Ben Cook ~ The ONE Time I'm Grateful For An Injury (Part 3)

                                    

                                          
I waited outside of my apartment building, sitting on the bench and browsing random stuff. The show was about to begin in less than half an hour and Thalia still wasn't here. I was about to text Thalia and see what was taking so long, but a car horn jolted me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Thalia's familiar silver Lexus. Thalia came out a few seconds later and opened the passenger side door for me. I hopped in and threw my crutches onto the backseat as she walked back to the driver's side and got in.
                          
"So, you ready to see Newsies?" she asked excitedly. 
                          
I gave her a small smile. "Oddly enough, yes. I am."
                          
Thalia nodded in approval. "It's a start, but you're getting there. I'd like to get you fully into the Newsies fandom in less than a few months, so we're on the right track."
                          
I laughed, shaking my head. "You are not going to get me into the Newsies fandom. You've already gotten me into your Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and whatever else fandoms. I don't need any more fandoms in my life."
                          
Thalia feigned hurt and gasped mockingly. "You did not. You DID NOT."
                          
I shrugged. "What?"
                          
She only shook her head in response. "You are a disgrace. Every fangirl is looking upon you with disdain."
                          
"Not like I would care."
                          
Thalia continued to drive to the theater, and when we reached it, she found a parking spot and helped me out of the car. We walked to the theater, gave our tickets to the ticket master, walked inside, and found our seats.
                          
I looked at my watch. 5 minutes until the show starts. 
                          
I turned over to Thalia, whose face was illuminated by her phone screen. I tapped her shoulder and she nodded her head to show she was listening.
                          
"I'm not talking until you look away from your phone." I told her.
                          
She finished whatever she was doing, then turned off her phone and turned to me.
                          
"What?" she asked irritably. I raised my eyebrows at her in questioning. "We're going to stay behind a while after the show. I need to do something. So you'll have to come with me." she explained.
                          
I shrugged. "All right. As long as it doesn't interfere with my schedule."
                          
"Girl, you don't even have a schedule right now. All you're doing is sitting in front of the T.V."
                          
She managed to crack a small smile. "You'd be surprised."
                          
Suddenly the lights dimmed and the chatter began to quiet. Alex turned her head to the stage and I followed suit as the curtain opened and the Overture began.
                          
~~~
                          
I have to say, Newsies wasn't as bad as I had anticipated for it to be. It was choreographed really well, the music was extremely catchy, the script was written well, and the way the actors executed it was brilliant.
                          
Thalia and I waited until everybody had filed out of the theater to do stagedoor, then she helped me stand and we made our way to....the back?
                          
"Uh, Thalia? Where are we going?" I asked her. She didn't reply.
                          
Soon enough, I got my answer. We stopped right outside a door with a sign on it that read, "Stage Door". She knocked on it loudly before I could stop her, and a moment later, it swung open to reveal the woman that played Hannah. Meredith, was it?
                          
"Thalia, is that you?" she asked, peering at my friend.
                          
Thalia smiled. "You're not seeing an illusion, Mer. It's me."
                          
Meredith laughed and hugged Thalia tightly. I just stood there awkwardly, trying not to--well, I don't know really. I just stood there awkwardly.
                          
They pulled away, and Meredith took a look at me. "My, and who is this?"
                          
"Um, Mer, this is (Y/N). (Y/N), this is Meredith." Thalia introduced us. I stepped forward as best as I could with my crutches and offered her a hand. She gave me an awkward side hug, then pulled away and looked at Thalia.
                          
"Thalia, you need to come inside right now. The boys will be so surprised!" Meredith ordered. Thalia nodded and gestured for me to follow. I mean, I wasn't going to stand outside awkwardly waiting for about an hour or two. As we walked, Thalia and Meredith caught up with each other, and I heard Thalia tell Meredith about my unfortunate fall.
                          
Meredith lead us to a dressing room, and I could see four faces on a poster next to the door, showing who was using the room. Joshua Burrage, Ben Cook, DeMarius Copes, and Sky Flaherty. Wait, Flaherty? As in.....Thalia Flaherty? That would explain the red hair.
                          
Meredith left us to our little reunion as Thalia opened the door without so much as a knock. The boys inside all looked up from what they were doing, and we all just stood there, staring at each other, in a moment of silence.
                          
It was Sky who broke the silence. 
                          
"Thalia! Awww, I missed ya, little sis! Long time no see!" he said happily, hugging Thalia. She grinned as he hugged her.
                          
"But don't call me 'little sis'." she said, then pulled away. "I missed you too, though. Sky, Ben, Josh, DMC? I want you all to meet my friend (Y/N)."
                          
My brain short-circuited. THE Sky Flaherty was my best friend's brother, and I didn't even know? I shook my head from my thoughts, and focused on introductions.
                          
"You probably already know all our names already, (Y/N)." DeMarius said while laughing. 
                          
I smiled. "Kinda hard not to....A certain somebody made sure of that."
                          
Everyone laughed. They acted as if they were one big family. Probably were, by the looks of how comfortable they were around each other. 
                          
I noticed Ben was staring at me with the cutest expression of adoration and love on his face. He was such an adorable boy, much like a teddy bear, that it was hard to be weirded out by him staring at me.
                          
He shook out of his thoughts and noticed me smiling back at him. He blushed a deep red, and rubbed his neck. "S-s-sorry." he stammered.
                          
I shook my head. "You're fine. You're kinda hard to be mad at. I mean, with all that talent, how could somebody be mad at you?"
                          
Ben smirked, his blush lightening to a pink. "Are you flirting with me?"
                          
I whacked his arm. He pulled away with an expression of mock hurt, then burst out laughing, and ended up falling from his perch on the table. Everybody turned to see what happened, and when they saw Ben curled up on the floor with a giddy expression, they all looked at me.
                          
I put my hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me!"--I pointed a hand in Ben's direction, keeping the other still in "surrender mode"--"He's the one that fell."