It All Started With A Lie

{29}

Ethan slowly nodded in response. 

"Yeah, I just heard her name like ten times. And I think you two were actually walking by cause they were looking that way, that's how I know you. They were talking about something. Some party thing, some trap thing, I'm sorry, I really don't know," he huffed. 

"It's okay," I smiled, "But could you maybe give us a day? That they were talking about? Or an occasion?" I asked. 

"I think this weekend. I'm pretty sure," he answered, "They seemed sus," he mumbled. 

"Sus, okay," I chuckled, "Thanks, we won't take too much of your time," I smiled. 

He stood up, dusting himself off. "You're very pretty by the way," he smiled at me. 

"Thank you," I grinned. 

"Noah used to like you. Don't tell him I said that though," his eyes widened. 

"Okay," I laughed. 

"Bye," he waved before jogging back over to his friends. 

"A freshman just complimented you, what the hell?" Skylar laughed. 

"What?" I asked in confusion, ripping grass out of the field. 

"Freshmen are dicks," Austin chuckled, "Literally, they're all so bratty and annoying," he said. 

"I get along with most of them," I shrugged. 

"Have you met the girls?" 

"Not the girls, the boys are sweet though," I replied. 

"How do you know so many of them?" Ethan asked. 

"Uh, when I was with Justin, I used to wait for him during practice all the time, so I got along with the team and their siblings as well," I explained. "Zachary doesn't know me, but I know him. I've been to Noah's house before for parties. That's Jordan," I pointed to another freshman, his brother is Andrew, also on the team. "That's Grayson, that's Quentin, that's Eugene," I chuckled. 

"Should I be worried about how many guys on the team you've known?" Skylar asked, "I don't even remember them from when you introduced me to the team." 

"I remember them. The team's got Justin, Daniel, Andrew, Scott, Isaac, Noah..." I trailed off. "Who else?" I asked Skylar, my nose scrunching up in confusion. 

"Jackass Jonathon," she laughed. 

"Why the jackass?" Austin asked. 

"He poured ice water on Skylar one time at a party," I laughed. 

"It was the worst party of my life," she scoffed. 

She started telling him the story and I noticed that Ethan had been awfully quiet. I looked up at him, "What's up? Hi," I said, poking his arm. 

"Hi," he said, giving me a small smile. I frowned in confusion, realizing his mood was a little... glum. 

"Why so glum, chum?" I asked. 

"No reason," he shook his head, looking around. The bell rang but Ethan and I both had a free period so we stayed back. Lucky us. This is once in two weeks we both have a free period together. 

"What happened?" I frowned in confusion. 

"Nothing," he shook his head. 

"Hey," I mumbled, sitting upright, turning my body to face him completely. I grabbed one side of his face but he turned his head the other way. "What did I do?" I asked, suddenly worried that I did or said something wrong. 

"You didn't do anything," he said while staring at the now empty field. 

"Clearly, I did something," I chuckled. 

"You really didn't," he looked at me, "It's just me." 

I stared at him quizzically for a long time, biting the inside of my cheek in thought. And then it clicked. I snorted, smacking my hand over my mouth. "You don't like that I was friends with the guys on the team," I stated. 

"That is not it," he shook his head, avoiding my gaze. 

"That is definitely it," I chuckled, moving closer to him. 

"It's really not," he scoffed. 

"Ethan," I said slowly as if I was talking to a child. He looked at me, leaning back on his hands. 

He looks more inviting that way. 

"I'm not friends with the team anymore," I said, "I'm dating you, I'm friends with Austin, right? He's your friend. You're dating me, you're friends with Skylar cause she's my friend. When I was with... him. I was friends with his friends," I shrugged, scooting closer. 

"My friends don't think you're cute, okay? They don't flirt with you," he huffed. 

Daniel did... but it was just a scheme.

"Noah never flirted with me." 

"He liked you." 

"But he didn't flirt. He's a nice guy, he respected the fact that I was in a relationship. He never flirted with me and I never flirted with him. There's only one person I flirted with when I was with Justin," I shrugged. 

"What? Who?" he asked, sitting up straight. 

"You," I deadpanned. He stared at me, letting out a breath. I sighed, moving forward and gaining the courage to straddle him. It's not like we're doing anything sexual. It's just... cute. "I used to flirt with you all the time as an attempt to annoy you," I said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. 

"What were we thinking? Who gets annoyed by flirting?" he chuckled. 

"We did, actually," I scoffed. 

"Yeah, but only cause that's all we were doing. We weren't moving forward. We weren't liking each other, just pretending to hate. That's what was annoying, for me at least," he shrugged, "Pretending to hate it and you when you flirted with me." 

"Maybe we pretended too much and for too long. We should have liked each other sooner," I mumbled, my eyes traveling across his face. 

He really is very beautiful, God. 

"We like each other, that's all that matters." And then he kissed me.

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Chapter 29

I miss putting titles on my chapters, we're going back to that from the next book onwards.