I Was Stollen

Chapter 3

Ben the Ranger's Point of View

Summer and I got off of Entei and we both thanked it for a good help. It fled into the woods and then Summer guided me inside a medium sized house with a garage. I was greeted by 3 similar in looks people. One was a girl about our age. She had short light blue hair, bandages everywhere on her face, a pair of red glasses, and she wore a white and blushish looking lab coat with tall red boots. The other woman looked to be her mother. She was about 2 feet taller than us, looked slightly older, had her slightly darker blue hair up in two buns, and she wore a light blue blouse with a darker blue skirt and blue tenni-shoes. The male although, had a similar outfit to us except, there wasn't a yellow scarf or red goggles. He had the darkest blue hair and a ruffled up dark blue beard to go with his hair. Though he looked strong, his smile was soft and gentle, friendly. It wasn't long before I found out their names. The girl our age's name was Nema, her mother's name was Leanne and the father was the Oblivia Area Ranger named Rand.

I sat by Summer at their supper table and we all talked about the legend of Oblivia for what seemed like hours. By the time dinner was done, it was about 7:30pm. This usually was our bed time at the Ranger Union and when we were in Ranger School so Summer and I were pretty tired. I slumped back in my chair, stretched very much and yawned. I couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes on me. I looked over at Summer to notice it wasn't her, but Nema staring at me but turning away blushing when she noticed I saw her looking at me. I chuckled and said,

"Am I that good looking?" Summer just nudged me hard with her elbo and replied,

"No, Ben. You're just that ugly that it's hard not to stare."

I pouted and hid my face in my ranger jacket, blushing slightly and slightly ticked at what she said. Yeah, she was joking, but what if this meant she didn't feel the same to me as I felt towards her..? What if I tell her and she rejects me? What will I do then? Get reassigned to another Ranger to get away? No, Summer has been my Ranger partner since we started Ranger School. I wouldn't leave her because of my feelings that got in the way. That'd be childish. See? I'm way more mature than Summer. I simply took my head out of my jacket and stuck out my tongue and said,

"You're just jealous because I let Nema look at me and I would never let you stare me down."

I noticed Summer blush a little before choking on her lettuce from her salad and replying, "Um, yeah, like I'd be jealous. I hang out with you everyday. Not because I want to, but because we're Ranger partners. We have to and we are bound together in that promise we made to protect each other no matter what."

I sunk in my seat again, sighing wishing I was in a nice soft bed at that moment. Rand noticed my tiredness and told Summer and I to follow him. As we did, he began saying, "Yeah, we only have one extra bedroom so you two have to share, but no funny business okay? I don't want to wake up and find a 'mess' in here, okay?"

We both started to blush intensely and we replied in unison, "Y-yes sir!" Then we walked in and Rand shut the door on us. We immediately started blushing more which turned into small giggles before we both decided to get out of our work clothes and put on our pajamas. I just wore blue pajama pants and a blue mens tank top while Summer wore pink pajama pants and a pink women's tank top. Her tank top hugged her curves more than mine did. Mine was loose on my body because I had bought a size too big. Summer realized me looking her up and down and she immediately turned away, blushing. I did the same. She had caught me staring at her… Ohhhhh crap, I thought. Summer sat on her side of the king sized bed and sighed. She then looked at me and smiled before softly saying,

"Was it scary in the Pinchers cell?" She then laid down and I soon followed as I laid down beside her.

I answered her question, "No, well, yes to the fact that I was blind folded, but still. If I wasn't blind folded, I might have been more scared. Again, I'm sorry my capture got you off track with your missions."

"No, it's fine. I needed you anyways.. And, I really missed you, Ben.." Summer looked away, a blush on her face. I wondered what she was trying to tell me so I then replied,

"I missed you too, Summer. It's hard being away from my Ranger partner like that."

Summer looked at me and I noticed our faces were just inches away from each other. I shivered as her breath met my face. She smiled and that face just warmed me right up. I was so surprised at what she told me after this though. She had confessed,

"B-Ben.. I wanted to tell you this for a while and I know it's sudden but I think I have enough courage to tell you now since.. We've known each other for about 12 years now… Okay, here it goes," She took a huge inhale and then continued, "Ben, I.. Like you… No, lemme rephrase that.. Ben, I love you."

I scooted back a little. Not because I don't feel the same, I do feel the same, but because of the mere shock that hit me. I was going to tell her I liked her. I decided that I was after we saved Oblivia… but what if we never did save Oblivia.. Then… No, I know we will! It's terrible for me to think of such a thing! We're RANGERS for goddess sake! We always win. Anyways, I softened my body and just stared at her before saying,

"Summer, how long have you felt… that you loved me..?" I got a little closer to her and her saddened face grew happy again. She then replied,

"Since Ranger School. Maya and others told me I shouldn't tell you because back then, you were more immature and got into trouble too much. When Hastings announced that you were my Ranger Partner my heart flew off to the sky like Latias would.. I couldn't build up the courage to tell you though, so I kept it secret till now. I also enjoyed teasing you, which, I won't stop. It's fun seeing you go into a little hissy fit because I was joking around." She giggled and that made me smile. I got even close to her till I just couldn't take it anymore. I humbled her up in a tight hug and she laid her head on my chest. So warm, I felt like I could fall asleep like that. Just as we were about to fall asleep, Nema popped open the door and yelled,

"BEN! I forgot! You're styler is finished and I need to tell you something importan- Oh, you look busy… I guess I'll just leave your styler right here and tell you that thing later.." She lightly sat my styler on my dresser and ran out the door, slamming it in the process. She looked disappointed and I had to know why.

Nema's Point of View

I couldn't take seeing them cuddle like that! He said they were just friends! FRIENDS DON'T HUGGLE UP IN A KING SIZED BED TOGETHER! Yes, I like Ben. He is so handsome with his hair all up like that.. Red goggles and yellow scarf around his muscular neck… NO! I cannot fantasize about some… IDIOT RANGER! I ran as fast as I could to my lab, which was also my bedroom and cuddled up to my Teddiursa plush in the corner of my bed. I couldn't help but tear up at the thought that I couldn't have Ben but some girl who's with him everyday for almost her entire life.. Summer was and is my friend. I wouldn't steal him from her, that'd be immature and stupid. Yeah, they knew each other waaaaaaaay longer than I knew both of them, but I liked Ben. Had a crush on him and I just…. Need him. No one ever loved me. Well some of my friends and my family love me, but no one like Ben ever loved me. I couldn't and can't be alone anymore!

I curled up in a ball and sobbed a bit, rubbing my eyes to my plush doll. Sometimes, my plush doll was all I had as a friend at times. Like now when I'm being an overreactive little girl. Maybe they were just cuddling for extra warmth since it was cold and nothing more to that? I must of miss understood them and I have to apologize. i'll apologize tomorrow morning. Now I just need sleep. I went straight to sleep world.

Ben's Point of View

I stopped hugging Summer and laid back down, facing her under the covers. She was tired and I was still awake wondering why Nema ran off like that. She probably walked in on her parents cuddling all the time and Summer told me about how Nema would talk to her about those times. So I wondered why this time when she saw Summer and I cuddling, why'd it affect her so much? Yeah, it's awkward, but the way Nema reacted to her parents cuddling was different than the way she reacted to me and Summer cuddling. I decided not to let it bother me and got some sleep. Lots of sleep. Too much sleep because the next morning, Summer was jumping all over me, trying to get me to wake up.