MAGE ; benny weir [1]

twenty-four

"Alright, dude," Benny told Ethan through his camcorder. "I helped you out with Sarah, and now you have to help me out with Ellie."

Ethan rolled his eyes on the screen. "Dude, shouldn't it be easier for you to just ask her out? You've known her for years! We both have."

"I know, but it still makes me nervous," he told Ethan. "W-What if she doesn't like me back?"

"Benny, she wouldn't have tried to kiss you if she didn't like you," Ethan tried to tell him. "Trust me, she likes you. Just ask her."

Benny leaned back in his chair and groaned, "What if it was one of those 'spur-of-the-moment' things and she didn't know what she was doing?"

"Ask her out," Ethan said, leaning into the camera. He decided to bargain with him.

"What about this: if you ask Ellie out by the end of this week, I give you ten bucks and bragging rights?"
Benny rolled his eyes. It was stupid, but he did need the money and a reason to push back his fear of rejection.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it." Ethan cheered from the other side of the screen. "But you have to give me a couple days." 

As Ethan hung up the video call, Benny slouched back in his desk chair.
"...I have to ask Ellie out this week."

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"They shipped the Eternity Cage without the key?"
Benny asked as he and Ethan walked down the hall to their lockers. "Now, how are we going to play Warlocks Fantasm?"

"Would you keep it down? I'm trying to attract a girl, not the entire chess club," Ethan begged. "Speaking of girls, how's our Ellie bargain?"

"Great. Amazing... super," Benny sighed, his voice trailing off as he stared into his locker. 

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

"I'm trying!" Benny defended. "It's just.. she's the only girl that has ever made me nervous and I really want to—!"

"Hey, guys!"
Benny shrieked as Ellie popped up between them. "Thanks for the warm welcome, B."

"Ellie, does this cologne smell good to you?" Ethan asked, holding out a bottle of cologne and trying to save his friend from embarrassment.
She grabbed the bottle from his hand and smelled it, instantly coughing and covering her nose in disgust.
"Ugh, it smells like the entire football team's dirty gym socks!" Ellie groaned, her voice muffled from her hand.

"It's supposed to tap into a women's primal nature."
Ellie removed her hand from her face, looking confused and grossed out. 

"Doesn't feel like it's working on me; it just smells nauseating. I'll see you guys in English," Ellie said, leaving the two of them as she wafted the smell away from her nose.

"Okay, here it goes," Ethan began, fixing his clothes. "I'm just worried that Sarah will laugh in my face." 

"She probably will," Benny agreed. "But, it gives you one less thing to be worried about, right? Joking?"
Ethan didn't respond as he walked down the hallway from Benny. He looked down at the cologne bottle he was now holding and inspected it.

"Taps into a girl's primal nature, huh?" Benny asked himself. He reached into his bag and pulled out his and Ellie's shared spellbook.

"I knew it! A love potion?" he smiled.
"I'm about to increase my odds with Ellie by 5000%. Ethan's, too."

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Ethan leaned against the side of Benny's locker and sighed.

"Strike out?"