"Ethan, Scout is staying the night!" Mallory exclaimed running circles around Ethan as he stood in the kitchen attempting to make pizza for his Home & Careers class.
"Cool." Ethan said bored. Mallory was like this every time that Scout stayed overnight.
Normally it was because Scout's Mom was a nurse who worked night shifts and her Dad was out of town. That's what he said at least. Ethan actually knew that he was just sleeping around at the club downtown.
"I'm really excited to talk about boys with Scout. I heard she has a crush on Matthew." Mallory said bouncing up and down in place.
The last bit made Ethan freeze his movement.
Crush?
He knew that she would have one eventually but he hadn't considered how he would feel about it.
He was slightly disgusted with himself.
She's seven. I'm eleven. It's just not right.
Ethan was appalled by his own thoughts. Why should he care? So what? Scout has a crush on Matthew. Whoever the hell Matthew is.
The front door swung open revealing a very cheery Scout.
"Hey Mallory! Hey Ethan!" Scout said happily.
"What're you so happy about?" Mallory asked wiggling her eyebrows.
Ethan felt like vomiting.
"I saw Matthew today. He said hi to me and told me I was pretty." Scout said with a huge grin.
Okay, now Ethan felt like punching the crap out of someone. And then vomiting.
Was this stress? What had 6th grade done to him?!
Ethan turned off the stove and ran upstairs. He couldn't bear to be in the same room as Scout. Not when he was feeling like this. He really didn't want to scare her away.
Ethan decided to go on a jog. His jog turned out to be a two hour run across town and back.
He didn't realize he had been running for so long until he got home and saw Mallory and Scout eating pizza and watching Netflix.
"Hey sweetie. How was school?" Mrs. Tanner asked Ethan as he grabbed a slice of pizza.
"Great." Ethan said hurriedly as he began to stress eat. Hardcore too.
He was on his third slice when he realized Scout and Mallory were looking at him with conceded expressions that made Ethan feel worse.
He didn't deserve their concern. He wasn't worth it. He thought of himself as worthless. A wretched person to feel like that towards a child.
He stopped eating and grinned sheepishly at the girls. "I'm just worried about a big test." Ethan assured them.
It was a huge lie, obviously. But, they seemed satisfied with the answer and continued on with their conversation.
"So are you guys going to kiss?" Mallory asked Scout who giggled and her cheeks turned rosy.
"I don't know." She mumbled.
Now Ethan felt beyond mad. Her first kiss should be saved for when she's older. Or for Ethan. Either way, his mind was pretty much set on keeping other boys away from Scout until he could have her.
Now, Ethan decided right there and then that if he still felt about her like this when they were older, adults perhaps, then he could allow himself to have her. But until then she's no one's and if he had to claim her as his own, then so be it.
One thing was for sure. Scout would not be kissing this Matthew kid.
——————— Hello kiddos!
Hope you're enjoying the story so far.
I just wanted to show you the currently possible covers.
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