the way towards the hallway for Agriculture.

Poe heaved a sigh, striding alongside Rey silently for a long awkward moment, hand free of books shoved into a jean pocket. "Look Rey," he started, expression exerting distress, "I'm sorry for how I acted. I had no right."

Rey snorted; face rigid prior to the smirk stretching her face. "That's nice. Did you rehearse that over the weekend?"

Poe pursed his lips. "No," he admitted tersely, casting a sheepish look in her direction. "I was actually hoping it would be enough for you to forgive me."

Rey halted her stride, waist pivoting to issue Poe an accusatory look as they stood in the center of the Ag hall. "You tried to kiss me," she sneered, heavily enunciating her words while attempting to explain. "After I told you 'no.' Do you really expect me to forgive you that fast?"

"For Christ sakes I was drunk," Poe barked defensively, squaring his shoulders. "I didn't know what the hell I was doing."

"That has to be the worst excuse I've ever heard."

"Well, it's the truth," Poe affirmed, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "Look, Rey," he sighed, licking his lips. "I'm not use to girls turning me away so quickly. You surprise me and I still don't know what to make of it."

Rey considered him, expression softening. "Did it ever occur to you that I don't like you in that sort of way?"

"Then let me make it up to you," Poe urged, eyes fixed on hers. "Let me take you out just one time – as friends, even."

Rey heaved a sigh, eyeing him warily. "Why can't you just buy me a pack of pop tarts from the snack stand in the commons?" She countered, flexing her grip on the books hugging her chest. "Then maybe I'll consider forgiving you."

Poe snorted, cocking a brow, "Seriously?"

Rey nodded, swallowing heavily. "If you're serious about us being just friends," she explained, "then yes. I like the s'more ones, also."

Poe regarded her offer, head cocked slightly. "Can you tell me one more thing?" He asked, eyes imploring. "And I promise I'll buy you that pack of pop tarts."

Rey nodded, drawing a sharp breath, "Sure."

"Is there someone else?"

**

Settling back into the mind frame as Mr. Solo after a weekend at the ranch was never an easy task. Having to throw in what happened with Rey during that split second of losing self-control made it that much harder to forget that she was also his student.

Looking at her name listed on the roster among the other dozen names of students Ben had to face that day was nothing more than a bitter wake-up call, serving its purpose as a reminder that he shouldn't have wanted to kiss her.

But, he did. So much he had spent the remnants of that evening into the wee morning hours of the following school day lecturing himself, prepping for that moment when Rey would show her face two minutes early before class like she always did. The first three periods of the day were torture, having nearly worn a path along the front of the first few rows of desks while pacing throughout the first few hours instructing his students.

When that fourth hour came Ben considered himself better prepared to keep his shit under wraps, until he heard that familiar sweet song of Rey's voice reverberating down his classroom's empty hallway. A warm feeling inflated the inside of his chest, bringing on a newfound emotion he'd never felt that made the overall wait to see Rey walk through his classroom's doorway more agonizing. That was, of course, until he realized that Rey was talking to someone else: the distinct sound of another male student's voice following hers in conversation.

The sound of silence in his private sector of the school allowed Ben to easily hear their conversation without eavesdropping on purpose. Despite whom it was that Rey was talking to, Ben couldn't decide which was harder to come to terms with in his thoughts: that someone closer to her age would eventually ask her out and she would accept, or that Rey willingly turned away a shot at having a normal student life in hopes of pursuing the impossible with her teacher.

He tried to act normal when Rey finally walked in, smiling and greeting her in the manner that Ben always did. However, considering the amount of time they'd spent together over the weekend it must've been obvious to Rey that something was bothering him. The conflict was blatantly written all over his face and she was already on his case before Ben had the chance to hide it.

"Have the Monday blues struck you as well?" Rey stated observantly, arms hugging her chest after setting her books down onto the desk.

"Something like that," Ben admitted gruffly. Tongue toying the inside of his cheek, he watched her slowly make her way from her desk to where Ben was standing in front of his. Palms and hips firmly pressed into the edge of his desk, he stood with one knee slightly bent to the side with the other held straight for support.

"I could tell you about my day so far," she informed, smiling hopefully. "It may cheer you up a little bit."

"Oh yeah?" Ben asked, playing along to lighten the mood, "And how's that?"

"It's kinda stupid, really," Rey confessed, face growing serious. "But just so you know, your parents' horse barn was overrun by a herd of purple mutated hamsters last night."

The look on Ben's face was priceless; giving Rey a bewildered look that even made her begin to wonder if she was slowly starting to lose her sanity. He stared at her for a long moment, wondering if he'd heard her correctly before acknowledging the strange confession with a laugh. "Where in the hell did that come from?"

Breaking her grave appearance, Rey laughed along with him, exerting an embarrassing snort as she attempted to catch her breath within the momentary fit of laughter. "It was a dream that had me waking up in panic at 4:00 this morning. Then, I couldn't get back to sleep because I kept hearing my hamster's wheel banging against his cage. I was too lazy to get up and fix it so I suffered the remaining two hours with no sleep."

Ben's laughter seceded to a lighter amused chuckle, shaking his head. "Were there any casualties? Or do I dare to even want to know?"

Rey nodded, feigning melancholy, "Unfortunately, yes, hamsters and horses don't go well together. There were eyeballs popping out, fur exploding like puffs of dandelions – it was a mess."

"Jesus," Ben laughed, forgetting for a second that he'd been having an internal war all morning.

"So," Rey started, regaining her composure after rendering her stomach muscles into tight knots from laughing. "Did that cure you of the blues at all?"

Ben slowly felt the smile on his lips fade to a frown, inadvertently leading to Rey mimicking his expression. He shifted the weight on his feet, lowering all focus to the speckled-tile flooring that seemed a whole lot easier to look at than having to watch her smile die because of his – jealousy? Well, whatever it was, the twitch of a nerve below his eyes was enough to fuel his frustration more.

"Ben," Rey coaxed gently, worry tinting her voice. "What's wrong?"

"Rey, I have no right to ask you this, but I have to know." Ben uttered heavily, knuckles turning white from maintaining too tight of a grip on the desk's edge. Shame covered his face as he began walking that invisible line, leading him far past redemption.

"Where do I stand with you?"

Rey blinked, hindered to being at a momentary loss for words from not anticipating the question. She took a breath, steadying her thoughts. "Isn't it obvious?"

Ben lifted his eyes, seeing Rey's exploiting sincere warmth, expression soft and tender as she closed the short yet seemingly long distance that was between them. If Ben wanted to, all he had to do was lean over ever so slightly and his fate would be forever sealed by the touch of her lips. His eyes trailed over her face, greedily taking in every freckle and blemish that dappled her face before the bell's final ring marked the beginning of class.

"I just want you to be sure," Ben grimaced, lowering his eyes briefly to her lips. "I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. You make me feel and act in ways that I shouldn't be right now."

Rey smiled, lips curling slightly at the corners. "If it's any consolation," she whispered, eyes devouring his, "I don't know what I'm doing either."

"So what do you propose that we should do?" Ben asked, swallowing thickly. "This could be dangerous for both of us."

Rey cocked her head, pondering an answer, bottom lip drawn between her teeth. "I say we take it one day at a time and go from there."

Ben smiled, agreeing with a subtle nod. Drawing in a shallow breath he raised a hand to give attention to the curl coming loose from Rey's messy bun, coaxing it behind her ear. Every muscle in his torso cringed at the sound of obnoxious chatter coming from down the hall, alerting them that class was about to start.

"Just so you know," Ben confessed within a sigh, "horses are much easier to work with."

Rey snickered, pivoting on her heal to claim her seat in time before the first pair of Ag students walked in.

**

"A job –," Maz repeated, sounding genuinely surprised, "at a ranch? Do they know that the only pet you've ever had is a hamster?"

"Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are," Rey snorted, reaching into the laundry basket for one of Maz's scrub shirts to fold. "But they are short-handed, so I guess they're desperate for help?"

Maz shook her head at the wash cloth she was folding, still trying to comprehend her niece's words. "Are you hearing yourself right now, Rey? It's a farm. There's dirt, which means you'll get your hands dirty – and sweat among other places."

"Yes, I'm well aware of the things that I'll be entailed to do while working there," Rey clarified, placing the folded shirt onto Maz's designated pile of clothes stacked neatly on the carpet of their living room. "Plus, the family is very nice," she explained, looking up at Maz seated on the couch from her cross-legged position on the floor. "And they don't let me starve."

Maz smirked, snorting her answer at first. "Well, that explains just about everything. As long as there's food you'll always be content no matter where you are," she teased. "So, how did you find out about this – Solo Ranch?"

"I told you," Rey affirmed, eyes fixed on Maz, "a friend from school mentioned going there for lessons and I got curious. She invited me, so," she shrugged, "I tagged along."

It wasn't –a complete lie, in theory. Ben was a friend and he was from school and, also, happened to be a 'he' instead of a 'she.' If her aunt decided to get overly privy, Rey was prepared to throw in Sabine's name for emergency back-up support. Luckily, Maz appeared to be too exhausted from another long day at the hospital to press further on the topic. It was one less fib Rey had to add onto the already budding pile of lies.

"I see," Maz stated, setting aside the folded pair of scrub pants to focus her attention on Rey for the moment, hands planted on her knees. "What days do you suppose you'll be working? I'll have Wednesdays off starting next week if you want to take the car. You'll just have to find another way to get there any other time if they're willing to work with your schedule."

"They didn't seem too concerned about my schedule," Rey shrugged, seeming optimistic about her reply. "So, I don't think it'll be too much of a problem for them. One of the other staff members lives near us and offered to give me a ride whenever he goes."

"Which would be – when?" Maz countered. "And who is this 'he' that you speak of?"

"Ben," Rey replied, swallowing a little while attempting to remain casual. "He goes Friday through Sunday, usually, but he's close with the family so I imagine he would go whenever I'm needed to work."

Again, it wasn't a lie if Rey purposely left out the fact that it was Ben's family who owned the ranch in question.

Maz gave her a long look, brow arched. "Huh," she grunted. Casting a glance into the laundry basket, she pulled out a very familiar plaid shirt buried beneath the other articles of clothing for Rey to see. A knowing look encompassed the older woman's features, regarding the doe-eyed reaction the garment extracted from Rey. "This wouldn't happen to be Ben's shirt, would it?"

Rey's hands grew restless in her lap as she studied the shirt, recalling the reason she'd acquired it to begin with. "There was a mishap with one of the horses," she explained. "I was helping Ben give one a bath and it kinda got a hold of the hose. I got drenched and he was kind enough to lend me a shirt."

Maz nodded curtly, appearing satisfied with the explanation. "Well, that was very nice of him," she remarked, giving the plaid garment a once over before relinquishing it for Rey to fold. "Only a gentleman would give a girl their shirt after receiving an old fashion hose-down. He mustn't be a high schooler, then?"

Rey worried the collar of the shirt between her fingers, sneaking a cautious glimpse at Maz through her lashes. "No," she sniffed, feeling proud for answering the last few questions truthfully. "He's a little older."

"How much older are we talking?" Maz countered, eyeing her niece with a judgmental look.

"I can't be too certain," Rey fibbed, but only a little as she raised her head to give Maz her undivided attention. "I just know that he's in his 20's."

"Huh," Maz hummed, appearing to be satisfied. "Well, I'm okay with you working as long as your grades don't suffer."

Rey gave her aunt a toothy grin, conceding to Maz's request with a nod, "I promise."

"So," Maz started, reaching for another article of clothing from the basket, "tell me a little more about this Ben fellow. Should I be worried?"

Rey rolled her eyes, sighing. She left out the incriminating details about Ben, enlightening her aunt more on the important things like his fiery love for horses – especially, Kylo. She bragged about how well she did during her first lesson in riding; more so being with a horse that harbored such an ill-tempered personality. She told Maz about Sabine, and provided a little more information about Han and Leia.

After helping Maz finish up with the laundry folding, Rey reverted to hiding out in her bedroom for the remainder of the evening. For study purposes, of course, considering the math teacher found it appropriate to pile the load on a Monday while Rey suffered a moderate case of sleep deprivation.

"I blame it on your purple cousins," she told Bee-Bee, glaring at him accusingly before placing him in the exercise ball like she always did while doing homework.

Foregoing the usual choice of relaxing in a worn t-shirt and hoodie that night, Rey pulled on a pair of knitted grey shorts with Ben's plaid shirt, leaving it unbuttoned right above her cleavage with the sleeve cuffs rolled slightly above her wrists. It wasn't the same not having the distinct scent of masculine hygiene, but it was Ben's. She wondered what he would say if he saw her in it for comfort, rather than a means of covering up Kylo's mishap.

Settling onto her bed, having one foot drawn inward with the other leg stretched diagonally across the coverlet, Rey made it a priority before homework to snap a photo of herself for Ben. She went through a series of different poses: funny duck face, serious duck face, pouty lips, eyes-crossed with a ridiculous jarred-looking mouth to make it even more ridiculously immature than it already looked. Finally, she decided to go for an innocent smile with bedroom eyes while her hair hung loosely over her shoulders, nibbling on a thumbnail as a little added extra.

Nearly more than an hour came and went by before she heard the anticipated ding of an instant message on her phone, bringing forth a wicked grin from Rey when she saw who it was from.

– Ben Solo –
I know that shirt
I wonder who gave it to you ;)

– Rey Kanata –
Yeah
Some asshole got me a little wet at a farm
So I kinda stole it from this guy nearby

– Ben Solo –
Is that so?
A little rude to be stealing clothes off random people

– Rey Kanata –
Lol
Very funny :P
Do you like it?

"Fuck, if you only knew," Ben growled at his phone.

The last thing he expected to see was a photo of Rey pop-up on his phone screen, wearing his shirt and unbuttoned dangerously low for his mind to wonder off in dark places. It took every ounce of willpower to keep the initial reaction in his pants to the most minuscule.

– Ben Solo –
10/10

"Good," Rey muttered out loud, grinning slyly.

– Rey Kanata –
How was your day?

– Ben Solo –
Decent
Once the Monday blues were gone
You?

– Rey Kanata –
Same
There's a hamster running around my room
It appears my dream missed one

– Ben Solo –
Lol
I....will not comment

– Rey Kanata –
:D Actually
I talked to my aunt about working for your parents

– Ben Solo –
Oh?
What did she say?

– Rey Kanata –
Wednesdays and Friday-Sunday appear to be the verdict
As long as my grades stay up

– Ben Solo –
Wednesdays, huh?

Rey nodded at her screen, smiling at the fact that she would have that extra time with Ben outside of school. Well, only if it worked for his schedule that is...

– Rey Kanata –
Yeah, only if it works for you though
And if your parents need the help

– Ben Solo –
I don't doubt that they will
I'm sure the extra day with another set of hands would be appreciated

– Rey Kanata –
Good
I miss that pony of yours

– Ben Solo –
I think Kylo would be insulted if he knew you called him a pony

– Rey Kanata –
Lol
I'll try to remember not to call it to his face ;)

– Ben Solo –
Regardless
I'm sure he would love to see you more often

– Rey Kanata –
Same
Anywho
My trig won't finish itself unfortunately :(

– Ben Solo –
Get some sleep as well
I would hate to put you in detention for falling asleep in class

"And that's supposed to be a bad thing?" Rey joked, considering every detention was held in the classroom by the teacher issuing the punishment.

– Rey Kanata –
Yes, that would be tragic.
Good night Ben <3