Painful Love

t e n

"You're back!" Kimberly shouts hugging Ethan.

"I am." He responds smiling at her.

"I haven't see you in days." She says disappointed.

The last time she saw him was the morning after Grayson and Ethan had the fight. They didn't saw each other after school or the whole weekend. Mostly because Grayson made everything possible for them not to see each other. Ethan didn't mind because it's better this Grayson than aggressive and drunk Grayson, but sometimes he can be too attached to him.

"I know." He says fixing his hair with his fingers. "I've been really busy." He says grabbing her hand. "But I'm here now, and I'm your only friend. So you're basically stuck with me." He says smiling and pulling her into a hug.

"About that." She says closing her locker. "I made a friend!" She tells him exited, more exited than she should be. Mainly because is hard for her to make friends, especially girl friends.

"You did?" He says surprised. He wasn't expecting her to make friends so soon. And she is basically his only friend.

"Yeah." She says smiling. "She's really nice, her name is Melisa and we have a few classes together."

Ethan nodded while they made their way through the school hallway. He wasn't paying too much attention to her, instead he was looking at Grayson at his locker. Kissing Katherine. Ethan is not the jealous type, and Grayson and him are not in a relationship, but for a moment Ethan felt his stomach drop, just like the time he heard the news that his mother was dead. He hasn't see them kiss after Grayson kissed him and basically made him have feelings towards him.

"Ethan." Kimberly says grabbing his arm. "Are you even paying attention to me?" She says laughing.

"What?" Ethan replies looking at Kimberly in the face.

"Nothing." She whispers, trying not to show her disappointment. Is not the first time Ethan stops paying attention to her while she talks to him. She feels like she is boring him most of the time.

"Kim," He says noticing the expression on her face.

"There she is!" She says quickly changing the subject and smiling widely.

"Hey." Mel says approaching her. For a moment she was confused, she didn't know Kim was friends with Ethan. "How are you today." She asks giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'm good." Kim says fixing her hair. "Even though you already know who he is, this is Ethan my friend." She says pointing at Ethan.

"Best friend." He says shaking the girl's hand.

"Oh." Was all Mel said while smiling.

Immediately she began talking with Kimberly about her weekend. Even though it may be rude for her to ignore Ethan she kept talking with her new friend, because after all Ethan wasn't paying too much attention to her.

After a few more minutes of tormenting himself, Ethan changed his view from Grayson towards Kimberly. Why can't he be friends with Kimberly? Why does Grayson makes such a big deal about his friendship with her when he had Katherine to himself? Ethan doesn't have more than a friend relationship with her and Grayson hates them for that? It is unfair for him to sacrifice his friendship with an awesome girl for a jealous brother, when he had a girlfriend to show off in front of everyone.

"Kimberly." He says cutting their conversation off. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asks grabbing her hand.

"Okay." She said confused. "I will see you in a moment Mel." She told Melisa while walking behind Ethan.

Ethan opens the door of the first classroom that appears to be empty, pulling Kimberly and himself inside. Kimberly was more than confused but didn't say a word.

"What are we doing here?" She asks crossing her arms.

Ethan frowns not knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Seriously Ethan we have like five minutes unti-

But Kimberly didn't have time to finish what she was trying to say because Ethan's lips stopped her. Saying that she was surprised wasn't enough, she was astonished. She didn't pull away, in the contrary, she kissed him back. She had been waiting for this moment her whole life but she knew she wasn't good enough for him. What changed now?

"What was that for?" She asks catching her breath.

"I don't know." He says resting his forehead against hers. "Didn't you liked it?"

"I did." She says smiling.

"Good," he replies grabbing her face in both of his hands. "Cause I'm planning on doing that again." And so he kissed the girl once again.

-

Grayson saw him, grabbing Kimberly hands and pulling her inside of the classroom. He was trying his best to not feel jealous but it wasn't working.

"Babe are you okay?" Katherine asks staring at his face. Noticing how he tensed up in a matter of seconds.

"Yeah." He says giving her a quick peck on the lips. "It's almost time to class, I will see you at lunch later. I have to do something."

He left before Katherine could reply. He was in front of the classroom door in a matter of seconds, looking at both of them through the small glass on the door. What it's he doing? He wonders to himself while looking at his brother come closer to the girl. But before he could even process what was going on, he saw the way Ethan kissed the girl he hated so much.

It took everything in his body not go inside and beat the shit of her for touching his brother. Wasn't the affection that Grayson was giving him enough? He needed her to feel happy? Grayson walked away, before he did something he would regret later. Walking out of the school and to his car, driving far away from the school into his favorite bar. And after days sober he had his first drink, taking one shot after another, until her forgot the reason why he was even drinking in the first place.