lifeguard↠ e.d.

new boy

eighteen
grace

"okay guys, quiet down, quiet down." justin yells over everyone talking in the cafeteria. all the staffers were called for a 'meeting' during breakfast, by justin's request, that no one had a clue what it was for, except the lifeguards probably. apparently there was a new staffer, and apparently it was a big deal to give him or her a grand entrance.

"since some of the lifeguards have seemed to quit, due to them being homesick or whatever," justin rolls his eyes, obviously not caring. "i've invited my step brother to join the staff, and become a lifeguard." he smiles contently, the corners of his lips form a warm smile.

"apparently your step brother is invisible," someone calls out, causing everyone to laugh, even though it wasn't even that funny.

"right! and this has to do with everyone because...?" jack motions around the room and trails off, making justin look at our table.

"i want him to have friends, okay? he's a shy kid and i had to literally beg him to come down here. i'm not asking for anyone to suck his dick, he just, he just needs friends." justin was practically begging right in front of everybody, which was extremely unlike him. "he should be here really soon-" he was cut off by the door opening, and i swear, everyone probably thought he was psychic, but it just turned out to be ethan. there were bags under his eyes and his hair was a mess and his clothes didn't match whatsoever. but this wasn't a new sight to see. he's been sleeping late and looking like a mess for a couple days now.

i forced myself to turn around and pick at my food. "jesus, he looks like a wreck." alisha mumbles. it's been a little over a week since what happened, he's been staring at me like a stalker for the longest time, yet hasn't apologized for overreacting like he did. if he wanted to ignore what happened, i was more than happy to return the favor.

"he's staring." jack whispers. a few seconds later he speaks up again. "i just gave him a dirty look, and damn he's still not looking away."

i refused to look behind me, i kept having to remind myself. roughly a minute later, they all look behind me and roll their eyes.

"ethan, now is not the time," grayson whisper-yells, as if i couldn't hear him.

"just let me talk to her-" i hear ethan say desperately. his voice was deep and rough, his voice always sounded like that whenever he just woke up or simply hasn't talked to anyone in a while, and in this situation, it probably could have been both.

"she doesn't want to talk to you." alisha replies bluntly. but oh god, i wanted to talk to him so bad. i wanted to turn around and look into his hazel eyes and make everything go back to normal, but that doesn't dismiss the fact that words can't describe how mad i am because of him. my clenched heart bursted into flames, the confidence filled my lungs and the nervousness was all gone with a single exhale. "who fucking asked you?" ethan replies, causing alisha to gasp.

"don't talk to her like that you fucking asshole!" chris chimes in, but alisha puts her hand on his to calm him down.

i whipped my head around, and i held my breath so my confidence didn't slip out. it seemed as if his eyes were overtaken by anger, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles were turning white, but when i turned around his eyes softened in the slightest. i swear, his pupils may or may not have dilated. ethan's adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed forcibly.

"can i talk to you. just us." he more-so commands than asks.

"whatever you have to say, you can say here." i reply. ethan scoffs, all the pity i had for him going down the drain.

"grace, please just let me talk to you." i scoff back at him sarcastically and turn back around. he puts his hand on my shoulder and i shrug him off. "you're being fucking ridiculous, just let me talk to you!"

i jump up from my seat. "i'm being ridiculous?" i remark. "i'm being ridiculous? you of all people, are saying that to me? i wasn't the one who jumped to conclusions and completely freaked out over nothing, bringing stuff up that wasn't even relevant to the conflict up because i'm too much of a pussy to deal with the shit i cause!"

it seemed as if all of the attention had shifted onto ethan and i, causing me to receive oohs and ahhs at what i had said. if i wasn't so mad, i would have been absolutely mortified.

ethan, however was at a loss for words, his eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "grace, stop, this is embarrassing,"

i scoff even louder, and grab his hand, dragging him outside, and when we finally get outside, i explode. "you don't know what embarrassing is ethan. what's embarrassing is having to go around for a week covering up my neck because i have so many hickeys!" i pulled my sweatshirt down from my lower neck and reveal them, and thankfully they have gotten faint. "what's embarrassing is having your boyfriend say 'fuck you' towards you in front of your friends. shall i go on ethan?"

he shakes his head. his eyes were unreadable, they practically held little to no emotion. he moved closer to me, his large hands holding my waist. "let me make it up to you," he trails off, his lips pressing against mine, i started to kiss back, but then i realized how stupid that was. i pushed him off of me.

"a-are you serious? i'm not like your old girlfriends, but it's generous to even call them girlfriends. a pathetic kiss isn't going to make anything better," i cross my arms. "you haven't even apologized, why the hell would i want to kiss you?" my eyes were stinging from frustration.

he didn't really know what to say, and it was evident. he opened and closed his mouth as if he were going to say something, but nothing would come out. "that's what i thought." i laugh sarcastically. "apparently, w-we need a break. get your shit together and swallow your pride, then we'll talk."

i open the door, about to go in, but he stops me.

"what?"

"you really think all of that about me? of how much of a fuck up i am?"

"i don't think you're a fuck up, i just know that you fucked up. and you still won't own up to it." i start to walk back inside but he grabs my arm.

"listen, i-i..." he trails off, his brown eyes saturated with sadness. i waited for him to say something. anything. but nothing came out. and those eyes were the last i saw before i went back inside.

L I F E G U A R D

THIS SHIT SUCKS I AM SOOOOOO SORRY I HATE THIS CHAPTER TOO DONT WORRY

LIKE LMAO HOW CLICHE AND OVERDRAMATIC CAN ONE cHAPTER BE OMFG