Camp Closeted novel Chapter 42

Benny and I watched Minnie gracefully cook fried rice as she continued to rant. "Benny, you don't have to feel pity for yourself. Don't ever compare yourself to that boy! Posh didn't build his empire, his parents got it for him! Don't ever compare yourself to no one and focus on you and your grind only!" She spoke loudly, Benny looking down as he was listening intently.

The heavenly smell of the rice spread all throughout the kitchen as Minnie didn't stop talking. "When you at a race, you don't look back to check on the others because they will pass you! Focus on making yourself the best you that you can possibly be, not because of someone else, but because you're doing it for you, you hear me?"

"Mhm." Benny sighed, playing with a spoon in his hand.

"I know you Benny." She glanced at him as she tilted the large pan side to side. "I know you got work ethic and I know you're capable of doing great things in life. You ain't ever gonna have competition if you already know you're going to win, so remind yourself that you a winner!" She warmly smiled at him as Benny smiled back. "Just because that boy already got everything doesn't mean you also can't have everything and more."

"You right." Benny tiredly sighed.

"Boy I'm always right." Minnie let out a loud laugh. After Minnie gestured us to finally try the fried rice, we didn't even hesitate for a second to quickly begin eating. After putting some onto my paper plate, I quickly took my fork to begin digging in.

"This is amazing." I let out, unexplainable great taste exploring my mouth.

"Mmm!" Benny began to dance as Minnie began to laugh out loud. "Uh oh uh oh uh oh uh nuh nuh." He began to hum Crazy in Love by Beyoncé as I fully agreed with a small snicker.

I have never tasted fried rice this good in my life! "Thank you so much!" I cheered.

"Oh please." Minnie playfully waved me off as she clicked her mouth. "You ain't gotta thank me for nothing child, you know I love cooking for y'all!"

She just smiled as she watched us eat like complete animals. The kitchen completely filling up with the heavenly aroma of fried rice.

She wiped her hands with a small towel as she spoke again, breaking the silence that was only filled with our chewing. "Now, tell me why a tall and incredibly handsome boy has been looking all day for you Benny."

"What boy?" Benny quickly raised an eyebrow at her, hungrily stuffing his mouth with more food.

Minnie took a second to gather her thoughts. "He-uh, said his name was Keanu." Benny almost choked as Minnie continued talking. "He was a real tall boy and he said he was looking for you."

"Oh my god, Keanu? Looking for me?" Benny's eyes were widened as mine were too. "T-that's weird. You think it's about last night?" He turned towards me.

I shrugged as I couldn't stop eating. "Probably." I swallowed.

Benny let out a loud squeal as he quickly grabbed my hand and ran out the kitchen. "Thanks for the fried rice mama!" He exclaimed.

"Careful boys!" Minnie laughed behind us, watching us frantically run out the kitchen.

"C-calm down." I laughed as we finally reached the cafeteria again.

Benny was audibly breathing hard. "Ima go find Keanu's fine ass and ask him why he was looking for me. Tell your Italian Stallion I said hi!" He smiled, making me playfully roll my eyes at him as I watched him run away.

Words cannot describe how much I actually want Keanu and Benny to date..

"Jesse I can't do this." I whimpered as I knew I wasn't gonna be able to do it.

"Yes you can." He purred into my ear. "I know it feels really hard but just hold onto it."

Jesse's firm shirtless body brushed up against my back as he helped adjust my hands. "Like this?" I asked.

He didn't respond until he fixed my hand one last time. "Like that." His charming voice deeply spoke against my ear. "Now shoot."

An exhale left my mouth as Jesse's body slowly backed away from mine, giving me space to shoot.

My hands quickly thrusted upward, biting my lip as I watched the basketball fly towards the hoop.

"Aw!" I pouted, watching the ball miss the hoop only by a little. "I suck!"

Jesse chuckled to himself as he ran to go get the ball, his shirtless body glistening from the warmth of the sunset. "You suck good though." He teased.

"Shut up!" I chuckled, what he said making my cheeks slightly burn for some reason. "How would you even know?" I teased back.

Jesse shrugged, my eyes tracing down his gorgeously chiseled body. "I secretly watched you eat yogurt off your spoon and I gotta say, you got some good techniques."

I winced at him as I couldn't help but laugh out at him. "You're such a creep." I grinned widely as I gestured for the ball. "Let me try again." I caught the ball immediately after he threw it at me.

"Focus on the hoop and not suck this time." He deeply chuckled as he winked, continuing to tease me.

I rolled my eyes as I prepared to shoot again. "If I make this, you owe me frozen yogurt." And with that, I quickly thrusted my hands upwards, carefully watching the ball leave my grasp.

I spoke again, this time my tone sounding disappointed as I watched the ball completely miss the hoop. "I give up." I groaned out in annoyance.

"I'm still down for frozen yogurt though!" Jesse just chuckled to himself as he went to go and get the ball again. The second he picked the ball up, his smile rapidly faded away. "Why are you here?" His voice a lot more stern and louder now.

I quickly turned around to see who he was talking to, my eyes widening the second a pair of familiarly striking blue eyes slashed through mine.

"I saved your boy toy and you reward me with a dirty look?" Tristan devilishly smirked as his tongue quickly went over his reddened lips. "How courteous of you Jesse."

My heart immediately began to beat faster as the thought of me kissing him at the night of the bonfire crept itself into my mind. "Saved him?" Jesse's eyebrows quickly furrowed down. "From what?"

I'm not letting Tristan speak again. I'm not a child, I can speak for myself. "H-him and his friends were the ones who brought me to the nurse's office. That's why you saw them in there with me." I anxiously bit my lip.

Jesse's mouth slightly dropped at Tristan as I turned back towards him, having to look up since Tristan was a little bit taller than me, almost the same height as Jesse.

Tristan's familiarly mysterious eyes shimmered as his face was a lot closer to me now. "Your eye is getting a lot better. Such a shame a beautiful boy like you had to get hurt." He smirked as his charming voice made my cheeks burn, his finger tucking a small strand of my hair back up.

I anxiously backed up away from him as Jesse began to walk towards us, throwing his shirt back on. "Tristan, I get that you helped him and shit, but I still don't know why you're here." Jesse quickly walked in front of me with his fists tightened.

"Jesse.." I softly let out, my voice audibly cautious since I didn't know what he was about to do.

Tristan didn't even bother looking at him back as they both shared almost the same tall and muscular physique. Tristan didn't even look at all affected by Jesse being all up on his face, his face tilting to the side to keep looking at me.

Tristan only continued. "He didn't like that very much so he told everyone that I'm nothing but a crazy ex that's still not over him. Yes or no, that's what Jesse told you who I was right?" He blinked at me.

"Y-yea." I gulped, taking a second to just process everything he just told me as I remembered the day Jesse told me about Tristan not being completely over him.

Tristan just nodded back at Jesse, his face visibly hurt. "Wow, thanks." It was obvious Tristan was trying to smile but it was a smile out of genuine hurt.

"What the fuck." I unconsciously let out, my face melting into shock as I slowly turned towards Jesse.

The level of pity I had for Tristan now was immensely high as I felt completely hurt by hearing this story and it didn't even happen to me.

Jesse noticed me start to back away from him in disgust so he began to speak again. "Micah, that was a long time ago, I'm a whole new person." Jesse's voice was audibly trying to calm me down but all it did was piss me off even further.

There's nothing I hate more in this world than assholes and that story sounded like the epitome of something the king of assholes would do.

"Jesse, that's so mean." I shakily let out, furrowing my brows deeply at him. "How could you do that to someone!"

"Micah, I know! Just let me explain!" Jesse tried to calm be down even further.

Tristan loudly sighed, beginning to mock him. "Oh Jesse, guess this is another one of those people that could've been but won't be. All because they learned about how much of a horrible person you truly are." Tristan tilted his head as he grinned at the both of us. "I must say, watching another person get disgusted of you is truly entertaining to watch."

"Tristan just please shut the fuck up!" Jesse brokenly exclaimed, making him laugh loudly.

I quickly shook my head. "Don't tell him to shut up! How could you even be so vile towards a person who loved you?" My voice was painted with sadness and complete distraught as I glared at Jesse.

Tristan's grin slowly faded away as his face began to show how he felt inside, which was true pain. What I said probably reopened a wound.

Jesse's voice was a lot faster now. "Micah, that was 2 years ago. I know I fucked up but people make mistakes and I definitely own up to mine!"

"Then why are you the one that's angry when Tristan should be the one expressing more anger than you!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "I don't get that!"

"Because he has expressed it Micah! He still is!" Jesse's voice finally broke apart into a loud scream, making me tense back. "For 2 years now he's made people I got feelings for just simply walk out of my life, and you're probably next! Just because of that dumb fucking mistake I made a long time ago!" He brokenly let out.

Tristan and I openly stared at Jesse as tears began to stream down his flushed cheeks, his voice a lot lower as his tone was audibly broken. "He doesn't believe that I'm no longer that asshole and that's why I'm so angry! I'm angry that he doesn't believe that I've changed! I'm angry that he's not even letting me prove that I have!" He sniffed, quickly wiping off his tears as if he hated that he was crying.

I watched as Tristan rapidly walked away from the situation since it probably got too sensitive for him also.

"How do I know that you changed?" I blurted out, my voice audibly trying to be softer now as I hated seeing him cry.

"Micah, I just have.." He sighed, closing his eyes for a long pause, then opening them up again, tears still continuously leaving his reddened ocean eyes. "I don't know what to tell you to make you believe me, but I just have.."

"Jesse.." I let out his name with my breath, not even knowing what to respond back to him.

"Please, just believe me. Believe that I've changed.." Jesse lightly choked as he sniffed, not even caring to wipe his tears away anymore. "Please Micah.." his deep voice cracked out.