My Time (1) (1).docx

Could I have changed the way that things happened? Yes, I could have. But you know what I decided to do? I decided to let it happen and look where it got me. Oh, I’m Benjamin Walsh but you can call me Benny. I’m 13 years old and I am not a bad person. I swear that I didn’t mean for it to happen, but you know the biggest thing I’ve learned? Everything that happens is meant to happen.

What I’m about to tell you is classified, so don’t go running your mouth to your friends and family, because if you do, you will die. Have I told you that I’m not a bad person?

It all starts somewhere so my story starts in my kitchen. “Benny, you need to wash the vegetables before you put them in the pot!” says my mom. My mom is 33 and she thinks I can’t do anything by myself, so she always tries to help me even if I know what I’m doing.

“Mom, I know that. I haven’t got to that part yet.” I hate it when she does that. It is pretty overwhelming, but I know that she is just setting me up for success.

“Delma, leave him alone. I believe he is able to cook on his own. He’s been doing it for years”. That’s my dad. He’s a strong muscular guy that always has a menacing look in his eyes. It comes from his spending time in the army, but he is as soft as a feathered pillow. I guess it’s kind of okay since he’s 34.

“I know he is, but I don’t want him to think I’m not trying to help him. I think he deserves that much from me.” Is it just me or does she have tears in her eyes? I guess my dad sees it too because he steps in. “It’s fine Benny, me and your mom can take over with the cooking.”

I happily strolled out of the kitchen and went to my bedroom thinking about things. I am the only child that my parents had. My mom had many miscarriages after me, so that’s why she wants me to be greater than anybody else. She always tells me how special I am. I didn’t know she meant it literally until a little later.

I decided to get into my bed and thinking about the same thing I’ve been thinking about for days. Clara. She is the most popular girl in my school and is the cheer captain of the Boomston Gators. I have never really played any sports. I mean, I’m pretty athletic, but I usually decide to study or read instead.

While I was thinking about her, I got a phone call. I know who it’s going to be from so I just pick it up without even looking at it. “Hey, Rey. You bored already?” Reynoldo Martez is the funniest person to ever live. Rey has been my best friend since third grade, and he always needs something to do. His ADHD kicks in all of the time. He is pretty much the greatest soccer player, basketball player, and football player of all time.

“Yes, I need something to do with myself. You want to shoot some hoops?” Of course he wants to shoots hoops, but I need something to get my mind off of Clara so of course I say yes.

When I got to the basketball court, Rey was already there draining every shot. “Hey Rey, ready to get destroyed?”

“Yeah, in your dreams.” He passes me the ball but before I can get it, he snatches it back. “Ok you do this every time. Just give me the ball.” He gives it to me, and I go straight for the layup. He does this double move and blocks me from the hoop forcing me to stop and try to shoot. He takes the ball from me and then backs up and shoots and of course it swishes.

“You’ve got to teach me that move.”

“So, you can be better than me? That’s not going to happen. Your ball”

It went like that for two hours. Him taking the ball from me and then making the shot. I could tell he was tired of it too. “Okay, now that I destroyed you instead, do you want to get some ice cream?”

“Sure. Let’s go to Pretty Cream. Their ice cream is the best.” I speak.

When we get to Pretty Cream, we take our usual table by the window. The waiter Juan, who’s always working no matter what day it is, comes over to take our orders. “Hey you guys, you guys want the regular?”

We had just said yes when a group of girls walked in through the door. Rey scans them and his eyes light up. He whispers to me, “Don’t look behind you but Clara is over there with her friends.” Of course, my instinct is to look, and I see her laughing with the crew. The crew is the group of popular girls who got to our school.

I saw Daniella, Clara’s best friend, and some other girls from the cheer team. Rey shoots daggers at me when I turn back around. “I thought I told you not to look.”

“I couldn’t help it. When someone tells me not to look at something, it makes me look.”

“Okay Benny it doesn’t matter, you should go talk to her.” I look at him like he’s crazy. “No way. She’ll never talk to me. Even if she wasn’t popular, she wouldn’t even look my way.” I take another look back at them and look at Daniella’s face. “Plus, her friend, Daniella looks like she will kill me if I try to talk to her.”

“So, what if she kills you. At least you would be able to talk to Clara. You have to try, or you’ll never be able to stop thinking about her. You remember the dance next week? Ask her to it.” Have I ever said how I hate him sometimes?

“Alright fine. If I die, it will be on you.” I slowly stand up hoping that it will be over fast. I walk over slowly so I can get my bearings and prepare myself. “Hey, Clara. I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Oh hi. Benny, right?” I was so surprised she even knew my name. “I think you’re in my third period.” I was surprised she knew that too because I was sure that she never even noticed me, let alone know my name. By this time her friends were staring at me and her. I think Daniella was glaring at me though.

“Yes, I’m in your third and your fifth. I wanted to ask you would you go to the dance with me next week?” I was so scared waiting for her to tell me that I’m a dork and don’t deserve to go to the dance with anyone. Then she surprised me. “I was waiting for you to ask that question. I knew you liked me for years.” I was shocked. “How did you know that, I’ve only told one person.” I felt like everyone knew me better than I knew myself.

“Maybe, you should ask Rey.” I turn around and look at Rey. He is trying his best not to smile. I turned back to her. “Is that a, yes?” She says, “Of course I’ll go to the dance with you. See you next week.” She smiles as she and her friends walk out of the place.

I walked back to Rey. “I’m going to kill you. Why have you never told me? You told her I liked her years ago?”

“Yes. Actually, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed her staring at you all the time. But that doesn’t matter. Your parents are going to freak out. Their baby boy has finally got a girl.” Ok this is actually crazy. “Bro, shut up. I’ll kill you later, but now I need to find a tux online.”

We say goodbye to each other, and I walk back home. “Benny is that you?” my mom says from her room. “Yes, mom I just hung out with Rey and asked Clara to the dance.” I try to play it cool, so my parents don’t make a big deal about it.

“Wait what? No way. Did she say yes?” My dad suddenly appears in the door way as my mom follows. “Yes, she did. Dad it’s not that big of a deal.” Both of them look at each other. My mom is the first to talk. “Of course it is. Our baby boy has finally got a girl.” This is crazy how Rey knows my parents so much. I change the subject before it gets too far.

“Ok, I’m going to take a shower now” I turn around and walk to my room.

After my shower, I go to the kitchen where my parents have made the food. We start setting the table. We put four plates on the table, then the doorbell rang.

I open the door to see Rey. “Hey bro, come in.” He comes in and greets my parents. “Hey Rey. Have a seat at the table” my father says. “Hey Mr. and Mrs. Walsh.” He sits down at the table with us. “So, Mr. Walsh. Did you see the school football game? Our team destroyed The Frogs. The Gators are so much better.”

“Please, I’ve told you that you can call me Paul. Also, of course I saw that game. It was crazy how you weaved through those boys and scored that final touchdown.” He fist bumped Rey and smiled. “Maybe it was just me, but I felt like the world stopped when I was running.”

In case you were wondering, the reason why Rey comes over for dinner is because his parents work overseas in Asia and are rarely home. He comes to our house, so he doesn’t have to think of how his parents don’t have time for him. He gets along fine with my parents so they’re okay with him coming over every day. My mom and dad are just like the parents he never had.

It’s not like he can’t feed himself, because he has more than enough food at his house. His house is bigger than any house I’ve ever seen. He needs the company so its not bad when he’s around.

He doesn’t like to talk about it, so we never ask about it. “Did you hear that Benny got a date to the dance Mr.-I mean Paul.”

Now everyone is going to talk about this. “Yes, we need to find him a suit and some dress shoes. He needs to be dashing just like his father.” My mother jumps in. “You mean stubborn just like his father?”

“I think I might be able to get my own suit by myself.” I speak. My parents look hurt, but I don’t want them to see it because I want it to be a surprise. “Are you sure? You know we are here to help you if you want it.” My mom tells me. “I know mom. I just want to do something by myself.”

“Okay, honey. Just know that we will always be ready for when you want us to help you on anything.”

My parents got up and started cleaning up the dinner table. Me and Rey headed up to my room to study for our AP Government test. Rey tries to quiz me. “So, what is the difference between a federalist and an anti-federalist?” I must think about that one, but eventually I find the answer in my brain. “A federalist wanted the Constitution to be amended because of the abilities it gave to the government. An anti-federalist didn’t like the Constitution because they thought it would take away the rights of the people.”

“That is correct. That was a great explanation, but I think I can do better.” This always happens during our study sessions so, I let him talk.

After our session, we decided to stroll through Instagram. “Rey, I think we need to find you a girlfriend. You have the qualities that every girl wants.” He looks reluctant. “I don’t really think I’m ready for a relationship. Plus, I must focus on my athletic career.”

“Yeah, that is a good goal, but soon you will need someone besides me to bore you.” I give him a nudge. “That will never happen. You bore me way too much.” We turn on the TV and try to see what is on. “You know Big Drew?” Rey asks me. “Of course, that’s my favorite show. We should put it on.” Rey looks at me like that was obvious.

I put that on, and we spent the rest of the night laughing at Big Drew.

Okay, now I told you I’m not a bad person. If you don’t believe me, just ask Rey. I’m not that kid who goes around laughing at people if they have a bad day. If you didn’t know me, based on what happened next, it sure makes me seem like one.

Me and Rey were walking to class, when one of his friends named Carlos came over to us. “Hey, you two. Have you seen the video?” Me and him look at each other. “No, what video are you talking about?”

He pulls out his phone and shows us a video of a girl in my first period class. She is covered in makeup from head to toe and her friends, or I guess used to be her friends are laughing and taking a video of her. I know that’s really embarrassing but I laughed. I didn’t mean to, but I did. Rey stares at me hardly. “Whoa, that’s Haley. What happened to her?” He asks. Carlos looks like he has told the story a million times, but he seemed happy with it.

“Apparently, she was being harassed by her friends because they found out that she was stealing makeup from their houses. They didn’t take it very well when they found out and they took the makeup and covered Haley with it.” Suddenly we are right in front of first period, and I gulp loudly, thinking of who would be laughing at that video when I get in there.

When I got into first period, the whole class was laughing at something on their phones, which I’m sure was the video. Then, my teacher, Mr. Gonzali walks into the classroom. “Alright class, settle down.” He waits for everyone to stop talking and laughing. “Now, I’m sure everyone has seen the video that has been going around.” Carlos stands up in his chair. “Yeah, we did. That was the funniest video ever. Right, everyone?” The class starts screaming and chanting responses.

“Carlos, I’m going to send you out of the classroom if you don’t sit down and shut up.” My teacher says. He immediately stops what he’s doing and sits down into the chair. Mr. Gonzali is a soft but very threatening man. He is very strong and muscular and looks like he will snap anyone in half with just a touch.

Him and my dad have been best friends since high school. They both went into the army together too. I’ve known him for most of my life, so it was just fate that I got into his class.

His strong voice snaps me back into focus. “Just so you children know, this school doesn’t tolerate any form of bullying. It doesn’t matter if was from your friends or not. Imagine how Haley is feeling now and imagine how you would feel if you were in her place. If you see her around school today, make sure you tell her something nice.” The rest of the class after his speech was a blur.

Soon, it was time for lunch, and I found Benny waiting for me at our usual table. “Hey, I think that studying really paid off during my test. I got a 97. Since you have that class tomorrow, I expect you to get a 100.” As he is talking, I scan the lunchroom, until my eyes land on Haley, sitting at a table by herself.

“Do you think we should ask Haley to come sit with us?” He looks around until he sees her. “I mean, sure. She is all alone by herself. If I were her, I would want to sit with other people.” He gets up and walks over to her and they exchange words. A few seconds later Haley Longview was sitting at our table.

“Hi, Benny. Thanks for inviting me to your table.” She looks relieved that someone actually talked to her. “No problem. I saw you needed new friends, so I wanted to be the one to help.” We finished our lunch learning about Haley.

When I got home, I found my dad in the living room dancing with my mom. My parents really love to dance. They created their own dance at their wedding. They’ve been dancing when they have free time for years. Sometimes I join them. My dad has been teaching me a lot of cool dances that no one has heard of. So, at the dance I’ll be ready to go crazy.

The rest of the week and the next went by way too fast. Soon, I was coming down the stairs in my tuxedo hoping I don’t mess up with Clara. “Oh my god. You look so grown up. It was just yesterday when I was changing your diapers. My parents had dreamy looks in their eyes. It was obvious they were going to dwell on my past until I told them to stop, so I changed the subject.

“Are you going to take pictures when Rey gets here?” I ask my parents because any time I do something that might change my look on life, they have to capture a picture of it. Just then, the doorbell rang. I rushed to get it. Rey was standing on the other side in his tuxedo. Hed had decided last week to ask one of Clara’s friends to the dance and she said yes to him. Her name is Johanna.

“So, I got the camera ready. Say cheese!” Me and Rey both smiled and then we said goodbye to my parents and got into the limo provided by his parents. I guess even though he rarely sees them, they still want to help him achieve his goals.

“I’m glad your parents hooked us up with the coolest car, so we can be stylish.” I told him. “I know. I was sure that they wouldn’t even care, but they were proud of me when I told them.”

When we picked the girls up, we headed to the dance which was in the school gym. Me and Rey got out the limo first so we could open their doors for them. “Oh, thank you. I love gentlemen.” Johanna said.

When we got into the gym, I was surprised to see it looked so different. Whoever decorated it did a great job. There were tables in the corner with the most colorful décor on them. They turned the middle of the gym into the dance floor.

For the first hour, we just sat and talked about things. It turns out, Clara’s dad is a botanist, while her mother died a year after I was born from cancer. “I’m sorry to hear that. I want you to know that I’m here for you if you need it.” She just nods, clearly thinking about her mom.

When I turned around, Rey and Johanna were gone. I see them going up to the DJ and requesting something. After they come back, a slow song comes on. I hear Rey ask Johanna for a dance and I turn around to do the same. “May I have this dance, Clara.” She doesn’t even hesitate to say yes.

So, in the middle of the gym, the school floor was filled with people slowly dancing around. For a few minutes, it was silent. Then, Clara spoke up. “You know how I said my mom dies from cancer?” That was pretty off topic, but I just went with it. “Um, yeah. I remember.” She shifts to see my face. “Well, I lied. She did die, but not from cancer.” This is starting to get weirder and weirder.

“So, what did she die from?” I asked. “Your dad killed her.”

That whole sentence shocked me, but before I could wrap my mind around it, she pulled out a knife from underneath her dress. “Whoa, Clara. I think you’re misunderstanding what happened. My day is not a killer. He did not kill your mom.”

She starts to grow more furious. “So, he didn’t tell you that he was an assassin.” I was terrified of what was going to happen next, but I was also scared that she might have been telling the truth.

She gets closer to me. “Since, he took something valuable from me, I’m going to take something valuable from him.” She slashes with the knife.

I dodged it and with instinct back away. I backed into someone, and they pushed me towards her. As I’m losing control, she takes another slash, and I noticed that these moves I’m doing to dodge these cuts seem familiar.

Then it hits me. Those dance moves that my dad was teaching me were not dance moves. They were fighting techniques. Before, I could spend too much time thinking about it. Someone in the crowd yelled. “She has a knife!” Everyone started going crazy and the teachers who were chaperoning were having a hard time getting everyone to calm down.

Everybody was moving out the door into the open night. I swear, as I started to run home, I heard Clara say, “I’m going to get your whole family!”

When I got home, the house was eerily quiet. My parents didn’t seem to be home, but my mother’s necklace was on the kitchen counter. So was her phone. There was a video playing on it. When I looked at it, I became even more scared of what was about to happen.

There were my parents, on the video. They were unconscious and tied up. It seemed like they were in the back of a vehicle. Then, there was a man. He had a mask on, and the rest of his clothes were black. He starts talking in a creepy voice. “If you want your parents back Benjamin, you will find me where the smallest pea and the biggest duck lives.”

Then the video ended.

The night was turning into an even worse night by the second. That’s when the doorbell rang. I was scared, so, I got a knife from the kitchen counter. When I opened the door, I was expecting to be stabbed, but I saw Rey standing there with Haley.

“What are you doing here. You are going to get killed.” I said to them. Haley comes in through the door first. “We are not going to die. Me and Rey know what we’re doing.” They come in and sit on the sofa like it’s just a regular night.

“So, will someone tell me what is going on?” Rey turned to me. “I’m going to explain everything. Just come sit down.” I keep looking at the door. “Don’t worry they are not going to come back any time soon.” I reluctantly sit down with them.

“So, your dad, my dad, and Mr. Gonzali were all best buds. They grew up together and even went to college together. But that was before they made the wrong decision to become an assassin.” At that point I knew that my whole life was a lie. My parents were lying to me my whole life. My dad was not in the army.

He was an assassin.

Haley picked up where he left off. “Your dad was on a secret mission that no one else knew about. He was supposed to kill a woman who was kidnapping children and killing them. That woman was named Barbara Collins. Clara’s mom.”

She paused a moment to let that sink in. “Once he was done with the job, your dad quit, and he thought he left no trace of himself there.”

“That was until Clara’s dad tried to figure out what happened to his wife because he thought that she died from a robbery. The only thing that was wrong was, your dad made a mistake.”

She looks at me seriously. “He cut himself while he was in their house. Clara’s dad found it, and had it tested, and it came back as your dad’s blood. He never told the police because he has been hunting your dad for years.”

I was wondering where I was all this time my dad was keeping secrets from me and my mom. But then I wondered, did my mom know? I don’t think my dad would have kept this from her for so many years. Would he?

I felt angry at that moment. “Why did they not tell me? I’ve been in the dark this whole time and could’ve been killed at that dance! They almost let me die.” Rey moved in for a hug. “I know. I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you. I was too far away. I could’ve used my taekwondo skills.”

We both cracked up because we both knew he dropped out of taekwondo because his skills sucked. Rey got up and started pacing around the room. “We need to find someone that can help us. The police can’t help us because that would put your dad in even more danger.” He spoke. “What about your dad?” I asked. “Didn’t he get back last night.” He stopped pacing like I was right.

“Yes. My dad knows how to stop this. Let’s go.”

When we arrive at Rey’s house, I am once again swept up by how big it is. I hear Haley stirring next to me. “Woah, you didn’t tell me you were rich.”

Rey huffs like he had done this a million times. “Yeah. It’s not really a thing I like to tell people because that’s when people start asking for things. It goes from small to medium to large then to extra large if people get greedy enough.”

She puts a frown on her face. “Yeah, I get that. My parents are semi wealthy, but some people still ask for things. But it just depends on what they’re asking for. If they need it or they’re getting it for a good cause then, I have no problem sharin-”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence because Rey puts his hand over her mouth and points ahead of us. I see people in dark clothing in front of the house. I see them searching around for something. “What are they looking for?” I whisper.

“Me” Rey answers.

“We have to get out of here before they see us.” We turn back away, when I run into a trash can, and it falls over with a loud clang. The people searching looked around for the noise and spotted us.

Haley turned around and screamed. “Run!” We all started sprinting as fast as we could. I guess me and Haley couldn’t run that fast because suddenly I heard Haley scream again and felt myself being pulled backwards. I see Rey about to turn around, but I yell at him. “Rey, keep running! We need you to be safe!” He takes another look back and then keeps on running.

The dangerous games we have started are so much bigger than all of us, and if we wish to save our family, we must prepare for a confrontation that none of us wanted. I think of how I need to find my family when one of the shadows pulls me into the darkness.

I wake up with cold, metal handcuffs biting into my wrists and my legs tightly bound. The dry, musty smell of dust fills the air as I gradually familiarize myself with my surroundings. I realize I'm in a dimly lit warehouse of some sort, potentially once a bustling manufacturing site before it became forsaken and abandoned. As I look toward the ground in front of me, my heart drops at the sight of Haley’s limp form sprawled on the cold concrete floor, her chest rising and falling in shallow breaths.

“Haley! Wake up!” I yell, my voice echoing ominously in the emptiness as I struggle to move but quickly realize the futility of my efforts. Suddenly, her eyelids flutter open, and confusion clouds her face as she processes our grim situation. “Benny! Where are we and where is Rey?” she asks anxiously,

“I think we’re in some kind of warehouse,” I reply, my voice shaky with unease. “It looks like Rey may have escaped while we were being caught.” Panic begins to surface in Haley’s expression as she starts to hyperventilate. “Oh no. We’re going to die! I never even told my parents where I was going! They’re going to kill us, and it’s all my fault. I knocked over that trash can.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I reassured her, despite the rising dread in my own stomach. “We’re going to get out of this.” Just as I attempt to calm her fears, I am abruptly interrupted by the sound of clapping coming from my right. I turn my head slightly, squinting against the dim light to see a looming figure approaching us from the shadows.

As the figure draws nearer, I can make out the details — a tall man whose entire body is enveloped in dark clothing, not a single inch of his skin exposed. His face is obscured by a mask reminiscent of one I saw in a chilling video on my mom’s phone just days before.

“Oh my god,” he speaks, his voice low and menacing. “You are quite the supporter. Now, I’m going to have to tell you two lovebirds to shut up while I outline my conditions.” I can feel my anger surging like a wave, threatening to drown my sense of self-preservation. “No! You need to tell me where my parents are!” I demand.

In an instant, the man has closed the distance, standing directly in front of me. “I have already told you to shut up once. I will not tell you again,” he snarls.

“I’m not going to shut up until you tell me where you have my parents located,” I retort defiantly. Pain explodes in my stomach as he unexpectedly punches me. “You will learn to speak when I tell you to speak and shut up when I tell you to shut up!”

Despite my own instinct for self-preservation, I cannot help but provoke him further. “You don’t know who you’re messing with. My parents will escape, and when they do, they will destroy you.”

The man’s laughter reverberates through the cold air, thin and menacing. “If you actually think your parents are going to escape, you must be dumber than your father is.” My anger swells, and I shoot back, “Don’t call my dad dumb because he won’t be looking dumb when he makes you beg for mercy.”

He bends down, his fist connecting with my face with a brutal force. I taste blood pooling in my mouth as the sharp pain resonates through my jaw, causing my vision to blur momentarily. Looking over at Haley, I notice her eyes filled with concern, urging me to keep silent. I was about to make another reckless comment, but the worry etched across her face stops me in my tracks.

Taking a deep breath, I shift my gaze downward, grappling with the pain and humiliation, hoping that the confrontation will end soon, and that somehow, we will find a way out of this mess together.

“Now I see that you have agreed to be quiet.” The masked man began.

“So, I know you have seen my video. I told you to meet me somewhere but since you’re here we can just get this over with now. Naomi, bring them in. A lady and a man in similar masks come in the room carrying lumped figures on their backs.

Too soon, I see that they are my parents. “Let them go!”

He points a finger in my direction. “Uh uh uh. What have I told you about talking.” I shut up not willing to take any more abuse. “I’m pretty sure you know who these fine people are. Don’t worry, they are not waking up any time soon. I have drugged them very much more since I last talked to you. But I assure you, when they wake up, they will see you die before their very eyes. Including your girlfriend over there because why not.