I was halfway home, almost done crying, when Clarissa picked me up. She was on her way over to our house when she saw me walking down the sidewalk. After I caught my breath and dried all the tears, I had to explain to her what happened and why I was walking.
Yes, that meant revealing Ethan’s big home life secret that he managed to keep hidden from everyone, except for me, but I had to have someone on my side that would agree that I was only trying to help.
Clarissa went all apeshit crazy after I told her that Ethan yelled at me for getting involved and screamed at me to leave in front of everyone. She told me that I was so lucky that I didn’t have to put up with the Hawks all through my high school years…well because most of them were complete assholes.
That was the second or third time that Clarissa dissed the kings that she used to hang around with, so I had to ask her why she felt that way about them after practically reigning at the top of
I grabbed my suit jacket and threw it into the car. I hated dressing up for this bullshit, but once I was nominated to be Claudia’s escort for this winter dance thing, I sort of couldn’t back out. I felt like I had to play the part of two different people, the one that everyone at school wanted me to be, and then I could relax and finally be the real me with Morgan.I had three hours to go until I could see her again. I was leaving the dance at nine, regardless of what Claudia said or did. I was hoping that Morgan and I could spend some alone time together, maybe, just maybe get past that third base mark that we’d been stuck on for the past month.“Ready.” Hope jumped into the passenger seat pulling me back out of my fantasy.“Got everything?” I motioned to her backpack that she had filled with whatever she and her friend was going to be doing tonight.“Yep.” Hope waved me on to get going.I had
There was a line on the carpet in the hallway that showed how much I’d been pacing up and down waiting for Ethan to show up.Maybe, he wouldn’t.Maybe, he was having a good time at the dance with Claudia.Maybe, he didn’t even remember that he said he would be over here at…The chime of the grandfather clock indicated that another hour had gone by. It was now nine o’clock, the time that Ethan said he would be here. The doorbell chime indicated that someone was here. I hadn’t even realized that I was holding my breath until I let out a deep sigh.The bell sounded once again even before I made the ten steps to the door.I opened the door. Ethan stood there in his black suit, white shirt, and crown on his head. He looked totally hot, like magazine-worthy, but also like a little kid that just came back from Burger King and gotten one of those paper crowns.“Guessing
A slamming door made my eyes snap wide open. The sunlight streamed through the window indicating that it was some time after eight o’clock in the morning.“Morgan.”I heard Clarissa’s voice from downstairs.Shit!Shit!Shit!I rolled off the bed with the blanket wrapped around me leaving Ethan fully exposed…Oh. My. God. What a beautiful sight.“Hey.” Ethan squinted his eyes open, looked around as if he didn’t remember where he was, then focused on me. “What’s wrong?” Ethan stood up and pulled on his boxers and pants.The stomping of someone coming up the wooden staircase caught both of our attention.“Fuck!” Ethan grabbed his shirt and started to button it up.I ran into my closet with the blanket still wrapped around me, tripping over the edges that hung on the ground, nearly falling, but I saved face by catching myself on the
“But I don’t wanna go home.”Hope was acting like a stubborn brat right now. I had to take her back home before Morgan’s parents came back, and then go over to the Pizza Shack for the meeting with dickhead Matt and his friends.“We have to go…now.” I tried to sound all authoritative, but it wasn’t happening with Morgan standing behind Hope with a huge-ass smile on her face. I pointed my finger at her. “Stop it.”Morgan held up her hands and tried to look all innocent. “I didn’t even say anything.”“You don’t have to. You know you’re making fun of me because the whiny girl isn’t listening to me.”Hope stomped her foot. “I’m not whiny.”Morgan put her arm around Hope’s shoulders. I knew the girls were packing against me. “Why don’t you go to your soccer meeting and let Hope stay here. We&rsqu
Just like the previous night, one that still makes me all giddy inside, today was really lovely. I got to spend time with Ethan before he went to his soccer meeting and then spent time with Hope, who I now considered my little sister.Hope and I danced around to some music, watched some TV, played fix-up with makeup and clothes, then ate a small dinner before I took her back home. Her grandmother had come back and was pleased to see Hope and me getting along so good. It was so weird to see their household operating at a semi-normal level now that Ed was gone and Ethan’s mom was going to therapy. Having their grandmother there really helped out their situation, and both Ethan and Hope seemed like two different people without all the added stress put on them.I went back home and enjoyed just having some me time. I text back and forth with Tara and Ranae for a while, got caught up on some debate notes for our upcoming meet, and took a long hot shower, wishing Ethan
I didn’t even bother to tell the guys I was leaving after I raced out of the Pizza Shack after Clarissa.What was the point?I got into my car and drove around, basically going everywhere and nowhere at the same time.I went past the places that Morgan and I used to hang out by ourselves, to get away from the rest of the world, to forget who we were. I knew after today, after Clarissa gone back and probably told Morgan everything that she heard, that Morgan and I would never have a moment of togetherness again. She probably hated me right about now, and I couldn’t blame her.I hated myself.I hated that I agreed to such a fucking lame-ass bet that ruined everything…everything that mattered.I walked into the house, and it smelled good like someone had thoroughly cleaned and cooked dinner. The scent of freshly baked bread drifted through the air.“Ethan.” Hope ran out of the kitchen and grabbed me into a
I picked around at my dinner. I really wasn’t in the mood to eat, it was one long stressful day. After Hope got done pouting and ignoring me, I explained to her that Morgan and I had a disagreement but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t ever be back over or that they wouldn’t be friends. I just hoped that it all worked out that way.I walked back to my bedroom to do the homework that I had due for tomorrow, then realized I didn’t have my backpack.“Fuck.”I walked back out to my car and looked at the front passenger seat…the backseat…the trunk…All locations were empty.Shit, I took it to the Pizza Shack so I could give Jason the math homework to copy.Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Now I had to drive the whole way back there to get it.Shit, I just hope no one that I know was still there. 
“Morgan, you’re going to be late for school.”Mom stood outside my door and knocked for the third time this morning. I heard the door open and pulled the blanket further up to cover my head.“You’re not even up. Aren’t you feeling well?” Mom’s hand managed to slip under the top part of the cover a feel my forehead. “You are a little warm. Do you want me to set up a doctor’s appointment? I’m sure I can get you in today to see Dr. Howell.”I slowly shook my head. There was no way that Dr. Howell or any physician could help me with what was wrong.How could anyone fix a broken heart?I know that sounds, so cliché. Poor girl with a broken heart after boyfriend hurts her.But, I really felt like I was dying. I’d been through a lot, second best daughter, always ridiculed at school, the list could go on forever. But, to have my boyfriend, or wait, Ethan never reall