How To Rule Your High School

Chapter 24: Breaking Curfew

     Curfew alert. Get your butt home.

       Brett's text had ended what turned out to be a glorious makeout session with Ethan Wheeler, shutting it down as if I'd been doused in a bucket of cold water.

       "Ohmigod, I have to go," I gasped, realizing it was already 1 am. I sprang up from the couch, crossing to the full length mirror tucked in a corner near Ethan's closet. I moaned when I took in the disarrayed state of my hair and face. Yanking out the ponytail to finger-comb my hair, I caught Ethan watching me in the mirror, that lopsided grin on his face.

        "What?" I demanded, pulling my hair back in a sloppy approximation of the perfect ponytail Victoria had tied earlier that night. He shook his head with a smile.

      "Nothing," he said, rising from the couch and stretching, "Come on, I'll drive you home,"

       He pulled on a hoodie as I grabbed my purse from where I'd left it next to the couch. He followed me out to the elevator, wrapping his arms around me from behind and burying his head in my hair as we waited for the doors to bing open.

       "If you mess my hair up-" I threatened, only to be cut off as he ran a series of kisses down my neck. If the elevator hadn't opened right then, I probably would've missed my curfew for good. Ethan chuckled as I checked my hair in the mirrored walls of the elevator.

       "You know you still look gorgeous, just leave it," he said, keeping a respectable distance between us as we plunged down to the garage.

       "No thanks to you," I said, hoping that no one was awake at home to take in the mess that was my kissed-off makeup.

       "Don't say you didn't like it," he said, planting a quick kiss on my lips right before the elevator doors opened. He grabbed my hand as we made our way to his car.

       We crossed town in silence as my brain finally woke up and the questions that had been swirling there surfaced once again. At the forefront was what the hell did "it's complicated" even mean? Coupled with where do we go from here? I was working up my nerve to ask him when he pulled to a stop in front of my house and I noticed with a little pulse of panic that the lights were on in the front sitting room.

       Someone was waiting up for me.

       "I'll call you tomorrow," I said quickly undoing my seatbelt in my haste to get inside before whoever was waiting would see me get out of Ethan's car. If it was mom, I'd be lucky not to get grounded again for coming home after curfew with anyone less prestigious than Will Dawson.

      "Whoa, where's the fire," Ethan said, pulling me back towards him. I cut the kiss off with a shake of my head.

       "I can't, I'm so late," I said, forcing my eyes closed so I wouldn't get lost in those slate gray eyes again.

     "Tomorrow then. Good night Buttercup," he said, kissing me one more time before I dashed out of the car in earnest this time.

       Ethan waited until I'd opened the front door to pull away down the driveway. I didn't stay to watch him leave, instead closing the door as quietly as I could before padding softly towards the front sitting room.

       My heart was about to beat out of my chest as I came around the corner, an excuse ready on my lips, only to be faced with an empty room. My brows crashed down into a frown as I switched off the lights, wondering why the heck they were left on since Brett and I both knew full well that the formal living room light meant someone was waiting up.