In a small Arizona town, average teen Ethan Chen is just trying to survive another day of hell, er, high school with his best friend, Tweed, at his side. However, his world is turned upside-down when he learns that their favorite hang-out spot is cl...
"Oh thank God! I thought I was about to lose my voice!" Tweed exclaimed and dramatically gasped for breath as if not speaking had strangled all the life out of him. "So... what do you want to do? We can skip and get some ice cream at Bjornie's?" he suggested, but Ethan shook his head.
"I want to go to the bakery," he said, and Tweed's eyes narrowed.
"Did not talking give you memory loss? Do remember my name?" the boy enunciated, and Ethan rolled his eyes.
"Being quiet can't kill a person. Besides, I want to see the bakery before the building is destroyed," Ethan said, and Tweed sighed, digging in his tweed pants pocket for his keys.
"Alright, but we aren't going to break inside or anything crazy. Promise me, Ethan." Tweed's eyes pleaded with Ethan, sticking his pinkie out as a form of a contract. Amused, he thought, Since when has this dynamic shifted so greatly?
"I never thought you would be the stable friend and I the reckless one," Ethan said and looped his pinkie with Tweed's. "I promise. I won't ask you to break in or do anything illegal."
"Let's go, then," Tweed said as they began to walk toward his beat-up car. During the car ride, Ethan took note of the floor, which was usually covered with Tweed crap, like empty soda bottles and gum wrappers.
"Hey, so you know how Mara hangs out with us all the time, right?" Tweed started, his voice cracking. Ethan smirked and nodded, hiding his expression with his hoodie and claiming it was because of the chilly outside.
"So... I like her I think. And we might start dating," Tweed added and sucked in a breath. Ethan tried his absolute hardest not to break out in a full hyena simper and just nodded.
"That's good," he said, attempting to sound as despondent as possible. It was crazy how clueless Tweed was about other people's awareness.
"Yeah... I think I'm going to marry her," Tweed mentioned with a carefree tone, and Ethan did a double-take, getting whiplash from turning his head to his friend so quickly.
"What? Like, now?" he asked with shock in his eyes, and Tweed laughed as if this was the biggest prank he had ever pulled, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
"No, when we're older, I want to marry her," Tweed said, his voice soft amidst the rumble of the car. Ethan smiled to himself and rested his head on the headrest, the breeze from the open window ruffling his black bangs. It almost felt normal, driving with Tweed, but the pang of pain was still in his heart.
"That's good that you guys aren't getting married now. Hold onto her," Ethan told his friend and nodded as they approached the bakery.
"Here we are," Tweed said, his voice a bit hesitant as he unbuckled his seatbelt. Ethan was already out of the car and standing out the sidewalk in front of the bakery, taking the image in.
The building was completely boarded up. The sun windows prevented light from pass through. The faded red brick looked pale in comparison to the bright and new exteriors of the buildings beside it.
With one step in front of the other, Ethan approached the building and caressed his hand over the demolition sign hammered into the boards that pinned up the door, the bright yellow paint like a flare gun being shot in the dead of the darkest night.
"It's really over, Tweed," he whispered, his tongue getting tied. As he felt his eyes well up again, he snatched his hand away and sniffled, looking to the sky to stop the water from spilling down his face.
Tweed patted his back as he said, "I guess Red really won. I guess the town really is going to break it down."
Somehow, this flared up both of their emotions, and soon, both of them were as sentimental as two drunken uncles after a wedding sharing family stories.
"I guess he did," Ethan agreed and they both stood staring at the great building, filled with so many valued memories, before them.
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LOL- not the drunk-les! Not Ethan and Tweed-
Dang, I feel so bad for them! I really do like torturing my characters... Isn't it depressing to see them give up, though? They always have a plan, but now...
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, even if it was kinda short lol. If y'all want, I can post another chapter today because this one is so short. Let me know down in the comments. Also, I usually don't self-promote my books, but the last chapter of Alphabet of Social Etiquette is coming out tomorrow, and I'd be stoked if you guys could join me in waving goodbye to Tucker and Leona.
As always, if you liked the chapter, please consider giving it a vote. Love you all, peace!
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