To All Who Keep Him Close: But Not Close Enough
Preview of Short Story
What you’re experiencing now is extreme pressure you never experienced before since you never took Advanced Placement classes in the past, is that right?” Principal Sharma asks Bennett this confidently as he believes his statement is correct. This year is the first time I’ve taken an AP course let alone three and now with soccer, we are traveling more so I guess that’s it. We’re almost done in two weeks and I’m on the first honor roll with just AP Biology keeping me off Principal Honor Roll by two points,” Bennett answers quietly, still afraid he may be in trouble. So, um,” Bennett begins to ask a question before the sound of Principal Sharma’s telephone interrupts him. “ I need to take this call, Bennett, you’re free to go,” Principal Sharma tells the young man as he goes to pick up the ringing phone. “ Wow, I left at a good time,” Bennett speaks to himself as he stares at his jet-black watch. It was time for lunch and now Bennett got to meet up with his three closest friends at Bailey Alack High School. “ Yeah, it’s been a long day,” Bennett tells her as well as the rest of the group as he sits down. “ So. I hate to make your day worse if it was already bad but I need to tell you something,” Delilah speaks in a fast tone which her friends knew indicated that she was hiding something. “ I can’t go, I know we have been planning for weeks but we have a new student coming in and I have to show her around the school,” Delilah informs the group, shortly after feeling bad for telling them so late. “ That’s okay, it’s a part of the After School New Student Program right?” Bennett asked her. “ Yeah, I just joined a week ago,” Delilah replies, answering Bennett’s question. “ Well, Violet and Micheal, you guys can still go, right?” Bennett asks desperately hoping they don’t say no. We were going to go with you to watch that new Marvels movie but um… I mean since Delilah isn’t going it doesn’t matter anyways right?” Micheal responds, guilt dripping from his voice. We bought tickets last week for the movie so I knew it would be a bit of a mess to cancel but since Delilah isn’t going and it’s our first anniversary and Micheal had this idea of taking me to the fancy restaurant near Grove street I was thinking we could skip out on the movie? “ Of course, we can cancel, it’s your anniversary!” Bennett tells Violet and Micheal with a smile on his face, “ make sure to celebrate!” “ Thank you, we will!” Violet tells Bennett as she hugs him, showing appreciation for his support. “ Oh Vi, we need to go to the gym and talk to Davies, I want to ask him if he’s trying out for the Basketball team again,” Micheal tells his girlfriend, as he clears his side of the tinted blue lunch table the friend group of four was sitting at. “ Wait,” Bennett says with a shocked eyebrow raised, “Davies, the one with the dad that asked us if we were black thugs looking to steal from his son?” “ Yes, Davies’ dad did that but his son isn’t like that, he’s a good guy. Last year, we were the only freshmen on the basketball team and Davies looked out for me. ” Micheal speaks confidently, trying to assure Bennett that Davies and his father are two different people. Bennett isn’t convinced Davies is as nice of a person as Micheal thinks he is but he didn’t have time to argue. “ Bye,” comes out of the mouths of Delilah, Violet, and Micheal as they all begin to part ways too, soon after Bennett’s departure. Bennett goes to the guidance counselor as he mentioned at lunch and schedules an SAT date in May.
After he does this the school day goes by rather fast. Once he got home though, he couldn’t delve into his feelings anymore about the movie plan for today because he knew his mom would be on his case for his latest sleeping incident in class. We could help you ourselves, but instead of judging you what do you think the issue is?” Bennett’s mom asks him with concern trailing in her voice. Sleeping in class will not happen again. ” Bennett tells his mom affirmatively, trying to convince her and himself that he’s ready to get out of this slump he was in. This is the time to start being serious, and right now I love you I do, but you’re not being serious from what I can see. ” Ms. Jennings tells her son this as she arranges her dirty blonde hair into a ponytail. “ I know, I’m getting out of this phase, and besides what would I even write my essay about?” Bennett asks his mom, feeling defeated about his situation as a whole. “ Or what mom?” Bennett asks her, quite curiously as he knows she may be implying a more personal matter to write about for this essay. “ Being gay, you could write about that and your struggle as well as your coming out journey as you just told me and your dad last year,” Ms. Jennings tells Bennett this as she awkwardly smiles. “ I guess, I don’t know honestly, can I just go rest?” Bennett asks his mom in an annoyed tone. A few moments after Ms. Jennings leaves the house Bennett pulls a gray notepad from under his bed, near his superhero comic book. “ Hello!?” Bennett asks, speaking into his phone. It’s on your face!” Micheal speaks to Davies in the background of Violet’s side of the call. With you and Micheal?” Bennett asks Violet while covering his mouth in shock. “ Yes, but we went on our first-anniversary date, Davies just tagged along later,” Violet begins to tell Bennett just to hear him end their phone call. This was the second time Violet and Micheal had brought Davies along to one of their “ dates”. I mean, how was it that Davies Thomas, a new student just a year ago had taken Bennett’s spot in his friend group? “ Well, Delilah can’t possibly be ignoring me too?” Bennett asks himself this, fearing he may be wrong, and she also is purposely avoiding hanging out with him. Instead of calling Delilah, Bennett decides to go on this social media app he and his friends use. Bennett is relieved and thinks his day is getting better until he sees a text from his mom about SAT prep and why studying now would increase his scores.
“ This is my venting time, Violet and Micheal are dropping me for Davies, Delilah always has a student council, student ambassador, or another club meeting cause she’s such an overachiever which leaves me alone every time! Bennett after venting out loud begins to write in his diary about how Delilah canceled their breakfast brunch a week ago for…. They helped Bennett sleep but at times could knock him out for ten to twelve hours on some days. “ Okay, I think I got it all out, I’m done with my first entry for the day and can get back to studying,” Bennett says. “ Hey, Bennett, I wrapped up my program an hour ago, and…” Delilah proceeds to say before a girl by the name of Avery interrupts her. “ She met this wonderful girl from the Dominican Republic who happens to be a sophomore just like her and you, she spoke about you so that’s how I know that,” Avery tells Bennett excitedly. “ How nice, can I speak to Delilah now?” Bennett asks her awkwardly. Thanks. ” Delilah thanked Avery for letting her know. Since you’ve been home all day, thanks to us. ” Delilah speaks to Bennett with sympathy seeping from her voice as she feels responsible for ruining his day. See you soon!” Delilah tells Bennett this as she proceeds to end their call. Even if it wasn’t about Delilah, because it’s not like Violet and Micheal were looking to make amends just yet. As Bennett went back to studying, with To All Who Keep Me Close: But Not Close Enough hidden in his underwear drawer in case he took an unplanned nap; Delilah ( on her way to Bennett’s home) was departing from her boyfriend Cole since he had to cross to get to his apartment building. “ Okay Avery, it’s just you and me now,” Delilah tells her new friend. “ It’s my friend, Micheal, with his girlfriend who is also my friend,” Delilah goes on to say. “ Yeah, and bye Violet,” Avery speaks with a devilish smirk on her face. “ I’ve got to break up Vililah, yuck it sounds like a disease,” Avery says, gagging at the thought of Delilah and Violet’s friendship. As Avery thought of all the different ways to break up the two friends; Delilah was seen just arriving at the doorstep of the Jennings household. As Delilah wakes up Bennett she sees his sleeping pills alongside him. Was this prescribed for you?” Delilah asks her friend this as she puts her leopard purse down on Bennett’s bed. I need them to calm my anxiety,” Bennett proceeds to tell Delilah, taking a step closer to her. You can’t tell anyone,” Bennett begs Delilah to keep quiet about his addiction. As Delilah leaves Bennett’s room to get his mom, Bennett thinks about how far he’s fallen now, and how it will get worse if he was exposed as an addict.
If Bennett Jennings thought things were bad now, what would people think of him when he was exposed as the guy who possibly killed his friend while having unprescribed pills in his bloodstream?
Description:
To All Who Keep Him Close: But Not Close Enough is a short story series available to read on Medium. The story follows the life of Bennett Jennings and the things he endures in his life that he later documents into his diary.
Author Information:
Author: Dom Okon
Birth of Author: New Jersey, USA
Authors Birth Date: February 11, 2005
