color blind | e.d

vi. movie disaster

"Two tickets to see the Purge: Election Year please," Ethan holds up two fingers to the younger lady at the counter. She tears off two tickets before handing them to us.

"Have a nice evening and enjoy the movie!" she flashes us a nice smile. "It's room four."

"Okay, thanks." Ethan and I make our way towards the concession stands, letting me loop my arm around his. I lean on him a bit. To me, this seemed like what a couple would do, but I didn't care.

I feel him look down at me. I put my head just slightly more to my feet so he wouldn't see my grin.

"Hi, what would you like?" the man at the counter asks.

"One large popcorn, two medium-"

"Coke," I tell him.

"-Cokes and one Sour Poutch please."

"Is that all?" he asks while typing in our order.

"Yes," Ethan gets out his money, but I stop him.

"No, I brought my own money. I'll pay for mine," I say, which confuses the cashier. He must have thought we were a couple.

"April, stop," Ethan says sternly, already handing the man the money who takes it and gives change back. I give him a weird look and he softens up some.

"I didn't mean to come off like that. I just- I invited you on the date, so I pay. You see how that goes?"

"Ethan I'm not stupid," I say now annoyed as hell.

"That's not what I said," he sighs while I help him carry the food to our seats. "I was just inputting that you can't always insist on paying yourself when others want to do it for you."

"I know," I sigh, seeing how my temper just sky rocketed for no reason at all. That's just me. "I'm sorry. I have a bad temper; I understand if you don't want to go on another date with me."

The movie starts, and all the lights go down.

"Are you kidding me? I'd rather be on a date with someone like you that someone who thinks she's too good to even insist on paying," he whispers in my ear since the previews were on, his lips deadly close to my ear. I could feel his warm breath on my neck, which makes me swallow uncomfortably.

Throughout the movie, I would flinch a bit from sudden acts, and Ethan would be there to rub my back. He even wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I can't say that it didn't feel good, because it did. And for the finally, our hands brushed up against each others.

Not like the comforting or friendly way that we did in the café, but in a way that you may want a little more. He was the first to grab my hand, intertwining our fingers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

After the movies, while Ethan was picking up our trash we made, I dismissed myself to use the restroom before we left. Never drink a whole Coke in one sitting.

After I washed my hands, I started to fix my hair. A younger woman, maybe in her forties, comes beside me and fixes her short blonde hair. She then glances at me.

"Oh, you're the black girl with the white boy, aren't you?" she smiles at me. Finally, someone who isn't judgmental.

"Yes, I am," I smile brightly back at her.

"Well then he should be ashamed of himself," she turns cold, which causes my smile to falter. "I don't believe someone of his color should be associated with someone of...your background."

Her dark hazel eyes look me up and down, her false eyelashing blinking as she examined me. I glare at her.

"I bet you bought those clothes at a consignment shop. There's no way that's a real Michael Kors purse," she says, then glances at my lips.

"And I bet you're makeup comes from Walmart, not Sephora. There's no way someone of your background could pull off such flawless makeup unless you had someone to do it for you."

Before I could get a word out she leaves, making sure the door slammed in my face and the words stung like fire in my soul. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to fight her, argue with her that I wasn't cheap and I sure as hell cost more than those knock off Louis Vuittons she was wearing.

I wash my hands again and dry them, pushing open the door with my shoulder and disposing away the napkin. Ethan was waiting for me in the lobby. Fire was so deep within me I walked past him and towards the lady that insulted me earlier. She was going to get a taste of her own medicine.

"Excuse me," I tap her shoulder. She spins around, her kids and husband eyeing us as they situated their seats in their car. "Those knock offs you're wearing came from the same store your weave did: Walmart. Department eight section six."

Her cherry red lips part in shock as I give her the most sarcastic smile. I flip my ponytail in her face before adding something else.

"Oh, and I hope you explain to your husband the condom that fell out of your purse." I had seen it fall out of her purse while she went into the stall, but didn't think of it until now.

His eyes widen as I walk away, gasps and giggles escaping her children as I swayed my hips back and forth sassily. Ethan gives me a weird look.

"What was that about?" he asks once he starts up the car, leaving the parking lot and driving towards home.

I roll my eyes, "That woman back there was shaming us and blah blah blah so I set her straight. Nothing to it."

"That's my AJ," he gives me a high five. AJ?

"AJ?" I question, raising an eyebrow at the nickname.

"Yeah, since your name is April Johnson. I figured I'd give you a nickname. If you don't like it I can still call you April," Ethan explains, making a right and entering down the back roads. I guess he's making our trip longer.

"No, I actually like it." He glances at me.

"You like it?"

"Kinda. I mean, as long as you're the one calling me AJ that's fine," I say while resting my arm on the center console.

"So I see you're starting to warm up to me finally," Ethan says softly while making a turn down another street. "I wish you were like that when we met."

"You was a stranger to me, how am I supposed to just automatically open up?" I tease, hitting his arm playfully.

"Well, I don't know. That's why I stayed longer and sat with you in the first place. It was the best decision I ever made." Ethan continues driving.

I stare at him for a bit, replaying the words in my head. Ethan always knew how to make me feel better, and I loved him every bit for it.

A/N
-high school is amazing so far
-for that 1 person who likes this shitty story lol ilysm you're amazing xx
-m.xo