Daddy Has A Shotgun, But You Have My Heart {Completed}

The Car Ride

                                              Chapter Six

Ethel woke up Monday morning with a smile, like she always does, because weirdly enough Ethel was what you called a morning person and loved getting up with the sun. She walked into the kitchen and saw her mom dressed in a pink bathrobe. 

“... ‘ello top of the mornin to ya!” Ace, Ethel’s brother said coming into the kitchen. He was also a morning person, much like Ethel. Ace grabbed a piece of toast his mom was buttering and took a bite out of it. 

“Ace, that was not for you, it was for Ethel.” Mary said to her son. “She was up before you; she gets to eat before you. You know the rules.” Ace sighed and looked at his sister. With an arm stretch he held the toast in front of Ethel. 

“Here you go.” He said with a mouthful. Ethel shook her head. 

“Y-you can have it, I’ll make my own.” She informed him. Ace shrugged his shoulders and then walked back over to his mom. Like it was his, Ace picked up the steaming coffee mug and took a sip. 

“Lay low on the sugar, ma.” Ace stated to his mother. Mary, in a groggy mood, looked at her 17 year old son with red, tired eyes. She was not in the mood for his smart mouth. 

“Go brush your hair, and teeth for that matter your breath stinks. While you’re at it, please take a shower, you smell horrible … not something I want to be the first thing I smell when I walk in the kitchen.” Mary said to him. Ace smiled. 

“But Jenna said she loved my ‘smell’.” Said Ace with a wink, which meant he was hinting towards something else. Ethel, as naive as ever, thought he was strictly talking about the odor that seeped out of his pores.

Just then Spencer walked into the kitchen and glared straight at Ace.

“Take it off.” Spencer told Ace with narrowed eyes. Ace smiled.

“Take what off?” Ace innocently said.

“My watch and shoes! You little prick! Just because we share a room doesn’t mean we share things!” Spencer hollered at Ace. 

“You two stop arguing and get out of my kitchen! You all are going to be late for your buses!” The words of being late for a bus made Ethel perk up from her thoughts and run out of the kitchen. 

“Ethel! Wait! Darling!” Mary called out to her daughter. Ethel stopped and turned to face her mother that caught up with her. “I wanted to tell you that you won’t be riding the bus today-” the doorbell rang through the house. 

“I’ll get it,” Ace called from the front door. “Yo, mama, it’s Zeus!” Zeus’ name made Ethel freeze in her spot. 

Even though Ethel knew that Zeus was going to be attending her school, and that she was going to see him a lot more … she didn’t think it would be this soon. 

She glanced at her mother. Mary looked sheepish. “I forgot to mention last night that Zeus was going to take you to and from school from now on.”

“I-in … his car-r?” She asked nervously. 

“Of course his car, I don’t want you riding on a bicycle to school, like you normally do.” All the sudden, Ethel began to wonder why her mom was suddenly caring about how she got to and from school.

“Hey, Mrs. Hazel.” Zeus said to Mary, who gave him a warm smile in return. “Ethel … ready for school?” Zeus asked her. She bit her bottom lip, deciding if it was the right time to argue with her mom about this. Then again, Ethel thought since Zeus was already here, there was no sense in turning him away and making him come all the way here for no reason. Ethel walked over to the front door and picked up her purple backpack and lunchbox.

Zeus held in his laughter at the fact that Ethel was in high school, and still carried around a lunchbox. The last time Zeus remembered having one was in second grade, and it was the coolest lunch box around, with a superman printed on the front. The memory made him smile before treading after the angelic Ethel. 

When they got settled in the car, Zeus turned to her. He watched as Ethel pulled on her navy blue hoodie and tried covering her forearms, he knew what she was trying to cover … Her scars, but to see her cover what he thought made her unique irked him a bit.

“You should take off that hoodie, it’s practically ninety degrees out.” He told her with a smile. Zeus wanted her to feel comfortable around him, enough to where she didn’t have to hide the scars that made her who she was.

“N-no, I am good.” She muttered in a low nervous voice. Zeus sighed at his failed attempt. 

“You are welcome to change the radio station.” He notified her, with another bright smile.

“I’d l-love to … but you h … have to turn on the car.” Ethel said to Zeus in a low voice, he almost didn’t hear her at first. But once he realized what she said, he started the car and took off towards the school.

Ethel leaned her head on the warm window, and watched the trees pass. The sight of her brother, Ace riding down the street on Ethel’s sea-green speed bike made her sigh and roll her silvery eyes.

He is always taking things that aren’t his. She silently thought to herself.

Zeus on the other hand realized Ethel was muttering things aloud. He wondered what she was saying, but he knew that whatever was coming out of her beautiful red lips was meant for her to hear only. Something inside of him begged to hear her talk louder. 

“So … D-Do you like school?” Zeus inquired. He mentally face palmed himself, for he thought that was the stupidest thing to ask someone. In the corner of his eyes he saw Ethel nod with her head still pressed to the window. He sighed in frustration for it annoyed him that she didn’t answer aloud. “What grade are you in?” Zeus asked in dire need to make small chat with the beauty beside him. Yes, Zeus had to admit to himself that he already knew the answer, but something inside of him begged for her to tell him herself. 

“S-s-s-same as you.” She muttered in a hushed voice. He smiled at her, loving the way her voice was so soft and gentle, even it was just her talking out of shyness. 

It took Zeus several minutes to reply to her comment, but soon he thought what he would say next will surely get the conversation going … or so he hoped. “Oh, cool, maybe we’ll have some classes together.” Zeus stated. 

“I … I take honors classes.” She mumbled to him. Zeus furrowed his eyebrows. 

“What is that suppose to mean?” He asked, knowing that Ethel was referencing to the fact that he was stupid. She made no attempt to answer his question. 

Zeus continued to driving t. About ten minutes had past, when saw Ethel begin to look at the rear window and then glancing anxiously back at the front window of the car. “What’s wrong?” He asked. 

“Where are we?!” She asked him frantically, noticing that they were nowhere near the school. They were driving on a dirt road with trees lining the side of the road. Zeus glanced down at his GPS device that rested on the dashboard. 

“According to this thing … We should be at the school in twenty minutes.” Zeus replied. That made Ethel’s eyes widen. 

“Twenty minutes?! I live five blocks from the school! We should be there already!” She shrieked at him. The car slowly came to a stop and Ethel sighed and became conscious of the fact that she was now talking to Zeus like she does her family. It irked her that she just met him and now she was not only talking to him, but also yelling at him. “Can you please turn the car around?” She asked him in timid voice. Zeus turned to her.

“I can’t turn around.” He informed her with a blank expression. Ethel was applauded that he wouldn’t turn around, for she didn’t want to miss school because of some air head guy that wouldn’t turn around. She thought it was because they were on a dirt road and Zeus didn’t want to risk getting stuck in the mud if he did attempt to turn around. Ethel narrowed her eyes at him.

“Yes you can.” She gritted. 

“I-I can’t.”

“And why not?!” She quizzed with anger boiling inside her. 

“We ran out of gas.”

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