The Donut Shop ✔️

'N' Stands for 'Notional Fears'

Ethan's eyes widened. A rush of adrenaline shot through his nerves as they all bolted from the room and scrambled for places to hide. Well, this definitely was some deja vu Ethan didn't want to relive. He darted into the pantry, Mara shoved herself into the empty bedroom, and Tweed fled into the laundry room. 

The house sat enveloped in silence until the doorknob in the foyer jiggled with the sound of a key being inserted in. The soles of fresh dress shoes strutted in, echoing through the large foyer. 

As Ethan closed the door to the pantry, he realized that he was the closest to the front door, which also meant that he was the closest to Red. He was also in the place Red was most likely to look in.  

This really wasn't one of his best ideas. He groaned as he felt the edge of one of the white shelves digging into his spine through his thick cream hoodie. At least he was able to see Red through the crack of the door. 

Ethan's eyes squinted as he struggled to see what Red was doing while he heard rustling outside the door. This reminded him of the times when he was younger with his father. Ethan would often play hide-and-seek with his dad, and his go-to hiding spot was the pantry so that he could sneak another of whatever snack there was... mostly haw flakes.  

A shadow passed between the crack of the door, and Ethan jumped at the movement. He regained his composure as he spotted Red clearly, his dark blonde hair gleaming with slick gel. The man sat on the tan sofa in the living room and groaned, stretching out before turning on the TV. 

Now that Red was distracted... should Ethan make a run for it? What if Red spotted him?

He wasn't given more time to think before the door sprung open. Crap! While he was thinking, he had taken his eyes off of Red! The man was seconds away from seeing him! Ethan tried to push himself further into the room and clamped his eyes shut. This was it. He was going to die in jail. 

"What are you doing? C'mon!" 

Ethan snapped his eyes open and sighed with relief. Mara's expectant gaze and sooty, cocoa eyes were trained upon him, waiting for him to follow her. His lips turned up in a curve as he stepped out and eased the door closed again, making sure it didn't squeak on its hinges. 

The sounds of a stand-up comedy show drifted to Ethan's ears from the large plasma TV as he tiptoed down the hall, following Mara to the laundry room. 

As they reached the white, bifurcated, varnished doors, Mara's hand rested on the round knob, and she slowly pulled. It creaked open, and Tweed escaped, gasping for air. 

"I had to suck in my stomach. I thought I was gonna die!" he exclaimed a little too loudly. Ethan and Mara's eyes widened and flew to the living room, but luckily, Red seemed to have heard nothing. Now, the only problem was getting out of there. 

"Maybe we can try the pool room?" Tweed suggested. 

Mara blinked a few times. "Pool room?" 

Tweed's lips curved up, and a slight pink twinge colored his cheeks. "Yeah, I kinda got bored and checked the house out," he said. Mara closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her index and thumb pinched together as she shook her head. 

"What if you were caught, you idiot!" she exclaimed and turned her rage to Ethan, slapping his arm. "This is your friend, say something!"

It's your boyfriend, you say something, is what Ethan wanted to say. But he also couldn't help the thought that crept into his mind: Were we even really friends anymore?  Instead, he feigned thinking about a response, pursing his lips and glancing at Tweed.