lifeguard↠ e.d.

2. going to the other side (of the house)

five
grace

the room was unnaturally quiet. nothing was being thrown anymore, or said whatsoever. i step away from ethan. everyone kept staring at my uncle, as he looked around the room.

"what the hell is this?" his booming voice echoes through the room.

everyone remained quiet. he crosses his arms.

"who started all of this?"

everyone, including my uncle, looks in the back of the room, where me and ethan were.

"ethan dol-" uncle todd starts, but i cut him off.

"i-i did." i stutter out. my uncle gives me a look of disappointment. i look down at my hands. "i-i threw mashed potatoes at ethan, and then chaos just broke lose i guess."

"grace? wh-"

"she's lying smith. i was the one that threw potatoes at blake. people saw and started doing it. it was all my idea. not grace's."

"no! i threw first! it's my faul-"

"everyone, out." uncle todd commands. the other people in the cafeteria scurry out as fast as they can. before my friends walk out the door, they give me reassuring smiles.

"i'm not letting you take the blame." i whisper to ethan, my eyes still on the ground.

"grace, so fucking help me, i'm not even going to get in trouble. just let me take the damn blame."

once every single person is gone, todd motions for us to walk to him. once we do, ethan automatically keeps talking. "smith. it really was me. she's just being nice, trying to take the blame. it was my idea." ethan stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"is that true?" my uncle asks. i look up at ethan. his jaw is clenched, and it was like he was refusing to look at me.

"y-yeah. it's true." i mutter quietly.

"okay kiddo. leave me and ethan to talk. get yourself cleaned up." i walk slowly to the door, and right when i open it, i see grayson, alisha, jack, chris, and avery all pressed up against the door.

"what are you d-" they pull me outside and shut the door, making sure it clicks.

i press my ear to the door like the rest of them are, and i can barely make out what they're saying. "ethan grant dolan, why would you do that? the cafeteria is trashed. and then have the nerve to touch my niece like that? right in front of me?"

avery snickers. "grant."

"shut the fuck up avery!" chris blurts, causing her to frown. we all shush them.

"smith, i just-" ethan gets cut off again.

"no, 'i justs'. you're cleaning this place up. it better be done before tomorrow morning. do you understand?"

"yes." you could hear the tenseness in ethans voice.

"and, before you go." todd calls out. "don't touch my niece like that again."