Cinderfella

Chapter Thirty Five

Ethan forced himself to get out of bed, standing on weak legs. He walked to the door, reaching for the knob and opening it into the hallway.

He smiled at the familiar colors of his home. Downstairs, he could hear soft music playing and smell his mom's breakfast raising up to fill the house. He rushed downstairs, concentrating on his walking, until he stood in the bright living room.

He looked into the kitchen and smiled. Karie sat at the breakfast table, looking over her court notes and working on finishing a frosted muffin. Her hair was down, framing her angled face in a curtain of black, and making her look much younger and more feminine. She pushed a pair of black glasses up her nose, only to look annoyed when they slid back down.

Nicole came up behind her, running her hands along Karie's shoulders and neck, and when she thought no one was looking, across her chest. Karie smiled at her wife's touches, relaxing back in her chair and looking up at her with love.

Nicole had her hair pulled back in tight waves that bounced as she moved around her kitchen. Without the fear and anxiety in her eyes, she looked like Alice, young and ready to take on the world. She wiped her hands on her apron, spreading flour over the front as she sang along to the song on the radio.

Alice walked in from the garage, wiping motor oil off of a towel. She ran it across her forehead, streaking black across her temples. Nicole laughed when she saw it and wiped it off before sending her to the table with a kiss.

Ethan stepped into the room, blending into the family time effortlessly. Karie pulled him into the chair next to her, facing Nicole, and began to distract herself by fixing his bedhead. Ethan smiled and looked down, where Nicole had set a plate of eggs and a muffin. He turned to her and thanked her. His heart fluttered when he added "mom" to the end.

Since his return to the house from the hospital, Ethan hadn't wanted to leave his family's side. He sat on the couch or at the table, doing the homework he had to catch up on before he could go back to school. More times than not, he let himself get distracted by the movement of the house. Sometimes he sat with Karie, letting her discuss her next case and debating it with her. He liked their daily mock court sessions, and he had decided that he wanted to follow her and become a lawyer.

If he wasn't with her, he was in the kitchen, watching Nicole make dinner or watching her in the backyard, tending to her garden. Sometimes he would slip on a pair of gloves and help her with the tomatoes or he would dig holes for the herbs to be replanted, but he also enjoyed sitting on the steps in the sunshine and listening to her talk to the plants.

When Alice got home, he usually followed her to the garage, where he began learning how to fix bikes. He liked watching her work, sitting on a stool with wheels so she could cross the garage in seconds. When she worked, her missing leg meant nothing, which she talked about when she was especially stuck as a way of concentrating.

Ethan closed his eyes, enjoying the last day of his routine before he went back to school the next day.

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The next day, Ethan sat anxiously in Alice's car. He watched the streets change, until they were pulling into the school lot.

He reached up and adjusted his binder again, worried he might have lost all ground he'd gained before Tyler outed him. He wanted to looked extra manly, so he had gotten his hair cut again, shorter than he'd ever had it, and it made him nervous.

"Hey Alice?" he asked.

Alice set her hand on his shoulder. "Dude, calm down. You look fine, and no one has said anything about the accident. Trust me, I wouldn't let you sit here if there was an issue."

Ethan nodded and looked out the window again as they stopped. He caught sight of a small figure with dark moving towards the car and smiled.

"Mikey!" he yelled, throwing open the door and jumping out the hug his friend.

Mikey returned it just as passionately. He threw his arms around Ethan and jumped up, holding himself in the air with Ethan's larger body. When Ethan set him down, he noticed the light that stood out in Mikey's eyes.

"How are you?" Ethan asked. He hadn't left the house in so long, and he hadn't seen Mikey either. They had talked a week ago, agreeing that they'd both start together again on Thursday, so that it wouldn't be too long until the weekend.

Mikey wore a short sleeve shirt, which showed his fading scars. He held a jacket in his right hand, which he used to cover his arms when Ethan looked. "I'm a lot better. My dad got a better job while we were in Houston, and he can work from home. He took me to a movie last night, and it was awesome!"

He turned to Alice and gave her a hug as well. From the side, Ethan could see the scars left by the car that remained on his neck. The skin looked burned, and instead of being dark, it was pink. Ethan looked away, not wanting to draw attention to it.

Besides the pain in his legs, the only scar Ethan still had was a rough patch of skin left from the cement he'd skidded on. He reached for it, rubbing the rough skin and wincing.

Mikey gave them both a genuine smile. "I'm actually excited to go to school for once."

Alice laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Then let's go. Maddy got here earlier, and I think she has something planned for you two."

Ethan walked with them inside, feeling a nervous churning in the pit of his stomach. As they entered the school, some people looked over before quickly looking away. The quietness made it all the more ominous.

Alice led them to Mikey's locker, where Maddy stood with Liam. Liam gave Ethan a kind smile and waved before turning to Mikey.

Mikey ducked away from Alice, who turned to Maddy, and wrapped his arms around Liam. Liam returned the hug, tucking Mikey's head into his chest. Ethan felt his heart warm at the looks on their faces, Mikey so happy to see Liam, and Liam so in love with Mikey.

Ethan wished he could have a reunited story with Kyle, where the blue haired boy would walk through the doors and run up to him, ready to attach Ethan with kisses until Ethan felt like he was floating above the world. He shooed away the daydream and smiled, happy for his friend.

He felt a buzz in his pocket where he kept his new phone given to him by Karie and Nicole. They wanted to be able to reach him in case of the worst, or in case he needed them for something. He pulled it out, expecting it to be one of them when he saw a text from an unknown number.

Have a good day babe! I'll see you this weekend at your place.

Ethan smiled at the text. He felt Maddy's eyes on him and turned to her.

"Is that Kyle?" she asked.

Ethan didn't need to answer- the blush on his face gave it away.

Maddy and Alice smiled. "Well then," Maddy said, "tell him his prince is waiting."