When Worlds Collide

Chapter 22

"So," Benji drawled, standing behind me as I brushed my teeth in the bathroom. Ethan had rushed home after receiving a slew of texts and calls from a very anxious mother, because of course he didn't tell her where he was. I rolled my eyes and continued with my business, Benji leaning against the door frame with a shit eating grin on his face, ready to bombard me with questions. "Did you guys have sex?"

I choked, whipping around to fix him with a glare. After spitting in the sink, I stared at my younger brother in the mirror. "No, where did you learn that?"

"I'm in middle school, where do you think? Besides, I'm twelve, not two," he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Well, I'm not sure why you would even think that." I started to get flustered as the imagery of Ethan and I having sex appeared in my mind, and I struggled to put away my toothbrush with trembling hands.

Benji gave me a deadpan look. "He looked like he was naked and on top of you," he stated without even missing a beat. I turned around and playfully shoved him out of the way, yelling at him over my shoulder to comb his hair.

When I returned to my room, Mrs. Clarissa was taking my comforter off the bed and folding it before she noticed me. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she mused, "you know, I was going to wash your sheets, but thought that maybe you should be the one to put them in the wash."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "Oh my God why does the entire house think we had sex?" I exclaimed.

"I was once a teenager too," Mrs. Clarissa shrugged.

With a huff, I walked over and took the sheets off myself anyway. "We didn't, for the record."

"There's nothing wrong with it, Ivan. I just think we need to have a discussion about staying safe and being smart about it."

My cheeks went thermo-nuclear, and I thought stabbing myself in the eye with an icepick would be more desirable than to have that conversation with Mrs. Clarissa. "Well it's not like either of us can get pregnant, and I know to always use condoms. There, no conversation needed. I got it," I grunted, shoving my sheets into the laundry hamper.

"So, are you two together now?" She asked, watching me carefully as I shoved the sheets down into the overflowing basket.

I looked at Mrs. Clarissa, her teasing tone was now gone and replaced with something much more sincere. I shrugged, "I guess, it's a little complicated still, but I think now we know each other's feelings."

She hummed thoughtfully, before walking up to me and giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Well I'm very glad, I know how much you like him, and I want this so badly for you."

Giving me one last smile, she grabbed the laundry hamper and left my room. I walked over to my bed and sat down, staring at the indent in the mattress where Ethan had slept. Running my fingers over the spot, I smiled and remembered how it felt when he kissed me, both of us high on adrenaline and finally satiating the need for each other as though we were both starving and were finally given a meal. I chuckled to myself at how dumb I was acting, touching my lips and staring at the bed with watery eyes, but I couldn't help it. It was all these feelings of joy and hope that I had never felt before bubbling up and spilling over, and I wanted to feel those emotions over and over again. Ethan was a drug that I quickly became helplessly addicted to, and I wanted nothing more than to be with him. I pleaded with whoever in the universe was listening, please, please, let me get what I want.

~

"So, um, Ethan and I are together," I say casually as I took my seat next to Vera. Her head whipped over to me, jaw practically on the floor in shock.