Emma Pov.
When I got home from school that same day, I had been slightly scared to see that my father was home as well. But what I didn't expect was when my father started crying & apologizing over & over to me, promising that he'd never drink or touch me like that again. I forgave him, but told him it would still take me a little bit to fully trust him again.
James had invited me to go with him to the football game tonight & I agreed, not being able to say no to his bubbly-self. Grayson had also texted me, asking if I was going because he was wondering if he could sit with me in the risers. I found it weird, since Grayson was one of the star players on the team, along with Ethan. When I asked why though, he said that he broke his arm falling out of a tree & the coach told him not to play tonight.
So now I was standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom, getting ready to go to the wild football game.
I had picked up some more makeup from the drugstore on the way home from school, so I was able to cover up the bruise on my temples for starters. I kept the same makeup look from earlier in the day & just decided to change into a cropped black hoodie with a pair of blue ripped jeans. I curled my hair into beach waves, grabbing a water bottle & my phone before heading out the door to wait on my porch for James.
As I waited, my stomach started to ache & I remembered that I hadn't eaten in a few days since Ethan called me fat. I pinched my stomach, almost silently telling it to shut up.
James pulled up into the driveway & I smiled at him through the windshield, walking around to the passenger side. I got inside & shut the door, sinking against the leather seat. "Hey kitty-girl!" James said excitedly & I laughed. "Hi." I replied simply as James shifted the gear into 'drive' & we drove towards the high school. I set my water bottle in one of the many cup holders.
After insisting that we listen to Taylor Swift songs the whole way there, we finally arrived in the parking lot & found a spot to park.
As we walked towards the stadium I decided to let James know that Grayson would be sitting with us, not that I thought he would mind. And he didn't, he just responded with a simple; "Okay."
We finally found a spot to sit on the risers, near the front & bottom so that
we would have a clear view of the field. We sat down onto the cold risers & I finally got a chance to take in James' outfit. He wore a normal 'Calvin Klein' tracksuit, except for the fact that the jacket was cropped & the pants were practically booty-shorts. I chuckled at his attire & he just crossed his legs while winking at me. I barely just met him like yesterday & I already loved him.
My phone vibrated in my back pocket & I sat up slightly, snatching it from behind me & clicking it on. The screen lit up & showed a message from Grayson. He was asking where I was sitting. I texted him back & told him in the very front row, towards the left.
Not long after, I saw Grayson walking towards us & his eyes lingered on
James for a second before looking at me & smiling. As he sat down next to me, I noticed the thick black cast he had on his right arm. "Hey E." He greeted me & I smiled at him. "Hey Gray." I replied & was about to introduce him to James, who was sitting on the other side of me when James began talking instead. "Oh my God," he started & Grayson rose an eyebrow at his voice, "Emma, when you told me your friend would be sitting with us...you didn't tell me that he was completely daddy material." James gushed & I watched in surprise as a faint blush spread on Grayson's prominent cheekbones. Since when did Grayson Dolan blush? Apparently he didn't appeal to the nickname; 'daddy'. James giggled & held out his perfectly manicured hand towards Grayson. "I'm James." He stated & Grayson stared at his hand for a second before shaking it with his much larger hand. "Grayson." Was all he said before they both dropped their digits back to their sides.
The speakers all around the stadium suddenly erupted with an old guy's
voice, letting us know that the game was about to begin. I watched as all of the cheerleaders, including Meredith, walked out onto the side of the field & started cheering as all of the football players charged out from the small tunnel. Everyone around us in the audience roared with cheers & stood up, screaming. I scoffed quietly. I looked to my side & saw Grayson looking down at his cast sadly. I knew he wanted to play so badly. James must have seen the sad look on Grayson's face as well, because he suddenly stuck his hand into his pocket & pulled out a sparkly silver 'Sharpie'. James popped the cap off & gently reached for Grayson's encased arm, pulling it towards him & basically resting it on my lap as he wrote on it. Uh...okay. Grayson was staring at James with weirded out expression, also wondering what he was doing. James then pulled away & pushed Grayson's arm back towards him, causing Grayson to tilt his casted arm around to read the sparkly writing. James wrote; You'll always be my favorite player, even if you can't play tonight. You're still a daddy btw. ~ James xoxo. I cringed as I read it over Grayson's broad shoulder & once Grayson read it too, he chuckled nervously. James just sent him a wink & Grayson tried to look anywhere but at him. I turned my eyes to the field, seeing that all of the players from our team were now in position & about to start. "Set Hut!" Said one of the players with a muffled, raspy voice & all of the players scattered around the field chasing after whoever had the leather ball. Ethan was number '69'. Of course. I wonder how many jokes he made about that at football practice. Cameron Dallas scored our team's first touchdown & the cheerleaders went wild, moving all around as the game went on.
The buzzer went off & the game was finally over & sadly, we lost. Only
about four of our eleven players seemed to give a shit & a dually try to play good so that might be why. Ethan being one of the few that tried, he got most of our touchdowns in fact but it wasn't enough to win. I felt James repeatedly tapping my shoulder & I turned my body towards him. "Yes?" I hummed & he smiled at me with big brown eyes. "I'm hungry, can we go get some food at the food stands? Please." James begged & I chuckled at how needy he looked. I wasn't hungry & I wanted to keep it that way, the more days I went without eating....the more skinny I would become. "Sure." I answered nonchalantly & we stood up, about to walk to the food carts but James stopped in front of Grayson. Grayson looked up at him & James grabbed his good arm, pulling him up & telling him that were gonna go get food & that he should come with. I smiled to myself. Sometimes James was just too much.
We continued to walk towards the smell of food & James got in line for hot dogs & a twisted pretzel, along with Grayson right behind him. The food here actually smelled really good & my stomach started to hurt. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I just ate one thing-my thoughts were interrupted when I caught Ethan's eyes as he walked off the field. His eyes looked dull & he cocked an eyebrow at the food stands. Nevermind, I didn't feel like eating anymore. Maybe not ever with the dull expression he gave me as he got closer. Ethan was headed straight towards me & I was filled with slight fear but then he diverted his path & headed towards Grayson. I sighed in relief but then realized James was next to Grayson. I watched as Ethan was about to say something bitchy about James, but Grayson spat out a; "Don't. Even." I chuckled to myself & looked around the stadium, seeing if I could find anybody I knew while I waited.
As I looked around, my view started spinning slightly & I shook my head
but it kept turning. A cold tingling feeling washed over my skin & I felt lightheaded. I clutched my stomach which seemed to be the cause of this as it ached. I turned to look at James who wasn't far away, taking a picture of his perfectly placed food as he waited for Grayson to receive his order. I tried to yell James' name but considering he didn't look up & my voice sounded muffled to me, I didn't think he heard me. My vision started spotting & I slid down the pillar next to the risers, holding my stomach. I felt nauseous & the last thing I felt was my face against the cold concrete.
James Pov.
My eyebrows knitted together in frustration as another picture of my
exquisite hotdog & pretzel turned out blurry. I swiped out of my camera roll on my phone & clicked back to my camera, pressing the button to take a photo one last time. As I looked at it I grinned, it was perfect. Call me basic but this is an Instagram-worthy photo. I shut off my phone & slid it back into the pocket of my adorable cropped jacket.
Grayson came over with his food in hand, Ethan trailing behind him as
he gave me a rude look. I watched as Grayson held his food with his good hand & was trying to do something with his phone using his bad hand. He was clearly sister-struggling. And yes. I called everybody my 'sisters'. I'm not a nun, I just like the term. "Do you want some help?" I asked, giggling. Grayson chuckled as well & nodded. I took his phone out of his encase hand & held it in my manicured one. "Where do you want it?" I questioned, noticing that his plain navy hoodie didn't have a pocket. "Uh, in my back pocket...." Grayson trailed off & flushed a light shade of red. Awe. How cute. I lived for seeing him all flustered. I laughed nervously as I carefully & quickly slipped his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. "Thanks." He muttered & shot me a nervous smile. "No problem sister." I responded simply & plucked a piece of my pretzel off, eating it carefully as to not ruin my lipgloss. Ethan was eating the slice of pineapple pizza he had gotten while almost glaring at me & I winked at him to set him off. I mean, he was almost the same amount of hotness as Grayson but his attitude ruins it. Ethan just rolled his eyes & looked away as I smiled to myself.
Grayson was about to take a bite of his relish-showered hotdog when he
paused. I raised an eyebrow at him in a questioning manner & he set his hotdog back into the small white tray in his hand. "Where's Emma....?" Grayson asked & I froze as well. Ethan seemed unbothered by the situation, continuing to eat his pizza. "I don't know....I thought she was here waiting for us-oh my God!" I exclaimed as I looked around the stadium & spotted Emma passed out on the ground with a bloody nose. Grayson followed my gaze & panicked, running over to Emma. I followed closely behind him, watching as he swiftly tossed his food into a nearby trashcan before kneeling down next to her. I stood next to her, trying not to cry & ruin my makeup as Grayson lightly shook her & she wouldn't wake up. I glanced behind me & saw Ethan watching us with uncaring gaze, but he wasn't eating his pizza anymore. He was just blankly staring at us. "Emma, come on." I heard Grayson say & I looked back down at the two. Emma still didn't wake up, she just shifted slightly in her 'sleep' groaning while clutching her stomach. Maybe she had a stomach ache? I tapped my foot, thinking. Then realization hit me....the past few days at lunch when I sat with her or glanced at her she never ate. Did she eat at home? Probably not seeing that this happened. She probably passed out from malnutrition-if that's what it's called. I placed my hand on Grayson's muscular shoulder & explained to him what most likely happened, leaving him with his lips slightly parted in shock. I was confused for a real one. Why wouldn't Emma eat? "We can't take her home like this and we won't know if she eats or not if we leave her at home, so she can stay at our house since my mom loves her." Grayson explained, taking me out of my fabulous thoughts. I looked down & saw Grayson staring at Emma with a worried expression. "She'll be alright, I promise. She's sister-strong." I assured. My hand was still on his wide shoulder & I rubbed it in a soothing way. Grayson tensed up at the motion so I dropped my arm back to my side. Too soon?
My bedazzled phone buzzed in my pocket & I took it out, looking to see
that my brother texted me saying my mom wanted me home soon. I sighed & shut the glittery device off before putting it back into my pocket. "Hey, I gotta go but I'll see you Monday? Take good care of my favorite sister." I said, remembering it was Friday & that I wouldn't see my friends until after the weekend. Grayson nodded, giving me a curt; 'See yah.' I smiled at him & winked before skipping away towards my car.
Grayson Pov.
After James sashayed away towards his car, I glanced down at Emma &
scooped her up into my arms bridal style. I was about to stand up with her in my arms but a sharp pain shot up my right arm, where my cast was. I winced & set Emma back down as gently as I could, gripping my wrapped arm. There was no way I would be able to carry her all the way to the car. I sighed & rubbed my temples, thinking. Ethan appeared next to me & stared down at Emma, rolling his eyes for who knows what reason. "Eth," I started while sighing, "you're gonna have to carry her to the car. I can't because of my arm, I already tried." I stated & he smirked. "I know, I saw you basically drop her. And no, I am not carrying her. She's not my problem." He chuckles & I glared at him, smacking his shoulder. "Seriously, E. You're carrying her." I said & paused for a second, thinking. He was about to reply but I cut him off with a threat, "Carry her or I tell mom that you hook up with girls almost every night just to leave them." I said, cocking an eyebrow & crossing my arms the best I could at him. He frowned & threw his arms out dramatically. "Come on Grayson. That's not even fair. Why are we even having to take her to our house?!" He complained & I didn't move a muscle. He huffed in frustration & leaned down, scooping Emma up easily in his arms as if she weighed nothing. In fact, she probably didn't weigh anything considering she was pretty skinny. Taking that into account, it still doesn't make sense to me why she would starve herself. "Let's go." He said angrily & I nodded, following him to my car.
Ethan laid Emma down in the backseat, slamming the back doors shut &
hopped into the passenger seat up front. I got in next to him, shutting the door gently behind me & clicking my seatbelt. I glanced over to see Ethan without a seatbelt & rolled my eyes. He used to always wear a seatbelt until he turned into a jerk. I put the key into the ignition & listened as the engine reved up, backing out of the parking lot & starting my memorized way home.
I kept seeing Ethan glance in the mirror that was up high in between us.
"What do you keep looking at?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the empty road in front of me. We were on a road that had nothing around it for a good half of a mile. "The weirdo in the backseat. What even happened to that thing anyway." He said, seeming to not care if I answered or not. My knuckles tightened against the steering wheel at his words. He was always so rude. "She passed out from starving herself the past few days. I guess the malnutrition just finally caught up to her...." I explained, trailing off as I thought about the situation. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Ethan paused for a moment before scoffing & looking out his window. "She needed to lose a few pounds anyway." He muttered under his breath & I slammed on the brakes, making him fly forwards & hit his head on the dash from not wearing a seatbelt. "What the hell was that for?" He exclaimed, rubbing his forehead. I stared forward, keeping a tense facial expression. "Get out. You're walking home." I stated & he looked at me in disbelief. "What the-no. I'm not walking Grayson." He said & unlocked his car door, shoving him towards it. "Get. Out. Ethan. You don't get to talk about her like that when you don't even know what's going on in her life." I explained firmly & he glared at me. Emma was one of my bestfriends & I was not about to tolerate his attitude towards her. "Fine." He said, opening the car door. "Dick." He muttered angrily, before slamming the door & I rolled my eyes. I stepped on the gas pedal harshly & sped away, leaving him in the dust.
Emma Pov.
I shot up & gasped, grabbing my stomach & trying to catch my breath. I-I
passed out. I looked around the room I was in frantically & recognized it as Grayson's. I let out a breath of relief & continued to look around, finding that Grayson was sleeping on the floor since I was in his blue-plaid bed. He was sleeping on his bare stomach, tangled in a grey blanket as the air mattress he was on moved with his breathing. I swung my legs quietly over the side of his bed & looked to the table near the side of his bed, seeing my phone & a bowl of noodles with a note. I placed my hand on the side of the bowl & felt how the ceramic dish was still warm. I picked up the nite & read it the best I could in the dark. The note read; Hey Em, you passed out at the game tonight so I took you to my house so that you wouldn't have to face your dad....also you better eat the noodles I set out for you or else. I tried staying up & waiting for you to wake up but I was too tired, so we'll talk in the morning. Sweet noodles. Sweet dreams. Sweet you-better-eat-the-noodles-or-else. Goodnight. - Grayson. I chuckled softly to myself & set the note back down onto the oak-wood table, picking up my phone instead & checking the time. It was a little before midnight. I sighed, not wanting to eat the noodles Grayson made for me....what if Ethan walks in & sees me eating them? I worried myself & carded my fingers through my hair, standing up silently & sneaking out the door to get to the bathroom.
After doing my business, I wiped my damp hands onto my jeans as I
walked down the hallway back towards Grayson's room since they were still wet from the hot water I used in the sink. When I passed Ethan's bedroom door-which I tried to do quickly-I heard a familiar angry voice & slowed my steps. I leaned closer towards his door & heard a deep voice yelling that didn't belong to Ethan, in fact it sounded like Ethan's voice but deeper. Where do I remember that voice from....oh yeah. Ethan & Grayson's dad. Sean. Of course, now I remember. It's been awhile since I was over here to hangout with Grayson. It's been all summer actually. I listened closely through the door, being the curious person I am. I heard Sean yell at Ethan about the....football game? He was telling Ethan that it was all his fault that their team lost. Sean kept repeating how much of a disappointment Ethan was & he just kept going on & on. I heard a loud smack & I jumped. Did Sean just hit Ethan? I frowned. I stopped listening when I heard footsteps coming towards the door. I panicked & sprinted back to the bathroom, hiding in there & holding my breath as I heard the same footsteps pass by. I let out a sigh, hearing Sean go back downstairs & I decided it was safe to come out now. I padded out of the cream-colored bathroom, walking back down the hallway & as I looked down at the black carpet I bumped into somebody. I looked up, slightly scared. I bumped into Ethan. He had a faint, new darkening bruise on his jaw. He stared down at me with tried & angry eyes, but his dark eyes held a slight hint of....sadness?
Ethan Grant Dolan was....sad?
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Author's Note: thx for reading babes. also emmas new merch? um hello, ITS FUCKING ADORABLE & IM GETTING THE BLACK PRINTED HOODIE. ok sorry, got too excited...bye. <3