Hate Is Another Word For Love

Chapter 4

The pic on the side is of Ethan

"Marco!" he calls.

"Polo!" everyone calls back.

We all know I'm his target. Even his parents know it.

I go under him when he gets closer, and when I come up, he's a foot from where I come from.

I cover my mouth with my hand and back up against the pool wall. Everyone is watching.

"Marco!" he calls.

I don't answer.

He moves closer to me, so close that I can feel his breath on my hair.

"Marco!" he says.

"Polo!" everyone calls, except for me.

"Unless Erin is a fish, there is no way she can be under the water for that long." He says.

"She's not under water." Bri giggles.

I wonder is it's no tags back...

"Well she needs to participate. She's cheating."

I can confirm that twin telepathy exists.

Because Ethan opens his mouth and asks, "Is it no tag backs?"

"No, everyone can be it." Ava says.

"Marco!" Braxton says.

Since it's not tag backs.

"Polo."

He reaches out and puts his hand right on my head and opens his eyes.

I feel disgusting with how close he is to me.

So we start another round, but I'm it.

I have Braxton tagged within the first two minutes.

He starts coming for me again, so I get out and lie on my stomach on the desk with my hand in the pool.

"Fish out of water?" he asks.

Everyone looks at me and my hand in the water.

"Nope." Ethan laughs.

He's it for over a half hour.

"Dinner." Mrs. Shields calls.

He opens his eyes and looks at me.

He fights an insult and we go eat.

He doesn't look up from his plate the whole time.

He goes in the house after dinner and we all sit and talk.

"I'll go see what Braxton is doing." Mrs. Shields says.

She walks in the house.

Almost ten minutes later she comes back.

"He wants you." she says.

She's looking at me.

"Me?" I ask, shocked.

She shrugs and nods.

Ethan and I exchange a look, and then I get up and go in the house.

I wander upstairs.

His bedroom door is wide open and he changed into sweatpants. He's messing around with a rubix cube.

I lean against the doorframe with my arms crossed.

"What?" I ask him.

He sighs. "I need to tell you something."

"Which is?" I ask.