Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare for Everyone Else)

  Chapter Three

  Donnie whistled over at Bennett once Beatriz was inside. Bennett shot him an angry look. “What?” he asked.

  “You pissed off Bea again,” he said, laughing a bit.

  “What makes you say that?” Bennett asked. “And what makes you think that I care?”

  “You know you care—”

  “All I know is that she seemed pretty pleased with herself when I protected her from that idiot, Jason. I can’t stand that guy.”

  “Well…I don’t know who can, but don’t you care about me taking her to the dance?”

  “Why should I care? I could perhaps appreciate her serpentine curves if her tongue wasn’t filled with so much venom. How am I supposed to deal with her when all she wants to do is argue with me? Even when I’m trying to be nice, is she happy about it? No! All she does is insult me. Her words are like ice cutting across my face and my chest. She only talks to me to get me riled up. I wouldn’t take that woman to a circus, let alone a dance if it were up to me. I only wish that someone would come along and take her away so maybe she would look as a woman should.”

  “And how is that? In love?”

  “No,” he said with exasperation.

  “You might not be so calm if someone did come along and steal her away from you,” Donnie said. “What if it wasn’t me…”

  “As if anyone else would be willing to put up with her.”

  “Seriously, man. What if it wasn’t me? Could you handle seeing her with someone else? Would you be able to sit there so calm and cool knowing that her lips were pressed against someone else’s?”

  Bennett looked away. “If you want her, then you can have her,” he said quietly.

  “That’s still safe enough for you, isn’t it? You’d rather her be with me than with someone else you didn’t know or didn’t trust.”

  “I didn’t say that. I said that if you want her, take her.”

  “To keep her safe from guys who wouldn’t treat her as well as I would?” Donnie asked. “That’s how you’d see it, isn’t it? If Bea’s with me, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about someone taking advantage of her.”

  “Beatriz is no virgin.”

  “Neither are you,” Donnie said accusingly. “That’s something that you two have in common, isn’t it?”

  “Shut up,” Bennett said. “I wouldn’t be able to deal with Beatriz if she was the last girl on earth.”

  “Shhh,” Donnie warned. “She’s coming back.”

  Bennett stood up from the bench as Beatriz returned. “It’s getting late,” he said as Beatriz looked at him with a peculiar expression. “I have some things to take care of. Do you need anything, Donnie? I don’t mind making a run.”

  “You don’t need to go anywhere. Why don’t you stick around?” Donnie said, enjoying Bennett’s obvious discomfort.

  “What’re you two talking about?” Beatriz asked, taking a seat on the bench that Bennett had just left. It was still warm, smoke hovering around the area. It smelled like him. “Something wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with me,” Bennett grunted. “I’m just ready to go, this is tired. I’m going to head out.”

  “W-what?” Beatriz stammered. “What are you talking about? What happened?” She looked over at Donnie. “Did you say something to him?”

  “Me?” Donnie asked. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “It’s you who says too much,” Bennett said, turning and beginning his slow walk home. “You frustrate me in ways that I cannot begin to comprehend.”

  Beatriz watched him until he disappeared around a corner, then back to Donnie. “What the hell did I do?”

  “It appears that, as usual, you’ve pissed him off. Bennett needed to take a break from you.”

  “A break?” Beatriz asked. “From what I remember, we’re still on a break. He tells me he always just needs time to think, time to take for himself and yet it seems that he never changes. I’ve given up on him. I took a chance on him and it’s time to stop doubling down and fold while I still can.”

  “You shouldn’t be so hard on him,” Donnie said. “I can tell he still cares about you.”

  “I don’t think you should be so worried about Bennett,” Beatriz said. “You should be concerned with your friend and how you humiliated him.”

  “I was helping,” Donnie said defensively.

  “Call him,” Beatriz said. “I’ll help you out of this mess if you would please drop the subject of Bennett.”

  “Fine,” Donnie said, pulling out his phone and dialing Clark’s number. When the two of them heard his voice they both shared a look, surprised at how tired and defeated he sounded. “Are you still pissed?” he asked.

  “Not as much as I was,” Clark said.

  “I’ll let you get in a free shot before practice,” Donnie said, trying to lighten the mood. “Just don’t hit my face, that’s the money maker.”

  “I’m not going to hit you,” Clark said, laughing a bit.

  “Clark, I have to be honest,” Donnie said. “Jason lies and you should know that. I have no interest in Heaven any more than Heaven would be interested in anyone but you. When I was dancing with her, I was only trying to talk you up and tell her about the games she missed over the summer.”

  “And…and what?” Clark asked. “What did she say?”

  “She was hanging on every word, what do you think she said?” Donnie said. “Clark, the girl is crazy about you. She wants you. Can you please try to remember that? Did you not feel her press up against you when Jason showed up to mess things up?”

  “I remember,” Clark said. “I wanted to protect her.”

  “So do that,” Donnie said. “Don’t listen to Jason. He’ll only make you think about things best left alone.”

  “I really messed things up believing him, didn’t I?”

  “We all know how he can be,” Donnie said. “Heaven will forgive you. You should call her.”

  “Now?”

  “It’s not that late. I’m sure Leo won’t mind if you keep it short.”

  “I…I think I’ll do that,” Clark said, grinning into the receiver. “I…I’m sorry, Donnie. I have to stop taking Jason seriously.”

  “It’s all good,” Donnie said. “Go now, call her.” He hung up the phone and turned to Beatriz. “Those two might just be happy yet.”

  “Thank hell,” Beatriz said, arching her back to stretch against the bench. “Those two seem good together.”

  “It’s always good to have someone in your life who can blend well into yours.”

  “Yes…maybe,” Beatriz said, remembering Bennett’s arms when they wrapped around her waist and hips. She had felt safe and secure in those arms, with the crinkling of worn leather dancing in her ears and the smell tickling her nose.

  “No worries, Bea,” Donnie said. “Despite falling out of Bennett’s good graces, you’re going to find a man who will match well with you.”

  “I doubt that,” Beatriz said. She looked out of the corner of her eye as Donnie sat down next to her, their thighs touching. She suddenly felt self-conscious about his touch, her heavy thighs looking entirely too thick next to Donnie’s toned and trim ones. “You’re too close,” she said, sliding away from him. Donnie followed her, a soft look in his eye.

  “Bea,” he said warmly. “Do feel anything between us?”

  “N-no,” she said, lowering her eyes. “You’re…we’re not the same. We come from different backgrounds—”

  “Our parents come from different backgrounds,” Donnie said. “You know that I don’t care about that shit. You know how I feel about you.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, forcing her to look at him. “You see how I look at you, Bea. You always think I’m joking but I only joke so I don’t look like an idiot.”

  “Why would you look like an idiot?”

  “Because you never take me seriously,” Donnie said.

  “
That’s because you’re always joking and smiling,” Beatriz said. “I’m not the right person for you, Donnie. I don’t like to joke around all the time when I’m feeling self-conscious.”

  “I can be serious,” Donnie said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

  “Heh…I’m sure you can but it’s me who doesn’t want to be serious with anyone right now,” Beatriz said. “Donnie, you know that I care about you but—”

  “You can’t for one second see another guy like you see Bennett?”

  “That’s not it,” Beatriz said, pulling her hand from his. Her heart felt like it was on fire. Donnie was beautiful, more beautiful than she, but that was one of the reasons she couldn’t take him. She wasn’t ready to spend her days primping to compete with her boyfriend. He said that he liked her mouth now, but she knew that he would always look to silence it with a kiss. “You’re too good for me,” she admitted. “Your father would never approve of you dating someone like me.”

  “That’s not true and I wouldn’t even care if it was,” Donnie said, offended. “I can’t help the family I have, and I can’t stop myself from wanting what I want.” He reached up again, taking her chin between his thumb and finger. “I want everyone to see you the way I do—”

  Their eyes met, and for a second Beatriz hesitated, getting lost in those hazel green pools. She leaned forward, and Donnie reached slowly behind her head, pulling her closer to his face. Their faces came together, the tip of her lower lip touching his when suddenly she jerked away. “I…I should go,” she blurted out.

  “Bea, please,” Donnie said, falling forward as she pulled away. “Will you really not consider us?”

  “I can’t,” she called over her shoulder. “It’s not right.”

  “A lady shouldn’t walk home alone,” Donnie said to her.

  “As Bennett says, I’m no lady,” she called back. “But perhaps I am a fool.”

  “Why?”

  “I rejected you for a man who cannot even see me as a woman.”

  Donnie winced, feeling the rejection wash over him. “He’s a fool too,” he whispered once Bea had disappeared. He sat staring at the sky for nearly ten minutes, then suddenly he reached into his pocket, retrieved his phone and dialed.

  “Hello?” Clark’s voice asked.

  “Clark? Are you alone?”

  “No,” Clark said. “I went to Heaven’s house. She’s here with me.”

  “That’s good,” Donnie said, “because there’s something that I want to talk to you both about.”

  “Oh?” Heaven asked, her voice becoming louder as she leaned closer to Clark.

  “Heaven, do you really believe that Bennett would be a good match for Bea?” Donnie asked.

  “There’s no one better,” she said.

  “I have to agree,” Clark agreed.

  “So we agree that Bennett would be a good match for Beatriz. They’re alike because they can’t help but banter—”

  “And their backgrounds are similar,” Heaven added in.

  “That doesn’t matter – backgrounds I mean. The point is that they work,” Donnie said. “I have a plan. Heaven, you are going to work with your friends to convince Bea that Bennett’s still in love with her.”

  “Is that all?”

  “It’s not impossible,” Clark said. “And all the while…”

  “All the while,” Donnie continued, “the guys on the soccer team will try to trick Bennett into thinking that Bea’s still in love with him.”

  “But she is,” Heaven said.

  “She’ll never actually admit that,” Donnie said. “If we can convince Bennett that Bea has changed and is willing to give him a second chance, then perhaps we will have two relationships this year.” He sighed a bit, still stung that Beatriz had rejected him. But he felt as though this was the next best thing. If he could not enjoy Bea himself, then he would at least guide her to a man that matched her well. “Despite how difficult Bennett can be, I think he still cares for Bea.”

  “It doesn’t sound impossible,” Heaven said. “I’ll be happy to help with this.”

  “Me too,” Clark said. “What brought this about though, Donnie? I thought you were going to ask Bea to the dance?”

  “She turned me down,” Donnie said. “I’m over it.”

  “B-but,” Heaven stammered over the phone, “do you want to talk about it?”

  “I don’t,” Donnie said. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  “Donnie—”

  He hung up the phone before Heaven could add another word. As he walked to his car, Donnie reached up and touched his lip, remembering the slight tingle when Bea had almost given in to him.

  “It’s better this way,” he muttered, starting up the engine. “I want her to be happy.”