Chapter thirty-six: Cloud nine (Ellie's POV)

"See, told you they'd say yes," he smirked while backing out of my driveway. 

"If you were so confident then why didn't you just ask them yourself?" I retorted smugly. He rolled his eyes at me with a contradicting smile on his lips. He glanced at me and when we turned to the front, I almost screamed while he halted the car immediately. 

There was a group of kids running around in what seemed panic. 

"What is going on?" I asked while looking at him in confusion. 

"I have no idea," he mumbled before we both got out cautiously, looking around. There was a group of what seemed to be kids around the ages three to six who were all running around screaming. It was terrifying. 

We got out and both of us grabbed a hold of the first kids we saw. He seemed horrified. 

"Are you all right?" I asked, scanning his face and body for any injuries. "What's your name, honey?" I questioned while placing my hand under his chin, tilting it up slightly. 

"O-Owen," he stammered. 

"Okay, Owen. Can you tell me what happened and why you're all running?" I asked. 

"There was a fire!" one of the kids screamed from the group. There were about six kids out here total, all running in havoc and panic. 

"Was there a fire?" I questioned while pulling out my phone to dial nine-one-one. Owen nodded. "Okay, that's okay. You'll be all right. Do you need some water?" I asked while pressing the phone to my ear before grabbing a water bottle from the car and handing it to him. 

The kids slowly began walking over to us and we didn't have enough water for all of them so we didn't know what to do. I explained to the operator that we had found a bunch of kids, all running saying that there was a fire and we weren't sure what to do. Zach had a little girl in his lap that told him where the house was. I then told the operator the address and then we filed all the kids in the car, four of them sitting at the back. 

I had Owen sitting in my lap and Zach still had the little girl sitting in his, even as he drove. 

"There!" We looked up and saw smoke coming out of one of the houses. 

"Who lives there?" I asked while we got out of the car. 

"My dad," Owen mumbled. 

"Just your dad?" I asked and he nodded numbly. "Can you tell me how the fire started?" I asked while a fire truck had shown up and the entire neighborhood gathered to watch as if it were a show. 

"I don't know," he replied. 

"Where were you?" Zach asked as we stood between the kids, making sure they were all okay while the fire was being put out. 

"We were at Zach's house." 

"Yeah, and then his mom left to get some pizza for us." 

"And then when we went to the lawn we saw smoke." 

"And then we ran." 

It seemed as if all the kids were living in this neighborhood because their parents came and began taking them and eventually, we were left with Owen and the little girl who's name I learned was Gabriella. 

"Where's your mom, Gabriella?" Zach asked. 

"She went with Zach's mom. We were having a sleepover," she answered while sniffling. She began crying and once that happened, Owen started crying too. Zach and I looked at each other before we seated them on the hood of the car and tried our best to calm them down. 

"Owen, does your dad not live with you?" I asked hesitantly while rubbing circles on his back. He shook his head slowly. I sighed, feeling sorry for the kid while hugging him. We stood there for about an hour and they both had dozed off in our arms while the fire was finally put out. 

A car pulled up and two panicked women walked out. Zach and I walked over to them with the kids in our arms who were stirring and slowly waking up. I explained what had happened while handing Owen over to his mom. 

"Thank you so much," she gasped while hugging him tightly. 

I nodded while glancing over at Zach who was still holding Gabriella. He kneeled on the sidewalk while she stood in front of him seeming confused. He explained to her slowly that his mom was here, that she'd be okay. He wiped her tears, he said something that made her giggle, he tickled her to put a smile on her face and once she was calm, he placed her hand in her mother's and waved her bye. 

Watching him with a kid, the way he was attentive and gave her all his attention, the way he cradled her and took care of her, made her calm and put a smile on her face. I don't know what it was, maybe it was seeing him with a child, but I felt my feelings for him intensify, and the realization hit me hard, like a punch in the gut. The realization that I was falling for him. 

All the way from cloud nine. 

He turned to me and caught me staring. He looked at me quizzically before leading us back to his car. "Did that just happen? Did we just save a bunch of kids and a burning house?" he asked, seeming just as shocked as I was. 

"I think so," I mumbled while he started the car and began slowly driving to the apartment. "What do you think happened?" I questioned, gazing at the house while we drove past it. 

"I don't know. Maybe he left the stove on? Maybe he was drunk? Maybe it was an accident? I'm not sure," he sighed, keeping his eyes on the road. We went from joking about tonight to saving lives. 

What is going on? 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Oh, great. Look at that. The month is over yet here you two are. Still." Brett glowered at us as we sat on the couch, cuddling while watching the movie. Ever since we got here, Brett has been snickering and making snide remarks, not-so-subtly telling us to get the fuck out. 

"What is up with you? Why do you want us out of here so bad? Are you bringing over a girl or something?" Zach asked. 

We looked at him while he froze up for a second before acting nonchalant. "No, it's just weird having roommates that aren't meant to be here," he mumbled, shrugging a shoulder. 

Zach and I looked at each other knowingly before turning back to Brett. "You're bringing a girl over. Who is it? When? What happened?!" I squealed, sitting up while pausing the movie. 

He rolled his eyes before sitting on the coffee table in front of us. "It's Amy. I have a date with her tomorrow," he admitted. 

"How did it happen?" I asked, squeezing Zach's hand in excitement. 

In all the years that I've known Brett, he's never actually had a girlfriend, and we've all wanted him to have one because everyone agreed he was boyfriend material. I never understood why he wouldn't just stick with one girl but that was his choice I suppose. 

"You asked her out?" Zach questioned. 

"No, she asked me. She said after that party she felt like we had something. She wanted to get to know me a bit better so I agreed. I mean, why not? Right?" he asked. 

"Right," Zach and I replied together. 

"Okay, well. I will go freak out about my date tomorrow now. Goodnight," he saluted us with two fingers before disappearing into his room. 

"Oh, my God. I am so happy for him. It's about time he got a girlfriend," I chuckled, crossing my legs and sitting facing Zach. 

"Why do you think he hasn't gotten a girlfriend earlier?" he questioned. 

"I don't know," I shrugged a reply. 

"I know for a fact I'm not supposed to tell you this. And I'm not supposed to know either," he huffed while sitting straight. 

"What?" I asked, curious and nervous. 

What wasn't I supposed to know? 

"Brett liked you. For like two years," he said. 

"What?" I chuckled, extremely confused. 

"The two years that I was gone. He got close to you. He really liked you. That's why he's always so defensive when it comes to you. That's why he likes taking care of you and making sure you're okay. He likes you. Or he did. I don't know," he mumbled the last bit gruffly. 

"Who told you this?" I asked. 

"Nathan. He figured it out but he never asked Brett. He just knew," he replied. 

I didn't know what to say. I mean, of course, he doesn't like me anymore. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to go out with Amy. 

Why didn't he tell me? What would I have done if he did tell me? 

"Did you ever like him?" Zach asked reluctantly. 

I thought for a while before answering. "No, it's always been you. Just you."

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter thirty-six

SIS

I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY EXPECT US TO SIT IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN THE ENTIRE DAY FOR ONLINE SCHOOL. AND NOT. GET. A. FREAKING. HEADACHEEEEEE!!!!!

My head has literally been pounding all freaking day. Like WHAT?!

Anyway.

Next Chapter: Shattered

Things are going a little too well...