Bind Me To You

Chapter Thirty One

For a moment, a silence that drowned out the chatter of the party-goers and the thumping of the music fell over them. It was as though only the pair of them existed together, gazing into each others eyes, an electricity stirring between them.

Ethan had finally remembered why Avery had felt so familiar to him.

He remembered why he had stopped mid-sentence that day in the cafeteria when he had come to sit opposite her; he had recognised those kind eyes and shy nature. He had remembered, during the art lesson, where he had seen that wide smile that lifted her cheeks so high that he could barely see her eyes underneath them.

He knew now where he had seen them before.

_____

Four Years Ago, middle school.

"Ethan, I understand that Brandon is your best friend but you can't be letting him distract you during class" Miss Denver frowned, raising her hand to push her red-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Ethan pursed his lips and gazed down at the ground. It had already been half an hour since everybody else had left school. Miss Denver had held him back and shown him his most recent assignments, lecturing him about the standard of his work which had been particularly lacking in the last few months.

"If this happens one more time, I'm going to have to call your parents and discuss your behaviour".

At this statement Ethan's eyes widened and he stood up from his desk hastily, slamming his hands down against the wooden top, "No! Please don't... I promise it won't happen again, okay?" he pleaded, staring into Miss Denver's dark eyes.

"Make sure of it" Miss Denver scowled, her eyes moving to meet his.

It was when she saw the desperation behind Ethan's eyes that her expression softened and she continued, "I want you to be aware that your father has been in constant contact with the school as of late. He has not been happy with your current grades and many teachers have suggested that the lower scores are due to your lack of attention in class. Of course..." Miss Denver paused, thinking carefully about the way she should word her next sentence, "Some teachers, not myself of course, have pointed a finger towards your best friend, Brandon Giddian, as the reason for the drop in your grades over the last few months. While I will not stand prejudice against any of my students, I highly recommend that you study harder for the upcoming midterm tests to prove those teachers, and your parents, wrong".

Ethan had held eye contact with with Miss Denver for most of her speech and only broken his gaze away when a feeling of frustration rushed through his body at the name 'Brandon Giddian'. He fell back onto the plastic chair with a thud and let a long sigh escape through his lips. Of course his parents had gotten involved, and of course the teachers would all point fingers at Brandon, he was, after all, the school troublemaker.

Miss Denver's lips curled into a look of sympathy as she leant back against the desk in front of Ethan's, "You are a bright young man, and I hope that we do not loose such a talented student".

Ethan huffed at this statement. He had been groomed all his life to the bright and talented young man that his father wanted him to be. All he really wanted though was to be able to have some fun for once. That's what Brandon did, made things fun.

Ethan nodded once and reached down to snatch up his bag. He was angry, not at Miss Denver, but at the way his parents had chosen to stick their nose into his social and school life and threatened to take everything good away again over a few B-minuses on his report cards. He was still one of the top performing students, why did it matter so much?