Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 1: Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Nothing to be Excited About

Ethan woke up with a smile on his face. He wondered, only for a moment, what had him so happy. And just like that, all of his memories came back to him. Ethan woke up more positive and energetic than he had in years.

He got his phone, turning off the alarm that was set to go off any minute, and started playing one of his favourite songs. Ethan hummed and danced (quite pitifully since it was early in the morning) all the way to the bathroom. He continued to hum all of the consecutive songs as they came up while he brushed his teeth and showered.

And it was all because of Chris. The disappointment Ethan had at realizing that he and Chris weren’t on the friend level was whisked away by their riveting text conversation. Ethan couldn’t speak to Chris at school, but he could do so on his phone. The exchange of letters on a screen somehow felt even more private when Ethan saw ‘Chris’ at the top of the screen. 

They were secret friends, sharing private messages away from the public eye. The two of them shared inside jokes and song recommendations, knowing that they bonded in a different way even if the rest of the world saw them as acquaintances.

That fact excited Ethan to no end. 

Ethan came down the stairs with a wide grin, which didn’t go unnoticed by his mom. Ethan was pouring himself a bowl of cereal and she watched him closely, taking in his perky step. Ethan turned around and found her staring at him.

“What’s got you so happy?” She asked, eyeing him up and down as if she would somehow find the answer herself. Ethan could tell that she obviously saw his attitude as suspicious. But, suspicious of what, Ethan didn’t know.

“Nothing.” Ethan replied lamely, shrugging his shoulders in typical teenage fashion. “I was just talking to a friend last night.”

This eased Mrs. Sterling’s worries greatly, judging from the way she sighed and pressed a hand against her chest in relief.

“Oh good.” She said with a smile, turning to her plate. “For a second I thought you had gotten involved in some of those drugs.”

Ethan’s mouth went open. He was shocked and a bit insulted that she had assumed that and wanting to tell her off for not trusting him. Then, it closed when Ethan remembered that he had tried something at a party once. It had been freshman year and Ethan had been eager to impress the upperclassmen around him. 

But, when Ethan couldn’t even remember what he’d done the night before, he was too freaked out to ever want to do drugs again. So, Ethan let his mother assume that he was still “innocent” and silently ate his breakfast. 

—————

As Ethan rode the bus to school, he imagined what he would say to Aiden. In his mind, he was the perfect storyteller. Ethan could craft his conversation with Chris with such vivid description that Aiden could see Ethan’s bright phone screen in his mind’s eye. Ethan was an artist, painting a picture so perfect Aiden would forget he wasn’t already by the lake. 

By the time Ethan arrived at school, he had already told Aiden the story a dozen different times a dozen ways. At least he’d done so in his mind. Ethan found Aiden at his locker, same as yesterday like they’d done for the past year. But, today wasn’t the same. The glow to Aiden’s skin was different. The smile that nearly broke his cheeks was different. A good different, of course, but still different.

“Hey, I have something to tell you.” Ethan began, smiling brightly. 

“Hey,” Aiden repeated, his smile twenty times brighter than Ethan’s. “I have something to tell you too.”