sympathy ~ e.d.

III

'Hey, it's Ethan. Could you please send me the notes you took at History two to three weeks ago until last Friday? I think I missed those.'

I look at his text. 

I change the contact name to 'Ethan from History'. Not that I won't know who Ethan is, I mean, the contacts on my phone are nearly empty. I just don't really want a connection with him, I think. I don't know. I confuse myself at times.

I bite into the apple I just washed and go back to learning for Physics. We've got a test coming up somewhere next week and I'd rather be prepared. 

It's getting late and my mom still isn't home. I sigh and take some cash from the little pot she made for emergencies. We could better call it 'grocery shopping' since that's all it's used for. I grab a bag and head to the store. I am so thankful the store is within walking distance. 

I think it would be nice to eat some rice with broccoli and some kind of sauce, so I head over to the vegetables first to grab the broccoli. I'm pretty sure we still have rice in the cupboard at home.

With my luck, I run into Ethan and his twin brother at the store. He spots me and walks over to me, his twin close behind. 'Hey, Zera! Why are you avoiding me?' he asks me with a small smirk on his lips. I am searching for differences between the two, so I can know when I'm safe in the future. The easiest I can spot at the moment is that Grayson has some kind of wing as an earring. That's a good place to start. 

'I'm not. I have just been busy.' 'But you read my message.' 'Creep. I'll send those stupid notes tonight. And couldn't you just ask your twin? Seems a lot easier than stalking some random girl.'

'I could have. But his writing isn't really readable.' 'Hey! I'm standing right here!' his twin Grayson says. 

'Bye, I'm going to do some more shopping.' I walk away from the boys and towards the fruits.

'Can I help you with those?' Ethan asks. He must have run after me and left his twin behind. 'No, I am perfectly capable of carrying groceries. Bye', I say. I know I am seeming rude, but I just want to get home as soon as possible and not socialize with some random guys. 

He just won't let me go. 'What are you getting?' 'Food.' I walk over to the rice and grab a bag, just to be sure. Then I head to the bread section and get myself some bread for tomorrow. The cornflakes were almost finished as well, so I should get some of those. 

I fill my shopping basket with some other handy things. Ethan is walking alongside me the entire time, occasionally asking questions. I answer them with short, one word answers. Why won't he just leave?

'What do you want, Ethan?' 'To keep you company.' 'You're like a lost puppy. Go follow your brother or something.' 'But you are way more interesting.' I roll my eyes at him. I'll just ignore him. 

I pay for the groceries and place them in bags. Ethan is helping me. He then picks up two of the three bags and starts walking. 'Ethan, don't steal my groceries,' I say, trying to stay calm. This dude is really testing my patience. 'I'm not, I'm just helping you deliver them at your home. Free delivery service.'

'You are not. Hand me the bags. I'm not letting you know where I live. I'm sending you the notes tonight, just leave me alone.' He ignores it and keeps on walking alongside me. 

'Ethan', I hiss. 'That's me. What's your favorite color?' 'I am not telling you, arrogant turtle. Hand me my groceries. I need to start cooking dinner. Or I'll starve to death and blame you. Police will be at your door in no time.' What a realistic threat. Couldn't I have come up with something else?

He furrows his brows. 'You can go three days without food, I think you'll be alright. But what is your favorite color?' 'Nothing.' 'Really, I'm curious.' I'm fed up with this kid already. He met me not even a day ago and is already stalking me? No thank you.

'I'm making you a deal. I'll tell you but you hand me my groceries and leave me the hell alone.'

He considers it for a second 'Fine. Now, what is your favorite color?' 'The dark red of your blood. Now hand me my groceries.' He does and finally stops walking alongside me. I can feel him watching me while I walk away. Why did I have to be so unlucky?