Connected To Him (ManxMan)

Part 1: Chapter 35

"I am happier," She agreed with a wide smile. "It feels like everything is finally going my way."

"Tell us what's going on then," Ethan interjected with an expectant look.

"Wait, you guys haven't heard yet?" Courtney asked. Everyone shook their heads except for Aiden, who looked at Ethan with a pained expression. He reached out and held on to Ethan's hand, hoping to support him as he heard. "Chris asked me out!"

The air in Ethan's lungs left his body in a single second. Time came to a standstill and the sound of Courtney's voice faded out in an instant. He could faintly hear sounds of excitement from his friends as they recounted Courtney's romantic story. The feeling of Aiden's hand was a vague sensation. Mostly, Ethan felt alone, trapped in a cage of his own creation. Then, it all came back to him at once.

"Wow, that's amazing, Courtney," Ethan said, his words and smile blending into the general congratulations perfectly. It was the fakest smile he'd ever put on, but it needed to be done. Courtney didn't deserve even a tenth of the sadness bubbling inside of him. That belonged to Ethan alone.

Still, Ethan could only pretend to be okay for so long and soon excused himself to go to the bathroom. Look normal was the single mantra playing in Ethan's mind. But the second he got out of sight, his calm walk turned into a full-out sprint for the bathroom.

Ethan ran into the first open stall. He let his head fall against the plastic walls, his soft sobs getting drowned out by the laughter of the boys at the sinks.

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It was inevitable that Meaghan and Aiden would end up at Ethan's house that day. His reaction was too obvious for either of them to ignore and, with his permission, they followed him home. Ethan felt guilty explaining his entire relationship to Meaghan. Seeing the shock on her face and the hurt that came from knowing he'd kept this a secret from her was hard. But the feeling got buried under all the other emotions he was feeling that day. Upset or not, Meaghan understood that her indignation would have to wait for another day. Right now, Ethan couldn't take it.

However, Meaghan couldn't hold back all of her critiques.

"Ethan, how could you let him go?" She asked him, making Ethan blink up at her in surprise.

He was lying on his bed, feet tucked under the pillows and his hair hanging off of the mattress. Aiden and Meaghan were sitting on either side of his head with their backs against the bed, using pillows to make sitting on the floor bearable.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ethan, you're obviously heartbroken, but you agreed to end things. If you had said you were willing to trust him-" Meaghan explained.

"But that was such a sudden ultimatum. To suggest breaking up because of one fight-" Aiden retorted.

"It wasn't just one fight," Ethan interjected with a sigh. "You're right, Meaghan. I broke up with him on purpose because I knew it was the right thing to do. I mean, did you see Courtney? She was glowing, the happiest I've seen her in a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if Chris looked the same. Chris and Courtney are good for each other and one day they'll be thanking me for getting out of their way."

"Ethan, you can't really believe that," Aiden said with a concerned frown.

"It's alright, Aiden, I knew this was coming," Ethan said, smiling sadly as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm just glad I was a part of his life. All that time we spent together, all those hours texting about nothing, all those times we shared on this bed must have meant something. He can't forget me. And I'll always love him."

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Wow, that chapter was shorter than I expected, but it had to be done. I promise, this will be important in the second part

I'm sorry to leave the first part on such a sad note but they did break up so . . .

Were any of you surprised by Chris dating Courtney?

Anyway, now that their high school days are over, are you excited to see them in adulthood?

I am, but I'm sure that's no surprise to you

This officially ends part one and hopefully, I'll get back to you with part 2 soon, I have lots of plans :)

Anyway,

Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this book and I'll see you next time. Bye!