PEACH :: ETHAN DOLAN

DIX

It was Wednesday, two weeks after Ethan told Alondra how he felt.

The thing is, he couldn't be mad at her for not returning his feelings. That wasn't her fault, no matter how much it hurt. But she hasn't said a word to him since she suggested space.

Not only did she reject the peach he tried to give her, she proceeded to smash it and watch its insides spill out. It was rotting, and he thought she had stopped that from happening.

How much space could she need? If she didn't return his feelings, shouldn't it be him who needs space more than anyone? He wasn't going to make things awkward, he just wanted everything to go back to normal.

Yes, he had begun to fall for Alondra. But she was also his best friend, and the only person these days who he didn't feel lost around.

Now she was gone. She hasn't responded to any of his texts, or smiled at him in the hallway at school, or even said how long she wants them to stay apart.

Ethan has a sickening feeling she wasn't saying anything because she wanted space forever.

Grayson noticed by now, but Ethan hasn't told him what happened. He wasn't sure he could say it aloud anyway.

In the span of a few months, he lost two girls. Two girls who at one point meant everything to him, and he now meant nothing to them. He thought that after Phoenix, he wouldn't have to experience this feeling of loss--the emptiness, the heartbreak--again. At least not for a while, but granted, he didn't think he would be able to catch feelings for anyone for a while either and he did.

The worst part of it was that Alondra didn't do anything. There was no reason to search for, no way it could be her fault, it was just a bad situation. He had to deal with that fact.

Logically, he knew that she just saw him as a best friend, because she did love him. But he couldn't be bothered with rational thought. Ethan searched and picked through memories, trying to find any reasons she might not like him. It was doing him no good, in fact it only made him feel worse, but he couldn't stop.

He couldn't sleep, he couldn't focus, he could barely eat. All he could do was think about her.

His brother kind of put the pieces together, as it was too similar to what first happened after Phoenix. Ethan's never been the most emotional person, but when his heart broke it shattered. There were a million smushed peach pieces scattered across their town, in every place he had ever seen Alondra.

All of this had brought back his turmoil over Phoenix as well. Not as bad as the first time, she wasn't the focus, but he just missed having them both in his life.

Perhaps he was just looking for reasons to feel worse now, but he couldn't help it.

Trudging through the hallways at school, he keeps his head down. Ethan almost made it to second period, but instead found himself in the auditorium.

Keeping the lights off, he sat on the edge of the stage and stared into the darkness. He wished it might swallow him whole.

As stupid as it was, he couldn't bear to turn a single light on. If he did, he'd just see that Alondra wasn't in here with him. He wasn't giving her a bad tour, or napping with her after a late night, he was alone.

Melodramatic, yes. Heartbroken, also yes. He had a right to sulk.

Lost in his thoughts, the light flipping on overhead caught his attention. When he sat up, he saw her.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, like deer caught in headlights. Ethan felt dizzy and breathless at the sight.

"Alondra, please," he says, voice echoing despite the low volume he tried to keep.