Hickeys | Ethan Dolan

ch. twenty-five

It was late at night- almost midnight. I sat up in my bed trying onto complete my homework as soft rain fell on the windows of my room. Music played from a nearby speaker. I lightly hummed the lyrics.

Ethan kept crossing my mind after each math problem. He was my solution. I just wish I knew how I got down this far.

My phone dinged. I looked at the dim screen  expecting Ethan to text me. It wasn't Ethan.It wasn't Wesley, either.

It was Julie.

julie

i need help

I thought for a minute.

Is she just kidding? Does she really need help? Why is she asking me for help?

why?

I instantly regretted hitting send. I felt like Julie really was in a bad dilemma. She spends most of her time with Wesley now. I know what Wesley is like. He's not calm and collected. Wesley gets angry and punches and screams.

I picked up my phone again and rapidly began to type another message.

is it wesley???

Julie read the message immediately. The bubbles popped up to show she was typing. I braced myself for what she was going to say.

yes!! he's mad and i
kinda locked myself
in the bathroom bc i
don't like when he is
upset... i'm scared.

I looked outside. The rain was harder than what it was a few minutes ago.

I grabbed my keys and called Julie. She answered panting into the speaker.

I remember that feeling.

"Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you." I said climbing into my car and starting the ignition.

Julie whimpered. In the background noise, I could hear Wesley banging on the door. Faint words of profanity came from his mouth, but I couldn't tell which ones.

I sped through the puddles on the street to Wesley's house. "Just stay put." I gulped. "You'll be fine. I'm coming."

Julie cried lightly into the speaker. The bangs were getting louder. I hung up and called Ethan.

"Hey, ba-"

"Meet me at Wesley's house in ten. It's important." I shouted.

"Woah, what's going on?" He asked. The jingle of his keys sounded faintly.

I took a deep breath as I had to sit behind a grandma going twenty in the thirty. "Julie is in trouble with Wesley."

Ethan sighed. "I'm on my way."

We hung up. My mind floated to imagine the first time Wesley came home drunk and upset. He tried to fight me.

I locked myself in the bathroom, too. The door didn't last long. I had to hit him in the head with a metal box. I don't remember what it was for, but thank the heavens it was there.