Together We Fall

Chapter 16

"Hot chocolate."

Without asking, he picks it up out of my hands and takes a drink.

Obviously, he has no manners. Most people would ask before they go pressing their lips to something I drink out of. But not Trace, he isn't like most people

He puts his lips together and smiles at me, "That's good stuff."

I snatch my cup back and give him a frown, "Have you kissed any girls lately?"

He furrows his eyebrows, "Why does that matter?"

"Just covering all grounds to make sure it's safe for us to share germs. I don't want to take a sip on my hot chocolate and catch mono."

Instead of getting angry he nods his head. I guess he can understand my thinking process.

"Define 'lately'." he smirks and I roll my eyes.

"Within the last three weeks."

He rubs his chin as if in deep thought while Ethan chuckles.

"It's been," he starts, "I'd say about three weeks."

That answer is good enough for me. At least now I can drink the drink that I got. I don't even care if we share the drink as long as I know I'm not going to be catching anything from one of the girls he's been with.

But I also remember how last time I made assumptions about him being with multiple girls he got mad at me. I know he isn't a bad guy, but he is a player. Players come with the side effect of germs. I don't like germs.

The three of us separate from everyone else and we head over to the portraits first. We see a picture of an old woman and Ethan stops beside her.

She has long, gray hair. She has wrinkles covering her face and looks to be about eighty years old. Her mouth is in a flat smile. This picture was painted in 1927.

"Hey Emma, check it out. It's you at forty five." he laughs.

I laugh and pull out my phone to find a picture of Ethan. It's a picture I took almost a week ago out in the school parking lot. He was trying to eat a pretzel but somehow ended up with a piece of salt in his eye so he started crying.

Instead of helping my friend, I did the reasonable thing, I took a picture. His eyes were watery from the thick piece of salt and his nose was starting to run. He looked like a mess.

"Hey Ethan, check it out." I mock and show him my phone, "It's you last week."

He frowns, "That's cruel."

Trace takes my phone and sends the photo to himself.

We keep walking and a few seconds later come upon an aquarium.

It has fresh, light blue water in it with about thirty little fish swimming around the giant tank. The fish tank itself takes up about three yards of a wall.

Trace begins staring at the fish before asking, "Do fish blink?"

I'm about to roll my eyes at his random question, but then I realize the importance of it. That's a really good question. Do fish blink?

I, personally, don't think I've ever witnessed a blinking fish but does that doesn't necessarily mean they don't blink.

Ethan looks it up and answers the irrelevant, interesting question, "Fish don't blink, they don't have eyelids."

It makes sense.

But then if they can't even close their eyes to sleep then does that mean some of these fish may be sleeping right now but I'd never know because they don't have eyelids?