Friendly Dating - Kira

Chapter 5 - Tangled

I'm quiet for a while, looking at Ethan, thinking about his baffling request.

"Isn't there like three hundred and seventy-two point-three girls who would love to tutor you on the fine arts of dating?"

Ethan's face falls, and he pushes himself upright again, using his fingers to unroll his pant legs.

"I've only ever dated floozy-fannies."

"Flooser-Fancies," Oh, my soul, did I just correct one made-up term, using another one? "There are plenty of upstanding girls with moral standards who would love to take up the challenge. Why me? What on Earth do I know about dating and being the perfect boyfriend?"

"You dated that other bloke for ages. What's his face... the one with the fancy bike and the hairdo and the rich parents."

"I dated Liam Quinn for only two weeks last year," I get his facts straight for him. "Long enough to help him finish his biology project. He broke up with me in time to date Mena Everglade so that she could help him with his physics project."

Liam doesn't date girls; he appoints project partners.

"What the hell?! Did he use you? I'll kick his ass for you."

I laugh, shaking my head. Ethan Fletcher, Knight in Shining Armour! Too scary to imagine.

"Don't bother. I knew after the first day that he was not someone I wanted to be in a relationship with, but I was enjoying the project and wanted to wait until we were done before I broke up with him. I was having too much fun to end it right away since the project involved studying the transformation of Hercules beetles from larvae to pupae to beetles. They're not indigenous, and it usually takes about 19 to 20 months, so we had to rely mostly on videos and articles, but it was fun because we made replicas of each stage, using clay and..."

I become aware of Ethan grinning at me again. I'm babbling.

"Never mind. My point is, I wasn't devastated when he broke up with me; I was going to end it anyway." I look down at my feet, uncomfortably warm inside my school shoes. I want to go sit on the bridge with my feet in the water...  but my feet won't reach it... "So, as you can see, I'm no expert."

"Well, I don't need an expert. I just need a real girl I can trust who'll be honest with me and help me change."

"You are really serious about changing," I state, looking at his profile. Even from the side, he looks cheeky and mischievous; people generally at least look serious and formal from the side... unless they're grinning or pulling a face. How is Ethan able to always exude so much attitude?

"Yes," he states simply.

"So, what's in it for me?"

"You mean you won't just do it out of the goodness of your heart?" he asks, giving me an amused look.

"My heart doesn't experience much in the line of goodness when you're around," I tell him. "And normally, I love a challenge, but this might be beyond my skills. Why don't you ask Delia?"

"I don't know, Kicks," he frowns at me. "Maybe I'm not desperate enough yet to date my sister."

I laugh, punching his shoulder and shaking my head at him. "I mean, ask her for advice, tips, pointers. She's been dating the ideal boyfriend for five months now; she knows things. Or better yet, ask Simon to tutor you." I see his eyes grow, his brows shooting up. "Mentor, not date. He can mentor you without dating you."

"I don't want to be Simon," he states simply, shrugging. "I want to be me... just better." He tugs at the material of his pants, covering his knees. I find this solemn version of Ethan highly disconcerting. "I want what Deli has. No, not Simon!" he answers the question I had no intention of asking. "They just seem happy. Right, somehow. I've never seen Deli shine like that... it makes me feel lonely. I want it too with someone real."