27382837382/10👏RECOMMEND👏The👏Cruel👏Price👏BY👏HOLLY👏BLACK👏(It's an actual, tangible book, not a thing on Wattpad)
And don't forget the sequel: The Wicked King ;)
Y/n's POV
I bopped my head side to side to the beat of the song playing through my headphones. As I did so, the teal lazy bun on the back of my head bopped around with me. It was a little warmer than yesterday, leaving me in a light, unzipped jacket. The weather confused me in the winter. One day it could feel as if you'd freeze to death right then and there and the next day it'd feel like spring.
(At least, thats how it is where I live. Is it only in Kentucky where the weather is on it's period?)
My shoes pat against the concrete sidewalk of the small neighborhood that Ethan claimed to live in. Yesterday, as we ate, we exchanged numbers and he sent me his address so we could go on with our plans. We hadn't talked to each other over text or on the phone later that night, unlike every teenage romance movie. It was simply only one message holding the contents to make an address. He told me he'd be sitting on his front porch, but I still looked at each mailbox for the same number he gave me.
As the song progressed, I began stepping to the beat of the song without noticing. When I did notice, I didn't care to change it. Instead, I closed my eyes, moving my arms, legs, and head as it wished. It wasn't a too upbeat song, so I didn't look like a three-year-old jumping around to a rap song. My hands were out to my sides, my elbows bent so my arms didn't make me look like an airplane. My hands were free of any phone, allowing them to stick out all five fingers. My head bobbed up and down, my head going down on the downbeat of the song. A smile graced my lips, my feet and legs still stepping at a slow pace.
(I'm going for a mix of Tyler Joseph and Peter Quill dancing, but I suck at describing :p )
I zoned out, forgetting what I was originally doing, as I continued to dance my way down the sidewalk. It was fun, really. A year ago I wouldn't even think of doing something like this. I wouldn't dare anyone see me in that state. But, now I know my days are limited, my vision on what I should and shouldn't do turned around completely. Now, I did what I wanted with no fear of what anyone thinks. It was a great way to live, let me tell you. I wished I had lived that way all my life.
Suddenly, something tapped against the right side of my headphones, pulling me back to reality. I remembered what I was doing and where I was all at once. The smile stayed on my face as I opened my eyes and turned to the person who stopped me. I pulled my headphones off of my head and let them rest around my neck. Without anything for the sound to bounce off of, it escaped the round speakers and played for anyone close to me to hear. I payed no attention to it, for it wasn't loud enough to be a distraction.
"I knew I'd find you eventually." I grinned, looking up at an amused Ethan.
A glasses faced Ethan chuckled. "More like I found you. If I never stopped you, you would've kept prancing your way down the road."
"And you should've." I giggled. "I would've done that to you."
"Rude." Ethan replied, shaking his head with a smile. He turned and started his way up his driveway that held one vehicle.
I nodded, following him. "That's me!"
He walked, leading me up the steps to his porch and inside the front door. He closed the door behind me after I stepped in. "Dad!" Ethan yelled, walking in front of me again.
Coming in the entrance, I am met with the sight of an open kitchen and living room. One half of the room held the kitchen along with a dining area and a bar. The other half was the living room, a long, gray couch facing a flatscreen TV mounted on the wall. The place looked fancy, clean, and well cared for. I was stuck admiring the place when Ethan yelled out again, slightly startling me.
"Y/n's here!" He shouted down a hallway. Instead of verbal reply, a tall, grown man walked out from the hallway. He had brown, short hair the same shade as Ethan's. He had facial hair, but barely. As if he had just shaved a couple days before. In both ears were small, silver hoops hanging from his earlobes. His facial features were similar to Ethan's in many ways, I was surprised at how alike they were. I wondered what his mom looked like and how much he got from her.
Ethan's dad smiled at me and pointed at my head. "I like the hair."
I grinned. "Thank you."
Suddenly, Ethan's dad clapped and looked back and forth between Ethan and I. "Alright, are we ready to get started?"
"Absolutely!" I cheer, my grin growing into an open mouthed smile.
"Alright, so I'm teaching two newbies how to drive a motorcycle today." Ethan's dad stated, leading us to a door nearby that opened to show the garage. Opposite us was a jet black, two wheeled motorcycle with a black helmet hanging from it's handle.
Ethan's eyes widened as he stared at his father. "Two? What do you mean two?"
His dad stepped up to the vehicle, picking up the helmet and holding it in both hands. "Ethan, you're a newbie."
Ethan's eyes widened even more this time. "Me? I am not getting on that thing! That is not what I said, I only said Y/n wanted to learn."
I turned to Ethan and stuck out my bottom lip, folding my hands. "Please, Ethan?"
He looked back at me, a stern glare being thrown my way. I stayed how I was, watching to see if his expression changed even a little bit. I expected him to either tell me no or his face to soften and give in. Confusion washed over me when he only stood there, a hard glare on his face. It made me feel like I did something worth feeling guilty over. Though, I knew it was only to tell me he wasn't getting on the motorcycle.
"Please?" I repeat, stepping a small bit closer to him and intensifying the pout.
"Absolutely not." Ethan answered, looking away from my direction.
Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I wasn't sure how he'd react or if he'd react at all, but I had to do it.
I dropped my hands and pulled my lip back into it's normal position, turning to grab the helmet Ethan's dad held out for me to take. "Fine. Let a girl one up you on this." I smirked, turning back to Ethan with the helmet now in my hands.
Ethan looked at me for a second, switching his gaze between me and his dad. He stood there for a moment in silence, his face slowly changing to that of defeat. He looked at me, scuffing his shoe against the concrete of the garage floor a couple times before holding out his hand. "Give me that helmet."
I smiled triumphantly, holding the helmet out to him. He smirked at me as he took it, placing it over his head. "Tell me to do anything, I'll do it." He told me, making it known that he was not going to let me one up him.
I nodded, a smile playing at my lips. "I'm sure you'll be begging to go home when we're at Sophie's tonight." I mumbled so his dad didn't hear.
His eyes widened once again, remembering the second task we planned to achieve tonight.
* * *
"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!" Ethan shouted when his dad instructed him to drive some.
I giggled at his behavior to myself while his dad reassured him that everything was fine.
It had been an hour or so since we started the lesson. I had already done my part, learning all the buttons, what pipe to avoid touching, driving around his neighborhood for a quick practice run. Now, I was waiting for Ethan to finish so we could take it out. His father had told him to drive to the end of the driveway- which wasn't long -to get the feel of driving it. I wasn't in a rush to get this part out of the way, I was thoroughly entertained watching Ethan. His 'tough guy' attitude quickly died when it was his turn to sit on the motorcycle. The poor guy was so scared of everything.
"You can do this, Ethan!" I encouraged. "It's literally five feet."
Ethan looked at me like I had five heads. "That is not five feet!"
"You're totally right," I nodded. "It's closer to six."
He rolled his eyes at me: a usual reaction he has for me. Ethan's dad went back to telling him what to do and reassuring him everything would be fine.
Nodding, Ethan's eyes scanned the short path in front of him and gently twisted the right handle forward. He moved slowly, his feet supporting his sides when it tipped too far on one side. Once he got to the end of the driveway, his dad gave him a high five and mentioned to him he needed to move a little faster.
Some encouragement and a practice run later, Ethan had went through the same course I had, soaking up the same knowledge I was given earlier. His dad handed me another helmet so the both of our heads were protected and I hopped on in the front to Ethan's request. He told me it was because it was on my list, but we both knew the real reason.
"You have your license on you?" His dad asked. We both nodded in reply. "Great. Be careful, please!"
"We will, Dad." Ethan nodded from the back of the motorcycle.
With that, his dad gave me a thumbs up and took a step back. I smiled, pulled the clear plastic down in front of my eyes, and pulled out of his driveway. Ethan wrapped his arms around my torso fearfully, squeezing tight. Thankfully, I had zipped my jacket up earlier that day, preventing the sides from annoyingly flapping around in the wind.
"Look at you making moves already!" I laughed, joking about his arms around my waist.
His head turned from watching the houses pass by to looking at the back of my head. "I am not making any sort of move, this is for safety! Safety reasons! They matter!"
I shook my head, a quiet chuckle coming out of my mouth. Though, he couldn't hear it over the loud motor. We made our way to the end of his neighborhood, stopping for a moment to let a car pass before we could continue.
Soon, we made it to the main road where roads were busy and buildings lined the streets. Ethan tensed up every time a car got near us or every time we had to come to a stop.
At a red light, I turned my head in attempt to see him. "Do you trust me?" I asked, making sure my voice was heard over the motor.
"What, are we in Aladdin?"
Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Answer the question."
"So far, yes."
I smiled. "Then relax, I'm not going to kill us."
He sighs, looking at the other cars around us. "It might not be you who kills us."
"I promise we'll go through today safely. If not, you can be mad at me in hell." I joke, turning back to keep my eye on the light.
Behind me I could feel Ethan's fear, scared to start our journey again.
As we took off again, driving down the road next to the other cars, I felt better than I have in a long time. I drove next to these cars as if I had a destination of my own I was heading to. I was doing something I had wanted to do since I was little, and with a friend by my side.
Friend?
Were we friends? Or were we still where we started off? Were we simply acquaintances or were we friends?
That question repeated itself in my head, new ideas and evidence for both sides floating around. Evidence showing we were friends and evidence showing we were acquaintances. I wanted to be friends, of course, why wouldn't I? It feels more than amazing to finally have someone my age and who isn't related to me to talk to. Someone who I can have fun with and do crazy stuff like these things on my list. It feels great to finally have someone to be by my side instead of walking alone.
* * *
A small bell chimed from behind me, but I resisted the urge to turn around. Instead, I stared in front of me, my knees pulled up to my chest as I sat on the concrete sidewalk in front of the gas station door. The black helmet that once covered my head now sat on the ground beside me, Ethan's helmet placed on the seat of the motorcycle. The keys were held tightly in my hand.
"Here." Ethan mumbled, tapping a cold drink on my shoulder.
I turned around to see he was standing behind me, holding a (favorite drink) and a (favorite snack) to take. I thanked him, taking the two into my hands. He took a seat beside me on the concrete, stretching his legs out in the empty parking spot in front of us, his hands placed behind him.
It was a little pass four o'clock and we decided to stop for gas and something to snack on. I insisted on paying for the gas, since I am the one who wanted to do this, so, in return, Ethan bought the food. I protested, but he ignored it and walked into the gas station as I pumped the gas.
The two of us have been riding around town on his dad's motorcycle for the past two hours. Ethan had relaxed after a bit of time riding it, the fear no longer taking his fun away. He had learned to enjoy it, laughing every now and then and soaking up the sights around us.
"I got the right thing, right?" Ethan asked worriedly as I set the two snacks down at my side.
I nodded confusedly. "Yeah, why?"
He shook his head. "You put them down so I thought you didn't like them or something."
I chuckled, reaching into my pocket in search for something. "What, so I can't put things down when they're handed to me?" I joke.
Finally, I felt the small, plastic bag graze my fingers. Pulling it out of my pocket, my eyes immediately landed on the two tablets the bag held. Gently, I shook them put of the bag and into the palm of my hand and grabbed the drink.
I tipped my head back, chugging the pills down individually. Once they were both down, I set the drink down and grabbed the (favorite snack).
I noticed Ethan had gone quiet and turned my head to check on the boy with the black frames. His eyes were already on mine, looking slightly saddened. As soon as we made eye contact, he darted his eyes elsewhere nervously.
Sighing, I turn my head to look in front of me. "Decadron." I state simply. "Or professionally known as dexamethasone. I'm not taking illegal drugs or anything, it helps with swelling of the tumor. It needs to be taken with or after meals, so I thought I might as well."
He nodded understandingly, looking at a loss for words. He leaned forward, his hands no longer supporting his weight behind him. He pulled his feet to him, bending his knees in front of them and resting his elbows on them like a table. Seeing as this wasn't going to go anywhere, I decided to start a new subject.
"You have a brother, right? Andrew?" I asked.
His eyes landed on me again, an eyebrow raised. "Yeah, how did you-"
I didn't wait for him to finish his sentence. "He took cinema science, correct?"
(Don't quote me on this, I'm totally making this up rn)
He nodded slowly. "All four years of high school, yeah."
"Freshman and sophomore year, I shared that class with him."
Memories flowed into my mind, of the light brunette male with shoulder length hair. He was always top of the class, his hand always raised when a question was asked. Comparing real science to science fiction was something he must've enjoyed doing to take the class all four years and to know every answer to every question. If you thought you did good on a test or quiz, Andrew Nestor always did better.
"Were you guys friends?" Ethan asked, seemingly interested in the topic.
"No, I never said a word to him." I grinned, shaking my head. "I didn't want to be that annoying freshman talking to a junior.
(Idk the age difference between Ethan and Andrew, so I'm just gonna say it's two years. K? K.)
"You should've." Ethan grinned softly. "That doofus would like you."
I giggled at his nickname for Andrew. "I wish I did, then."
"I mean," Ethan started, opening his Coke with a hiss coming from the bottle. "You still can."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "How?"
"Once he gets done with all of this college stuff and comes home you can come over and meet him."
"Really?" I asked, the end of my lips coming up slightly.
"Of course." Ethan giggled. "Why not?"
"Oh, I don't know," I rolled my eyes, holding back a laugh. "Bringing in a stranger for you to meet might be kind of weird when you come home from college."
Ethan looked at me, a warm smile plastered on his face. "You're not a stranger, Y/n. You're my friend. Any friend of mine is a friend of Andrew's."
Friend.
Okay, but have I mentioned how big of a help hgfdso is and how creative and smart she is? Because I don't think you guys understand-
Marching band starts soon, lads! Am I excited? HELL YES I AM! Does that mean I'll get less time to write these chapters? Hell yes it does! :(
Guys, guys, guys. You need to see a meme my band teacher made.
Background information: New members never had to come to the first week before, it was only guard and percussion the first week. But this year it's changed and the new people go the first week so they can get ahead and we don't have to spend so much time on fundamentals(marching) when the horn line comes the next week. No one noticed the calendar said new people go the first week until our band director posted a reminder last night. So, when we started freaking out about it in the comments, he posted that^^
But my band directors aren't the only ones who make memes here >:)
Their students make memes of them too >:))))
(Hehe, I made the second one because of a band inside joke)
OKAY, IM RAMBLING, I'LL LEAVE NOW
BYE