Long Distance

Pop-Tart.

[Ethan]

"I hate you." I roll my eyes at Rachel who was seated across from me, cutting into her short stack of pancakes.

"So you're telling me you had a terrible time after I ditched you and Amber last night?" She smirks at me.

"No, but you could have at least warned me," I complain. "I got so nervous it was disgusting."

"Ethan Owens? Nervous?" She laughed at me with her mouth wide open. "Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Oh shut up." I toss a strawberry chunk at her but fail to get my point across when she catches it in her mouth swiftly.

"So what do you think of Amber?" She asks and oddly, I can feel myself getting a bit warm just at the thought of the girl. It was weird feeling this way over someone other than Aria.

"She's cool," I shrug. I knew Aria was back with Edwards and that I should move on, but I meant what I said that night at her house. Aria wasn't exactly the type of person I could erase from my mind. She took over every one of my thoughts.

"Cool? Just cool?"

"Yup," I give her a tight lipped smile. She shakes her head at me in disbelief but before I snap at her, she speaks up.

"Ethan," she purses her lips. "I know you love Aria but do you really think it's worth you suffering?"

"No." I answer her question.

"Then why can't you just move-"

"I just can't, Rachel." I try my best to keep my voice down in order to not cause a scene. "I've tried so hard, hell I've done everything I can, but I can't forget her. And you know what the worst part is?"

She looks up at me signaling that she's paying attention.

"The worst part is that even though I know my chances with her are nonexistent, I still have a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, she'll be with me one day. Pathetic right?"

"It's not pathetic Ethan," she gives me a look of sympathy. "All I'm saying is that you should at least give Amber a shot."

"I'll think about it."

_____________

[Aria]

"Absolutely not," my mother snorts at the idea.

"Mom, I'm serious," I plead. I had called my parents into the kitchen to talk to them about the decision Mason and I had made last night, and by the looks of things, it wasn't going well.

"Y yo también, Aria (So am I, Aria)," she snaps back. "You can't get married at eighteen!"

"Yes I can!" I snap back. "Mother it's legal, and I'm ready to get married."

"And where will you live?" She asks. "How will you afford the wedding in the first place?"

"Your mother's right, mija," my father adds in. "I don't think you're ready."

"If you guys let me get engaged, then why won't you allow me to get married?"

"Mija we let you get engaged because we knew you and Mason would be a great married couple someday in the future," my father replies.

"It's still two months away," I reason with them.

"But there's more to marriage than just a wedding," my mother sighs. "Where will you live after? How will you afford the wedding in the first place?"

"We have it all taken care of," Mason's voice sounds through the room causing both of my parents' heads to snap towards him.

"Oh really?" My father narrows his eyes at him non threateningly. "How so?"