Let's Get Ethan ✔

Chapter 18

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!" A loud James screeched from the entry way to the living room.

"Go back to bed," Ethan mumbled through the fabric of the sheets. He was cozy and at the same time tired. His back was also sore from the couch's springs. He swore if they didn't get a better couch, he was forcing them to buy him a mattress. He peaked out from the white sheet that was currently plastered to his face.

"You're not going to like what I tell you next." James smiled, his mouth practically tearing at the corners of his face.

"What?" Ethan questioned, his brows furrowing. He sat up and raked his hand over his face, wiping the feeling of sleepiness away.

"Once a week we get up early and we all pitch in to make breakfast, and since you are the last one up you get the honor of chef," James said his eyes narrowing in seriousness.

Dumbfounded, Ethan slowly got up from the couch and nodded, "Okay, lead me to the kitchen." He hesitated, looking down he realized he was not wearing the proper attire, especially around Olivia.

"First, I am going to change."

"Right," James responded, before going back to the kitchen. Maybe he would get lucky and be in charge of mixing?

Ethan changed in the bathroom and came back wearing his clothes from the night before, they smelt pretty bad, but he would only be wearing them for a few hours until he would be back in his dorm and he could change.

It took a few tries, but Ethan finally learned how to flip the pancakes, only with the encouragement of Aaron, of course. Mastermind that Ethan was, he never learned how to cook. And if Ethan did cook it was for emergencies only. His parents never cooked either which was probably why he had never acquired the culinary skill. But seeking approval from his friends he managed to make pancakes. Ethan discovered the bubbling part was the best; the pop of bubbles breaching the surface of the dough was amusing, as was the strict manner in which Saturday morning breakfast commenced, even the table was pre-set. These guys knew what they were doing.

Ethan then proceeded to eat his weight in pancakes just as he had planned to when he was making them. Olivia shot him a gaze midway through Ethan grabbing the fifth one. He opened his mouth in protest but decided against it as he drew his hand back. Olivia smirked and took the one he was going for. Darn it, he thought, someone had noticed his binging.

Ethan realized his frail figure long before college, of course, but being around Lincoln and his friends made it harder for him to accept the way he looked. And if he didn't start eating full meals soon, he was going to be lighter than his sisters and that was something he couldn't bear to be made fun of for.

"Someone's hungry," Olivia said noticing his appetite.

"Yeah, it doesn't help that you guys didn't offer me a lot to eat last night," Ethan complained.

"You never asked for anything. But with you hogging the popcorn all the way through the movie no one could have known you were hungry," Olivia said mocking him, then proceeded to flood her pancake and her plate with maple syrup.

"I think we need to cut back on these pancakes. I am a senior and getting the freshman fifteen big time," Aaron said. He rubbed his stomach; he was clearly suffering from over-eating syndrome.

"Speak for yourself, with me being one of the shortest guys known to man, every meal counts," James said clearly dejected.

"James, you're not that short, five-six, that's decent," Olivia reassured him.

"How'd you know that's my height?" James asked.

"Well, with you being only two inches taller than myself I noticed," Olivia said.