cheerleader-ethan and emma

chapter thirty six

emma's pov:

when ethan said those words my heart fell out of my ass. i have to stop this fight.

"don't fuckin touch me dolan." brett spat.

ethan's eyes continuously grew dark until they resembled a fucking hurricane.

"don't fuckin touch my girl." ethan said venomously.

it was so sweet how ethan was standing up for me. any other day i would have smiled and dragged him away.

but tonight was different. i could feel the electricity crack in the air from ethan's anger. the adrenaline he has remaining from the game was still rushing through his body.

it was ethan who made the first punch, unsurprisingly. the majority of the team had retired to the locker rooms in order to prepare for the many beers they would be consuming tonight.

i continuously screamed for them to stop, pleaded even, but to no avail.

the field was barren besides the few parents who were packing up their belongings and exiting the stadium.

as the punches started to grow more intense on ethan's side, i knew my screaming wouldn't put an end to this.

i shoved in the middle of a delirious brett and a vicious ethan right as his fist cocked back for another punch.

my back was pressed to brett as i shielded that douche ass from my idiot of a boyfriend.

"E! stop it." i stated.

he instantly complied and dropped his bruised knuckle to his side. his shoulders sagged from guilt and i turned to brett to study the damage.

he had a pretty nasty bloody nose and his eye was taking on a purplish hue.

"you good wilson?" i asked, my eyes flickering from his to the cuts that were scattered along his cheeks.

"yeah. thanks. sorry for being a dick." he mumbled before jogging away while pinching the bridge of his nose in between two fingers.

i sighed and accepted his apology. i'm not one for holding grudges.

ethan padded over to me as hannah and ellie walked away when they knew i was okay.

"em. i- i can get grayson to come get you... or-or maybe go with your friends?"

as tears started to stream down my face ethan hung his head.

"i can get you a ride emma." he said. "i promise you don't have to come with me."

now i was confused and upset.

"no. i want to go with you." i insisted, grabbing his hand.

he looked shocked considering my past reactions to displays of violence. but, nonetheless, he held my hand.

"are you sure?" he asked, rubbing his thumb softly across my knuckles.

"yes." i reassured before walking with him to the locker room.

it was barren inside. luckily everyone already left, including brett.

i walked with ethan to his locker, sat on the bench, and waited for him to get changed.

he pulled off his jersey and his gear, then turned on one of the showers to quickly rinse.

i so badly wanted to step inside with him, even if it was in the boys locker room. however, i knew we would just end up distracted with each other when lisa wanted us home to talk.

"em! can you grab me a towel?" he yelled from the shower. i stood up, grabbed one, and shoved my hand inside the curtain so he could take it.

he emerged with the towel swung around his hips, revealing his v-line and defined abs from numerous roughs workouts.

he was tan and lean. he looked healthy, despite the fact that he had gotten in a brawl tonight. brett on the other hand looked nasty. ethan had one thin scratch on his cheekbone as evidence.

"god you look so pretty in my jersey." he said to me as he slipped on his clothes.

"let me guess?" i teased.

"guess what?" he questioned as he put on his shoes.

"it would look better off." i taunted, referencing his language from earlier in the school year.

he burst out laughing and grabbed my cheeks, proceeding to plant a sloppy kiss on my forehead.

i scrunched my nose, feigning disgust. yet the way i leaned into his warm touch gave it away. i couldn't be mad at him for long.

"are you sure you want to ride with me?" he asked again as he closed his gym locker.

"why wouldn't i e?" i asked, genuinely confused.

"well... i uh. i thought you would want to break up with me honestly. s'okay if you do. i won't be mad." he rambled.

i grabbed his face and kissed him. when i pulled away, i studied his expression to make sure that my kiss got the message across.

i love you ethan dolan.

"i love you. like seriously. it's actually incredible how much i would do for you." he said as we walked to his car in the empty parking lot, hands intertwined.

"i love you too. i am in...legitimate shock that i can say these words to you." i admitted, suddenly feeling anxious.

"i'm not." he stated.

we got into his car and he started the engine. we then pulled out of our high school parking lot in the direction of his house.

"and why is that?" i finally asked after working up the courage to do so.

he paused for a second and drummed his fingers on the wheel.

i could tell this question made him nervous and wondered why. we're both crazy in love with each other and i would never judge him. for anything.

he sucked in a breath and smiled nervously.

"promise not to judge? because it's really fucking weird and makes me look obsessive and shit." he said quickly. his eyes flickered from the road to my face to gauge my reaction.

"promise, e." i said honestly.

"i've been in love with you since like, 5th grade. i didn't even know what love was at that point. but i felt it with you.." he stated, his eyes glued to the road.

i giggled slightly before responding with, "me too."

his eyes popped out of his head. we pulled into the driveway and he pulled his keys out of the ignition.

"really?" he asked as we walked towards his home.

"mhm." i said as i nodded my head.

"i'll always love you i think. it's been apart of me since forever. even if one day, you know, you- decide to break things off... i'll still love you." he rambled as we stepped into the home.

"i could never do that." i whispered before pausing and kissing him.

"in here ethan!" lisa called from the kitchen.

he shot me a worried look and i nodded, telling him we couldn't kiss in the foyer forever.

"coming mom!" he shouted as he let go of my hand.

we walked in together, but had several feet between us.

"your father and i have talked about this relationship. we think it's best if you...don't continue this." she said slowly.

"you're kidding." ethan said bluntly.

a/n: vote for the next chapter! sorry to end it on a cliffhanger like this!!! i think i'm going to update every other day from now on!