Aphrodite: it's Aph. where are you
Ethan: how did you get my number
Aphrodite: i stole it from Grayson
Aphrodite: now where are you
Ethan: ...why
Aphrodite: you're still awkward over text omfg. I just wanna grab lunch together
Ethan: i'll meet you in the lot?
Aphrodite: see u in 5 baby
She pockets her phone and walks toward her locker, where she gets held up by Carla and Joey for an extra few minutes. They were trying to rope her into smoking together during lunch, but she just made plans she won't ditch.
Last week was a little busy, and she hasn't had the opportunity to see him much, so she figured she'd steal him at lunch. It wasn't a long period, but he usually didn't eat in the cafeteria anyway so Aphrodite knew it would be easy to get him to agree.
When she was finally getting to her car, Ethan was leaning against it, his lip tucked between his teeth with Rachel, Colton, and Elijah all messing with him. Aphrodite frowned, rushing to get there sooner.
"Just because you're tutoring her doesn't mean you're friends," Elijah sneers, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's fucking creepy for you to wait at her car like this, man."
"Aw, he probably things he can finally lose his virginity," Rachel coos. The three of them laugh, Ethan fiddling with his fingers, cheeks a bright red. What was he supposed to say to them? He didn't know if Aphrodite was okay that people knew they were friends, so he just stayed quiet and annoyed.
Colton shakes his head with another laugh, "Dude, she's never gonna fuck you. No one will."
"I-it's not--"
"I-it's not--shut up, Dolan," Elijah mocks him before shoving him by the chest. "You're such a freak."
"Hey! What's going on?" Aphrodite approaches with a hand on her hip. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Getting this weirdo away from your car," Colton says, a smirk growing on his face as he pulls her close. "What do you say we skip the rest of the classes for today, you come back to my place?"
She pushes him off, walking over to Ethan's side. He's staring at his feet, furrowed brows the only signs of frustration. The rest of him shows his nerves instead.
All he was doing was waiting for her at her car, and people still felt the need to be rude to him. It was ridiculous.
"No fucking way, Colton. I'm getting lunch with Ethan," she spits, unlocking the doors. "Leave him the hell alone, alright? He might be quiet, but I'm not."
"You're seriously hanging out with him now?" Elijah asks slowly, shocked that she's not laughing with all of them.
Rachel raises an eyebrow, looking them both up and down. "I don't get it. Why would you hangout with him?" She challenges, now mimicking Aphrodite's stance with a hand on her own hip. "What, does he have a huge dick or something?"
"We're friends! He's nice, something you guys wouldn't understand," Aphrodite shouts back and climbs into her car. With Ethan in the passenger seat, she starts it, rolling down her window. "And if you're that curious... yeah."
The three gape at them as she drives off, Ethan with wide eyes is completely silent next to her.
"Are you okay, E?" She asks after a minute. She was less angry now, more guilty that she took so long getting to him.
"Yeah, uh, thanks. You didn't have to say any of that." She did though. Ethan didn't deserve to be treated like that, and Aphrodite was tired of seeing it. He decides not to mention her last comment to Rachel, thinking it would be too awkward. It did give him the slightest confidence boost however. "So... where are we going for lunch?"
"I'm feeling like some ramen. That cool with you?"
Ethan nods with a small smile tugging on his lips, leaning back in the seat. They'd definitely be late getting back to school... but he never skipped. He could handle missing one class.
Funnily enough, their next class is chemistry that they have together. Aphrodite probably shouldn't miss it, but her grade is a C+ now. She wasn't at risk to fail by missing one class, so she could take a day to get some ramen with Ethan.
They pull up to the ramen shop, which is mostly empty since it's an off hour. That means they're served pretty fast, though some of the old people are giving them dirty looks when they laugh too hard. Unlike their day at the grocery store, Ethan doesn't let it bother him this time.
"So, wait, have you spoken to Miranda again since the party?" Aphrodite asks. Ethan shrugs, meaning he hasn't really tried. "Oh my god, give me your phone."
"I don't think she's into me," he mumbles, pouting but handing it to her anyway.
Ethan: hey
Ethan: haven't had a chance to talk to you recently
Miranda: i was wondering when I'd hear from you
Miranda: if I'm being honest, i hoped you'd kiss me at the party
Ethan: you were pretty drunk, I didn't wanna do anything that made you uncomfortable
Ethan: but we should hangout soon.
Miranda: I'd like that.
Miranda: you should come over on Saturday
Ethan: Saturday it is :) I'll text you for your address and stuff then
"There, done. How easy was that?" She smirks triumphantly, handing the phone back to Ethan. He chokes, eyes widening as he reads them over. "And you thought she didn't like you."
"Oh my god... Aph, Saturday? T-that's so soon, I don't--" he sputters, cutting himself off. "I don't know if I'm ready to hangout with her on Saturday."
"We'll get you ready! It'll be fun, E," she promises, grabbing his left hand to calm him down. "That's like, four days away."
Though she was smiling, assuring him it would be fun, there was a small pit forming in her stomach. Aphrodite shook it off, continuing to eat and talk with him.
Ethan was nervous, obviously. But there was still a cheesy grin on his face--Miranda wanted to hangout with him.
"You look excited," Aphrodite comments. He was bouncing on his feet as they walked back to the car, giving her a small, unsure nod.
"Yeah... yeah. It's nerve-wracking, but she already said yes? Miranda wants to hangout," he says, playing with his fingers. "I-I just gotta not be too awkward. That's it--wait, is this gonna be like, a date?"
"Probably," Aphrodite shrugs, seeing him get visibly more nervous. "I'll help you, yeah? Your first date. It'll go fine, promise."
--
Ethan is strolling through the halls with his head down like usual. There was a little bit more of a kick in his step, still filled with excitement from Miranda saying yes. He wasn't technically the one to ask her, but she thought he was, which was what mattered.
He swung his locker door open, stuffing some books away. Before he could finish grabbing his things, someone slams his locker shut again.
"What--" Ethan sighs, seeing a smirking Rachel. "H-hey."
"Hey, Dolan," she laughs, biting her lip. "I don't know why I never noticed how cute you really are."
He scrunches his eyebrows up lightly, her hand being placed on his bicep. It was already strange that no one really bothered him today, but this was especially new. It had to be because of Aphrodite standing up for him yesterday.
Rachel leans in closer, whispering, "You free tonight, babe?" Ethan chokes, stumbling backward with eyes about to pop out of his skull. "It's so cute how shy you are."
"I-I think I should--um--"
"E!" Grayson shouts, jogging up from behind. "C'mon, bro. Let's get out of here."
"Yeah. Uh, bye!" He yells back at the pouting girl, still confused what just happened. "That was... weird."
Grayson shrugs, walking through the parking lot with his brother. He twirls the keys around his finger, messing up his hair with a grin before they climb in.
Ethan groans, pulling down the mirror to fix it. Him and Grayson had been on a little bit of thin ice since what happened with Aphrodite. Grayson didn't really apologize, he just came home and said 'we're good, right?', and that was the end of it. Since then, they've been a little awkward with each other, but there was no fighting.
A good amount of time has passed, but Grayson was pretty busy so they haven't spent any of it hanging out. Or, on the flip side, Ethan was with Aphrodite a few times when Grayson was actually free.
"So," Grayson hums, grabbing his attention, "we're not going home."
"What?" Ethan asks, furrowing his eyebrows. "Where are we going? Do we have something we need to do?"
"No... we're meeting some people," he shrugs. Ethan's eyes widen immediately, wondering who the hell Grayson would be bringing him to hangout with. "Just some friends. People heard about Aphie and you yesterday so some of them are curious. She should be there too."
Ethan can't help the nervous tapping of his fingers as they drive. His chest was rising and falling, deep breaths entering his mouth but it felt like he wasn't getting any air. Some of Grayson's friends have been horrible to him, and this all feels like a really bad joke. The only things keeping him from full on panicking were the fact that Aphrodite will be there, and that Grayson is his brother. He didn't think they would do something like that, but he's still nervous.
They pull into Joey's driveway, and with hands in his pockets, Ethan follows Grayson inside. All of the lights are off, which is pretty ominous, but he follows him toward the basement door.
It's smoky when Grayson opens it, shoving Ethan in first. "Guys, open a fucking window or something."
Joey chuckles, grabbing a stool and popping the basement windows open before dapping Grayson up. He attempts to do the same with Ethan, who was ill-prepared and it just ends up looking like a mess.
"Little Dolan! We heard you're friends with Aphie now. Or, maybe more than?" Carla grins, offering him her blunt. He shakes his head, following Grayson's lead and sitting on the couch. "She said she's running a little late, by the way. She always does on Wednesday's."
"Uh, just friends," Ethan nods, wringing his hands out. He watches Grayson snatch the bong, tentatively looking back at him before shrugging. Ethan knew enough about his smoking habits, and he was far too worried about everything else to care that Grayson was getting high. "W-why did you guys invite me?"
"Curious," Joey hums, the stairs creaking as Rosa walks down them--without Rachel, luckily. She waves with a smile, taking a seat directly next to Grayson. "How'd you end up so close to Aphrodite?"
"I don't know... she kinda forced it," he mumbles. Then, realizing how it sounds, his eyes widen. "I-I didn't mean--I was just really--"
"We get it, Ethan," Grayson interrupts with a laugh. "Aphrodite is a pain in the ass."
"Hey, want a brownie, little Dolan?" Rosa asks, holding a tupperware out to him. "They're double chocolate."
Ethan bites his lip before nodding. "Y-yeah, thanks."
Grayson raises an eyebrow but decides not to warn Ethan, continuing whispering in Rosa's ear. It felt a lot like fifth wheeling as Carla climbed into Joey's lap and started making out with him, but that was better than being taunted.
It was quite some time later when Aphrodite finally arrived. She had to pickup Hades first and bring him home, and he needed help with homework before she could leave. She felt bad, knowing Ethan was there with everyone, but couldn't ditch her brother.
To say she was surprised to hear loud laughter when she walked into the basement is an understatement.
Her eyebrow raises, getting chanted greetings from her friends and a wide smile from Ethan. "Aph!"
She sighs immediately, cupping his face in her hands to look into his eyes. "Are you stoned?"
"I don't know... am I stoned?" He asks, earning more laughter and some nods. "Yes. But I feel--things are okay. Missed you though."
"Guys, Ethan doesn't get high," Aphrodite whines, immediately worried about him. Maybe a little hypocritical considering she got high all the time, but it wasn't Ethan's thing and he didn't need to start like this. "Did he smoke?"
"Nah, he had a brownie," Joey shrugs, motioning toward the container on the table. "You should have one too! But seriously, little Dolan is fucking hilarious."
"You guys know I'm the older twin, right?" Ethan asks, pursing his lips.
Aphrodite, feeling responsible for once, pulls Ethan to his feet. "He needs some air. We'll be back."
"Aphie, get that a stick out of your ass!"
"C'mon, E. Let's go," she sighs, grabbing his hand to drag him up the stairs. Surely Ethan didn't know what was in the brownie when they gave it to him, and she wishes she could've been there. This wasn't Ethan's scene at all.
If he really wanted to get high, she would've done it with him away from all of this. They mean well most of the time, but they don't always make the smartest decisions. If Ethan wanted to start, that was his choice to make.
Aphrodite sits next to Ethan on the porch outside, facing him and watching him study a small hole in one of the pillows he's sitting next to. It's almost as if he forgets that she's there with him, watching it so closely he's barely moving before he eventually looks up.
"Y'know, Aph, you're really pretty."
"You're gonna be so awkward about this later," she snorts. It seemed the brownie calmed him down more than anything else. "Did I miss anything important?"
"No... they were making out a lot. It was kinda boring," Ethan sighs, now picking at the hole. "Where were you though?"
"I was with Hades. Sorry I took so long."
"It's 'kay--just would've been more fun with you around. But you're here now--ooh, look at the clouds!" Aphrodite looks up to see pretty normal looking clouds, white and fluffy. Ethan's mesmerized however, watching them silently for a few minutes before finally looking back down. He plays with the sleeves of his black hoodie, tracing one of the yellow flowers while trying to gather his thoughts. The basic idea of what he wanted to tell her was there, but piecing it together was hard right now. "Thanks for being my friend, Aph."
"You're such a softie," she smiles, scooting closer to lean her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for being my friend too, E."
"People were kinda nice to me today."
"Good, you deserve people being nice to you. I'm sorry it took so long for them to start."
Ethan shrugs, dropping the conversation to get distracted by a nearby bird. He laughs softly at it, mumbling to Aphrodite about how cute it is and brainstorming names. The giggly, soft boy warms her heart even in the quickly cooling air.
A/N
hiii y'all :) i've been writing so much again lately. super excited about stuff im gonna publish in the future.
also i have a job interview today and i might just be a tad nervous about it
hope everyone has a good weekend <3