Our Toxic Love

Chapter Three

*Ethan's POV*

I made my way to Nina's house after school. Now, I'm currently standing at her front door, ringing the doorbell and knocking on the door simultaneously.

Two minutes later, no one admits me into the house. I twist the doorknob and realize that the door is unlocked. I walk in.

"Nina?" I call out.

No reply.

I ascend the staircase and make my way to her bedroom. Now, you might think: seriously, that's just rude as hell; who walks into someone's house uninvited and shit? But let's just say this isn't the first time I've done this.

I walk into her room just as she exits the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and her wavy shoulder-length hair dripping wet.

"Don't you knock?" she asks, not seeming the least bit irritated.

"No," I reply.

"Well, what do you want?"

"You already know there's a party this weekend and shit-"

"Bitch, please, I was the first one invited," she rolls her eyes. "Get out, I need to get dressed."

"Nothing I haven't seen before," I remind her.

She shrugs and drops the towel in a pool around her legs. My eyes rake down her naked body.

I sit on her bed and rest my back on the headboard, making myself comfortable.

"What do you know about Ariana Dales?" I ask her.

She uses the towel to dry her hair. "Don't tell me you're doing what I think you're doing?"

I roll my eyes. "Last time was pretty fun."

She glares at me. "Ethan, you can't just keep asking me to do this every time."

"Just this once," I whine.

"I have a lot of secrets. What would you give me in exchange for the best ones?"

I pause. "Sex."

She rolls her eyes. "You can't buy me with sex, Ethan."

I frown. "I can't?"

She looks like she's about to say something but I quickly leap off the bed and walking closer to her. I grip her chin and press my lips to hers.

When I pull away, I make sure I'm looking her straight in the eye.

"Her mom's dead, her dad doesn't care about her, she pissed her pants two years ago by accident in the school bus, and her nickname's Tinkle Pants," she says, not even stopping to breathe.

I smile rather evilly. "That's my girl," I say, ruffling her wet hair.

Nina opens her mouth to retort but is interrupted once again, this time, by the sound of my phone ringing with multiple messages. It must've connected to Nina's wifi.

I reach into my pocket and read my texts from Luke.

*come back home*

*ethan this is imprtabt*

*dude where r u*

*whys ur phonr off*

*I'm tryibg to call*

*saint Louis hospital now*

*ETHAN U DIPSHIT*

I frown at my phone's screen. Why would I have to go to the hospital right now? What's so urgent? Who's hurt?

Just when I start to type a text to send to Luke, my phone rings and his name appears on the screen.

"What's happening?" I say into my phone.

"Man, where are you? I've been calling you nonstop. Was your phone on airplane mode or something? Just come to Saint Louis's Hospital right now."

"What happened?"

"It's dad and Sasha-"

At the mention of Sasha, I turn my phone back off and rush to the door.

"Ethan, what's wrong?" Nina asks, obviously worried.

I ignore her and leave her house.

I may be a heartless bastard with no regard for anyone's feelings-but my little sister was an exception. I care about her more than anyone in the world and to hear that she's in the hospital right now with my dad for some... I just don't know what to think.

_________________

"Where've you been?" Luke demands.

His green eyes are filled with worry and his brown hair is so messy that I guess he's been running his fingers through it all day.

"There was a lot of traffic," I pant.

I had to run up about five flights of stairs just to get here because the elevator just wouldn't show up.

"Dad and Sasha were in a car accident," Luke says.

I let that sentence sink in.

"How'd it happen?" I ask, my heart pounding.

"Dad was on this highway and... well, I don't know. He just got distracted and lost control of the car and... he slammed into about three other cars."

"Have you seen them? Where's mom?"

"No, they wouldn't let me in yet. Mom's on her business trip, she'll be here a couple of hours."

I feel like I'm about to pass out. How could this happen? How could this have possibly happened?

A few hours later, I'm admitted into the hospital room. The sight of my father pains me. His face was bruised and wounded and paler than I've ever seen it. But it was nothing compared to Sasha's mutilation. She was once a beautiful little girl with green eyes and blond hair. But now, her face and arms are covered with gashes and swollen wounds. I don't know what to do or say. I just stand there, rooted to the spot.

"Eethy," Sasha whimpers, trying to see through her swollen eyes.

I walk over to her, trying to ignore the burning feeling in my stomach and the tears threatening to spill.

I glance at the heart monitor next to her before turning my attention back to her face.

"Are you okay?" I ask her. Stupid question.

She tries to shake her head painfully, the tears streaming down her face.

Minutes pass by as I sit there, staring at her in silence.

"I love you, Eethy," she whispers, his voice is low and raspy. The sound of it makes my stomach clench.

"I-"

Before I have time to respond, nurses rush into the room and begin to pull me from Sasha's hospital bed.

"What? What happened?" I demand.

I'm pushed out of the room along with Luke. My mind is racing and I have no idea what's happening.

Minutes later, the doctor walks out of the room.

"I apologize for the sudden rush," he says. "We've run some tests and it seems that your little sister has cancer."

I feel the air squeeze out of my body. "Cancer?" I repeat.

He nodded gravely. "I'll have to discuss the details with your mother when she arrives."

I don't know what to think. I don't know what to feel. My little sweet and innocent sister has cancer.

My entire body goes numb. I feel my emotions shatter. There's a huge chance I could lose Sasha because of that damn disease. I start to wonder how fate could be so cruel, so harsh to just do that to a five year old girl.

I'm still lost in thought when my sobbing mother rushes towards Luke and me and starts to ask questions that are too painful to answer.