part of me | e.d

two

ethan rushed into the classroom just as the bell rang. damnit. i slouched lower in my seat, hoping he wouldn't notice me. he looked around the classroom for an empty seat. the only empty seat was the one directly in front of mine.

he looks up, making eye contact with me before he walks over to the seat. he drops his backpack on the floor and turns around to sit.

"welcome to literature, everyone." Mr. Parker began his yearly rundown of the rules and expectations of his class. i honestly tuned out after the first sentence. it's not like i haven't heard it for every period of every class each year.

i look at ethan sitting in front of me, shoulders slouched as he breathed steadily. it felt weird to be near him again.

but i honestly missed him. he was my best friend.

after what happened, i decided i didn't want to be close to anyone again. it only caused pain. the only person i talk to is my dad, and even he is beginning to distance himself the more i push him away.

Mr. Parker finished speaking and began handing out textbooks. as he went down the rows, ethan turned in his seat. i look away, hoping he'll ignore me.

"hey ry."

i sigh and finally acknowledge him.

"hey ethan."

he grins slightly, his cheekbones becoming more visible. i finally make eye contact with his hazel eyes and feel a comfort in seeing him again. but i then quickly feel a sharp tug in my heart, the events of summer being run through my mind again. i can't do this.

"do you think we can may-"

Mr. Parker cuts him off by passing by our two seats, plopping textbooks down on our desks. ethan exhales and i can hear disappointment lacing his breath. i feel a wave of relief wash over me.

"write your names on the front covers," Mr. Parker states monotonously and moves on to the next row.

ethan turns in his seat, taking a pen out from his bag. i see him hunch over a little, scribbling his name in.

i do the same and close the cover. i slip my book in my backpack since i wouldn't need it for later.

Mr. Parker finishes passing out textbooks by the time we're done writing our names in and goes back up to the front of the class. he explains our first assignment: read the first chapter of the textbook and write notes and any vocabulary.

the bell then rings since today is a shortened day meant only for introductions in classes. i quickly pack up my stuff hoping to avoid ethan. i walk out of the classroom and towards my second period without him stopping me.

-

lunch.

i walk into the cafeteria seeing most of the tables already filled. fuck, i mumble under my breath. i continue walking until i see amy waving her hands wildly to get my attention. being that i had no other choice, i walk over to her table and sit.

"hey rylin!" she says brightly. i give her a small wave, crossing my arms over the table.

more of her friends show up, all just as chipper as she is. usually i sat with ethan and his friends but since i was avoiding him, i had to sit with amy.

out of the corner of my eye, i see ethan walk in with grayson, his twin brother, and ryan, one of grayson's good friends. they sit at a round table not too far from ours.

"so how's your day been? i haven't seen you since literature," amy asks.

"it's been okay. same old, same old." she nods and turns to chat with her other friends. i couldn't blame her, i was far less interesting than her friends. i sit there silently, sneaking glances at ethan. he was just talking with grayson and ryan, eating his sandwich.

i was grateful he finally got the point but at the same time wished i could be with him, laughing like old times.

i knew if i did that, i'd get too close to him and end up hurt if anything ever happened to him.

the bell rang for lunch to be over and i continued on with this boring day.

-

once the day was finally over, i headed over to my locker, grabbing my coat. i exited the building at the nearest door and walked to my car. it was still raining so i had my hood up and walked quicker.

the drive back home surprisingly wasn't too bad, probably because i left before the after school rush.

back home, i walked into an empty house. my dad was still working, like always. i tossed my keys on the entrance table and took off my coat.

i walked upstairs towards my bedroom. closing the door, i closed my eyes and breathed deeply. i hated being home. it just brought back all the memories.

i slid down the door, my back against it. i sat with my knees tucked to my chest as tears flowed down my cheeks. i wish i could turn my mind off just for one frickin day.

my phone buzzed in my back pocket. i slowly reached for it and saw a notification for a text message.

ethan | 3:52 PM

please talk to me

i sighed, setting my phone down on the floor beside me. I wiped my tear-stained cheeks and took a deep breath.

i picked up my phone again and finally typed out a response.

me | 3:55 PM

come over now

pressing send, i got up and walked over to my mirror. i grabbed a makeup wipe from my dresser and wiped the mascara from under my eyes. i didn't want him to see me like this.

i was just going to assure him that i was fine and didn't need him to keep trying to talk to me. hopefully then he'll leave me alone.

i sat on my bed, waiting to hear the doorbell ring.

- - -

there's the second chapter! i hope you guys are liking it so far!

I promise it gets more interesting very soon.

comment and vote! i really appreciate it!

- lexi