Let's Get Ethan ✔

Chapter 40

Watching the clock his eyes closed, then opened, then closed again. He blinked over and over like he was in some sort of neurotic trance. Minutes, then hours, and then suddenly the morning came, and he hadn't slept a wink. Still moved by last night's events he didn't even feel tired.

Falling asleep wouldn't have helped either. Knowing him, he would have tumbled out of bed, or something, and wake up the slumbering Aaron at the end of the bedroom due to rapid shifting in his sleep after an exciting day.

Chilled to the bone, after minimal sleep for the past two nights, at seven in the morning on a Thursday right before an eight o'clock lecture he couldn't feel more energetic, he didn't even need coffee. He was ready to go to class regardless of anything that had or would happen to him. He imagined he was superhuman because he could go so long without needing sleep, he knew, in fact, that he would crash in the middle of classes that day; however, or worse, while shelving books. He imagined Stewart sauntering over after a day's work to find his newest employee passed out on a rolling cart meant for literature.

Aaron had hit snooze several times until he had to wake up for his nine o'clock lecture. They got ready in silence both quite new at the whole "roommate thing." They actually bumped into each other while fiddling about grabbing clothes and spare school supplies. Aaron claimed he thought Ethan was a "wall." They laughed for a bit after that. Surprisingly, Ethan was still new at the roommate thing too, because, unlike Aaron, Lincoln was never actually in the dorm to invade his personal space, not that Ethan minded sharing a room with someone. It was nice to not be alone all the time. Feeling ready, he called himself brave for not even once regretting something he said or did the day before. And what an amazing day it was.

Olivia and James were still asleep by the time Ethan was going to head out to the bus. Aaron couldn't give him rides everywhere so public transport it was. Luckily, the school was only a few stops away, so the trip was short.

Finding his first classroom on the upper floor of the liberal arts building he sat down in the small room, spinning slightly in the worn gray office chairs set out for the students. The small-sized classroom was giving him flashbacks of high school, big windows gave him a look outside on the pretty landscaping of the quad. The professor, Dr. Martin, posted herself at the front and cordially invited everyone to take out their reading assignment from yesterday and pass it forward. Ethan had done the assignment as soon as he had received it, finally ready to shred his business books and take on a new role as a Liberal Arts student. He would do what he could to stand out within his chosen major.

Passing with flying colors would also show his parents that he was indeed working hard at college and that, yes, they could rely on him. It seemed no one trusted him at times. That was of course before he went to college. Ethan felt that college was different than high school because of the new expectations, the new feelings surrounding education, most of the time, those around him were going to college because they genuinely liked learning, they wanted to participate, and learn skills for whatever they ended up doing in the future. College isn't mandatory which opens up a lot of creative avenues for teenagers to follow, so much more hope laid in the idea of freedom that high school seemed so far away.

Come to mention high school, Stephanie would be the one person from high school he actually still talked to. Which was by far the weirdest thing imaginable, but he was glad to tie up the loose end. It was weird how the transition from teenager to adult could either activate our worst selves or our best. Ethan hoped that for Lincoln the transition from worst to best was still happening. That guy just straight up scared him and changing Lincoln probably was not a job for Ethan anyway. But Stephanie, it seemed, was turning into her best self. Ethan couldn't have been happier for her, people change, and people grow, the one constant in life, change, had so much of an impact on him. People come and people go, but he would always be there, maybe one day along the line, someone would want to join him. He hoped that he had met that someone, he hoped that someone was Olivia.

It was already happening, now roommates, next year captains. He was curious as to what the future would hold, but if she was there it would certainly be bright. 

Only just before the teacher dismissed them for the day had he realized he had pretty much daydreamed during the entire lecture. Whether it was the lack of sleep or someone else he wasn't sure, though his goal of passing with flying colors during college would have to start tomorrow.

He lazily scooped up his materials pining for the day when a backpack was just for hiking. He grossly underestimated how much stuff he could carry in there. Most days, he wasn't self-aware enough to realize that tall, plus uneven backpack straps, and too much weight on one-side meant constantly bumping into things and unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do besides grin and bear it, the backpack had refused him fixing the extra length on one side. Flying through the day until he had reached the finish line, walking down the halls toward the exit he felt accomplishment reserved for an actual legend.

He didn't care. He was a marathon sprinter for all he knew, goal post, after goal post, meeting the expectations, higher and higher he rose. Until he dropped himself on the couch in his house and the crazy momentum from the day just kind of shriveled away into a tiny hole in the sand. Like a turtle burying its eggs on the beach, he was a rubbery egg, sinking deeper and deeper into the couch, the soothing whisper of sleep calling to him. Until he was jolted awake by a voice. He realized he had actually drifted off, he picked up his head from the side of the couch and stared at the beautiful girl before him, who was shouting. She gave him a wide smile before yelling at the offender.

"Fine, Aaron, I just wanted to ask him something that's all." Olivia paused looking over at the apparent Aaron in the kitchen.

"Don't wake him up, he's legitimately tired, hasn't slept . . . Besides he'll just do whatever you want, anyway, not like he has a say now that you two are all over each other," Aaron bellowed from the kitchen putting his foot down. Ethan was shocked she had told anybody, but not too shocked, they were her best friends and roommates, who else was she supposed to go to.

"Okay, Ethan, I'll let you sleep for a bit," Olivia giggled, kicking his foot with her shoe. "But then, I planned a bit of a walk, you'll thank me later, I always love to walk to stay awake until I have to sleep."

"Wait, you told Aaron?" Ethan asked confused about how he found out, it had only been a day.

"That Aaron has a way of getting things out me, he told me that he knew that we had snuck out together and we were less than covert with our 'obvious flirting' as he called it, I guess he truly knows people," Olivia admitted. Aaron was a detective in his own right. She sighed sitting down on the couch beside Ethan, "He'll tell James and suddenly we'll be the talk of the house."

"James is never going to find out, Olivia," Aaron yelled back.

"Find out what?" James came into the living room, right on cue, after somebody loudly shouted his name, how thoughtful of Aaron. Knowing his roommate could hear the conversation loud and clear.

"Oh, my bad, sorry, Ethan," Aaron apologized.

"Thanks, Aaron, hey, James," Ethan said. It was clear to see that James was curious. His eyes seemed bigger than normal and his manner of speaking was accusatory, lying to a guy like James was not easy. His head was in the clouds most of the time but when it got right down to it that guy was actually pretty intuitive.

"Who's doing what with who?" James let out a smile he had been holding in, then continued clarifying the obvious, "Ten bucks says it's you and Olivia, Ethan. Just an FYI the walls have ears." With that James winked at them, giving an acknowledging nod, he then walked over to Olivia to bug the hell out of her. She would not answer any further questions about the relationship. Though she apparently had no way out of James' grasp on her love life as Ethan's breathing slowed, easily falling into the couch cushions, the fabric, and worn sponge molding to him like an old friend.

Right before he drifted off, he felt a blanket and a kiss on his cheek, he found his way back to his dreams, back to dreaming about Olivia.