WORD COUNT| 3.3k+
This will be written in Ethan's POV. Also, this is when they were in the 9th grade before they became famous.
I walked into fourth-period biology, dreading yet another hour of school. As soon as I stepped foot into the room, all eyes were set on me. "Still waiting for that ass beating?" A boy named Daniel Phelps asks as I pass by his seat to get to my own. I ignored his question and sat in my assigned seat one row from the back. This was the one class I hated most going to, well except for the fact that I could stare at Hallee Davis. She was the only girl in this school that could make my heart race like no other. Why? I'm not sure, but just looking at her was enough to make me drool. "Dolan." Daniels voice booms before a spitball hit me right in the eye. The classroom erupted into a roar of laughter. I wiped my face and turned to the teacher's desk as if she was going to do anything about the situation. But of course, she just sat there, scribbling things down before starting class.
It was finally the last period of the day and the only class I had with Grayson. English. The class wasn't as bad as my others, most of them being with Daniel and a boy named Ty, the two who hated me most in the world. It was strange, I used to be super close with Ty, but then around seventh grade, he started hanging out with Daniel and bullying me.
I walked into the room and made my way around the tables and sat down next to my brother who was getting his binder from his bag. "Hey." He mumbles, opening it up to a clean sheet of paper and starting the warm-up paragraph on the board. My teacher, Mrs. Garish was probably my favorite. Unlike other teachers, she always took up for Grayson and I when we were being bullied. I pulled out my own red binder, opening it up and looking at the board to see the writing prompt: Write about what makes you happiest. That was easy, making videos with Gray.
I poured my feelings out on the blank sheet knowing no one, other than my teacher and I would ever read it. "Okay, times up!" Mrs. Garish announces, signaling for us to put our writing utensils down. I did as she said and closed my binder, ready to finish this class and go home. "Today, I thought we would try something different." She says, pacing in front of the whiteboard. "Today, we're going to be reading our paragraphs to the class." One big groan waved through the classroom, but she just laughed. "I know, I know. We're all too cool to tell each other what makes us happy, but it's going to be your daily grade for today. So we'll start with Patricia and go around." She says, pointing her dry erase marker at one of the girls at the front table.
I contemplated rewriting my paragraph the closer it got to be my turn, knowing damn well that I was going to get picked on for mine. The way she was going around the room suggested that I would be last, so maybe by the time it got to me, the class would be over.
Most of them were about animals or sports, it was rare that someone would mention something other than the two main topics. My favorite so far was when one of the girls announced that she liked to write. When asked what she liked writing, she just shrugged and said "anything".
It was Grayson's turn, meaning I was next. But at least I knew his would be the same as mine, taking some of the pressure from my shoulders. He started to read and my heart fell into my stomach. Wrestling. He said his happiness came from wrestling. I was shocked at his blunt summary of why he found most of his joy in wearing a singlet and holding people down on a sweaty mat. He finished and looked up at the teacher for the question. I wasn't sure what she had asked him, I was too panicked at the fact that I was next, with 15 minutes of class to spare.
Grayson nudged my arm, startling me and making me almost fall off of the stool. The class snickered and earned a glare from Mrs. Garish. "Ethan, you can read yours now." She says, nodding towards me. Almost every pair of eyes were on me, except for the kids who had either gone to sleep or just didn't care enough to listen. I took in a deep breath and started reading, "The one thing that makes me happiest is making videos with my brother Grayson." I read out loud. As soon as the first sentence was out of my mouth I could hear people whispering and chuckling quietly. "Go on." She pushes. "I love making videos with my brother because I don't have to worry about being judged or picked on for it. It's just us and we can do whatever we want because there's no one around to tell us otherwise. If I didn't have my brother and videos, I don't think I would be happy at all." I finish, bending a corner of the paper awkwardly. I could hear the laughter get somewhat louder and people making fun of what I had written down.
