I Get A Kick Out of You

Chapter 50

His mother is going to murder him. He just knows it. It's going to be in the news tomorrow and on Dateline years from now. He can see the headline already;

Mother Murders Son Over Lost Scholarship

He got the email today. Because of the amount of times he's been disciplined so far this year...he lost the scholarship he had received not two weeks ago. This was going to break her heart. She was so thrilled when he told her that Florida University accepted him into their early program, as well as the baseball team's summer program just three days after graduation.

They reserved that for the starting players on the team, which means he was going to start and he would have been the first freshman to do so.

There was hope, however. In the email, it was stated that if he didn't get anymore disciplinary action for the rest of the year, they would reinstate it. He had to get all of his teachers, including the principal and superintendent, to sign and say that they believe he has improved. Before that, though, he had to make his case as if he were going to court over this.

His plan was to keep out of trouble for the rest of the year and get his scholarship back, all without Cassie ever finding out. He just has to keep forging her signature like he's been doing the past couple of weeks. Every time he's gotten in trouble, he's had to take a slip home to have a guardian sign.

Even when it was Joel's week, Ethan signed it in Cassie's name because it's the one he could do best. The slip being signed is the only way to keep them from calling her, Ben, or even Joel or his step-mom, Cynthia. All of them would murder him for this.

He would be able to take yelling from Joel, Cynthia and Ben with no problem. From Cassie? She wouldn't yell and that's what would kill him. He would rather her yell, but he knows his mom. She would be so disappointed, she wouldn't be able to. The worst part is, she wouldn't tell him she's disappointed either because she knew how much that would hurt him. She would just keep it all bottled in for the sake of not making him feel bad. His mom's heart and compassion was something he never takes for granted. All of the times she's shielded him from emotional harm and took the hits herself have been countless. He didn't realize it, or appreciate it, until right before he started High School.

It all suddenly clicked for him when his dad had a baby with another woman. He didn't even know they had gotten married until Cassie had told him the day his half-brother was born. That certainly messed him up and not because he didn't know his dad married another woman, but because he realized all of the pain his mom has been going through.

He knew his dad had cheated, but didn't entirely understand what it meant until then. He got so upset with his dad that he didn't want to see him for a while. Thankfully, Cassie still had—and has—full custody, so he could skip out on some weeks if he really wanted to. Nowadays, that was nearly impossible. Nevertheless, he ignored his dad's texts and calls for weeks.

Cassie was the one that had to convince him to forgive his father at some point. To this day, he doesn't know if he could ever really say he forgives Joel, but he merely tolerates him. So to get in trouble by him would mean nothing. Cynthia was always nice and incredibly kind to him. She genuinely cared about his well-being and he appreciated that.

He came to like Cynthia when he asked Cassie to explain why she doesn't hate her. She told him it was because none of what happened was her fault. She fell into his father's trap and paid the consequences. Ever since that talk, he felt he liked her more than Joel.

So, a talking from her might get the point across...but definitely not as far.

Now, if it were Ben, then that would come on a little stronger. He loves Ben and loves that he's in their lives. He sees him as the father he wished he had. If he was any other teenage boy, he might even be a little afraid of getting in trouble from him. But he isn't a normal teenager and he isn't afraid of that.

It's all his mom. His mom's opinion and support matters more than anyone else he's known. He knows she loves him more than life itself, it shows every single day. He would do anything for her, anything for her to be happy. It's an understatement to say that she is his favorite parent because she's his favorite person.

She cannot know about this.

"But you can't not tell her," Cillian said as they drove home from school. Ethan was usually a speedster, but he wanted to take as much time as possible to get home. "She's going to find out eventually." Ethan was so distracted in his own thoughts, he barely heard a word of that.

Shaking his head to clear away the thoughts, he glanced to Cillian, then back to the road. "She just can't know, okay? Neither can your dad. I know you tell him everything, but not this. I'll kick your ass if you do." Cillian shook his head in disappointment, then muttered, "Like those guys did to you?"

Ethan gave him a double take. "What?" He harshly asked. "Are you serious? You said you'd never bring that up again!" Cillian argued, "Yeah, well, I also said I wouldn't lie for you anymore, but here I am!"

Both boys sat in silence.

Ethan pulled his car up to the curb of the house, then sighed. "Look," he calmly said, "I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me. I do, Cill. I'm not asking you to lie for me, I'm just asking you to not say anything. They won't ask you about it, so you won't have to lie. Please...this will kill my mom."

Seeing a bit more clearly what his step-brother was saying, Cillian started to get out of the car as he told him, "Fine. Just don't ask for anything like this again." He slammed the door shut, making Ethan jump a bit.

He wishes he could explain this to Cill, but he can't. He feels so helpless. He feels so alone.