Love Is Real | Sarah x Ethan

Chapter 12 Sarah's P.O.V

     I sit in the front row of the bleachers, scrolling through Instagram, waiting for the announcements to come over the intercom. Eventually, they did and the car riders got up to leave, causing me to glance up for a moment before returning my gaze to my phone.
     Not long after, I hear a loud voice shout, "Hey!" fairly close to me, causing me to jump.
     I turn around, seeing Ethan and I smile at him, putting my phone in my back pocket.
     "Bro, you scared me," I say, laughing a little.
     "Heh, sorry. It was funny to watch though," he apologizes, sitting next to me.
     "It's fine. I just wasn't expecting it," I explain, looking away from him and glancing around the gym.
     A couple minutes go by and it's honestly pretty awkward, there being a long silence between us and all.
     "Okay. Well, I wanted to ask you something," Ethan says.
     "Okay. What's up?" I reply, putting my attention on him.
     "Well, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out this weekend? We could, like, go and get something to eat or something if you want. But, not as a date cause, you know. We're just friends," he suggests, turning a little red in the process.
     "I'd honestly love that, but I don't have a car, so I'd probably have to see if my sister's available. Otherwise, I won't be able to go," I explain, a small smile forming on my lips.
     "I can pick you up if your sister can't take you. If you don't mind that is," he offers.
     "That'd be great, but only if you don't mind," I say.
     "I don't mind at all. So, you'll see if your sister's available and if she isn't then text me and let me know and I'll pick you up," he explains.
     "Okay. That sounds great," I smile.
     "Okay, cool. Well, I'm gonna go. There's some guys I wanna talk to before we have to go home. I'll talk to you later," he smiles, waving as he stands up and starts walking away.
     I smile at him, giving him a small wave before taking my phone out of my pocket. I scroll through Snapchat, looking at everyone stories, waiting for first load buses to be released, since second load should be released not long after.

~Time skip to on the bus~

     "Sarah? You okay?" Josh says, putting his hand on my forearm.
     I turn and look at him, a little confused.
     "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" I ask, his question confusing me a little.
     "I'm not sure, you've just been zoning out a lot lately. I mean, I know you zone out a lot, but you've been doing it more than usual," he explains.
     "Oh, sorry. I don't mean to zone out. It just kinda happens whenever I start thinking really hard about something I guess," I shrug.
     "No, it's fine. I just wanted to make sure you're okay," he smiles.
     "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about some school stuff I guess," I explain, giving him a small smile.
     He turns away from me, staring out the window with a small smile on his lips.
     'He's cute when he's happy," I think to myself, smiling at him before looking away and going on my phone, scrolling through Pinterest.
     'Ugh, what are you thinking, Sarah?! He's your best friend!' My subconscious argues.
     I shake off these thoughts, sighing quietly. Josh glances over at me for a second, his gaze a little concerning. I smile, not wanting him to worry and he smiles back, running a hand through his hair and returning his stare to the window.
     The bus pulls to a halt, opening the doors at Josh's stop. I step out of the seat, standing in the aisle so Josh can get off. He steps into the aisle, smiling at me before walking to the front and getting off, making his way back to his house.
     I step back into my seat, setting my backpack in Josh's place. I put in my earbuds, playing Stranger, and staring out the window. I watch as the trees and houses fly by, stopping occasionally to let other kids off. 
     Eventually, we get to my stop. I sling my backpack over my shoulder, stepping into the aisle and walking off of the bus, preparing to make my way home.

~Time skip to 5:26 PM~

     I sit in my bedroom, my pencil in my hand as I contemplate how to write this story. I'm attempting to write a story about a young woman, who happens to be a cancer survivor, that falls in love with her best friend. I just don't really know how to start and I've been trying to think for almost an hour now.
     I finally decide to go for a walk, just to clear my head. I grab my phone, putting it in my pocket in case I get a call or a text. Or if I just want to be on it.
    I put my hair into a low ponytail, seeing as it's still fairly hot out, it is still summer after all. I take off my jacket, leaving me in my purple tank top and my jean shorts.
    I make my way to the front door, not needing to tell anyone where I'm going since I'm home alone. I head outside, deciding I'll just walk around the neighborhood and circle back around.
    While walking I see this girl who happens to go to my school. Her name's Ashley and if I'm being honest, I haven't heard the greatest things about her. Now, I'm not the kind of person that's just gonna judge them without talking to them or anything, but Kendall's told me a few things about her. She seems to be kind of a bitch, seeing as she puts down almost any girl just to make herself feel better, at least from what I've heard.
     When I really look at her, she is noticeably pretty and I understand why so many guys are attracted to her. She has strawberry blonde hair and light brown eyes. Her skin isn't necessarily tan, but it definitely isn't pale either. Her complexion is completely free of acne as well.
     Not to mention she has the physical features that society has dictated as practically perfect. She's extremely skinny, not to the point where I'd be concerned but skinny enough that it's noticeable. She happens to be pretty curvy, but that's all I can see without making myself and possibly her uncomfortable. I mean, I don't want to, like, look at her ass or some shit. That's just creepy.
     As I pass by her house she smiles at me, waving a little. I smile back, waving as well, just to be nice. I mean, I may have heard some things that make her seem rude, but I've never spoken to her. That could always just be a misunderstanding and I don't wanna judge someone with talking to them first.
     I keep walking, eventually circling around to make my way back to my house, but someone stops me about halfway through.
     "Hi," the voice says.
     I look up to see Ashley. She's wearing a striped, yellow and white crop top, which happens to be pretty revealing, with white jean shorts.
     "Uh, hi," I reply, feeling extremely awkward, but actually a little curious as to what she has to say.
     "My name's Ashley. I think I've seen you around school before. What's your name?" Ashley introduces herself and then asks for my name in return.
     "Sarah," I reply.
     I continue to walk, her alongside me.
     "That's such a pretty name!" Ashley exclaims, and I honestly feel a little uncomfortable.
     "Thank you?" I answer, kind of unsure as to what to do at this point.
     "You're welcome. I also love your accent. It's so cute," she compliments.
     "It's, um, it's not an accent, but thanks," I clarify, not wanting her to believe that I have an accent when in reality I don't.
     "Oh, it's not? What is it?" she asks, her tone changing drastically.
     "I have a lisp," I say, shrugging.
     "Oh," she responds.
     We walk for almost a minute in complete silence. I have no idea what to say to her.
     "Well, I'm gonna, like go. Bye," Ashley says, walking away.
     I don't respond to her, but I honestly find that really weird. The way she sounded it kind of sounded like she didn't like the fact that I had a lisp or something, but maybe I could just be being dramatic.