Let Yourself Fall // sequel to My Ethan Karpathy

Chapter 17

ETHANS POV:

Paisley falls asleep, and I want answers. I'm not about to go asking Paisley, but Maybe the boys know. I lay her down and walk over to the window, close and lock It. I'm not risking her getting out. I walk out my room, locking it behind me. I know it sounds like I'm trapping her or something, well I'm not. I'm not risking her getting out, because I now know what she could and would do. I creep downstairs and hear Chris and Jai having a hushed conversation. All I catch is one sentence.

"And they shoved her in the hallway once." Chris whispers.

"What?" I ask, scaring Chris and Ethan.

"Um.. Ethan. You're awake." Chris says guilty.

"Who cares about me, who shoved her. What do you know?" I snap.

"I, umm, I don't know what you're talking about." Chris obviously lies. Why isn't he telling me?

"That's a load of bullshit and you know it. You tell me now if you ever want to be considered my friend." I spit at Chris. He actually looks scared at my sudden outburst and I kind of feel bad.

"I, um, I don't think I sho-" Chris starts but I cut him off by yelling in his face.

"That's my fucking girlfriend up there! She just tried to commit fucking suicide, I didn't even know she was that sad about anything! You know something, Chris Lanzon, and you will tell me." I scream as loud as I dare. The roof has these soundproof sheets in them so I won't wake Paisley. It's for my music practise or something.

Chris just stands up, taken aback. He has a look of shock and confusion on his face. I realise what I just did was wrong and fall to my knees, tears threatening to spill. I hold my head in my hands and try and get rid of the massive headache forming in my head.

"I'm sorry." I apologise quietly.

Chris sighs and sits back down next to Jai.

"It's okay, I knew I should've told you the day it happened, but she told me not to." Chris says.

"Wait, what?"

Chris just breathes out deeply through his nose, moves over and pats the seat in between him and Jai.

"Come sit with Uncle Chris and Jai." He jokes.

"I didn't know I had gay uncles." I reply, hopefully sounding more cheerful than I feel. The boys laughed, but I just got up slowly and sat in between them.

"Okay. So I really don't know much, but I did see two or so things." Chris starts.

"Just please tell me."

"Well, you know Rhianna and Chelsea? The first thing I saw was them giving Paisley a really bad death stare. Normally I would just pass this over because it happens quite a bit, but this time Paisley reacted. She went all pale and her eyes went all scared. She just put her head down and walked faster. Chelsea had this little satisfied smirk on her face. I think this had something to do with it." He explains.

"Anything else..?" I ask hesitantly.

"Well, when I was coming out of class, I saw Chelsea and Rhianna shoving Paisley against the lockers and pushing all of her books over the floor." Chris says, his face wrinkling in a thinking way.

"How come no one ever told me any of this..?" I ask. This's all starting to make sense.

"She told me not to. She made me promise, man." Chris explains. I remember how Chris never breaks promises, no matter what.

"I remember something from ages ago. Just a few months after you moved here." He says after a while.

"Mm?"

"Well, I can't be sure, but I remember Chelsea pushing Paisley into a bench in PE, you know the day she was knocked out? She told everyone she fell, but I'm pretty certain Chelsea pushed her." he says. There's too many bitches in this world.

"Why didn't you tell anyone!?" I ask, surprised.

"Because I didn't see all of it, and I wasn't a hundred percent sure. I didn't think it would be fair on Chelsea if I accused her." Chris shrugs. Sometimes Chris is too nice.

"Oh, and I was sitting behind her in English. Rhianna passed her a note and I could just read it. I don't remember what it said, but I think it said some pretty bad shit." He adds.

Wait, Paisley was getting passed notes all the time in class. Oh. My. God. Was every single one of them like a bullying note..? How did I not realise?

"The other day when you saw marks on her neck, that was from when she was shoved into the locker." Chris explains.

"Oh my fucking hell."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He apologises.

"It's okay, she told you not to. I'm kind of disappointed she couldn't tell me, but she must've had a good reason." I say, mostly to convince myself.

"Where is Paisley anyway?" Jai asks. I forgot he was there.

"Sleeping." I say sadly.

"Want me to go check on her?" Jai asks.

"Yeah.. If you want.." I say hesitantly. I still sort of don't trust Jai a hundred percent, but he saved Paisley, and I think we have a good chance of being good mates now. He stands up and runs up the stairs. Chris turns to me and just sighs for what seems like the 50th time in the past half an hour.

"I can't believe it." I say, shaking my head as tears well up in my eyes.

"Believe what?" Chris asks.

"I almost lost her." I reply quietly, a tear slipping out. I blink rapidly to make sure no more fall.

Then Jai comes Racing down the stairs.

"Ethan you need get up there, now." Jai screams from the feet of the stairs. He sounds desperate, and he's.. Crying?

Then i realise what the only thing he could be crying for is.

Paisley.