Grace.

Chapter 45.

The last time I spoke to Ethan was Sunday morning. Neither of us called or texted after that. Not even at night to say 'Goodnight'. On my end I wasn't regretting the kiss. My biggest worry was not knowing whether he did or not. What if he made a mistake? What if he ignored me the next day? What was I going to do then? Because I was pretty sure I liked him, but I wasn't sure if I should tell him.
I woke up on Monday morning and readied myself for school. It was going to be a dramatic day. We had every single pair of eyes on us at the dance floor on Saturday night. I didn't care about that.
My parents were still disappointed in me so, I grabbed an apple and dodged breakfast with them. But Gloria was in the kitchen when she saw me leave.
"Sneaking out?"
"Good morning, Ria," I sighed.
"You and I need to talk. Seriously. Also, you can't keep running away from them."
"I'm giving them space to cool off. I'll talk to them when the heat has died down."
"Okay. But take a banana with you as well. You'll need your energy after the weekend you had," she advised.
I turned back and took a banana from the table.
"Okay. Bye, now."
At school, all eyes were on me. It was attention I had never received! The bell rang for first period and my heart skipped a beat. I just remembered that I was going to see Ethan (whom I was afraid to see because of the kiss) and would have to talk to him. Of course I wanted him to kiss me. And of course I enjoyed it! But did he mean it? Like, did he kiss me because he wanted to or because he was drunk? The last thing I wanted was to be added to his list. That's embarrassing. Plus, I realized that I may have been falling for him, and that just made matters worse, because to me, Edgar was still in the picture.
I did everything in my power to avoid Ethan that morning. Even when I got to class, I focused on a book I was reading as though I never saw him.
During class, the intercom went off and Naomi jumped in her seat. Donna looked up from her book and shook her head before going back to taking notes.

"Ethan Byers and Luke Rogers to report to my office. Ethan Byers and Luke Rogers."

What was that about? Oh yes! The scholarship! They hadn't been told anything yet. I tried my best to keep my eyes focused on the book in front of me. But given what happened between me and Ethan, I couldn't help but give him a quick glance as he stood up to leave. I shook my head to regain focus, returning my eyes back to the textbook.
Not talking to him was torture. There was an emptiness in my heart from not hearing his voice or feeling the touch from his hand. But I forced myself to not think about him.
The lesson ended, and they still weren't back.
I headed to my locker to get a textbook for the next class, and that's when I saw Ethan from a distance, coming from the office and heading towards my direction. Quickly, I snatched the textbook from my locker, slamming it shut and walking away in the opposite direction as fast as my legs could carry me. I'm not sure if he saw me or not. I successfully avoided Ethan Byers that day. But, minutes before the day ended, he decided to text me:

Ethan: Hey, Buttercup. How are you? Can we talk? Please. Meet me by the swimming pool right after this.

It took me a while to reply to him. I wasn't really okay or comfortable with using my phone in class. Also, I wasn't sure if I was ready to speak to Ethan. You know? Nerves and all.
It had been a few minutes and I'm sure he was starting to worry. I could see him check his phone every second. Just as he was about to give up...I texted back.

Me: Hey. I'm good, thanks, and you? Sure. I'll wait for you there!

When school was out, I made my way to the swimming pool. I sat at the very bottom of the stairs. My gaze was fixed on the water in front of me. I didn't even hear him coming. Only when I felt him next to me did I blink. My heart was beating so fast he might've just heard it. I looked at him and he looked at me; a warm, loving smile on his face.
"Hey," he began.
"Hey," I breathed.
"Well, today has been awkward. Can we talk about what happened? Address the elephant in the room?"
"Yes, please."
"First off, I'm sorry if I crossed the line and made you feel uncomfortable," he apologized.
"You didn't."
"No?"
"No. I-I just have one question."
"Which is?"
I took a deep breath in and out before asking: "Did you kiss me because you were drunk or..."
"I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. I actually still feel the same way I felt that night. The whole night was just so amazing and I felt some type of way and I still feel that way even now."
"I feel some type of way about you too."
"Is it bad?"
"Good, actually. Very good."
"I feel it too."
I smiled, eyes locked to his. All I wanted was to cup his face and pull him in for a deep, passionate kiss. And as if reading my mind, he held me with one arm around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. Then finally, with both my hands, I cupped his face. It wasn't long before we kissed, and when we did...I think both hearts raced!
It's funny how a year ago, I had no intentions of hooking up with boys and developing feelings for them. That was one important rule of mine. If I were ever to meet a boy, it would be in my second year of college or maybe even after that. Not in high school! A part of me felt bad for breaking that rule, but another part was filled with excitement.
Falling wasn't so bad. That is if everything is going well and you and the guy you're with are genuine with each other. That's one thing I learned. But even though everything was good, my rule of no sex still applied. No matter what! I was not going to have sex until marriage! And that was that.
We pulled away from each other's lips, breathing heavily. Ethan gave a soft chuckle, his thumb gently massaging my cheek.
"Also, I just received good news and you're the first person I wanted to tell," he beamed.
"What? What is it?"
"I got the scholarship!" He grinned.
"See?! I knew you would! You're so good at what you do, Ethan. That scholarship was yours no doubt!"
"Thank you, Buttercup. Thank you so much"
We kissed again, and hugged.
"Let's get out of here," he said.
And together we got up and left. Both hearts pumping with joy.