TUTORS ; E.D.

EPILOGUE: FIRSTS

"Come on, E! Just jump!"

Grayson's loud laugh rings out from below, encouraging his brother to jump from the bridge. Carla and Joey shout after, the three of them motioning first Ethan to join them in the water below.

He stares down, wide-eyed with his heart pounding in his ears. It was late summer now, and the waters below were deep again therefore safe to jump in, but it was still high.

The bars below him clang slightly, before a hand links with his. "Sorry I'm late," Aphrodite grins. He licks his lips, eyeing her up and down in her bikini. "They weren't picking on you too much, right, baby?"

"No... no s'okay. Just, uh, didn't realize I was so afraid of heights," he breathes, giving her a peck on the lips. Over the last several months, Ethan had somewhat become friends with Carla and Joey, and hung-out with them, Grayson, and Aphrodite a few times.

It started after Carla's birthday party in early spring. After Aphrodite convinced him to go, he actually had a decent time. Joey taught him how to play beer pong (with soda in Ethan's cups, because he didn't want to drink), Carla was super high, but he sat with her on the front step when she wanted to take a break from the party and talked to her for a while. She was actually pretty nice to him, though very blunt. Ethan learned they were both pretty cool.

Now, he hung out with them on occasion. Usually just with Aphrodite and Grayson, but a few times Joey has shown up and dragged Ethan out of the house for one reason or another, even if he just needs a wingman--not that Ethan was a great one.

Plus, they were close with Aphrodite again. Ethan wanted to be cool with her friends, because his online friends sure as hell liked her.

She peers over the ledge of the bridge, waving down below. "I'll jump with you. Or we can just go down to the bottom... I'm not really a fan of heights either."

"No, it's--let's do it."

"Alright, E. Let's go," Aphrodite let's out a breathy laugh, still holding his hand. They take a step back before jumping off, plunging into the cool water below.

They both gasp right before they hit the water, their hands drifting apart. Ethan surfaces first, shaking some water out of his hair, catching his breath and letting his heart calm down. Grayson high fives him, and then he notices Aphrodite still hasn't come up for air.

"W-where's Aph?" He breathes, looking around to see if he can spot her swimming up. The water is dark though, and he sees nothing. "Why isn't she--"

"Give her a sec, E," Joey chuckles as him and Grayson crack open a few beers by the shore. "Aphie can hold her breath for a while. She's probably trying to touch the bottom or something stupid."

He was right, because a few seconds later her head pops out of the water with a grin. Carla laughs, "See? She's fine."

"Aph, sweetheart, you scared me," Ethan mumbles, pulling her close. She hums, pressing their lips together as they make their way toward a more shallow part of the water. "Don't do that again, yeah?"

"Sorry, baby," Aphrodite laughs, holding up a mud covered hand and smearing some of it along his cheeks. "Touched the bottom!"

"Told you, dude," Joey snorts. Ethan pouts, pressing his cheek to hers to spread the mud. She laughs again, kissing him a few more times. "You guys are so disgustingly cute."

"Let them be, Joey," Carla rolls her eyes. "And toss me a beer?"

"They're like this all the fuckin' time. Try having a bedroom next to his," Grayson groans, "I'm not even home that often but it feels like every time I am I need headphones because they're being loud as hell. Or just annoying."