Dear Ethan: A Second Chance Romance

Chapter 15: Draft Pick

*Jodie*

"I can't do this anymore, Sam," I said, holding the phone with one hand while doing laundry. I was sick of everything. This school. The people. I hated my classes. I didn't like my major. I couldn't imagine sitting through two more years of this. 

I chucked my pink top and jeans into the machine and slid some coins into the machine.

"What happened?" exclaimed Sam, she looked back at me on the screen with wide eyes. 

We were having our nightly video call which had become sporadic since both our class schedules were so crazy.

"I just hate it here. I miss you. I went to a party tonight and this guy just kept following me around and trying to feel me up." I shuddered at the memory of his hands on me. I hated it when strangers touched me. It felt so violating.

"If that's the college experience people are talking about I don't want any part of it." She hummed sympathetically. Although I knew she couldn't relate. Sam loved art school, she had made friends in all of her classes and she constantly raved about her teachers.

"You are so lucky yours is only a two-year program." Sam was graduating in a few months. While I would be stuck at Vassar for another two years. It felt like a lifetime. I dreaded it.

"Sleep on it. If you still feel the same way tomorrow we'll come up with a plan." She said.

I shook my head. I had already made up my mind. And once I did no one could change it.

She told me about a cute guy in her pottery class she was taking and I listened to her speak while I walked back up to my dorm and changed back into my comfy clothes. I missed Sam so much.

Aside from her and the occasional text check-in from Landon, they were the only people who could ground me. And Ethan. I thought, his name popping my head before I could stop it. My heart raced at the thought. Did I imagine it or was it really him? I remembered catching sight of those turquoise eyes before storming out.

Had I dreamt about it? He didn't go to that school but neither did I. It wasn't unusual for students to visit neighboring schools when there was a party going on.

I logged onto Facebook on my laptop. Ethan never really updated his page anymore but there were a few photos of him playing football with his college team and one of him walking with a group of friends wearing a red and black jacket.

Yup, that was definitely him just now. We hadn't seen each other in almost three years. And of course, he's there to witness me slugging someone. I groaned inwardly and wondered what he thought of that. If he knew it was me.

"Earth to Jodie!" I froze. 

Shit, I completely forgot I was still on a call. I opened up our chat again, and her face looked back at me curiously. "You okay?" I nodded. I usually told Sam everything but I didn't want to talk about Ethan. Not after everything that happened. 

That I maybe kind of saw him and he saw me slug a guy in the face before storming out.

I ended the call with Sam after her fifth yawn and stalked Ethan online for the rest of the night.

 His team was playing really well and his name was already ending up in news articles as a strong prospect for the NFL draft. I looked at my calendar. It was coming up soon.

Online analysts were already predicting that he was most likely to get drafted first. I felt proud of him even though we didn't talk anymore. Ethan made something of himself. I never doubted it. Even at sixteen, I knew he was going to be someone special and do great things. He just had that spark about him.