South of the border || Ethan Dolan

How'd they find out?

I'm 20 years old, and I have a bed time. Not because I'm boring or anything, but because if I don't go to sleep before a certain time, I'm not going to get any sleep at all.

Last night I didn't get any sleep, I stayed awake thinking about why Ethan would want to date me so bad. I couldn't come up with many answered except for the idea that I fell asleep at work, hit by head, and have been in a drug induced coma for the past couple of days which has caused some sort of hallucinations.

So that's why I'm here, in Starbucks for the second time today, and it's only noon. One more class at 1 and I can go home and take a nap.

"Hi, can I get venti caramel latte iced with coconut milk? Extra shot of espresso?"

"Didn't you get the same thing, not even three hours ago?" The barista asked. I used to work with her before she was transferred her from the dining hall, so we joke around a lot.

"Yeah." I said, handing her my swipe card. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Girl, take your card back. This ones on me." She said, hanging me my card back and taking my reusable cup so that they could make my drink.

My phone buzzed one I steeped around to the other side of the counter and I took it out of my pocket to check it.

Ethan 🐢
Good morning ☺️

Me
You're up before 11?

Haha. I don't wanna
Talk about it.
How'd you sleep?

I didn't 🙃

Why?
Just overthinking that's all

"Personal cup!" The other barista yelled. I grabbed my drink and put my lid back on it, walking out of Starbucks and making my way to the building where my last class is.

Ethan🐢
You wanna talk about it?

Me
Not particularly

Okay.
Are you done for the day?

I've got one more class
at one

Well at least maybe you
can take a nap after class

Yeah maybe

I tell a mean bed time
story if you need one

You know, I think
I'm good.

Well, just thought I'd offer. 😂

How generous?
Hey my class is about
to start, I'll talk to you later?

Yeah. Have fun.
Learn something

——————

"I'm being dead serious." I said laughing, while turning in the street that just apartment was on.
"I can't believe your professor deadass made you sing a frozen song in class. What were you even talking about that brought it up." Ethan said laughing. I texted him when my class let out and he immediately decided to call me, but honestly, his effort is kind of cute. We've been talking on the phone my entire walk back home from class.
"It's getting colder outside and he was talking about how he doesn't cancel class if it snows. So I looked him dead in the eye and said that if there was snow on the ground I wasn't leaving my apartment for anything."
"Yeah. No. I wouldn't either."
"So then he wasn't like 'not even to build a snowman?' And I shook my head to which he responded, 'it doesn't have to be a snowman.' And at this point, we were just joking around and so I said 'do I look like either Elsa or Anna to you?'
"To your professor?"
"Well yeah, it's a pretty laid back class."
"So how does singing bring this story full circle?"
"Right. So he looked at me and said, that if I got up in front of the class and sang any song from frozen, any time it snowed I'd get an excused absence from class." I said laughing and walking across the street to get to my building. "And naturally I wasn't going to pass that up."
"Of course not. That's a free couple of days out of class."
"Well it doesn't snow that much in fall semester but yeah."
"So which song did you sing?" He asked, just as I was about to walk up the stairs to my front door.
"Obviously I did let it go."
"Of course, why not?"
"Well I did a frozen medley in high school and I was fully prepared to pull the whole thing out, but I didn't think they'd be able to handle it." I said laughing and taking my keys out of my pocket.
"So like, are you going to let me hear you sing your get out of class free pass or?"
I laughed as I opened the door. "That's at least a level three friendship request and you're hanging on about a one and a half."
"Oh come on."
"I'm sorry, I don't make the rul-" I paused when I saw the scene that was in front of me. "Hey E, I'll call you right back, I gotta go."

I hung the phone up and laid it out the counter. Ally was sitting on the floor, propped up against the back of the couch, staring into space with her phone in her hand. If you looked closely you could see the streams of dry tears that once cascaded down her face.

"What happened?" I asked, no answer.

"Who do I need to beat up?" Again no answer.

"I swear to god, was it Grayson?" No answer. "Cause I'm fully prepared to beat his ass. Yeah he's like eight inches taller than me and weighs about 200 ponds, but I'm 170 pounds of pure rage, I'm sure if I ran from far enough away and jump at and tackle him, I could beat his ass."

"Umm no." She said, finally coming too. "It wasn't grayson."

"Okay so who do I have to get rid of and make it look like an accident?"

"Umm, the stans on Instagram found out that it was me that Grayson is dating." She said unlocking her phone.

"Oh shit. How'd they find out?"

"You're guess is as good as mine." She said, reaching her phone out for me to grab. "I took screen shots of the bulk of it, just keeps swiping right."

I hopped on the counter and sat with my feet dangling as I read. I was about halfway through the screenshots when her phone started ringing and it was Grayson calling her.

"Hey, now's not a good time." I said answering her phone for her.
"Umm hi Haley, why do you have Ally's phone?"
"Because I do."
"Well could you give the phone to her please?"
"Did you not hear me when I said that now is not a good time?"
"Why? What's up?"
"Ally's a bit indisposed at the moment."
"What are you talking about?" I sighed and put him on speaker.
"I'm getting ready to send you screen shots from her phone. Apparently the bromies found out that she's your girlfriend and they aren't too happy about it."
"Can you give her the phone please?" He asked, sighing.
"Yeah hold on." I hoped down off the counter and walked back over to Ally, hanging her her phone.

"I'll be in my room if you need anything." I said, grabbing my phone off the couch and walking into my room, figuring that Ally and Grayson were going to need to talk through somethings.

Ethan 🐢
Everything ok?

I clicked on his contact name and clicked on FaceTime before climbing up into my bed and propping my phone against the wall so I could lay down and talk to him.

"What happened?"
"Apparently, you fans or whatever, found out that Ally is Grayson's secret girlfriend and they are being very brutal about it."
"Oh shit. How did they find out?"
"I asked them same thing." I said yawning. "I don't know, I just know that I came home and she was sitting on the floor, disassociating."
"So do you think they're going to go public now?" He asked, clicking a pen from his desk.
"I don't know. Probably. I mean, they don't have much choice now."
"Yeah." He said. "Do you want me to go listen to their conversion  and spy on them?"
"No. They need to work this out just the two of them, I don't want to impose. That's why I came in here and laid down."
"Right." He nodded. "Well, you look like your just about to pass out, so I'm going to let you take a nap and hang up."
"No wait," I said, holding back a yawn. "We've only talked about me and my problems, what's going on in the world of Ethan lately?"
"We can talk about me later. You literally fighting sleep right now."
"Just tell me and if I fall asleep you can hang up on me." I said, pulling my blanket up closer on my shoulder.
"I guess I could make that compromise." He said, smiling lightly.

I'm getting my eyes checked tomorrow so maybe there won't be anymore typos ( lol cause that's the problem)

Love y'all 💗