Chapter 18: Broken people

Ethan and I are talking again, but I kind of just stopped bringing up the fact that we like each other. It's starting to hurt when he changes the subject, so I just decided to not talk about it at all.

It's been about 2 months now sense we moved here, and for about 6 weeks out of these 2 months, Ethan and I have been really good friends. He walks me to class, and sometimes we buy each other food and we tell jokes and I help him with school work sometimes, but so far dating talk has been avoided.

I know it sounds crazy how fast I started to like this boy, but it happens sometimes and I'm not even completely sure I like him. I think I'm just wrapped up in his mystery.

"So, are you coming tomorrow night?" I ask excitedly. Ethan scrunched up his face and raised his eyebrows.

"You.... Say that like I'm supposed to know what you're talking about?" he says in more of a question as he bites into his sandwich.

I stare blankly at him.

"Okay, so you obviously need to start coming to school more and LISTENING TO ME! because I have been talking about this for like 2 weeks." I express.

"You better not be talking about homecoming." He says with a chuckle.

"I am talking about the homecoming game. " I say acting as if I'm offended.

"Oh come on Sammy, you know that's not my scene." He says giving me a side ways smile and I frown.

"Yeah, but you've never seen me preform and you've never been to a school event, it can't hurt." I try to convince.

"Oh, but thats where you are wrong my friend, it ALWAYS hurts." he says. I frown.

"Nevermind, I'm kidding, I know it's not your scene." I say with a fake chuckle and smile. I was honestly really hoping he'd agree to come to the game.

"Oh thank God!" He says in relief and holds my shoulder while planting his hand on his chest. I sigh and throw a half hearted smile.

"I gotta go."I say, stepping out of his car and walking towards the school. We were in the parking lot, it was after school, and it was time for me to go to practice.

I could hear his car door opening up and shutting. And I turn to see him casually walking behind me. I turn back in front of me and frown to myself.

Without turning around I ask, "What are you doing?".

"About to watch you perform." He says calmly and I stop.

"What?" I ask shocked.

"You said how I've never seen you perform, so now I wanna see what I've been missing." He says with a smirk, turns my body back around and pushes me to the front doors.

A soft smile falls upon my lips and the it erases as soon as I realize that, he's touching me now but when we get in the gym, he's going to sit in the very back and act like he doesn't know me.

I sigh as we make it to the gym, and it's filled with about 16 guys, and a bunch of freshmen girls, admiring Michelle.

  Ethan sits on the bleachers and I huddle in with the girls.

  "This homecoming battle is some of our last, and we are GOING to make it count. East Prep is just waiting for a slip up." Michelle says. I sigh, I've heard a lot about East Prep, I was actually going to go there because they had the best cheer team in the state, but I didn't because I didn't think I was good enough.

" We are going to really work on stunts today, and because we have smaller people on the squad this year, it should be fairly easy." She continues.

  "We've made a list of names, I'd like you all to line up shoulder to shoulder by the names I call." Said Ella, another Captain.

   "Francis, Dani, Sarah, Cleo , Samantha..." I lined shoulder to shoulder with Cleo, more like shoulder to elbow, but you know what I mean.

For some reason I look over my shoulder and try to look at Ethan but I turn my head before I could even see anything.

"You all are our candidates to be the leaper." Michelle says with a smug smile. I just about faint.

  "Really?" I ask in disbelief. This is crazy! I just started!

   "Well, yeah you're really small so it would be super easy to toss you, and we've noticed through practices how light you are on your feet with those flips, but do not worry, you're not just getting anything handed to you. You have competition. NOW LET'S MOVE IT GIRLS!!" Ella says. I smile and we warm up.

" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" "" ""

I almost left the gym without Ethan, I was on cloud 9, I had the biggest opportunity and so soon!

  "Wait up!" I hear Ethan say, and I stop in my tracks.

  "Sorry." I sah once he's in earshot.

  "You were great out there, being tiny is actually a good thing for you." He says and pats me on the shoulder. I death glare him.

  "Im not tiny, thats super dramatic." I say and roll my eyes. He just chuckles and keeps walking.

"You hungry?" He asks. I smile.

"Was that really a question?" I say giving him a 'duh' look. He chuckles and grabs mh wrist, while dragging me to the car.

Before we could even buckle in though, he got a call.

"Hello?....No, no....I'll be there. Look, I said I'll be there! Chill, I got you." He says with an annoyed expression. After a few more 'mhmms' and 'okays' he hung up and sighed.

"What was that all about?" I ask with a chuckle, but he just stares at me blankly. My face falls.

   "Raincheck on that food? I have to go." He says and I stumble with an answer.

   "Uh....we...yeah, sure." I say and open the door to his car. He sighs and looks down.

   "I'm sorry." He says and pulls off before I could even say goodbye.

I look down at my shoes and around the empty parking lot, Michelle had already left and I was there all alone, which means, I had to walk home, in the dark. How could he just leave me like that?

I slowly walk away from the school with my ears perked and eyes focused on my feet. My body was tired from practice, and I didnt feel like walking. I was actually really hungry after practice and the thought of being feed was now just a sour taste in my mouth, because it was a complete hope crusher. I could seriously cry right now.

And the moment I thought that, I did. I did cry because I literally just got kicked out of a car drivin by my crush, who promised me food after working out for 2 and a half hours, so yeah... Im crying!

I was now about 12 minutes away from my house but I was too hungry to function so I took a detour to the nearest corner store and bought a couple snacks.

    On my way out I walk past an alley. I didnt notice it before and there were two guys standing in it.

   They were giving each other 'hand shakes' which was clearly a drug deal of some sort so I quickly turn my head so I wouldnt see.

  It was a little too late though, because I saw a face and that face looked so familiar that I had to double-take out of instinct and who I saw made my stomach drop.

Thankfully they didnt see me, so I ran home as fast as I could and ran upstairs without saying a word and sat down on my bed in shook, I wasnt able to react.

Where the rumors true? Is Ethan really a criminal? Is he really dangerous and not safe to be around?

Its so hard to believe, why would he do that? Why? I thought I had really gotten to know him, he could very easily be one of my bestfriends and now I feel like I've been friends with a completely different dude.

   I feel so stupid.