Ethan knew he couldn't skip school forever, even though the idea of dropping out was beginning to look better and better.
He spent the night with Cathy again, who had been more than thrilled, and Shawn had ended up staying too. His parents hadn't been so certain at first, but once he promised he would still attend school, and made up a slight lie that Ethan really needed him right now, they had reluctantly agreed to let him.
Cathy had made them food, and they ate together like a weird little family. Afterwards, they had done the dishes, and once that was completed they played video games for several hours. It had been a while since either of them had played, but it didn't take them long to remember how to play.
It felt great for Ethan to actually have the time to do something teenager like with a friend. Now that Shawn knew part of the truth, it felt even better to hang out with the other boy. When it was just them hanging out, Ethan had felt like a normal kid, just spending some time with his best friend.
Around midnight or so, Cathy had scolded at them to go to bed which they reluctantly agreed to do. They decided to put in a movie though, the latest James Bond movie, and made a fake bed on the floor using a couple blankets and pillows.
The next morning, Ethan had woken first, and decided to let his friend sleep a little longer as he left for the bathroom. He showered quickly, not quite sure what time it was before he was walking back into the living room with a towel around his waist.
"Hey kiddo." Cathy had greeted, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and some underwear as she sipped some coffee. "I laid out some of your and Shawn's old clothes on the couch for you guys. Go get dressed and wake him up, and I'll make you guys some breakfast."
Ethan nodded, giving a small yawn as he wandered away from the kitchen. From where he stood by the couch, he was unseen by Cathy, so he quickly dropped his towel and yanked on a pair of boxers.
"What time is it?" He asked, stepping into a pair of jeans, just as she came around the corner.
"It's six ten." She answered.
Ethan gave a nod, before walking over to the still sleeping boy on the ground.
"Hey, Shawn." Ethan called, gently poking at the older boy with his foot. "Sunshine. It's morning. We have school."
There was no response.
"Cathy promised food." Ethan added, and slowly the boy shifted underneath the blankets.
He gave a small sigh, before gently pushing himself up from the ground. His eyes opened, and the blonde squinted around before his bleary gaze landed on his best friend.
"What time is it?" He asked, his voice still heavy with slumber as he reached up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Time to get up." Ethan said with a small smirk.
The boy groaned, but pushed himself into a sitting position. "Ha ha. Glad you have a sense of humor this early in the morning... Is it still dark out?" He asked squinting at the window.
"Daylight savings time is over." Cathy said. "Clocks move ahead."
He groaned, collapsing back into the mass of pillows. "It's too early."
Ethan chuckled and once again nudged at him. "C'mon, get up. Cathy will make you food if you do."
There was a pause, but then Shawn finally pushed himself up and climbed to his feet. "Oh, you know how to tempt me."
Ethan only laughed, while the boy stumbled off to the bathroom.
"I guess I'll go start. What do you want?" Cathy asked while she turned back to the kitchen.
"Eggs and toast. He'll eat anything." Ethan answered, roaming through the piles of clothes until he found a shirt, sweatshirt, and a pair of socks. He finished dressing himself, before he figured he would pass the time by helping Cathy out in the kitchen.
It didn't take the two of them very long to cook a small meal, and by the time they were done Shawn came out of the bathroom.
"Clothes are on the couch." Cathy said while setting the table.
"You took forever." Ethan pointed out with a scold.
"Oh screw off." Shawn answered.
Instead of getting upset, Ethan only laughed as he took a seat and dug into his food. Cathy settled down beside him, and it wasn't long after that Shawn joined them as well.
"Mom, Dad." Shawn said while settling into his seat. "I just wanted to thank you for slaving over this wonderful meal of eggs and toast. I know how hard it must be to make the money to afford this meal, and I just want to let you know that I really do appreciate it."
"Surprise, you're adopted." Ethan said while grabbing another piece of toast.
Shawn dropped his fork, which clattered loudly against his plate. He stared at Ethan with a horrified expression, before his gaze moved to Cathy. "Is... Is this true?"
"Yep." Cathy said, getting up to get another cup of coffee. "We found you in a trash can."
"You guys are assholes." Shawn said with a scold, although this only made the pair laugh.
They continued their meal in mostly silence, but once Cathy was done she kissed them both of the head and disappeared to take a shower herself. As soon as the boys had finished, they had cleaned up the plates and put them in the dishwasher before heading off to school.
"Do you think it's going to be weird if you see Kyle?" Shawn asked with a raised eyebrow.
Ethan gave a small shrug. "Maybe and probably."
"Can I ask what happened between you guys or should I not bother?" Shawn also questioned.
Now the German hesitated, and before he could even consider figuring out how to answer Shawn spoke up again. "You don't have to tell me. I just didn't know if you wan--"
"I'm just tired of him treating me like I'm a kid." Ethan answered instead. "He acts like I'm just a kid, and while I might only be eighteen, I'm still not thirteen."
Shawn looked surprised that Ethan had actually answered him, but he quickly recovered and gave a shrug. "I dunno, maybe he's just--"
"He's acting like he can decide what I can and can't do. I mean, maybe I'm blowing things out of proportion, but I want him to act like my boyfriend. Not my parent."
Shawn fell quiet for a second, seeming to think before he spoke again. "Well, that's definitely true... I mean, I don't know how drastic it really is. But I do know that he acts like he's so much more mature at times... I don't know. Maybe it's just because he's a teacher or something.... Maybe you should just talk to him?"
"It's Kyle." Ethan grimaced. "He'll still think his way is the best way, or some bullshit."
Shawn gave a shrug, and didn't add anything else. Perhaps that was good though, because they were just walking through the double doors of the school.
"Speak of the devil." Shawn grumbled, directing his friend around a group of students so the students would be between them and the two teachers.
Kyle and Austin stood outside of the office, looking casual although it was rather obvious that they were looking for the other boys.
"Great." Ethan grumbled back, letting himself be lead through the crowd.
"Hey, Shaw--" Austin began to call after them.
"Hi, Mr. Suronto!" Shawn called back over his shoulder. "I'd love to chat but I don't want to be late to class!"
"Sha--!"
"Bye!" Shawn yelled with a grin as they rounded the corner.
"You're a good friend." Ethan said with a chuckle.
Shawn gave a laugh as well. "Trust me I know. But this doesn't mean they're not going to follow us." He pointed out.
"Should we--" Ethan began to ask, but suddenly the announcements came on.
"Students, this is your mayor, David Frost. As many of you may have noticed, the buses have not left the building yet." The man said.
"Huh, I noticed, but I just thought maybe we were early." Shawn said, staring at the speaker box in the ceiling as the boys stopped.
"Et--Hunter." Kyle called, while both the teachers rounded the corner.
"Oh please. We all know his name is Ethan." Shawn snapped, irritated that the teacher still seemed to be trying to keep the boy's identity a secret.
None of that really bothered Ethan right now though. Kyle and Austin both had looked concerned when rounding the corner. If anything, Kyle should have looked relieved. And it was just weird that Austin would look just as worried. It was obvious that Shawn hadn't noticed the same awkward tension, and that he didn't realize how weird everything was.
Kyle had thrown Shawn a look, but before the boy could continue on, the teacher was once again looking at his boyfriend.
"Ethan," He said. "We should--"
"--I am sorry to inform you all that your principal, Mr. Roecher, had passed away at some point last night." The man on the announcements continued. "At this time, the school will be closing until we can find another principal to take over. Please return to your buses, or call your parents to come and get you. We are sorry for any inconvenience we have caused you. If you must walk home, please walk with a friend."
Now Shawn looked confused, but Ethan felt like he was going to be sick.
"You didn't watch the news this morning?" Kyle asked softly, but Ethan could only shake his head.
Shawn interrupted. "You mean.... He's dead? The principal? How'd he die?"
Austin sent Ethan and Kyle a sideways glance, before answering the Shawn. "He was killed just like those others..."
Ethan's mouth went dry, and he couldn't even feel Kyle's hand on his shoulder. Kyle tried to call his name, but the sound almost seemed blocked. It was like the older man was speaking through water to the boy. He tried to shake his head and get a grip on himself, but at the slightest movement, his vision quickly clouded. Heat washed over his head, growing dizzy instantly, while his legs suddenly gave out underneath him.
He thought he heard his name being said, but he couldn't be too sure as he passed out.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Ethan's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed around the room confusedly. The white walls, white wheel-away bed, and multiple medical machines made it easy for him to realize where he was.
But he didn't recognize the two men in the room.
"Hunter Lyons?" The one man asked, standing from his seat and making his way to the side of the bed.
"Yeah?" He asked, his voice croaking slightly before he cleared it.
"I'm detective Calvin, and this is my partner detective Walker." The man explained. "We have a few questions about the latest murders."
Shit.