Whispering Pages

Kickback

After finishing his chores, Ethan trudged toward Whispering Pages, his body heavy with exhaustion. By the time he pushed through the door, he collapsed against the floorboards, gasping for breath—his walk had turned into a run thanks to the stormy weather. The day slipped past him in a blur, morning and afternoon blurring into something dreamlike.

When his shift finally ended and he made it back home, the sun was already sinking low. Half-asleep, he fumbled for his phone and found a new message from his dad:

"Ethan, I'll be home late. Don't wait up. Grabbing drinks with some guys. Don't mess up the house."

Ethan scoffs, "Mess up the house? You mess up the house all the time." He puts his phone down, feeling a mix of relief and frustration, and wonders how the rest of the evening will unfold.

Ethan gets up, walks over to his desk, grabs his journal, and starts writing:

**Journal Entry***

Met a new friend today—Max. He's chill. Let me crash at his place last night and it honestly felt like a break from everything here. Smoked for the first time too. Kinda surprised myself, but yeah... I liked it.

Had this dream that Mom was hugging me. It felt so real. Of course Dad was there too, drunk as usual. Woke up wishing I could stay in the dream longer.

Max and I went for a walk before I came back. House was trashed, again. Beer bottles, food left out, the whole deal. Cleaned it all up, took out the trash, wiped down the counters. Then headed to Whispering Pages.

Work was... fine. Stocked shelves, dusted, helped a couple customers find books, checked in a shipment. Got stuck in the back room organizing boxes for like an hour. My feet still hurt. But at least it kept me out of the house.

Now I'm here, writing this, waiting to see how the night goes.

After finishing his journal entry, Ethan's phone buzzed twice with notifications. The first was from Max, inviting him to a big house party that night: 'Hey man, I'm throwing a party tonight, you should slide.' The second message was from Haley, asking if she could come over after school: 'Hey Ethan, school's out in a few. I was wondering if I could come by for a while.'"

To Max: "Hey Max, sounds good! I'll be there tonight."

To Haley: "Hey Haley, that's fine. You can come by after school."

Haley knocked on Ethan's door a few minutes after school ended. Ethan quickly opened it, smiling as he saw her standing there. "Hey, come on in," he said, stepping aside to let her enter.

Haley walked in and looked around. "Nice place," she commented, taking off her shoes and setting her bag down. "So, what have you been up to?"

Ethan shrugged, "Not much, work and just journaling a bit. How about you?"

Haley smiled, "Same here. I just needed a break from everything. It's been a long week."

Ethan nodded, then looked at her thoughtfully. "Hey, there's a party tonight. Would you like to come with me?"

Haley's eyes lit up. "Sure, that sounds fun! I'll just tell my parents I'm staying over at a friend's house for the night."

They both settled on the couch and decided to watch some TV for a while. They laughed at a comedy show and talked about their favorite episodes. Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was getting late.

Haley glanced at the clock and sighed. "I should probably head home and get ready for tonight."

Ethan nodded, "Alright, I'll see you later then."

Ethan got ready for the party, putting on his favorite shirt and grabbing his phone. He headed outside and waited for Haley. When she arrived, Ethan was stunned by her appearance. Her hair was styled in a long curly ponytail with many braids, and she wore a crop top with the words "pretty brown girl" paired with short shorts that highlighted her curves and shiny lipgloss on her lips and gold hoop earrings. Ethan couldn't hide his attraction to Haley,they started walking towards Max's house. The closer they got, the louder the music and laughter became, signaling that the party was in full swing.

Standing outside Max's house, Ethan sent a text to let him know they had arrived. Shortly after, the door swung open, and Max greeted them with excitement. "Hey, what's up!" Max exclaimed, shaking Ethan's hand vigorously. He then turned to Haley, flashing a big smile, "Hey you must be Haley, come on in!"

Excited to join the party, Ethan and Haley followed Max inside, ready for a night of fun and new experiences.

Max led Ethan and Haley into the bustling party. With a wide grin, he gestured towards the snacks and drinks spread out on the table. "Help yourselves to anything, guys," Max said enthusiastically. "Make yourselves at home!"

Ethan and Haley nodded, feeling welcomed and ready to join in on the fun.

Ethan and Haley grabbed a drink from the table. As they sipped their drinks, Haley spotted a couple of girls she knew from school. Her face lit up with excitement, and she ran over to them, hugging them warmly. Ethan watched with a smile, happy to see Haley enjoying herself.

Max walked over to Ethan, bringing a couple of his friends along. "Ethan, I want you to meet some of my buddies," Max said, introducing them one by one. As they chatted, Max pulled out a joint and passed it to Ethan. "Here, man," Max said with a friendly smile. "No pressure".

Ethan took the joint from Max, feeling a mix of excitement he took a puff and passed it back. With the music pumping and the dance floor calling, they all made their way over to join the party, ready to let loose and have a great time!

As the night heated up, music started blasting through the speakers. Instantly, all the girls screamed with excitement, rushing to grab a guy to dance with. The energy on the dance floor surged, with everyone moving to the beat and having the time of their lives. The atmosphere was electric, and it was clear this was going to be a night to

As music continued to play, the guys started playfully nudging Ethan toward Haley, who was dancing energetically. With a few encouraging pushes, Ethan found himself right behind her, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Haley glanced back, smiled, and kept dancing, inviting Ethan to join in with her moves.