Playing By the Rules

Chapter Eleven

I promise I won't do that thing where I don't update in forever anymore! I'm sorry that I did the last time and if the story becomes hard to write again then I will lock myself in my room to finish whatever chapter I am working on.

Happy Reading!

A month had passed since Evan had cheated on me. There had been 237 text messages from him and 98 calls. I wasn't returning any of them. I had kind of moved on and I knew that if I talked to him, that would be taking a huge step back. Ethan had gotten even more messages and calls from Alexi, but he wasn't returning them either. 

We were on winter break now and we had already had Christmas. It was December 26th, five days before my birthday. New year's eve. It was cold and windy in Maine but there was no snow. No white Christmas. But that was normal. 

I had asked Ethan if I should throw a party or something but he had told me not to worry about it, that he and everyone else would take care of it. I was currently eating ice cream out of the container in my room watching Friends on Netflix. I was in the new onesie I got for Christmas and was looking forward to spending the rest of the night exactly the way I was. Disney movies and junk food was my life. It was only 6 P.M. but I was already in to my night of Netflix.

I knew my night had gone to hell as soon as Steph and Brooke barged into my room. 

"We're going out."

I sigh and stick another spoon of ice cream in my mouth.

"I'm not going anywhere." I say around my mouth of ice cream. 

Brooke plops down on the bed next to me and takes the ice cream and spoon out of my hands. I feel my heart break as they leave me.

"I'm not moving." I say again, making a grab for my ice cream. Brooke dangles the tub just out of my reach and I sigh and lean back. I knew there was no way I was getting out of this.

"Where are we going?"

I laugh as I hear all the pins being knocked down by my roll. When they had told me that we were going bowling, I was a little reluctant but now I was glad they had dragged me along. It was just me and Steph and Brooke, but they had said that Noah and Ethan would be joining us soon. It was already 11:30, but I didn't feel tired at all. I wasn't regretting leaving my house, there would be other days to watch Netflix and eat ice cream all night.

I sat down and took another bite of my nachos. Frank's bowling was open until three am every day, except on Christmas and other holidays. We used to come here all the time, and we still came a lot, but nearly as much as we did Freshman and Sophomore year. 

Around midnight the boys showed up. Bowling was just like old times and we stayed as long as Frank would let us. I knew there would be no sleeping tonight. Ethan stayed by  my side the whole evening and never really strayed anywhere else. We ended up staying until 3 am and going to the McDonald's afterwards. We had a craving for ice cream that only McDonald's could satisfy. We went through the drive-through and then stopped at a nearby park. The park that we had found Alexi and Ethan at.

It was four am and technically we couldn't be there past sunset but the police had murders to solve, not kids in a park at 4 am. They would never tell us to leave. So this is where we always came. I could tell everyone else was looking at me and Ethan, making sure we were okay with coming here. Even though it held bad memories, I was okay with coming here. I knew that it wasn't the park that was bad, it was the actions of the people in the park. Hell, it was the people all around too. 

It was nights like this that I appreciated my life the most. These idiots that have stuck by and defended me for so long, I was completely whole with all of them in my life. They were all I needed and My life was full with them in it. Noah and his quirky ways and ability to always make me smile. Brooke and her never ending advice and her always quiet support. She knew she didn't always have to say anything to make me feel better. Stephanie and her laughter and her outgoingness and her loyalty. I knew she would beat up anyone who ever dared to hurt me again. I had to restrain her from kicking Evan's ass. 

And Ethan. I don't even know what to say about him. He never strayed from my side. Even when he was breaking himself, he was there. There to dry my tears as he cried his own. We leaned on each other for support when we didn't even know it. In a argument I subconsciously moved closer to him. I ran to him when I needed someone and he was the brother in every way. I love him so much and in that moment, at the park where everything fell apart but somehow fell together, I realized how good I had it. 

"Hey Katie. What's going through that head of yours?"Ethan asks as he reaches across the picnic table to grab my hand. 

"Nothing."I say with a small smile. He didn't know what I had realized. Because I knew and that was all that mattered. 

He squeezes my hand and smiles back. And that's the way we spend the rest of the night, until the sunlight comes back early in the morning. 

Okay. Don't kill me. I know this is so short. But I don''t have anything else to put in this chapter and I'm ready for the next chapter! Be ready for something big to happen. Did I forget to mention that Katie won best softball player in the country and gets to go to a banquet where she gets to meet the president. She is being recognized with other female athletes from around the country. Some things happen with her and Ethan. Be ready!;)

Thanks for reading!