The Complications Of Loving The Opposite Sexes

A Brilliant Plan For Love Part 3

Ethan is the only thing on my mind.

My jaw drops. "What do you mean 'he's not here'?" I ask in pure shock.

Mrs. Rivers smiles at me, her eyes showing worry. "I honestly mean that he isn't here. Ethan isn't here yet." Her smile dies down. "He hasn't been back yet."

I press my lips together.Without a word, my mind starts racing with millions of possibilities about what could have happened. Did he stop by at a coffee shop? Is he helping an old lady cross the street? Did he get ganged up and now he's in the corner, bruised to the bone? That last thought makes my stomach churn.

"Do you have any idea of where he could be?" I ask, hoping for her to at least give me a hint. Something.

She shakes her, lowering it afterwards. "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be asking me that. You should ask Jake, maybe he'll know." She tells me and on e she finishes, I dash towards the kitchen, watching Jake's little butt wiggle as he tries finding something in the fridge.

"Jake?" I try getting his attention, making my voice sound flat so that he won't know that honestly, I want to giggle because of his position.

Jake lifts up to sound of my voice. "Do you know where is?" He asks me, holding a can of Ginger ale out for me.

I shake my head and grab the can, hearing the 'pop' as I open it. "No, you're mom has no idea. She said to ask you." I take a sip, "do you know?"

Jake looks at the ceiling in thought. "Well, it depends. Why do you want him?"

"Why do you need to know?" I snap and immediately regret it. "I'm sorry, I just need him for something." I apologize, angry at myself for the tone that I've used on him.

Jake swallows and pretends to brush it off. "It's alright. And um, I don't really know if I don't know the details." I can tell that he was trying to say less bitterly. "Where did you ask to meet him?"

It doesn't take me long to answer. "The janitors closet."

Jake, who I love dearly but can be a little oblivious, looks towards the ceiling in deep thought. "Are you secretly in love with him?" Jake, oh my...

"No," I shake my head but something inside of me starts to weigh me down, especially near my heart. "I'm not in love with him. Not secretly either."

He nods his head and stares out into the distance. "Well, if I were him, knowing that you'd really need me I'd be..." He trails off and gives me a pained look.

Gulping, I shake my head frantically. "Don't tell me that he'd be that stupid." I choke out but Jake just sighs.

"Julia, Ethan is still at school."

- - -

Without much thought, I sprint out of my car and into the school. "Jake," I call through the earpiece he has given me before we left. "Why would he do such a dumb thing?" I worry and continue my pace towards the Janitors closet.

"Uh," Jake pauses, "I have no idea."

Staring down at my legs, I push harder and dash my way to the closet. "I'm going in." I tell him and Jake mumbles a good bye. "Ethan!" I yell, but the cute little guy is asleep, his eyes closed and his breath even and slow. "Ethan," my voice becomes a whisper and I walk over to him.

His medium length hair looks like a complete mess, as if he had been dragging his hands through them all day. Not that that made him look bad. The position that he's in is rather cute, his body in a corner with his knees to his chest.

"Ethan?" I tap his shoulder, nudging him slightly. "Ethan, wake up." This is all my fault.

I sit down beside him in worry. If I wasn't so selfish then he wouldn't have waited for me. Maybe this is a sign, a sign saying that I don't belong with Jake in the end. That my fantasy was only a dream, my Happily Ever After was only a distant thought, out of reach.