Meet Me In The Wings ~ Ethan Nestor

9. Astrology

That thought kept me up until the early hours of the morning. It had been a fair while since I'd had an existential crisis this bad, but gods no Jamie, you can't love a man you just met. Did you learn nothing from Frozen? And you especially can't love him when he's your tutor, that's just wrong on so many levels. Namely a legal level.

"Why do I always have to like the unattainable guys?"

No, I don't like him like that. Hell, I don't even know him properly yet. And yet, I always seem to be thinking about him; even dreaming about him. That's not a normal reaction to a new teacher. My head was spinning as I read 4am on the clock by my bed.

"I don't have a crush on Ethan..." I whispered to myself as I rolled over and forced my eyes shut.

Two and a half hours was nowhere near enough sleep to be running on as my alarm startled me awake at 7. My head spun and my eyes were so heavy, but I had college at 9, and I wasn't going to miss it unless I was absolutely dying. The solution? Caffeine. I took my morning meds with a sinfully sugary cup of tea and threw a bottle of Lucozade in my backpack, alongside a box of caffeine and glucose tablets. I couldn't nap through my theory lessons like I had done back in school. That grew to be quite the problem when the only coursework I had to hand in was a page of 'f's from where I'd fallen asleep on the keyboard... But some loud music as I reluctantly danced around the empty house certainly woke me up a bit, even if it did make me a little queasy after downing my tea.

"Anything to keep me awake." I mumbled after washing my face in ice cold water and getting dressed while running on the spot. Unconventional methods, yes, but oddly effective. I gathered everything I needed and began my walk to college. Usually I would leave later and catch the bus, but any longer at home and I would've passed out again, so walking it was. But the morning sun was warm, and the air was as fresh as it can get in a city like Lincoln, so there was little reason to complain. As I walked, I texted Quinn.

Gaymie: I take it you're still allergic to women? XD

Quinoa: deadly

Quinoa: i'm firin out of both ends and it's NOT attractive...

Gaymie: Dude... Too much information. WAY too much.

Quinoa: you asked

Quinoa: just sayin

Gaymie: Whatever you say hun...

Gaymie: Anyway, I'm nearly at college. I'll keep you updated.

Quinoa: cheers ya big fag ;*

I put my phone away with a smile as I reached the right building at 8:57. I all but galloped up the stairs and managed to find the room without getting lost. I'd never had classes in this building, but thankfully the signage was actually useful for once, and I made it on time. Slipping off my jacket, I plopped myself down next to Ali and Jessie – my best friends besides Quinn and Harley – and instantly entered a deep conversation about astrology. Standard, and comforting. One thing I was endlessly grateful for was the fact that our friendship had never faltered over the long summer. Even if we didn't see a lot of each other, we could return to normal like nothing ever happened.

"So, what do you think Ethan's sign is?" Jessie asked out of nowhere.

"I get on with him really well so far, so he might be an Earth sign?" I offered, the least versed in astrology of the three of us.

"He looks like a Scorpio to me." Ali seemed confident, and she was usually spot on. "Dark hair, awkward, all that."

"Maybe his rising is Earth?" Jessie suggested. "He doesn't give off big Taurus or Virgo energies so maybe Capricorn?"

"He does seem like a Scorpio with Cap rising." Ali agreed.

"Nice." I smiled at the pair, pulling my phone out.

Gaymie: Remind me to look up my compatibility with a Scorpio w/ Capricorn rising

Quinoa: why?

Gaymie: No reason. Just curious.

As I hit send on that last text, Ethan entered the room so I put my phone down, and prepared to focus in on the class.