Chapter 35: Aftermath
A decision made in one night had the power to change everything. Even without making their breakup public the people around them were quick to adapt to it. Within days, their friend group split. Since Ethan and Chris couldn't stand to be in the same room, their friends had to pick sides and that became the permanent split: Ethan, Aiden, Meaghan, and River on one side, Chris, Aaron, Scarlett, Rachel, and Courtney on the other. Ethan knew that everyone still kept in touch. River was always up to date with Rachel's volleyball matches and Scarlett wasn't surprised to hear about Meaghan's perfect math score, but Ethan and Chris were kept in separate spheres.
Ethan often wondered what people thought had happened. Did they think it was a fight? A betrayal? Maybe they assumed that Chris had snatched up the girl Ethan was in love with. Or maybe, they'd assumed that the two of them had just drifted apart. In the end, Chris was the true winner because even after everything ended, all anyone could think was that two friends weren't friends anymore. Ethan would never be seen as important to Chris.
But the pain that tightly squeezed at Ethan's heart when he thought of that was a steady reminder. Behind all of the anger and sadness was longing. Every day, he came to miss Chris more. Chris was his boyfriend and best friend. Ethan's anger was temporary but his feelings wouldn't go away. He kept up a tough front, appearing indignant at all the right moments. Truly, though, Ethan imagined that one day, Chris would grab his hand and pull him away, confessing passionately about how he'd made a mistake and realized that no matter what, he needed Ethan in his life. Then, he'd pull Ethan into a kiss and Ethan would melt into his arms just as he did every single time.
But the days went by and still, Chris didn't reach out. Finally, Ethan started to consider reaching out himself. Should I just talk to him he'd wonder every time he passed in the halls? The idea of calling him would pop into his head every time Ethan opened his phone. Maybe he would have done it. Maybe one day Ethan would have finally worked up the courage if not for the news he heard that day.
He was walking to the cafeteria for lunch and was pleasantly surprised when Aiden intercepted him on his way. But Ethan could quickly tell that something was off.
"Are you okay, Aiden?" Ethan asked, a concerned tilt to his head.
"I'm fine," Aiden blurted, a bit too quickly. "Perfectly fine. It's just, I have something to tell you."
"Ethan!" River yelled, waving from the cafeteria table. "Aiden!"
It seemed like they'd gotten to the cafeteria sooner than Aiden expected. He looked at River with wide eyes, then turned back to Ethan. However, Ethan was already heading toward the table. Aiden had to hide his frustrated huff as he followed behind his best friend.
The table filled up quickly, Meaghan getting to the table right after them. Then, Rachel and Courtney joined them. Having the unusual but welcomed guests was such a nice surprise, Ethan got distracted and forgot about what Aiden had said only a few minutes before. Growing impatient, Aiden reached out and touched Ethan's shoulder.
"Ethan, can I talk to you in private for a bit? It's kind of important." Aiden asked, whispering into Ethan's ear.
"Can it wait until after I've eaten?" Ethan asked in response. "I only have a couple of bites left."
Aiden agreed with a curt nod but didn't seem to relax. Ethan was growing a little worried but reminded himself that they would talk about it in a second. If Aiden agreed to wait, Ethan was sure that everything would be just fine.
Ethan zoned back into the conversation to hear Meaghan complimenting Courtney.
"You just have such a glow to you," She explained, causing Courtney's cheeks to turn pink. "You look happier."
"I am happier," She agreed with a wide smile. "It feels like everything is finally going my way."
"Tell us what's going on then," Ethan interjected with an expectant look.
"Wait, you guys haven't heard yet?" Courtney asked. Everyone shook their heads except for Aiden, who looked at Ethan with a pained expression. He reached out and held on to Ethan's hand, hoping to support him as he heard. "Chris asked me out!"
The air in Ethan's lungs left his body in a single second. Time came to a standstill and the sound of Courtney's voice faded out in an instant. He could faintly hear sounds of excitement from his friends as they recounted Courtney's romantic story. The feeling of Aiden's hand was a vague sensation. Mostly, Ethan felt alone, trapped in a cage of his own creation. Then, it all came back to him at once.
"Wow, that's amazing, Courtney," Ethan said, his words and smile blending into the general congratulations perfectly. It was the fakest smile he'd ever put on, but it needed to be done. Courtney didn't deserve even a tenth of the sadness bubbling inside of him. That belonged to Ethan alone.
Still, Ethan could only pretend to be okay for so long and soon excused himself to go to the bathroom. Look normal was the single mantra playing in Ethan's mind. But the second he got out of sight, his calm walk turned into a full-out sprint for the bathroom.
Ethan ran into the first open stall. He let his head fall against the plastic walls, his soft sobs getting drowned out by the laughter of the boys at the sinks.
—————
It was inevitable that Meaghan and Aiden would end up at Ethan's house that day. His reaction was too obvious for either of them to ignore and, with his permission, they followed him home. Ethan felt guilty explaining his entire relationship to Meaghan. Seeing the shock on her face and the hurt that came from knowing he'd kept this a secret from her was hard. But the feeling got buried under all the other emotions he was feeling that day. Upset or not, Meaghan understood that her indignation would have to wait for another day. Right now, Ethan couldn't take it.
However, Meaghan couldn't hold back all of her critiques.
"Ethan, how could you let him go?" She asked him, making Ethan blink up at her in surprise.
He was lying on his bed, feet tucked under the pillows and his hair hanging off of the mattress. Aiden and Meaghan were sitting on either side of his head with their backs against the bed, using pillows to make sitting on the floor bearable.
"What are you talking about?"
"Ethan, you're obviously heartbroken, but you agreed to end things. If you had said you were willing to trust him-" Meaghan explained.
"But that was such a sudden ultimatum. To suggest breaking up because of one fight-" Aiden retorted.
"It wasn't just one fight," Ethan interjected with a sigh. "You're right, Meaghan. I broke up with him on purpose because I knew it was the right thing to do. I mean, did you see Courtney? She was glowing, the happiest I've seen her in a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if Chris looked the same. Chris and Courtney are good for each other and one day they'll be thanking me for getting out of their way."
"Ethan, you can't really believe that," Aiden said with a concerned frown.
"It's alright, Aiden, I knew this was coming," Ethan said, smiling sadly as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm just glad I was a part of his life. All that time we spent together, all those hours texting about nothing, all those times we shared on this bed must have meant something. He can't forget me. And I'll always love him."
———————————
Wow, that chapter was shorter than I expected, but it had to be done. I promise, this will be important in the second part
I'm sorry to leave the first part on such a sad note but they did break up so . . .
Were any of you surprised by Chris dating Courtney?
Anyway, now that their high school days are over, are you excited to see them in adulthood?
I am, but I'm sure that's no surprise to you
This officially ends part one and hopefully, I'll get back to you with part 2 soon, I have lots of plans :)
Anyway,
Vote, Comment, Share, Follow, anything else you can do with this book and I'll see you next time. Bye!