-Mason-

I slipped on my shirt with shaky hands, releasing a weak chuckle as the strangers' words echoed around me. I couldn't even make sense of what he was saying, my mind still furiously reeling from what had just transpired a few rows over.

A part of me was urgently aching to head back and take care of Bennett, while the other was dazedly running in circles, trying to compute how I'd managed to maintain my composure despite feeling him so close. I had received no warning... there had been no time to prepare.

I'd nearly short-circuited as Bennett's warm breath grazed against my face and his panicked hands groped my chest in a feeble attempt to push himself off me. All I could do was stare up at him in disbelief as he hopelessly tried to scramble to his feet, our legs clashing against each other as he struggled above me. I desperately held back the desire to wrap my arms around him, only coming to my senses when I realized how horrified he truly seemed by the ordeal.

My skin felt too tight and taut against my body, every fiber of my being buzzing in earnest. I was surprised no weird noises had left my lips, even if I'd been unable to help myself from making a shitty, inappropriate joke at Bennett's expense.

"No, seriously... what a freak," the stranger suddenly called out while zipping up his jeans. And I chuckled out of politeness once more, only stopping dead in my tracks when I processed what he'd said.

"What the fuck did you just say?" I hissed under my breath, turning to glare at the shirtless man.

The stranger immediately shut up, his eyes widening in bewilderment before he excused himself. I considered stalking forward when he refused to make eye contact, only halting once I remembered that I'd promised Bennett to hurry back.

"Lucky bastard," I murmured while patting my shorts to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. "It's not worth it," I reminded myself as I pulled my duffel bag out of the locker with a groan and draped the strap over my shoulder, slamming the metal locker door shut before heading back down the row of lockers. As I turned the corner, I found Bennett sitting right where I'd left him, looking unacceptably unattended.

I rubbed at my chest, trying to ignore the sudden twinge that developed at the sight of him all by himself, looking unsurprisingly distraught. Would he judge me if I suddenly pulled him into my arms and carried him out of here?

Most likely.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I breathed out, sitting down beside him with the uttermost feigned expression of nonchalance I could muster. Bennett didn't even seem to notice how much I was coming apart at the seams, especially when the poor kid looked seconds away from tearing up.

Not that he'd get very far with that sprained ankle of his.

I frowned at the sudden silence, leaning forward to shoot him a questioning glance. I grimaced once I caught a good look at his face, a glint of disgruntlement present in his expressive, brown eyes... and it was so very clearly directed at me. I caught myself sulking as I tore my gaze away and tried to even out my expression as much as possible, but his sudden, unexpected disinterest sweltered like a burn.

Or perhaps I just hadn't noticed it until now? "Are you feeling any better?" I tried quietly; my voice was gentler this time; hopefully, it came across as welcoming.

Bennett didn't respond right away, merely nodding in agreement before flashing me a polite smile. It was the impersonal kind I'd seen him put on for other gym members while walking past them.

I felt sick to my stomach.

I just sat there, unsure of how to proceed. I could feel bursts of irritation bubbling to the surface, but I extinguished them before they could manifest into actions. The last thing the kid needed was to feel condemned for what, exactly? For being uncomfortable? I instinctively rubbed at my forehead, sighing under my breath before adjusting the strap from slipping off my shoulders.

"We should go to the lobby, right?" I offered, eager to get out of the changing room. There were too many people around, and he didn't seem to be at ease either. "I can give you a ride home again after we get some ice for your—"

"I—I actually... I'm fine," Bennett replied while restlessly tapping on the screen of his phone, which he was gripping onto like a lifeline. "My co-worker should be here any minute now; I let him know I needed help."

"Your co-worker?"

"Uh, yeah. You can go, really... you're probably busy, right?"

I froze. "What? No, It's not a problem."

"Also, I'm sorry about what happened earlier," Bennett expressed warily, and it sounded unsettlingly diplomatic. "I should have been more careful and watched where I was going. It won't happen again."

I winced, gently nudging his shoulder. "Hey, I told you not to apologize so—"

"Well, it's not like I can help it," Bennett suddenly snapped, his body tensing up before immediately deflating. He forced a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, before darting his nervous eyes between the door and myself—more or less telling me to leave.

All I could do was stand up and head towards the door, unsure of what I'd done in the past few minutes to suddenly warrant such coldness. I could feel myself being punished, but I couldn't figure out why, exactly.

Perhaps he was embarrassed because of what had just happened?

"Wait, Mason," he suddenly called out, and I eagerly turned back around, only to find him holding out something in his outstretched hand. I walked forward and took it from him, realizing it was the 3-day pass he'd promised to replace and the money I'd spent on him the day prior. I held it in my hand, looking down at the bills before frowning back up at him. "You didn't have to pay me back. I said it was—"

"I don't like owing people," Bennett replied with a serious expression on his face. "But thanks."

Fair enough.

I quietly shoved the pass and bills into my pocket before shuffling back to lean against the row of lockers across from him, shivering at the coldness of the metal against my back. "O—oh yeah, I hope you weren't waiting for too long... earlier. Something came up and, by the time I arrived, you were already in class; I was just planning to meet you after—"

Bennett exhaled a tired sigh, and that was enough for my words to drift off into an uncomfortable silence. "You told me not to be late. I—I waited for like an hour and a half, but you never showed," Bennett recounted dryly before shrugging it off. "It's fine, though. I owed you for yesterday; the least I could do was wait."

I furrowed my eyebrows worriedly, perplexed by his sudden change in attitude. I didn't know what to make of it, really. Or how to comfort him. Whatever had happened and however irritated he seemed, however, he couldn't fully hide the inner turmoil in his eyes. "I'm sorry," I said, because I didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, me too."

There didn't seem to be anything else to say, so I hesitantly signaled towards the exit, conceding for now. It was probably for the best. "See you around, Bennett," I called out from the doorway, standing by for a few seconds before realizing I wasn't going to get a response. Alright, then.

I walked out without another word and dejectedly made my way down the hallway, immediately locking eyes with a random blond dude as he approached me with a wave. He was wearing the same work uniform as Bennett, though his variation consisted of black pants instead.

The dude was a lot taller than Bennett, his strapping form flatteringly filling out most of the logo-embroidered, dark green company shirt. I faintly recognized him as well, yet I couldn't quite place where I'd seen him before.

"Hey, have you seen a short dude around here? About this tall, looks like a cute, lost little puppy with abandonment issues?" He mentioned it off-handedly while nonchalantly waving his hand around Bennett's height, smiling widely. "You couldn't have missed him."

I nodded my head at the blond jock, a bit taken aback by how much bright confidence was so intensely radiating from him. I took a step back, feeling somewhat unsettled by it. Not even Eric was like this. "Uh, yeah. Bennett's in there." I warily pointed back towards the locker room with my thumb.

"Oh, do you know him?" he asked rather earnestly, intrigued by the prospect. They were clearly co-workers by their matching work uniforms, but was that it? Were they friends? Were they... more?

"Well, kind of," I replied, detesting the uncertainty in my voice. Hell, did I really know Bennett enough to confidently claim we knew each other, or was I simply deluding myself? Would Bennett agree that we knew each other if anyone asked?

Probably not.

"Kind of?" he asked, snorting in amusement. "How does that work, dude?"

Perhaps I'd been able to bluff my way through a conversation with the cashier, but the blond clearly knew him... and better than me, at that. There wasn't any breathing room for feigned bravado. I felt... cornered, unbearably cagey just by his mere presence. He looked at me so expectantly, like I could fill in a missing puzzle regarding Bennett.

I had nothing, though.

The chances that Bennett even considered us acquaintances, at the very least, were slim to none right now.

"What's it to you, anyway?" I scowled, nervously gripping onto the strap of my duffel bag. "Why are you asking so many questions? Are you his fucking boyfriend or something?"

The blond's gray eyes lit up, a gleeful smirk finding its way onto his face before he excitedly pointed at himself. "Whoa, do I really give off that vibe? Really, really? Y'know... we've actually been told on multiple occasions that we make a pretty attractive couple," he bragged before extending his hand out to greet me. "I'm Jonah, by the way."

I sneered at his outstretched hand, nearly smacking it away before begrudgingly pushing the intrusive thought away. I gritted my teeth instead, trying to suppress the overwhelming desire to lash out of selfish jealousy. It was probably best to just leave before I said anything else I'd regret out of spite.

"I—I have to go," I blurted out before accidentally shoving past him, not wanting to find out whether he'd been serious or not.

I only halted once Jonah had turned the corner into the changing rooms, disappearing from view. I glowered at the closing door as I heard him excitedly call out to Bennett with the same joyfulness that he'd shown me. "Hey, Benny! What the hell happened to you?"

Benny?

Is that what Jonah got to call him? Fucking figures.

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A/N: Benny, Benny, Benny...