Anna and the French Kiss: Etienne's POV

16

"Étienne, your father said you can't come home on Thanksgiving," my mum says on the other line of the phone. "The head called him informing him on your dropping grades, and he refuses to let you come home until they are back up."

It feels like I've just been stabbed in the stomach.

"What the hell? That's absolute pants! Mum, you have to convince him. I have to see you!" I gulp holding back tears. I feel like a little boy. All I have been doing for the past few weeks is cry and cry and  cry.

"I can't. You know how he is."

"I don't care about how he is. I want to know how you are! I want to freaking see you!"

"Étienne, your not going home and that's final," she's crying, and I feel awful.

"I have to go."

I hang up before she can say anything else.

Knock. Knock.

"Let me in." It's Josh.

I open up the door, and he looks at me with a raised eyebrow. 

"What?"

"Just figured you wanted to hang out," he walks straight pass me into my room and jumps onto the bed. "What history books have you been reading lately?"

I close my door and slug over to my desk. "None."

"Dude. Seriously you have to keep your mind of your mom. Thinking about it all the time is going to keep you all depressed like this."

"I can't visit my mum on Thanksgiving."

"What the hell? Why not?"

"My father heard about my dropping grades and said that I can't see her until I raise them."

"That's bullshit. You have to see your mom."

"You know how he is, I will never be able to change his mind."

"True. But what's with you not talking to Anna? She's worried about you. We all are."

Maybe Josh knows if I said anything to Anna the night I was drunk. I mean he was drunk too, but probably not nearly as drunk as me. 

"Did I say anything to Anna the night we were drunk?"

"Oh yeah. I've been meaning to tell you about that. I'm pretty sure you told her you like her. I'm not positive though, my memory is kinda fuzzy." 

"WHAT?" 

Josh puts his hands up like I'm a police officer. "She didn't say anything back I don't think. She probably wasn't sure you were being for real since you were drunk."

"She doesn't like me back," I say quickly.

"How do you know?"

"I asked her at the bakery the other day. I asked her if I said anything about our relationship and she said no."

Josh furrows his brow. "Seriously? Maybe she just didn't want you to know you said anything if you seemed freaked out about it."

"True. But if she likes me back, she would tell me I said something."

"Girls are confusing. Just tell her when you're not drunk."

"I have a girlfriend. I can't exactly just say stuff like that to whoever I want."

"Then break up with Ellie."

I whip my head at Josh. "I love Ellie. But I like Anna. For now, I'll just stay with Ellie until Anna shows me something. I reckon she'll reject me so I can't just make a sudden decision on who I want. I ought to wait."

"But if Anna does like you, then you can't leave her hanging. You're going to have to give her an answer eventually."

"I don't know if she likes me, though."

Josh sighs. "Well you'll never know if you don't find out."