crush | g.d. ✓

t h i r t e e n - G.D.

5 MONTHS LATER

I rubbed my thumb in circles on the back of Emily's hand. "Do you want Chipotle?" I ask her, pointing to the restaurant in the food court. Her eyes lit up. She nodded her head rapidly. "You don't even need to ask that question," She says with a smile as she drags me to the place.

Suddenly, someone taps my shoulder. I turn around to see two girls looking up at me and smiling. They both covered their mouths in shock.

"Grayson! Oh my gosh we love you!" They both exclaimed, hugging me. I looked over at Emily and she nodded in approval.

I hugged them back and they asked for pictures and I happily agreed. They also asked me about the car accident and I couldn't help but tear up. I quickly dried my tears but told them that we were fine.

"Before we go, where's Ethan?" One girl asks. I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out.

"He's at home, sleeping. Him and Gray were out until super late last night," Emily chimed in, saving me. I nodded along.

"Okay. Tell him we said hi!" They said and walked away. I smiled back then stepped in line with Emily.

Ethan wasn't at home sleeping. He wasn't anywhere near home, actually. Him and Ariana took a long vacation to some tropical island in Hawaii after two months of physically therapy to escape the trauma Ethan was suffering and to ease the pain. He had broken many bones and decided that he needed to rest. I just wish I could've been there with him. Ariana snatched him away and manipulated him. I knew he couldn't leave alone but I had to let him go. I couldn't keep him here in pain.

Emily noticed the change in my mood. She rubbed her hand on my back in circles. "It's going to be okay, Gray. He'll come back. I know it," She said.

I sighed. "I hope so," I said.

After we ordered, we sat down outside on the balcony that overlooked the parking lot. Emily was taking a picture of her food when she got a phone call from an unknown number. She picked up.

"Hello?" She asked. The person on the other end spoke and her face became emotionless.
"Are you joking, Madison?" She asked. She must've got a rude response since she hung up within five seconds of asking the question.

"Who was that?" I asked.

She sighed. "Madison Sanchez. She was my best friend in high school...well now she's my ex-best friend. I was dating this guy named Jack, right? She was also dating someone so I didn't care much when him and her were alone; they were just friends. One night at some graduation party I walked into the bathroom to find her and Jack, well, going at it on the counter," She says. I see her tense up.

"I was shocked. So shocked that I went downstairs, found her boyfriend, and made out with him, when what I should've done was just leave the party," She told me.

"So, then, why'd she call?" I ask.

"She says she's going to find you and steal you away from me like I did with her ex. She should be apologizing to me!" She exclaimed.

I scoff. "There's no way she's going to steal me from you. I love you, Emily. There's no changing that," I tell her, grabbing her hand and holding it on the table.

She exhales. "Okay. Now let's eat because I'm starving!" She says. I smile at her.

She really is the love of my life.