How We Met

Chapter 17

Etho's Perspective-

Etho sighed as he put down his phone.

"Great, my friendship with Bdubs is now forever awkward and I lost Joel. This is fucking great. This day can't get any worse."

-

A couple days after the Valentine's Day Dance, which Etho refused to go too, Bdubs had walked up to him.

"Oh- hey Shortie." Etho said, smiling at Bdubs, trying to act like he had no idea Bdubs liked him.

Bdubs smiled weakly.

"Hey- uh- you weren't at the dance."

"Yeah, I know. I decided to stay home."

"Why?"

Etho shrugged, "I don't know. I'm just not a dance person."

"Okay...well I just wanted to say..." Bdubs turned to Scar who gave him a thumbs up. Bdubs took a deep breath and turned back to Etho.

"I like you and was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?"

Etho dropped his notebook and scrambled to pick it back up.

"O-oh! Umm...Bdubs that's really nice of you but...I'm sorry, no."

Bdubs looked heartbroken.

"Oh!" His voice cracked, "Okay...bye."

Bdubs turned and left, and Scar glared at Etho.

"Wait- please- "

Etho tried to stop them from leaving but they didn't stop.

Etho felt crushed.

He was alone again.

-

Throughout the next months, Etho ended up ruining the friendship he had with everyone, and he was alone yet again, and as if things couldn't get any worse, one of his moms passed away.

She had gotten extremely sick and there was nothing they could do.

...and she died.

-

"This has probably been the worst year of my entire life. I lost all my friends and my mom. I can't do this, I'm such a failure." Etho cried in his room and his mother walked in.

"Etho..." She whispered, hugging her son.

They both cried together in their embrace.

"Etho, sweetie, I'm so proud of you." She whispered, wiping her son's tears away.

"Why?" Etho asked, his voice cracking, "I've done nothing right this year. Everything's falling apart."

"Yet you're still here with me. That's why I'm so proud of you. You're still going through this, even when all of these bad things have happened."

She gently kissed his forehead and Etho sobbed.

"I just want everything to be normal."

"And everything will be that way if we just keep going. It's what Payten would've wanted."

Etho sniffed and nodded.

"Oh, and honey, I know you've just adjusted to this place as your new home after living here for a year and a half, but I feel like we should move back to New Jersey to be closer with the family in these hard times. Is that okay?"

Etho thought about how his friendship with Scar, Val, and Bdubs fell apart, and he nodded.

"Yeah."

I just have to avoid Joel.

Etho's mother smiled and hugged him tightly.

Two Months Later-

Etho and his mother moved back to New Jersey to be with their family.

Etho spent most of his time avoiding everyone and just going out onto the water to sail and get away.

"Everything will be okay." He whispered as he set up his boat and pushed it towards the water.

"Nothing bad's going to happen."

He pushed the boat into the water and hopped on it.

As he looked into the horizon, he felt his world melt away.

Nothing seemed to matter, just him and this scene.

Everything seemed like nothing.

-

As Etho walked back home, he passed by where he used to live years ago. It was raining gently but nothing too much that would bother him.

He stared at his old house before shrugging and continuing his walk.

"Etho?"

Etho stopped and turned around to see Adam walking his dog.

Etho's eyes widened.

"O-oh! Hey Adam! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Aren't you supposed to be in freezing Wisconsin?" Adam asked and Etho chuckled.

"We uh- we moved back."

"Oh! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well, you know...me and Joel got in an argument."

Adam looked at Etho and sighed.

"I know I'm not supposed to tell anyone this but...the reason why Joel was so mad at you was because he likes you."

Etho's eyes widened.

"He what?" Etho whispered.

"He likes you. And he got mad because he overheard you taking that Bdubs guy to the dance or whatever."

"I never took Bdubs to that dance. I don't like Bdubs. I- I don't like Joel- I- I don't know anything anymore!" Etho looked on the verge of tears and Adam seemed nervous.

"Woah- sorry, I didn't mean to set you off."

"Do you know how complicated this is for me?! I can't tell if I like Joel or not! I thought I was aromantic but now you're making me think I like Joel! And I don't know if I actually like him or if this is just my brain telling me that I do because he likes me!"

Adam backed away nervously and Etho sighed.

"Do you know which house Joel is at? I need to fix this."

"He's at his mom's right now, but- hey! Wait!" Adam didn't finish his sentence before Etho ran off in the rain to Joel.