Obsession

Chapter Two: Incident

(8 years ago) or (2 years later)

"Bye Jake." Ethan said as he closed the front door.

He trudged over to the couch and collapsed. He groaned of exhaustion and decided to shut his eyes for a bit.

Well that bit turned into an hour and Ethan was awoken by the door slamming open and two pairs of feet running.

Ethan sat up thinking it was Mallory and Scout but he was pleasantly surprised to see Mallory with another girl. Not Scout.

"Ethan you have to help us." Mallory said shaking Ethan with a very urgent looking expression.

"Mal what's up? Where is Scout?" Ethan asked looking at the new girl worriedly.

"Scout's in trouble." Mallory said with tears now streaming down her cheeks.

Ethan pulled on his shoes and ran out the door to see a bunch of boys throwing rocks at a bloody and battered Scout.

"HEY!" Ethan yelled scaring off all of the idiotic first grade boys.

"Scout, are you okay?" Ethan asked as Scout collapsed in his arms.

"Scout?" The new girl asked but Ethan but he ignored her and rushed her inside.

"How old are you anyways?" The new girl asked Ethan.

"He's ten." Mallory said running into the house after Ethan. "You better get home now Ally."

Ally nodded and ran home.

"Ethan what do we do?" Mallory asked worriedly.

"I'm okay." Scout tried to say strongly but it came out as a whisper.

"Scout you are far from okay." Ethan said with a look that could kill a village of people and Donald Trump. At least that's what Scout's Mom said when she looked like that. So Scout whispered something that just about shattered Ethan's heart and made him feel horrible for Scout.

"I've been through worse. I'll be fine. I promise, I always have been before." Scout whispered.

A tear slipped out of Ethan's forest green eye. It was then that he realized how much he cared about her. It was when he put aside his pride and cried for a six year old girl.

"I know you'll be okay. But I think you need help to be okay again so let Mal and I help you. Okay Scout?" Ethan said as another traitorous tear fell.

Scout nodded her head. She'd known Ethan and Mallory for two years and this was the first time she had ever seen Ethan cry.

He had always seemed unbreakable. The way he stood up for her and Mallory at school when bullies teased them on the playground.

This wasn't that kid. This was Ethan letting down his guard and little Scout recognized that.

Scout sat up and wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck. Even though it consumed her terrible pain to do so, it was better then seeing Ethan cry.

"Don't be sad Ethan." Scout whispered in his ear. "Be brave. Like they do on TV. Like Hercules."

Ethan nodded. "Okay."

Scout pulled away and smiled at Ethan. She looked down at herself as if just realizing how much she was bleeding.

"Can I have a band-aid?" Scout asked and Ethan chuckled.

"You'll need more then a band-aid to fix this mess Scout." Ethan said as he set her down on the couch.

Mallory had gone up to her room to get Scout some new clothes to wear seeing as the ones she wore before were bloody and had dirt on them.

"Yeah, probably." Scout said looking down at herself.

Ethan chuckled and nodded getting down the first aid kit and propping it open.