Playing the Villain

{ one hour earlier }

"I don't know. I don't think it's good idea for me to leave you alone, even if it's only for a couple of hours." Layna places the pitcher of water down onto her grandson's nightstand and takes a seat on his bed. Reaching her hand out, she presses a palm against his cheek and then his forehead. His temperature has gone down a little but his skin still feels scorching hot, like black asphalt on a sunny summer day.

"I'll be fine," he sniffles as he gently pushes her hand away. "It's Mrs Gertrude's birthday. You can't miss it." Through the years, he has always caused an inconvenience for his grandmother but now that he's old enough, he wants to help alleviate some of that burden from her. He wants her to get out and have fun.

"How about I ask Charles to have one of the kids come check up on you?" she suggests.

"No, don't do that," Ethan says, trying his best not to cough. "I don't want to be a nuisance to them. Plus, I could get someone sick. I'll just call you every hour to tell you that I'm okay. How does that sound?"

The woman contemplates about it and then shakes her head. "What if you get hungry?"

She's always worrying about him. "I can make something for myself," he assures, the corners of his lips pulling up to form a small and slightly strained smile. "I'm not a helpless kid anymore. And I've got Maxwell."

"Alright, if you say so." Layna concedes at last. "But remember, every hour. If I don't hear from you, I'm calling the police and sending them over right away."

"Don't worry," he laughs, "I've got this covered."

Or so he thought.

Ethan's throat feels like it's being rubbed down by sandpaper as he undergoes another coughing frenzy. His immune system has never been that great. As a child, he fell ill frequently, especially when the seasons were changing. His compromised immune system is the main reason he isn't too fond of winter. Since the weather has been getting colder lately, his body has become more susceptible to viruses, explaining his current, infirm condition.

This isn't anything new to him though. By this point in time, the boy has grown accustomed to getting sick. Unfortunately, it's almost like a second nature to him now.

But just because he's used to it, doesn't make it any less of a pain in the ass. When he's burning hot, it's as if someone has doused his entire body with gasoline and set him on fire, while, at the same time, his lungs feel like they're ready to explode at any moment. After a couple of days, however, he'll be back to his old, healthy self. Until then, he'll have to keep taking his medicine on schedule and try to avoid dying from boredom.

Despite what people might tell you, staying at home isn't all that fun. To be honest, he'd rather be in school right now, as strange as that may sound. Could the medication be messing with his brain? I mean, what normal teenager actually wants to go to school? Well, the kind that's got incentive, of course.

Although it's only been a couple of days since he last saw her face, Ethan is yearning to see the girl, whose eyes are the most beautiful deep forest-green he's ever encountered. He wasn't kidding when he said he had gotten lost in her eyes the day they first met. In fact, he meant every single word. How could anyone not get entranced by such ethereal irises? God, this is progressing faster than he anticipated. He's not talking about this fever either.

He's referring to the feelings he has for her.

With each passing second, they have been growing stronger and stronger and Ethan's not sure how he's supposed to handle the situation anymore. Originally, he had planned to stow those feelings away, never allowing them to see daylight ever again. But if you've been in his shoes before (come on, don't be shy; we've all been there), you know it's not exactly the easiest thing to accomplish. Keeping away from Charlie has proven to be an arduous task, especially when she's the only person he feels like he could be himself with.

And as selfish as this might sound, Ethan doesn't want to give it up. He doesn't want to give her up. Yes, morally speaking, it is very wrong for him to pine after a girl, who, let's not forget, already has a boyfriend. But the heart wants what the heart wants. Just ask Selena Gomez.

Typically, in the movies he secretly enjoys watching (don't tell anyone, specifically Charlie), the person foolish enough to head down this dreaded path of unrequited love would inevitably be hurt. Ethan is well aware that if he decides to take this route, it would do him more harm than good. He'll most likely end up with a broken heart, filled with bitterness, and he doesn't want that. He doesn't want to resent the girl. She means too much to him now.

The only way he can keep Charlie by his side, without endangering everything they've managed to build thus far, is to draw a clear line between the two of them. Ethan must accept that they're friends and that's all they'll ever be. He has started to make an effort to steer clear from the girl, like when he rejected her offer to pay him a visit last night. It was hard to do but he succeeded.

Nevertheless, he misses her. He misses her a lot, actually.

Suddenly, there is a knock on his door, causing Ethan to look over and the golden retriever to rise to his feet in curiosity. The door creaks open and the boy's eyes round at the sight of the person standing on the other side. Maxwell, on the other hand, immediately recognizes the guest and barks happily. Too bad Ethan isn't as excited as he is. He forces himself to sit up, using the headboard to support his weight. "What are you doing here?" he questions, his voice hoarse.

"Your grandmother called me," Olivia explains as she reaches down and runs her fingers through Maxwell's fur. "She didn't feel comfortable leaving you unattended." 

"I told her I could take care of myself," Ethan grumbles.

"I don't doubt that," his father chuckles. "But sometimes, it's better to have a helping hand." Olivia flashes a subtle smile as she stays where she is. "Are you hungry? Should I make lunch?"

"No, I'm fine." Ethan coughs. "You can leave. I'm sure you're busy."

"I do have an appointment later in the evening but that's not for a while. Until then, I'm all yours," the woman assures before she spins around to leave.

Biting on the bottom of his lip, Ethan calls out to her, "Dad?"

As if she's been waiting for him to say something to her, Olivia whirls back around to look at him. "Yes?"

"I'm...I'm sorry for not picking up any of your calls," he apologizes softly, but still loud enough for her to hear.

His words invokes a bright and generous smile from his father. "It's quite alright," Olivia replies. "I know it hasn't been easy for you. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Once she is out of view, Ethan shuts his eyes and exhales through his stuffy nose. Next, the chiming of the doorbell echoes through the house, pulling him away from his train of thoughts. Who could that be? He gets his answer when he hears a familiar voice.

"Hello?" It seems like Maxwell also registers the identity of the unexpected visitor because he is already out the door. 

Ethan's heart stops upon the recollection of Olivia's presence. Crap! He has to get the girl out of there before the two of them meet! He doesn't want Charlie to think differently of him due to his father's...unique situation. God knows how many people did that back in Stowe. Tossing the covers off, Ethan does his best to make it downstairs without tripping and breaking a bone in his fragile body. Slightly out of breath, he reaches the living room and spots his neighbor.

"Charlie, what are you doing here?" he wheezes.

"I came to check up on you." He notices her looking at something and traces her line of sight. He finds a purse on the couch. It must be Olivia's. "But I see that you have a guest. I should leave you two alone." Her tone is callous and that's when it hits him like a ton of bricks.

"Wait," he pleads, grasping onto her arm and holding her back. He can't let her leave like this. "Please don't misunderstand. This isn't what it looks like," he rasps out.

"I'm not misunderstanding anything," she disagrees, yanking out of his hold. He can see the betrayal flicker behind her eyes and a wave of guilt washes over him. "What you decide to do in your house is none of my business."

"Seriously, Charlie. You've got it all wro—" His sentence is left incomplete when Olivia rolls onto the scene.

"Ethan, is someone here?" she queries. The two teenagers turn towards her and Ethan groans in frustration. This isn't how he pictured this. He combs through his messy bed-hair with his fingers and inhales deeply. His past has finally caught up to him. He's got no other choice now but to tell her the truth.

After mustering the courage, Ethan looks up and observes her reaction. Her eyebrows are knitted together at the center of forehead while the corners of her lips defy gravity, pulling downwards. It's obvious she's baffled by the whole thing.

"Charlie, I want you to meet Olivia...my dad."

There's nothing but silence.

Once Charlie's brain absorbs his words, though, she snaps out of her stupor. "Y-your dad?" she stammers out, turning back to the woman. She did not expect that. That's what she gets for jumping to conclusions on her own. "Hello, Mr Moron—I mean Morindozo." She catches another mistake and shakes her head.

"Shit, that's not right either. I mean Miss Morindozo?" Her voice grows an octave higher, informing them that she's clearly flustered by the ordeal. You can't blame her. It's the first time she's been in this kind of situation. "Sorry, I should stop. What do you prefer?"

Amused, the woman chortles and walks up to the girl. "You can just call me Olivia. Thank you for asking. It's nice to meet you." She holds her hand out and Charlie allows their palm to touch as they shake hands. "You must be the young lady who lives across the street. My mother talks highly of you."

"She does?" Charlie blinks.

"She does." Olivia grins. "It's not like Ethan to be spending so much time with someone of the opposite gender. Unless, of course, he's—" This time, the boy interrupts her, his cheeks burning hot. It's not just because of his fever either.

"Dad, you can leave," he states anxiously. "Didn't you say you had an appointment?"

"But that's not for another two hours," Olivia says.

"Better early than late, right?" Ethan counters. "Besides, Charlie's here now. She can stay with me until Ms. Layna comes back. We've got a lot of talking to do anyways."

Charlie cocks her head as she stares at him. "We do?"

He nods. "We do." 

"Alright then," Olivia resigns. She wanted to spend more time with him, but just being able to see Ethan is more than enough for her. "Please take care of him." She goes to fetch her heels and purse.

Slightly confused, Charlie nods her head anyways. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

From the front door, they watch as the woman climbs into her Bentley and backs out of the driveway. Soon after, her car disappears down the road. "I was going to tell you about my dad," Ethan begins. "I was just waiting for the right moment."

Charlie shuts the door and turns to him. It's a lot to take in but she's always been someone with an open-mind. "It's okay. I get it. You don't need to explain anything," she says as they make their way over to the couch.

"You aren't weirded out?" Ethan asks carefully as they take a seat. "You don't think she's a...freak?"

"Why would I do think that?" she returns with her lips pursed out.

"Because that's what everyone back in Stowe said," he mutters bitterly. Even the people he thought were his friends treated him like he had been some kind of extraterrestrial life-form when the news of his father being transgender came to light.

Charlie recognizes the hurt in his voice. No wonder why he's never talked about his old friends or his time in Stowe that much. "Is that why you left?" He doesn't say anything and simply nods. "What about your mom?"

"She felt so humiliated when she found out," Ethan narrates. "She filed for divorce and left on her own as soon as the court approved."

"Wow, that was rather selfish of her," Charlie condemns. "Why doesn't she, Olivia I mean, live with you and Layna? It seems like she cares about you a lot."

"She met a man," he sighs. "Plus, it was just easier and less confusing this way. To be honest, I'm still adjusting to it too."

"Well, I'm sure she's cool. She's got you for a son, doesn't she?" she comments, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Ethan is still silent and Charlie deems it appropriate to alter the topic. "By the way, I brought some things over. They're supposed to help with the flu." She dumps the bags onto the table and Ethan can't help but examine some of the items she brought. Without realizing it, Charlie rambles on.

"The list said I should buy you ice cream because it'll help soothe your throat. I also got turkey meat. It's lean in protein which makes for a healthy diet or some shit like that. Hopefully you have bread or this will be awkward. Oh, and I got you tomato juice. Well, it said vegetable juice but same difference, right? I also grabbed a can of chicken soup. Oh, and this is ginger,"—she lifts the plant up and sniffs it—"I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with it though. There's tea and bananas too."

"Thanks but you didn't have to do this," he points out, touched by the effort. "You've done more than enough just by being here and not judging me and my family."

"Nobody's perfect. Have you met my family?" Charlie jokes. "Don't mention it. I wanted to do this," she answers. "What kind of friend would I be if I left you here to fend for yourself?" she laughs. Her smile has the ability to make his heart short-circuit every single time and against his better judgment, Ethan moves in closer to her.

"Maybe you just bite into the ginger or—" She turns to look at him and her breath gets trapped in her wind-pipe when she realizes the space in between them has disappeared without her knowledge.  

Gingerly, Ethan places a palm against her cheek as his eyes wander down to her pink lips. "Are you trying to make me into the bad guy?" he whispers, his voice dangerously low before he lifts his chin back up and locks gazes with her.

"Because I'm this close to becoming the villain of this story and I don't think I can stop and turn back anymore."

- - -

Author's Thoughts: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. THIS CHAPTER <3 Now we know what happened to Ethan which caused him to move and what not! That last sentence. Just take my soul. How cute was Charlie buying all of those random things?

I've also decided to change Hayden back to Ansel (who was the original Hayden because he fits more in my opinion). Thanks for all of the birthday wishes and being awesome people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I did.