Abraham Sycamore Library was a massive structure that sat alone behind the Welcome Center and in front of the Dining Hall. The modern building had sleek lines and picturesque windows, and it stood five stories off the ground. The top floor housed rectangular tables surrounded by rows of books. Amidst other students briskly working on assignments, Benny found Isabeth and Troy.

       The awkwardness of the three of them in one group was averted with little eye contact and limited speech. Just saying yes, no, and over there. Isabeth felt the undesirable tension between Troy and Benny. Troy would make insults dressed in innocent comments. Benny would swallow his wrath and let him slide.

      "We should each research a topic that will comprise the body of the paper," Isabeth said looking over her laptop. Since the evening rolled around she'd been checking all the news outlets hoping no one found a body of a middle-aged male.

     "That's fine by me," Benny turned the pages of the book filled with government policies.

     "That just leaves the intro, conclusion, and Biblio," She informed, waiting for them to choose the part they would work on.

      "I'll do the intro," Benny spoke first.

      "I'll do the conclusion," Troy declared tapping his pencil on the mahogany table.

      Isabeth mumbled, "I guess I'm stuck with the Biblio."

       Hearing resentment in her tone Benny suggested, "I'll switch with you if you despise it so."

      Troy stopped tapping his pencil and rolled his eyes at Benny's eagerness to please her. "Don't cover for her. She can handle it."

         "Yeah, he's right." Isabeth clicked off the Houston Chronicle website. "I need to perfect that before college. It's kind of my area of weakness, but thanks." She gave him a weak smile.

         Troy shook his head with a frown to his olive-tinted face. "I need to find a book." He pushed his wooden chair back.

       Isabeth waited until Troy disappeared around the corner, "So what did you do..." She looked around to see if there were lingering ears. No one sat at the neighboring tables but she inched her chair closer to him anyways. "With...you know."

     Benny slowly lifted his eyes from the book to narrow them at her.

         Isabeth didn't want to say the word body but he was looking at her like the events of last night didn't happen. She tucked her shiny, onyx hair behind her ear displaying the beauty of the pearl stud. She swallowed before she opened her mouth to speak the word she didn't want to utter.

          "Just outside of town is a pig farm." Benny softly spoke placing his eyes back on the book. "And you should know pigs eat their own."

        Isabeth chewed her bottom lip. "Does that mean..."

          "It's handled." He folded the corner of the page before turning it. "Don't ask me again."

       She drummed her nails on the table. "Sure thing, Mr. Lemen." She scooted her chair back to its original position.

        Silence fell upon the table once again. Troy, with his back against the chair, quizzically watched Isabeth jot down a definition with rapid strokes of her keys. Then he shifted his eyes to Benny, who was reading a passage in a black textbook from the reference section. As he looked at them, he wondered what had changed. What happened Sunday, when they ignored Benny hiding behinds the nurse's station to the moment when Isa escorted him to class? Within the year that they knew him, no one spoke to him, let alone cared about his well-being.

         "The groundwork is done." Troy combed his hair through his hair disturbing the mousse he slathered on it that morning. "So, what specific topic are we researching?" He asked, trying to get this session over with so, he could be done with the aberrant boy.

           "Well..." Benny sat his book on the table. "There are three big issues with mental illness and the government." He was perplexed about why Mr. Franz assigned him that topic, to begin with. Was it because of his present issue or was it an imprudent mistake? "First is the treatment of the mentally impaired with the law, then deinstitutionalization, and lastly the death penalty and the criminally insane."

       Feeling the glare of their eyes waft over his face, Benny felt ashamed. His eyes dropped to his book as his foot began to tap nervously.

   "I don't care," Isabeth said with a shrug of the shoulders. "I'll research anything."

          "Benny, you can do deinstitutionalization since you were in an asylum." Troy threw out, still typing with his eyes glued on his laptop screen.

      "What the hell, Troy!" Isabeth grunted kicking his chair.

        The abrupt attack caused Troy's fingers to slip misspelling the word he had in mind. "What?" He shouted at her. "It should be easy for him. He knows the process." He rapidly tapped the backspace key. "He'll give good detail."

      "It's fine." Benny shifted in his seat. "It's the truth. It'll make my job easier."

       Isabeth's phone vibrated sending out a vibrant hum. She glared at Troy before reading the text message that lit up her phone.

Faith

It's on! Boys Gym 10mins

       "Gym. Ten minutes." Isabeth orated dryly showing Troy her phone.

      "Cool." Troy saved his document before slamming the laptop closed.

        Benny watched them as they simultaneously gathered their things; loaded their laptops in their bags, stacked up the books they were taking, and loaded the rest on the black book cart.

     "Hey, just email or text me later if you need help." He muttered rising from his chair.

      Isabeth stopped dropping books into her bag, "Do you have plans?" She slipped back on her flats using the chair to hold her balance.

      Troy shook his head at her as he waited, standing behind Benny.

   "For tonight?" Benny stupidly asked glancing at the introduction he had already typed up.

      Isabeth ignored Troy and continued, "You should come with us." She nodded. "To a party in the gym." She rubbed her hand over her hair smoothing out her strands. "It'll probably be lame...but still."

      "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Benny asked. His gut said it wasn't but Dr. Weiss did tell him to be more social.

      "Yeah, Isa...is the idea good?" Troy asked trying to get her to think. No one on campus had a liking for Psycho Benny.

      She ignored Troy pulling her bag off the table, "Benny, you're a senior." She moved around the table coming face to face with him. "It's time you experience the socially deviant realm of Dawson Prep." She gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

       The smile she displayed erased all rational thoughts from Benny's mind. "If you say so." He replied.   

Do you think it's a good idea for Benny to go to the Gym Party?