South of the border || Ethan Dolan

Surprise

My first shift back to work after being out for two weeks was anything but easy. It got to the point where I just wanted to fucking walk out and leave them short staffed, it's not like I need the money anymore anyway, but I stayed because there's not a bone in my body that would let me quit. I'm not like that. Which is why I've gone in everyday this week after whatever it was I had due that day, today it was two finals and having someone observe me teaching a lesson about the water cycle to second graders.

I walked into the apartment and went straight to my room, taking off my pants and work shirt and leaving  them on the ground, not even bothering to put anything else on before collapsing on to my bed. I took a deep breath and held it for a second before breathing out and allowing my entire body to relax and sink into the mattress.

Tonight will be the first night since we got back from thanksgiving break that I won't have to go to sleep worrying about what's happening tomorrow. Between helping my mom with Journi, worrying about Ethan dying in Australia and then him not dying but trying to talk to him for at least an hour everyday, and not to mention finals and two seven page papers, I have basically been a walking corpse. If I wasn't for my planner and the date on my phone, I don't think I'd be able to tell you or myself what day it was.

I have seriously put sleep and mental health on the back burner these last couple of weeks, trying to push myself to get everything done. And I know that it probably wasn't the best idea, but here we are.

It's 8pm and I'm planning on sleeping until noon tomorrow and then focusing on nothing but me. Just as I was about to doze off, my phone started ringing. I groaned but reached for it and answered it without looking at who it was.

"Hello?" I mumbled into my pillow.
"Hey baby g-" Ethan paused. "Are you just laying in your bed in your underwear?"
"And? What about it?" I whined. "I came in from work and took those clothes off and I didn't want to bother putting anything else on."
"Long day?" He asked. I turned my head the other way so I could see my phone and I nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shook my head no.
"Where are you?" I asked, squiring trying to recognize his background.
"Out in the guest house. I was about to play the drums but then my alarm went off to call you so I stopped." He said, almost as if his answer was rehearsed.
"Oh. Okay." I said, trying my head back the other way because my neck was starting to hurt.
"How'd your exams go?"
"Meh."
"Is that a good meh or a bad meh?"
"It's an it is what it is meh."
"Well do you think you at least passed?"
"Oh yeah, definitely. I just don't know if I passed enough to get A's on all of them."
"And today was your last day?"
"Yep. That's why I'm in my bed instead of at my desk studying my ass off."

The door bell rang and I groaned, knowing that I would have to get it because I was the last one left in the apartment. I'm not leaving to go home for a couple of days. I sat up and climbed off my bed, grabbing my blanket hoodies and throwing it over my head to cover up the fact that I wasn't wearing clothes and I walked out of my room.

"Who's that?" Ethan asked, his screen now black.
"I don't know. What happened to your screen?"
"Oh my mom texted me about something for Grayson's Christmas present." He said, very unconvincing. I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door.

When I opened the door, I damn near dropped my phone but seeing as how I already broke on phone in the last three weeks, I somehow found a way to hold on it.

"Ethan?" I asked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the apartment before wrapping my arms around his shoulder and hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around my back and picked me up, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist so I wouldn't fall.