The Boy in the Lake (BEN Drowned x Female Reader)

Chapter 6- Stick around

(Narrator's POV)

To (Y/N)'s surprise, she woke up the next morning alive. Not a scratch on her, but generally scarred for life. Reality seeped in, knowing that the events of last night were very much real. But, she pushed the thought away.

Yawning, (Y/N) got up and quickly got dressed. Today was her first day of school, and she made extra sure that she wouldn't look like a trash bag. The last thing she needed was a bad first impression. This would be (Y/N)'s chance to make a friend or two.

(Y/N) zipped up her backpack and took off down the stairs. Even though school didn't start for another couple hours, (Y/N) wanted to go get breakfast with her mom at a local diner in town. If she had to live here, she decided to try to enjoy it.

Any moment could be her last, after all.

(Y/N)'s mom was by the front door putting on shoes. She looked up and saw her daughter. She smiled.

"Ready to go?" she asked. (Y/N) nodded.

It was another chilly morning, and heavy clouds hid the sky. The air smelled of petrichor, and (Y/N) took it all in. The diner was only a few blocks away, and the school was just another couple blocks from that. There were a lot of people out and about, walking their dogs or just running errands. (Y/N) and her mom walked into the diner and took their seats. The menu was full of options, and (Y/N) settled for (favorite hot breakfast).

"So, how do you like it here so far?" (Y/N)'s mom asked.

"I don't know," (Y/N) answered. "It's pretty chill here, I guess."

"Yeah, it's quite the contrast from where we used to live, huh?" (Y/N)'s mom folded her arms. "I think it's nice."

The small talk ended when the waiter walked up to the table. "Good morning folks, what can I get started for you two today?"

"Hi, can I get-" (Y/N) looked up at the waiter and immediately sucked in a breath.

It was one of the three boys who chased her.

And (Y/N) knew he recognized her too.

"She wants (favorite hot breakfast)," (Y/N)'s mom answered for her, "and I'll have waffles with hashbrowns."

"Anything to drink?"

"Two waters please, and that would be all."

"Great," the waiter said with a smile. "I'll have those out for you soon."

He walked away, and (Y/N) remembered to exhale. Her steady breathing turned into slight hyperventilation. Her palms got sweaty and thoughts raced through her head. He works here? What if he tells his friends I was here? What if he follows me to school? What do I do, what do I do???

***

(Y/N's POV)

This is just fantastic.

After I saw Mike working at the diner, I knew I was screwed. He wasn't Ivan or James, but he was still with them.

Watching them being creepy towards me.

How could someone with amazing hospitality be friends with those himbos?

My mom noticed something was up, so I told her I had a run in with him before. She was pleased to hear that I've met with someone my age, then asked Mike if he went to the same school once he came by with our food. And with my luck, of course he did. My mom began doing that weird mom thing where she asks a bunch of questions.

One of them being if he will walk with me to school.

And he agreed.

So here we are now, walking in an awkward silence. To be honest, Mike didn't seem like a bad person, he just seemed to hang out with the wrong crowd. He was a very polite waiter, and he did engage in my mom's questions.

But that's just workspace etiquette.

"So, uh," Mike mumbled, "your name is (Y/N), right?"

"Yes."

"I want to say sorry about the other day. James and Ivan are just digging for new trouble everyday, sorry you got stuck in between."

I looked at Mike. I couldn't read his expression, but I could tell he was being sincere. I shrugged. "You need to keep them on a leash or something."

Mike smiled a little. "Yeah, you're probably right."

We continued walking quietly again until I heard Mike stifle a laugh. I turned to look at him.

"What?" I simply asked.

"I forgot to tell you, you broke James' nose," Mike said.

I froze. "I did?"

"Yeah. He kind of deserved it, though. He's a bigger douche bag than Ivan."

"I can see that."

Mike and I continued talking, and it felt nice. It almost felt like we knew each other for ages. We arrived at the school, and Mike turned to face me.

"Do you have your schedule?" he asked.

"No, I was going to go get it from the front office," I answered.

"Oh, I can show you where that is. Follow me."

Mike guided me through the crowded halls. He showed me where the front office was, then turned to leave. He stopped mid-step.

"Hey, what's your phone number?" He asked. "You know, just in case you need to find a friend at lunch."

I smiled at the thought that he referred to himself as a friend.

Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought.

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I'll be honest. I was procrastinating a lot with this chapter because I couldn't stick to an idea, haha. BUT, I got it done! Things should get more interesting from now on, if you catch my drift... :)