lemonade | ethan

twenty two

ethan's pov

it was friday. the weekend was coming.

our hair was wet. messy. we probably stunk from the wet undergarments.

we sang songs on the radio, driving anywhere and everywhere. passing time, just hoping to never go home again.

the sun was setting, the stars were coming out. the wind was getting heavier. winter was coming.

we had been driving all around our small town of brooklyn bay for hours. talking about life and enjoying it in the moment.

the street lights blinded me as i drove down the road where the quiet town sat. i look over to my right to see devon sleeping soundly in the passenger seat of my car, a blanket slipping from her shoulders.

the time read twelve o'clock and i was afraid that by the time we got back home, it'd be impossible to take devon home without her parents noticing.

or anyone in the neighborhood for that matter.

though devon was pretty confident in letting others know she had no problem with south siders or me, i knew north siders would still talk. there's no way they'd let something so controversial slip through their fingers.

it didn't help that maya was devon's neighbor. i was scared to even drive into the north side neighborhood not knowing who could see me.

the last thing i wanted to do was endanger devon and her family. and i do that by making her different. if you're different, you're out.

they won't lose their home, that i can assure you of. they lose their friendships, their allies. they'd be all alone because of me.

that pressure is crazy to even think about.

i look over at her once more. god, she was beautiful. it was so hard to like someone you know you can never have.

the north siders are this close to cutting all ties with the wu family because of how chaotic they think devon is being. i wish they understood that she's just trying to live one more year in brooklyn bay where she can just be herself.

i shake my head, sighing. "what am i gonna do with you, dev?"

seriously, where do i drop her off? i'd hate to show up on devon's parents front porch with their heavily slept daughter and have them think i'm delivering her back home from a crazy south side party we had just attended. cause that's just not the case.

"devon?" i shake her shoulder in attempt to wake her up. the blanket only falls lower, and she groans but still remains under a deep sleep.

this girl is impossible.

i try once more and still nothing. now i'm stuck. besides sonny and i, devon doesn't really have anyone else. friends wise.

her north side friends act the part but i know deep down they think she's filthy hanging with us. why do they even bother? oh right, because despite associating herself with south siders, she's still holds her crown, regardless if she wants it.

i find myself instinctively driving into the south side neighborhood instead. i wanted devon to sleep tonight without any trouble that can lead to her family being cut.

no one has to know, i thought.

so i followed my mind, and i went through with it. i didn't know what i was doing, a part of me didn't even really think.

but to say i didn't really care was not true. i was scared. the part of me that went through with it allowed it to happen, however, because i knew she was special.