Kismet

Chapter Four

Mom and Dad decided to have dinner after our talk, and that went pretty good. Ethan sat by his parents, and I sat across from him with Chris next to me. We didn't talk then, but Ethan kept glancing up at me for no reason. He would eat a spoonful of mashed potatoes, and look up at me. Drink his punch, and look at me.

   I gave him a look that said, "What?"

   Ethan shrugs and looks at his plate, and continues eating pork chops. I roll my eyes and finish off my food. But Ethan finished long before me- he's eating his seconds.

   I stand to my feet and carry my plate with me. "I'm finished."

   Nobody acknowledges me as I put my plate in the dishwasher, and walk out of the dining room. I grab my Ipod from the counter and put in my purple and black headphones. I unlock it, and go to my music section. I start playing my Classic Rock folder. 

   I swing open the back door and gaze into our yard. No porch, and nowhere to sit down in chairs. The grass was dry and needed treatment.

   Sighing, I slide down near the house, my back pressed against it. I bring my knees up to my chest and set my Ipod on them. I start playing a round of Fruit Ninja. I guess I stayed out there for at least twenty minutes messing around on my Ipod, because when I glanced up, the sky was darkening just the tiniest of bits. I start playing Angry Birds.

   I didn't hear him coming, and I got ready to launch a bomber bird on the pile with the pigs.

   "Hey."

   I jump, startled. My bird goes flying behind the slingshot instead of in front. I glare up at him. "Ethan!"

   He smiles, stepping down into the yard. "What?"

   "You freaking scared me!" I mutter. "And you made me loose a bird."

   He glances on my screen. "Really, huh? Such a shame."

   "It is," I tell him. "I almost beat my high score."

   Ethan looks again at my score on the top of the screen. And laughs. "Thirty-four point four k? I could do better."

   I raise an eyebrow at him as he stands over me. "Oh, really? I'd like to see you try, smarty pants. Here." I lift my Ipod to him, but he pulls out one of his own.

   "Already prepared," he says, showing me his Ipod with a black skull case. He sits down on the one-step concrete stair and starts to play the same level I was playing. I wait for a few minutes, watching him play to make sure he doesn't cheat.

   Suddenly my eyes wander up to his face. His eyebrows are scrunched together in concentration, and a determined look in his eyes. His eyelashes almost touch the tip of his eyebrows when he opens them. They were pure black, and highlight his brown eyes. I almost wanted to touch them and see if they were real.

   His eyes flash up, and the pigs on the screen celebrate. I blink multiple times and pretend I wasn't staring. "Uh, thirty-eight k? That's barely more than mine."

   "By four k," Ethan smiles, shifting. "I still beat you. I should've put money on it, huh?"

   I roll my eyes and unlock my phone. "Sure."

  We're silent for a few moments, and the only thing to keep it from being awkward was our Ipods. Then Ethan takes a breath, opening his mouth. He's about to say something, but an object smacks him in the back of the head, cutting him off. I'm just as startled as he is, and then the attacker reveals itself.

   Chris bolts past Ethan, laughing, and turns in the yard to pelt us both with foam darts. One hits me in the face, and one hits Ethan and gets stuck in his hair.