Twisted Web of Truths

Chapter Six

"Yeah, mom." Ethan drops a kiss on his mother's cheek. "Straight home, we got it."

Cole urges them both to hurry up. They wanted to get there earlier than the Quills, unlike yesterday. Yesterday was hard enough that they couldn't face the stares. Most people who knew the truth sided in with them, secretly but on the outside, they'd be on Trevor's side. That's how scared everyone is of them.

"Emilie's sick today," Ethan explains to Cole when he decided to pass over her house.

Cole nods thoughtfully. "So, there's this party tomorrow. Are you coming?"

Ethan shrugs, eyes flicking from the side mirrors, feeling slightly annoyed at this part of the neighborhood for being so empty.

"Mom will let us go, you know that, right?" Cole skeptically asks him. "If you wanna go, take Kyle with you. He's always brooding on Saturday night."

"Why don't you take him?" Ethan counters back. "I'm only going if Emilie is."

Cole snorts, watching the white and gray building looming ahead of them. "Whipped."

Ethan ignored the comment, feeling his heart beats faster and grew than its normal size at the thought of her. It felt too soon to feel love. For a moment there, he considered telling her that he loves her but at the mere mention of love, his mind blanked out.

"Well, at least we're here earlier than him." Cole surveys the area.

Only early birds are loitering down the courtyard, waiting on their friends to arrive. Others, like the straight A-students, are already on their way to class or were seen doing their extra credit works. Ethan himself only did one work for extra credit but he picked the wrong subject, the wrong teacher and in the end, he never finished the work.

"Kyle's here early." Ethan nods to a boy sitting on the ceramic bench around a canopy tree, headphones covering both his ears.

Cole squints. "Really? Isn't that Finn?"

"No." He insists. "Finn wouldn't be alone."

"Good point." Cole hums, nodding.

They went to the canopy tree and Kyle opened his eyes right before they came near him. He nods his greeting before shutting his eyes again. From this rate, Ethan could hear loud 20th century songs playing. Don't ask him how he knew them, people just said those were where all the good songs came from.

The brothers share a glance. Cole took the seat next to Kyle. "Where's Fernandez?"

"Sick." Came Kyle's curt reply.

Cole fiddles with his phone and it wasn't long before he plugs in his earphones, blocking out the world. Ethan was left alone, meeting the stares that are directed to him head-on, causing some to avert their eyes. He felt so alone when Emilie's not there. But then his eyes caught a red Porsche driving along the side.

The Quills.

He didn't have to get Cole or Kyle's attention because their heads raised by themselves, magic stirred up in the break of dawn. He expects himself to be thrown with insults or any exceedingly low comebacks but the twins only glance at him with their usual smirks and kept to their groups.

Ethan shares a confused look with Kyle, who kept scrutinizing at the twins. The feeling of anticipation turns suddenly into confusion but in-between those, a slip of relief shone brighter. Shrugging, Cole turns back to his earphone, lucky they arrive early to save thirty minutes before the bell.