Three Weeks With You

Chapter Fourteen: Ethan

I have had an ache in my heart, since saying good-bye to Maddison.
Summer break is over and everyone has dragged their feet back to school.
School is the same but different.

Just knowing this is our last year here, makes it more bearable. 
My friends and I spent the last week before school; surfing, hanging out in Aaron's garage and eating takeaways. 
Every time I thought of Maddison, usually late at night, I would message her with a 
"Wishing you were here, with me so I could cuddle you and hold you in my arms"
I wasn't sure if it sounded cheesy or not, but it was true.
My whole body ached for her.

My room seemed dull, my life seemed not as bright.
I wanted, so badly, to touch her, breathe in her scent.
Hearing her voice on the phone was the highlight of my day. Her caring, thoughtful questions, her delightful laugh.
We haven't tried phone sex yet, she is too emotional.
Hell, I am too emotional.
We are slowly adjusting and getting used to Skype and texting and talking through our phone. I guess that's all we can do for now.

Now that school has started I have more to talk to her about. Other than describing my days at the beach and the stupid shit Aaron and Joe would get up to.

My classes this year are Math, English, physical education, history and Geography. I have one study period which is a total life saver and me and a few classmates play cards or I go to the Library.
I have track and have started going to the gym again and swimming there, in the pool. It helps me, to keep busy.
School has been pretty chill for the first week but now we are into our third and the teachers have started giving more homework out to us.

As I walk though the school's corridors all I hear is,
"I wish it was Summer Break again. It wasn't long enough!"
"My brain isn't functioning." or  "Shall we drop out and just become hippies?"
I chuckled to myself. 
At least we are all in the same boat. So to speak.
My friends and I always have each others back when it comes to helping each other out with homework and assignments. 
If someone is away we send pictures of our study notes to them.
That way we can use the majority of our time to hang out and go to the beach or chill and not worry about school work.
Aaron is the smartest out of us three and can play the piano, saxophone and the guitar and probably more. I don't know how he does it. 
He is tall and wears glasses but isn't necessarily considered a nerd. I think that's because he has had a girlfriend.
Emma. They have been dating for the last three years and are practically married.
They are well suited to each other.
Emma is the exact opposite of Aaron.

He is tall, with dark hair, musically inclined, loves to surf and can be quiet (till you get to know him.)
Emma is short, with light blonde hair and is very loud and bubbly. She is very smart, like him but completely non-athletic and no musical abilities what-so-ever.
I remember when Aaron told me that she auditioned for the spring musical a couple of years ago and said it was like a dying raccoon.
They met at a bonfire party on the beach and have been a couple, pretty much ever since.
She also hangs out with us sometimes and is super nice and helpful when it comes to study notes.

Joe gets a bit annoyed with it but I think he is more just jealous because Aaron is good at pretty much everything and has a girlfriend.
Joe has never had a girlfriend.
I think he comes on too strong.
He is shorter than me, not by much and is very broad.
He has a very childish, fun, I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude and a big smile.
He is always laughing and goofing around about something.
Joe is athletic and would rather play sport than go to the library but he tags along because we make him.
"Joe imagine if you had to repeat your last year of school" I say, passing him a book.
"Yeah well, that would suck."

"That it would" I agreed with him and we settled into our books. Finishing our history homework.
Today was Wednesday. 
We were in our study period before lunch. Joe always tried to sneak food into the library and got caught every time.
Today was no exception. I heard him crunching on something within five minutes of us settling into study. I look over and sure enough, he has a packet of crisps.
I tut silently and he just winks at me.
"Joe McGreggor. What do you have there?" Mrs Harper, our miserable librarian, who always had her eyes and ears alerted for anything out of the ordinary. She was extremely thin, with grey hair and huge spectacles. Her hands were always doing something; typing, sorting through books, writing, clicking pens or holding her stained coffee cup and sipping noisily. 
"I've told you many times, there is to be no talking, no eating and no cellphones in the Library. Come on, hand it over." She croaked like a frog who had smoked her whole life.