Chapter Text
This particular parking lot is primarily used for late-night teen hookups in the backseat of their parents' cars. Rey had recently found out about this dual purpose, having been invited by not one, not two, but three stupid jocks in the last week. It’s off Cherry Street, and they call this spot ‘poppers point’.
Getting invited to a high school hangout is enough of a slap in the face, but by multiple men? Well, boys, in her estimation.
Her ears burn, knowing that was her own fault for ever thinking a kriffing jock could be trusted with her personal information. Apparently, it’s a lesson she needs to learn twice. She’d vowed not to come to this spot, not with her reputation suddenly widely known, but she isn’t here for a hook-up or a moving truck.
This Kmart closed down and has been converted into storage units and truck rentals; only a handful of moving vans are parked along the building. It leaves the rest of the parking lot wide open. Rey huddles up with a few of her peers, brushing shoulders as she shimmies past, trying to get a better view.
The rumor she heard is that her very recently ex-boyfriend is starting a fight club, and someone from the hockey team took him up on the challenge. It sounded stupid, but she’s got an obligation to get to the bottom of these things. She wants her own section of the college newspaper; she can’t keep submitting stories and only occasionally being chosen.
‘You aren't good enough for your own column.’
Although she supposes it’s better than when she was in high school. She couldn’t write anything of any substance there, not with how strict the regulations were. It was so boring…
‘New snacks in the vending machine.’
‘Principal Maul finally changed his tie from argyle to stripes after a seven-week streak.’
‘Another pep rally in the gymnasium where the same handful of students jump around.’
She’d been relieved to get away from all of it, to start over and make something of herself. And she has, at least, achieved the former goal. Yet, there is one thing she tried to escape, only to end up on the same campus. She knew he was going to REN University too, but after winning the full Skywalker Scholarship, she couldn’t afford to go anywhere else.
It was the Republic of Endor National University for both of them.
There’s a shout as Rey shimmies to the front; she isn’t tall by any stretch, but she needs a front row view for this. The jocks and students who have come to witness the fight have formed a sort of oval around two people; she even spots an older man and a raggedly looking college janitor in his uniform. Apparently, this is entertainment for all types.
As soon as she spots the two students set to fight, she scowls. Of course, it’s them, and with them so close, in the same place, Rey’s ears burn at their physical similarities. Both athletic, dark-haired, and tall. They look like they could be brothers, and Rey refuses to assign any meaning to that.
‘No one cares about you.’
Rey glances about, spotting a few other college students she’s friendly with, and then locks eyes with her best friend and roommate.
Rey smiles, and the shorter, asian girl starts her walk around the perimeter of the oblong circle of people. When she sees who her friend is dragging along behind her, Rey’s smile falls. She can’t help it; every time she sees the tall, red-haired Hux. Rose had told her all about him and how ruthlessly he tormented her. It was the first thing they bonded over, as Rey had a bully, too.
An echo of her bully’s jabs at her run-down clothing, and most prominently, the comment he made in middle school about her freckles being permanent mud specks repeat in her mind. All of that anger extends to Hux, virtually a stranger to her, because she knows he did the same thing to Rose. Even if Rose forgives him.
Rey doesn’t understand it. Rose cried to Rey about him calling her annoying or chatterbox, or yap-yap when she’d get on a topic she was excited about. Just because he’s Rose’s soulmate doesn’t excuse his past behavior.
It had been quite the sudden change last month. Rey still can’t believe it.
Of course, Hux had been much different to Rose over the summer. He started trying, and he wore her down. Then their first kiss locked them together forever. Rey shivers at the thought, mortified at the prospect, but envious too. She’s glad it’s a rare thing to find one’s soulmate because Rey never wants to be stuck with someone she doesn’t like or respect or have anything in common with. But…
‘As if anyone wants to be stuck with you, no one's ever wanted you, why would that change?’
“Rey!” Rose lets go of Hux’s hand to hug Rey around the neck. It’s a long squeeze, and Rey’s arms slip around her middle, missing this. The two of them rock side to side, their warmth shared. “I’m sorry I haven’t been hanging out as much. I promise I’m not the type to disappear as soon as they have a boyfriend.”
Rey laughs, but keeps quiet, as that is exactly what happened. They still sit together in their shared classes, but Rose stopped taking her lunch in the newsroom with her, or showing up in their apartment at any reasonable time (or to sleep at all), or going to the gym with her. Which adds up to a big chunk of their time gone.
‘You're easily replaced…’
“Hey, Rey,” Hux offers, and he gives her a guy nod before facing the fight.
“Hux,” she answers, more annoyed than she should be that she has to accept him or lose Rose, and she won’t lose her. Rose is her best friend and has been since they met at the roommate meet and greet. It’s her longest, positive relationship she’s ever had. She turns to the budding fight, and Rey rolls her eyes as the two guys pull off their shirts.
Peacocking asshats, Rey thinks to herself, growing warm as it takes an effort to pull her eyes from Ben’s back. When did he get so, uh, defined?
“I know who you want to win,” Rose jokes, her elbow poking into Rey’s arm. But Rose doesn’t know what's been happening lately.
“Actually, I hope Ben knocks Teedo's teeth out.” Rey gives Rose a little shrug, but Hux’s shocked twist draws her eyes up to him. He looks flabbergasted. She supposes it is a shock. “Don’t get me wrong, I hate Ben Solo, but Teedo started a stupid bet about me.”
“What bet?” Rose nearly screeches, and Rey’s ears burn as people look their way. Even Ben glances over, and Rey makes sure not to look at him while he’s turned this way. “Why don’t I know about this?” When Rey doesn’t answer, Rose twists to Hux and smacks lightly at his arm as if he should know, and somehow it's his fault entirely.
‘The apartment is dark and lifeless with just you haunting it.’
He shrugs, “I’ve been skipping time with my friends too, petal.” Rey bites her lip, finding Rose’s pet name rather sweet. Much better than chatterbox and yap-yap, and some of the endearment fades. The black-haired girl they both love, currently standing between them, makes a frustrated noise at the back of her throat. Rey starts to explain.
“After we broke up-”
“You broke up?” Rose repeats, but she nearly shouts it.
“Last week,” Rey states and gives her friend a little glare as even more people look over at them. Rose looks stunned, but Rey doesn’t think it’s surprising. Teedo was pushy, and Rey made her boundaries clear. Rose knew this. She continues.
“Teedo told his stupid jock friends that if anyone could pop my cherry, he’d move them up to varsity.” Rey sighs, “Although this is just what I’ve heard, you know how rumors are. I’m glad I got a heads up,” and she leans to whisper into Rose’s ear. “Finn tipped me off,” not wanting their mutual friend to get any violent backlash.
Finn hadn’t told her the specifics, just that Teedo made some stupid claims about Rey being a frigid bitch virgin and sicced his sycophantic second-string football friends on her.
“Wow,” Rose mutters, “What an absolute fucking cock-wobbler.” She squares her shoulders. “Knock his fat fucking head off, Ben!” Rose yells, and there are some responding cheers and a lot of jeers that follow. Rey’s face burns, and she looks at the top of her worn sneakers, someone bumping against her from behind hard enough for her to take a step forward for balance.
“Fight, fight, fight,” the others around them start to chant, and it gets the crowd riled up as a girl shouts, “Fuck him up, Teeds!” Another calls out, “Place your bets!” But Rey is focused on the two in the middle. Teedo is saying something to Ben, and Ben looks furious about it. Ben stretches, and Rey doesn’t notice the ripple of muscles or how tall Ben is, nor how much he’s filled out since senior year of high school. Not at all. Teedo is thinner and shorter, but Rey knows he’s been taking boxing classes for a few years now.
She doesn’t know much about Ben anymore, outside of him being an asshole hockey player and Hux’s best friend. Ben used to annoy her during their freshman orientation and classes, and it really made her nervous that it would still be like high school. But this year, he’s been distant but still around.
‘You're no one.’
“Do you think this will be approved for the school's e-news?” Rose asks, pulling out her phone. She’s the athletics photographer, and she’s pretty great at it. “I doubt they’d want to glorify violence or some nonsense, but this is news that will rile up a lot of the school.”
It’s true, Ben and Teedo are two top jocks at war with one another. This fight could change the whole social hierarchy. A senior football running back and the hockey team captain, the winner takes the top jock douchebag trophy. She honestly hopes they hurt one another, but it makes her feel a little bad, so she adds a second silent wish that it’s nothing hospitalizing.
“They have too,” Rey answers, “this is an actual story. I’m going to write it up, and I’ll fight for it to be published, if I have to. Which I shouldn’t.” She shares a look with Rose, and she gives her a determined nod before snapping more pictures, obviously thinking about the news story.
In a snap, the fight starts, Teedo taking the first swing. It takes Ben off guard, and he’s cracked in the brow, Teedo having reacted with a slick smirk that Rey swears is directed at her, their eyes locking for a split second. Ben’s head whips to the side. There’s a collective, “ah,” from a lot of the crowd as if sympathetic to the pain. Then the fight really starts, Ben snaps into motion, and for a while, Teedo keeps his fists up by his face, blocking.
‘At least they can feel something.’
Ben grabs Teedo’s wrists and yanks, punching into his side as Teedo’s balance wobbles. He gets Ben in the gut, making him grunt heavily, but it leaves him open for a right hook that has blood spraying from Teedo’s nose. Rey gasps, barely registering that the crowd is going wild. He staggers back, and Ben advances, using Teedo’s stunned state to land another, and then another.
Teedo is clearly dazed when he wildly tries to tackle Ben, who braces and then shoves him to the ground. Teedo lands heavily on his rear, and Ben towers over him.
“Concede,” Ben demands while holding out a hand to help him up, and it takes Rey by surprise, having expected Ben to keep punching until Teedo stopped moving. This isn’t a professional fight, though, and there are many witnesses. She supposes this is the smartest way to end it. Teedo looks at Rey, glaring and bloody in the face, and she doesn’t understand.
Rey even looks behind her, expecting the Dean or Provost of the university to be barreling in. Nope, just her. When she looks back, Teedo’s arm is in Ben’s, gripping one another’s forearms, and Ben hauls him up. “Keep to your end of the bargain, Walter.”
Hearing Teedo’s first full name gives Rey pause. Do they know each other? What bargain? She has so many questions, and it’s her job to get to the bottom of them. Teedo sneers, nodding once before ripping away and playing it off as he slowly walks toward his football buddies. Rey can hear one of his friends, the guy in her economics class who told Rey he’d show her what she was missing in this very parking lot, say, “You had him, man, he just got lucky.”
Rey jerks forward, approaching Ben and cursing herself for doing so. He’s been leaving her alone. Still, she pulls out her phone and quickly opens her notes app. “Ben,” she calls out, and he turns toward her, but another girl from Rey’s right dashes past her and jumps. The girl has auburn hair, she’s thin, and she has a vine tattoo up her leg that disappears under her black pleated skirt. He catches her, and she kisses him.
‘You are nothing.’
Rey watches Ben’s eyes widen, the crowd rushing forward and around Rey as she feels something twist in her gut. Rather than think about it or worry another moment about Ben Fucking Solo, she walks away. She pauses briefly when her name is called, but the crowd has turned into a sort of mosh pit, and Rey struggles to untangle herself. When she does, huffing in frustration, she spots Rose and Hux.
“Did you want to talk to him?” Rose asks, trying and failing to hide her concern.
“Just for the story, but I have enough without his opinion.” Rey shrugs, and when she starts toward the campus bus stop, Rose follows. Which means Hux follows. They mutter to one another, there are some whispers, and then Hux clears his throat.
“I can pass along his phone number if you want to ask him something,” Hux offers very reluctantly. Rey laughs, higher-pitched than normal, and her stomach hurts.
“No way, I don’t want him to have my phone number.” That is a horrible idea. All she can think about is him sending her random texts and throwing off her entire day. Even a ‘hey’ from Ben would make her nervous and self-conscious. She couldn’t get away from his snide comments throughout high school; she’ll be damned if she invites them into her life now that she’s rid of him.
“Hux drove us,” Rose says, stopping at the crosswalk that leads to the campus side of the street but throwing a thumb over her shoulder to point toward the few cars parked at meters. A bus is heading their way from the perpendicular road, stopped at a light a few streets down, but Rey waits for the vehicles to clear or stop so she can cross. “But I’ll be home later, okay?”
‘It's so easy for others to push you aside.’
“See ya then,” Rey replies lightly, even with her doubt, before crossing the street. The bus starts moving, too, the light having changed to green.
Rose yells after her, “I’ll send you the best shots!” Then a moment later, “And I’ll bring home Chinese, Hux’s treat.” This makes Rey laugh all the harder, making it to the stop at the same time as the bus. She scans her campus I.D. and takes a seat at the window. She beat the crowd, at least, and when the bus pulls away, Rey looks down the street where Hux and Rose went.
She’s surprised to see Ben Solo there, talking to them. He turns toward the bus stop, blood on the side of his face, and then slows when he spots the large vehicle driving by. He looks upset, but when he’s out of view, he’s out of her mind, and she starts the article in her notes app.
-🏒-
Two days later, while waiting for her everything bagel with extra whipped cream cheese, standing off to the side of the shop in the cafeteria, Ben finds her. She scowls as he approaches. He’s in sweats, and his hair is damp as if he’s just gotten out of the shower, the ends of his shaggy black hair curling up.
The massive hockey bag is hanging off his shoulder, nearly as big as him.
He holds out the face of his phone to her, and she can’t help but smirk at it. The front page of the College e-newspaper glows on his screen, the title of ‘The Great Jock Divide’ in bold. She made the front page. Or, well, Ben and Teedo did, although their faces are blurred out; with the hints she left in the article, it’s clear who it was.
‘No one wants to read what you write.’
Rey did have to fight for the article, but more because it happened off-campus. It had to be labeled under athletics, sports, but she doesn’t mind the shift. His screen blacks out, and she reluctantly lifts her gaze to Ben’s face. He has a gnarly bruise on his right brow, the skin split in the center with a butterfly bandage over it, and she wonders if it will scar. It doesn’t look like he got stitches, and he may have needed them.
“Thanks for making me front page news, sprinkles.” The sound of her old nickname from him has her hackles rising. She should have known giving him any attention, even doing her damn job, would feel like permission to him. “Of course, you missed a lot of things. You left out anything about you.”
“Leave me alone, Zamboni.” She snarks. Her name is called from the front desk, a brown paper bag is dropped there and left as the worker turns to take an order from another customer. Rey is glad for it, moves to grab her bagel, and heads toward the door, leaving Ben behind.
“Zamboni?” He asks, following her.
“They’re big, loud, and slow,” Rey smirks back at Ben, and when his brows crinkle, making him wince in pain as it pulls the butterfly bandage, she adds, “especially on the ice.” This makes him scowl and glare off toward the tables of students eating. She picks up her pace, exiting through a set of glass doors, but he easily keeps up.
She hasn’t run in months; it’s been a habit she’s slowly lost after her track days in high school, and Rey makes a mental note to pick it back up. She does have more time now that Rose isn’t around. She has made it home for dinner the last two nights, although Hux only bought her food that one time.
‘She pities you, everyone does.’
“You aren’t curious then what your boyfriend has been telling-”
“Ex-Boyfriend,” she corrects, eyeing him sideways as she’s pretty sure he knows that. Did he need her to confirm it personally?
“Semantics,” he waves off, adjusting the heavy-looking hockey bag to his other shoulder, his fist around the handles. “So, do you want to know why I-”
“Not really,” Rey stops, not wanting to lead him to the journalism building. They are on a stretch of brick-pressed cement between the food court and the college library, and he stops too. “Go eat, Ben. I don’t care about Teedo, he’s an asshole and apparently has never been told no before because he acted like a fucking toddler about it.”
‘He never cared about you. No one does.’
He looks her up and down before he steps nearer, his voice drops, and he looks so intense as he studies her face. “So you did tell him no.”
Immediately, she scoffs and shoves him to the side before walking off. “It’s none of your fucking business, Solo.”
This time, he doesn’t follow, and she’s glad. Really, she doesn’t look back three times or anything. Rey supposes she overreacted, but it bothers her. She’d told Teedo no, her boyfriend at the time, because she kept thinking about… him. Ben can never know that. She’s still thinking about her own stupidity (then and now) when settling in at the student desk she shares with three others in the e-newspaper room of the journalism building, when the editor calls her into her office.
She's an anxious mess inside as she walks into her office and sits down opposite the desk in the tiny room.
She likes what Rey did; the ratings went up, and the athletics department didn’t throw a fit. All good news, and Rey’s excited when her boss explains that there is an opening for Rey to take on her own section of the newspaper. A small one, but that ‘she earned it’, and Rey is handed an envelope like it’s a secret deal.
It makes Rey laugh when she’s back at her desk and looking down at it. This is what she’s been wanting. She’s a columnist. As a sophomore, that’s an amazing milestone; she wants to share the news, and when she picks up her phone, she texts her friend group chat. Feeling lucky to have people to tell when she’s proud of something, even if it’s just Rose, Finn, Poe, Jannah, and Kaydel.
It feels so official as she flips the envelope open. She pulls the form out and reads her new post. She’s responsible for all the game scores and highlights. She has to watch away games on the live stream, but she’ll be paid extra for traveling with the team when her schedule allows. There is a list of suggestions, like introducing herself to players, attending practice, and getting the coach’s contact information for confirmation.
Rey scans to find out which team, and all the joy washes from her. Hockey! The Knights of REN College Hockey. Of all the sections and all the columns on this e-newsletter, she’s assigned Hockey?! She supposes it’s better than it being Teedo and the footballers…
But, it just had to be Ben fucking Solo’s team.
-🏒-