Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare for Everyone Else)

  Chapter Three

  Bennett gazed at Beatriz once everyone had gone, noticing something he had not before. Her eyes were watery. He hadn’t seen that in a long time, and he suddenly remembered that at the end of the day, Bea was a woman who was not made of stone. He started to approach her but stopped himself. “Beatriz,” he said thickly, “have you been crying this whole time?”

  “I’ll cry if I want,” she shot back, her voice upset.

  “I don’t want to see you cry, Beatriz.”

  “Then look away, I’m not crying to put on a show for you, Bennett. Piss off.”

  “I really believe Heaven’s innocent,” he said.

  Beatriz sniffled a bit, wiping her eyes and looking at him defiantly. “Really?” Her tone was skeptical.

  Bennett nodded. “It’s true. I refuse to believe Heaven cheated on Clark. That’s not like her. Not in her nature.”

  “So you do really plan on helping us clear Heaven’s name?”

  “Of course,” Bennett exclaimed. “I wouldn’t offer my help with the intention of not doing so. Surely, Beatriz,” he went on, lowering his eyes, “you know me better than that. You know how much weight I put into my words whether I’m teasing or not.”

  She nodded. “I do know. I’m sorry I’m just so pissed about this whole thing. To know people would even consider that Heaven would act like that, it makes my blood boil.”

  “Is there anything else I can do?” Bennett asked. “I know you want me to talk to Clark—”

  “What I want to be done to Clark would require no words.”

  “And what would that be, Beatriz?”

  “It’s a man’s job, but not an appropriate job for you, Bennett. I couldn’t ask this of you.”

  “Beatriz,” Bennett said, dropping his act and taking a step toward her, “you know that no matter what’s going on in our lives I’ll always be there for you.” Reaching out, he grabbed her chin between his thumb and finger, pulling her face to his. “Isn’t that weird though? Despite how you and I act, I can’t love anyone else as much as you. This moment has reminded me of that.”

  Beatriz dared to smile up at him, not moving her face. “It’s messed up,” she said. “You know that my feelings are the same for you, Bennett. I love you but…”

  “But what?” Bennett asked, leaning towards her, brushing his lips against her. “Tell me.”

  She pulled away, taking a step back before she did something she would later regret. “I’m worried about Heaven.”

  “You’re worried about Heaven?” Bennett blurted out. “Bea, tell me first that you love me—”

  “I love you, but I’m not in love with you,” Bea said.

  “You are in love with me. The feeling’s mutual,” he growled, taking her face back in his hands. “You said it, so say it again.”

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  “And I love you,” Bennett said, trying to kiss her again.

  Frustratingly, Bea pulled away from his grasp, clenching her eyes shut. “God forgive me,” she muttered to herself, opening her eyes to meet his.

  “Why are you asking for forgiveness?”

  “I never thought that we would be here again,” Bea said, looking away. The music blared loudly from behind the stage but neither one felt the need to raise their voice. They could hear each other and feel the message in their eyes and in their hearts. Bennett noticed a bead of sweat between the dip of her upper lip and never so badly had he wanted to kiss the spot away.

  “We never stopped loving each other,” Bennett said.

  “You won’t regret this later?”

  “Never. Now, ask me what you want to do about Clark. What do you want done to him that you cannot possibly take care of on your own?”

  “I can’t ask it of you.”

  “You can,” Bennett said. “And you will. Tell me what you want and I’ll do it.”

  “I want him to feel the pain that Heaven has.”

  “Rumors won’t affect him—”

  “I don’t want to hurt him with words,” Beatriz said. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of a simpleton like Clark if all it took were words to destroy him like he destroyed my friend.”

  “Then what are you asking?”

  “I want you to…take him out.”

  Bennett arched a dark brow, looking at her curiously. “Just what are you asking me?”

  “You know what I’m saying. Take him out.”

  “You mean, hurt him?”

  “Accidents happen at practice,” Bea said. “Hurt him there, or be a man and challenge him to a fight for what he’s done. Ruin his senior year. He can’t play if he’s injured.”

  Bennett broke out into uncomfortable laughter. “Beatriz, I wouldn’t do that to him.”

  “And yet, you can sit back and watch what he did to my friend?”

  “I…I didn’t know it was going to be that bad.”

  “If that’s your answer, then leave me alone,” Bea said, starting to walk away. She heard Bennett shift behind her and suddenly his large hand was clasped around her arm, pulling her back to his chest. “I said leave me!” she shouted, struggling against his tight embrace.

  “Now listen to me,” Bennett said, flexing his arms to keep her against him. “Hear me out.”

  “No.”

  “Bea—”

  “Let me go!” she started to shout.

  “If I let you go, then we may not ever be the same, Beatriz.”

  “As if I could love you when you refuse to help me,” Bea said.

  “You’re asking me to hurt my friend, Bea. You have to at least give me some time to think it over.”

  “What kind of friend does what Clark did to Heaven?”

  “Are you saying that because of a mistake Clark has to be hurt?”

  “Did you not hear what he did?” Beatriz shouted, still struggling to get free. “Calling my friend a slut, a damn whore in front of the whole school? Oh I wish I was a man. I would have beaten the shit out of him right on that stage without a second thought. The hatred that blazed in his eyes, the disgust and contempt he held for someone as nice as Heaven. It isn’t right. I should kill him! I should have ripped that black heart right from him and ate it on stage!”

  “Listen to me, Bea—”

  “How dare he!” she went on, further enraged now. “Saying that he supposedly heard Heaven doing things with a guy in her bedroom with the window open! As if Heaven would do something like that! That girl doesn’t even like to change in the locker room in front of her friends!”

  “But, Beatriz—”

  “Heaven’s the victim of a crime, Bennett! Can’t you see that? The whole school thinks she’s a slut now – a label that damns her because she is a woman. Were she a man, such accusations would increase her standing. If it were Clark being accused of being unfaithful to Heaven on that stage, there would have been laughter and strains of ‘boys will be boys’ instead of disgust and revulsion. Oh, had we been born men!”

  Bennett gave her a squeeze in his arms. “Please—”

  “There’s no such thing as real men now. If there were, Donnie would have never allowed this to go so far. And her father! How could Leo take the side of rumors before the words of his own daughter? Men are nothing but words now, no better than gossipy old women. They should use their actions, not their words to fight. Think about it, Bennett. Clark tells a lie to the school and everyone believes him without question? Without proof! Since I am a woman, I’ll not get the same respect. If I can’t ruin him, then perhaps I shall just ruin myself.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Bennett asked.

  “I mean, I’ll have to do something to take the attention off of Heaven.”

  “What would you do?”

  “You don’t want to know,” she said, pulling away. “Let me go.”

  “No,” Bennett said. “Please, Beatriz. You know I still love you.”

&nbs
p; “Words!” she shouted. “Always words with men! Did you not hear a word I said to you?”

  Bennett’s grip lightened but not enough that Beatriz could escape. They locked eyes again and Bennett chewed on his lower lip, noticing the raccoon-like shadows that had formed under her eyes because of tears and make-up. He couldn’t take much more of it.

  “Do you really believe that Clark was lying?” he asked. “Do you believe that Heaven’s innocent?”

  Bea nodded. “I have never known anything else to be truer.”

  He sighed loudly, giving her a rough hug. Not looking at her, he spoke. “That’s good enough for me then, Beatriz. I’ll…I’ll do as you ask.” He kissed the top of her head, taking in the delicate scent of lavender and sage, a spicy combination and fitting for her. “I swear that Clark will pay for this. Even if everything he said was true, what he did was cowardly and judgmental. Since it isn’t true, he has harmed an innocent girl and hurt the woman I love. Please at least think of me, and take care of Heaven.”

  “Really?” Beatriz asked, her voice muffled by being buried in his chest. She loved being this close to him, feeling his chin resting on top of her head and his heart pounding against her. Slowly she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Of course,” Bennett said. “I would be a fool to deny you.” Pulling her away from him, they looked at each other and, as he leaned forward, he couldn’t bring himself to kiss her. He didn’t feel worthy to do so until he’d done as she asked. “Goodbye,” he said, turning away to leave the gym.

  Beatriz watched him go, her face hot and her lips empty. “Goodbye.”