Growing Pains

Chapter 4 - We got in trouble

I S A A C

Someone was shouting at me, but it sounded far away, so I didn't care. My bed was always the best place in the world when I suddenly had to get out of it. Except in the next second, my bed wasn't even a bed anymore, just a mattress and a pillow. Someone had pulled the sheets so far back even my toes felt naked.

"Let me sleep." My own voice sounded far away.

"We're late," Ethan said. I felt him walking in circles somewhere in my bedroom. "We're gonna miss all the good waves!"

I could feel the tickling feeling in his fingertips, the urge for a surfboard underneath him, and then the ocean. Ethan had come from the ocean, I was sure, and so now he had to constantly go back to it. He should have just been a fish.

"Did I hear it right? Are you really going to the beach instead of going to school?" My mom's voice was an alarm clock begging to be smashed against a wall.

"Why is everyone in my room?"

"That's a really good question, baby." Mom insisted on calling me baby even though I was one only mentally. "What is Ethan doing in your room, screaming, at five in the morning?"

I opened my eyes. This was too good to be missed. My mom was standing by the door, arms crossed over her pajamas, eyes still puffy with sleep but burning through Ethan, who was struggling to show her his best smile.

"How did you even get in?" she asked him. It was a very relevant question.

"Your window was open..." he said.

"My window? You were in my room while I was sleeping!?" mom asked, surprised, confused, irritated, probably scared too.

"That's really creepy," I said, rubbing sleep off my eyes.

"It's not like I stood there looking at your parents sleeping," he told me, facing my mom afterward, "Your bedroom was the only one with the window open. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm really sorry."

My mom shook her head, but she was already over it. Ethan wasn't exactly a flavor she was still getting used to. She'd had years to do it, and she had. I was surprised he didn't have a copy of our house keys yet.

"Just ring the bell next time," mom said, rubbing her forehead. Were we the reason behind her wrinkles? It was very much possible, yes.

"Well, it's five in the morning. I didn't wanna wake up the whole house."

My mom's eyes grew big in disbelief, "Oh, really? I couldn't tell with all the screaming."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Ethan said, shooting me a look.

I shook my head, pushing myself off the bed to get up. The sun wasn't even out yet. I wanted to strangle Ethan. I could have. He was distracted with the collection of comic books and video games I had stacked on the shelves next to my bed. I could have strangled him right then and there.

I walked over to my bathroom instead, splashing cold water on my face, and then bracing for whatever shit face was about to look back at me in the mirror. Being dragged out of bed at 5 a.m didn't usually look good on me.

"Oh!" I said when I saw myself. "Fuck, I look really good. Ethan, come see!"

I felt him roll his eyes in my bedroom, "I've seen you already."

"And did I not look good?" I reached for my toothbrush. Ethan had one for himself too. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I felt him roll his eyes again. "That you're pretty? Must have slipped my mind."