lemonade | ethan

twelve

devon's pov

"why don't you just talk to him?" melanie asks as she sips on her oreo milkshake. we were currently at the diner in which all the south siders hung out at.

"i've already tried that." i sighed, slouching in my seat.

melanie just stares at me, defeated. "can i be completely honest with you?" she says.

i nod, "of course."

"i think that... as a popular girl, you're so used to people just falling at your feet. i mean, clayton did but he's also been your only boyfriend in all of high school. if you like this guy, you can't expect him to fall at your feet." she explains. "south side guys... they aren't like our north side guys. you know?"

"why don't you just confess?" nick, melanie's boyfriend, slides into the booth right next to her. i guess he likes to listen too. "chances are, he feels the same way."

nick hung out with ethan. he was apart of their friend group. i learn forward, suddenly super interested. "did he say something about me?"

nick grabs melanie's milkshake, sipping on the straw and simply shrugs his shoulders.

it made me think. i've never done this. i'm not ready. "i should go to his house, right?"

nick shakes his head. "no. trust me, he only allows the people closest to him in his home."

"why?" melanie asks.

he shrugged, "i don't know. only sonny has been there." he explained. "ethan's mysterious. that's what i like about the kid."

with a furrowed eyebrow, melanie continues her advice. "yeah, well i think you should talk to him. have a heart to heart in which you two could stop guessing and finally get the answers."

i rub my temples. "i'm sensitive. i'll probably just start crying."

mel chuckles, "even if things go downhill, you still have me. okay?"

"thank you." i simply say. "have you thought of any names?" i asked both of them, changing the subject completely.

nick clears his throat, sitting up in his seat. "wether it's a boy or girl, we've decided on the name dakota."

"yeah. we also plan on having a gender reveal party. of course, my family probably won't be there... but it's their loss." melanie chuckled.

"anyway," melanie continues. "i was wondering if you'd go to one of my checkups with me, dev. maybe find out the gender and arrange the whole thing?" she asked, hope in her eyes.

i smiled, "of course. that's such a honor, mel."

LEMONADE

i don't know what i was doing. sitting in my car while the air conditioning blasted, in the very neighborhood i told myself i wouldn't come to.

was i stupid? to show up to his house even though nick told me not to?

i checked google maps probably fifty times to make sure it was the right address sonny had given me. sonny is ethan's bestfriend. i mean, why would he give it to me if their friend group had some sort of grudge on me?

i got out of the car, but didn't dare move. i stared at the house, so small and beat down.

what am i doing? this isn't right. i'm sure you can wait until school, devon.

i sighed, shaking my head. "only someone as stupid as you would come here, dev. what're you doing to yourself." i say, reaching for the door handle on my car as i was about to leave.

"dev? is that you?" the front door of the house opens. i stand behind my car parked outside the home. he has a confused look on his face.

shit. if you don't want to get in these kinds of situations then why do you put yourself there?

"yep!" i say, plastering a smile. "i was just leaving."

he steps out of his house, closing the door behind him. the clothes he wore looked a lot different then what he usually wore. he wore sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. i liked it.

"how do you know where i live?" he asked, his arms crossed as he stood at the stairs of his porch.

i looked down at my hands, fiddling with my keys. "sonny." i hated telling on him but it'd be weird if i didn't.

"of course he did." i hear him mumble. "well.. what do you want?" he asks.

"oh, uh..." i hesitated at first, scratching him head as if i was thinking. "you know, the chem project. maybe we can do the lemon thing i suggest last time?"

i got out of hiding behind my car, walking closer to him cautiously. he walks down the steps, walking closer to me also. he looks behind him at his house, scanning the windows. he looked anxious. "why didn't you just text me that?"

oh. he's right. "i actually didn't come here to talk about the chem project." i forced a chuckle.

he furrowed his eyebrows. "figured." sighing, he rubs his face using one hand, slowly making his way to his hair. "what's up."

"why don't you just confess to him. chances are he feels the same way."

even though he showed obvious signs of being annoyed with me, i followed my gut. i know it's stupid, believe me. but i feel like if i don't do it now, i won't do it ever.

i sighed. i couldn't believe i was being bold devon today. "i like you, ethan." his mood doesn't change, though i was hoping it would. my heart aches, but i continue anyway even though she screamed to stop for she didn't want to hurt anymore. "i've lost a lot of bonds with people in my life. so much, i'm kind of used to it."

"i feel like i've been searching for that one real bond with someone for the longest time. and then... i found you. i just don't want to lose you for a reason i don't know. so... please. talk to me." i add.

he doesn't say anything for a while as if his mind is somewhere else. "i don't usually do this as you could probably tell by my terrible speech. but i'm not one to... chase, i guess. so this is very different for me." i was just blabbering at this point like i always did.

"i'm not him." he simply says.

i furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "what?"

"that someone you've been searching for. i'm not him."

END OF CHAPTER TWELVE

stayed up too long playing minecraft. whoops.