Here's the thing about Ethan Nestor. He overthought... a lot. It's what he did best, something he showed excellence in. So why did it come so easy to type out a response, with everything that needed to be said in a small clear bubble, but when it came to pressing send - he couldn't find the courage to drag his thumb across the screen?
Where was the courage he manifested when he stood up to Tucker? When he blatantly called him out and socked him?
He knew what he wanted to say, he had written the text message four times now. And his fingers were getting ready to delete the written words and write it all over again.
But there stood the message in front of him, nearly taunting him for not manning up and doing what he wanted to do.
"Damn it." He grumbled to himself, dropping the phone onto his bare chest and staring up at the ceiling. "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."
All this overthinking was going to be the death of him.
Why couldn't he just say what he wanted to say? He deeply cared about Reese, more than he realized. He wouldn't be having this much anxiety over a text message if she didn't mean something to him.
Regardless or not if he got to be the hero, he went straight back to watching. The same old Ethan that everyone knew.
Who was he kidding? Ethan couldn't remain the hero forever. Reality had to kick in some time and was Ethan sure kicked - literally. This was something the blue boy was going to have to accept. It was okay to not be the hero, but damn it sure felt good to be one.
He sunk a little farther down into the pillow, the greenish blue tint in his eyes flickering in the shadowed lighting.
She lifted her fist up to the front door, softly tapping her knuckles into the wood. The knocks were light, barely audible to the other side. Because as long as she bestowed some pressure, she could at least say she tried. Pursued some type of forgiveness whether or not the other side answered.
She could proudly and confidently say she came over and attempted to fix the broken pieces. Aid the shattered glass that scattered along the floor. Because there was no denying that she didn't make the effort to repair those fragmented scraps.
She desperately wanted to reconcile, the whole falling out had affected her. She was sort of lost, sort of tense. Felt a little... hurt.
And it was no surprise that he wanted to reignite the entombed flame that coincidentally sparked. Because once the small, somewhat nonexistent, flame died out, a little part of her did too.
Her lithe fingers wrapped around the brass handle as she took a long and deep breath. She curled the knob slightly and the door opened with ease. She placed a foot forward and the ingress followed.
A number of thoughts shook her, alarming her that what she was doing was a terrible idea. Why was the door unlocked? Weren't they all in class? Mark's car wasn't in the driveway, maybe they just forgot to lock the front door?
She held her breath, afraid to make the slightest movement. Terrified to release the smallest of sounds. But she had the boldness to continue, all that confidence she gained in herself wasn't for nothing.
Regardless of her determination, she was still surprised she entered their house. In a way, it was considered unlawful entry, a crime. But she knew that this was an opportunity to fix something that needed to be fixed.
Inside of her pocket was a little figurine, a token of gratitude. Well, that's what she believed it to be. A small memento, something significant. It was of the character Boo that Ethan played in Mario Kart, floating above one of the karts. When she played video games with them, it was one of the most real moments she had - with anyone for that matter. The time she shared with the boys was genuine and if only she could warp back to that Saturday night when her boyfriend flaked on her and she still found a reason to smile.
"You can do this." She muttered to herself, the uneasy look in her chocolate eyes blowing her cover of attempting to come across as a fearless young adult.
She stumbled on and kept moving, knowing that if she stopped she would stop for good. And then she approached his room, the door cracked open just the tiniest bit to allow her to catch a glimpse inside of the place she had set foot in before.
A slight cough echoed throughout the walls and traveled through the hallway, allowing for her to come to the realization that someone was home. And it was him.
Her heart started pounding, sure, she was nervous before but she didn't expect to see him now. Her intention was to set the figure of Boo on his desk and rush out, have her small present be ambiguous. Wasn't he supposed to be in class? Did he now have class on Friday's?
Reese was supposed to be in class but she ditched because she had a reason, and god was this a good enough reason to ditch.
So she went for it, because in all honesty, what did she really have to lose?
She barreled her weight into the door and burst inside, coming forward through the frame and freezing.
She saw him. Brown meeting blue. Lips trembling, quivering, body shaking. She seemed almost disgusted with herself, recalling the time where she raised her hand to his face and hit him. And she stood there, tangles in her hair, heart in her hands.
"Ethan..." she slurred, her doe orbs widening.
"Reese...?"
He jerked up out of bed, the pack of frozen vegetables sliding off his tummy and onto the floor. He leaped over to find another t-shirt to cover himself but she had different plans.
"Ethan!" she sprinted towards the blue boy and latched her hands onto his stomach, "What is this?"
Ethan peered down at her, cheeks flushing red from the intricate touch. "Uh..."
She immediately pulled back, her face darkening in color. "Oh, sorry... I didn't mean to just... come on to you like that."
If there was a new shade of red - a blend of pink and scarlet with small tints of ruby - then Ethan had created it.
And he almost felt relieved when he saw her because he didn't need a text message to express himself. Because in that moment, everything had already been said.
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I really enjoyed writing this part! And I look forward to writing the next... Sorry it's on the shorter side, just had to set the stage for the next - hehe.
Happy reading, folks. <3
- domducky
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Smile - CrankGameplays
Fanfiction... and right when he finished the last syllable to the last word, she smiled. Ethan Nestor doesn't understand the realms of relationships, maybe never will. So when a particular brunette catches his eye at a party, he can't seem to forget the way s...
