Battle Scars

thirty six

The last couple of days with Ethan were days I will never forget. They were sad, but he kept me happy.

Out of all of the games he has taught me to play, I'd have to say BS is my favorite. Something about analyzing people's faces to see if they're lying or not is incredibly amusing to me. Maybe I should become a psychologist.

Throughout the days, Ethan has reminded me to set my goals and stand my ground. It's funny how somebody who isn't so great at being assertive can teach somebody else how to stand up for themselves so effectively. That boy has always seemed to spark some sort of force include of me that I never knew existed.

As far as I know, Emily and I are alright. She hasn't bothered me for a good while, and has kept her paws off Ethan.

I hide out in the corner of the day room for about ten minutes before Ethan walks out of Seltz's office. He notices me and jogs over.

"How was it?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I have an hour. My mom should arrive soon. After she fills out the paperwork, I'm outta here forever." It's hard to tell whether he's happy or upset about it.

I hesitate before speaking, thinking of our small amount of time spent together in this place, and how much it's effected me. It stings, knowing I won't have his presence in here anymore. Robin and Ethan: Gone. But I don't express it. I'm happy for him and I want to spend our last hour in here happily.

"I want to see your room." I say to Ethan.

He looks confused for a second. "My room? That one?" He gestures to the boy's rooms. I nod.

He doesn't question it, standing up and taking my hand. "Okay."

I follow him to his assigned room. Ethan Quinn labeled on his door.

After making sure no member of the staff was watching, we scurry into his cream-colored room. The framed picture on his wall is Van Gough instead of joyful ducks. His bed is messy and untucked, and there's a single shirt on the floor.

We crawl onto his small bed on top of the covers, barely fitting next to each other as we squeeze our asses close together.

Ethan yawns before facing me. "So, when are you going to visit?" He asks. "I don't live too far away from Westman High."

"I don't either." I say. "We should meet at the Easy Mart after school one day."

The perky smile on Ethan's face sends my brain into comfort. He bends down below his bed and obtains a pen. "Give me your arm."

He writes out his phone number on my wrist. I notice its the same area code as me.

"My mom may have deactivated my phone line, so be careful. It may or may not be me."

I study the ten-digit number layed out on my wrist, layered upon my battle scars. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ethan dig in his pocket.

"This is for you." He says. I look over and notice a small, green stone. The same green as his eyes. It shines vividly, reflecting off the small window on the other side of the room.

I take the little stone and caress it with the palm of my thumb. It's smooth and glassy, possibly petrified.

"This is stunning. Why are you giving it to me?"

"Someone special gave it to me. She gave me two, actually. She said they kept her safe, and they may or may not have kept me safe. Either way, I want you to have one while I keep the other."

I feel like I'm about to tear up. This is beautiful. I give it another small rub before slipping the small stone into my pocket.

"Thank you for always being so kind. I don't think I've ever met a guy like you." I say softly. Ethan rests his head on my shoulder in response.