Page 5 of Unfolding Ethan

“Hey, Kiara.”

“How are you?” She grinned.

God, those dimples.

“I am cool. What about you?”

“Oh, me? I’m cool too. Want to go somewhere and get cooled off together?”

Fuck, yes!

I shifted in my seat.Nonono, calm down, Eiffel. Bad boy.

Yeah, I knew she was my best friend, but you couldn’t blame a guy for having a crush on her. Especially when she looked at me while I swam. It was hard to ignorethatlook and I always wondered what went on in her mind.

“Okay, let’s go.” I stood up, taking my backpack.

Her eyes met my mismatched ones and I watched as her pupils dilated. She licked her lips and I would have sold my soul to know what she was thinking when she ignored Alice’s protest and whispered something in Katherine’s ear.

“Are you okay?” she asked once we were out in the hallway.

“No, but I will be,” I said. “I should’ve known something was going on between them when Liam went to drop her home after swim practice.”

Kiara nodded absentmindedly, biting her bottom lip when she thought about something. She was close to Liam as we all grew up together, but she was acting weird around him and Ariana ever since I started dating her. Maybe I should have followed her gut instinct and would’ve avoided all of this in the first place.

She asked, “Hug?”

“Sure.”

Who in their right mind would pass the chance of hugging Kiara Sharma? No one, that’s who.

Her arms wrapped around my torso and my body stiffened under her touch. I relaxed my muscles, kissing her hair when she rested her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her and loving the warmth of her petite body pressing against me. Her scent wafted in my nose; coconut and black vanilla.

Which reminds me.

I pulled away and said, “Your coconut body wash is almost empty. You said so this morning. We have to buy it.”

She kissed my jaw. “Yes, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for reminding me.”

We are more than friends.Fuck, how I hoped it to be true and I would never have my heart broken by Ariana or Liam.

Definitely a great start for the senior year.

Two

It’s Just a Phase

Kiara

“So, if this dude went from up here to down here, what will be his position?” Mr. Sulkin, our physics teacher, asked, tapping his black marker on the whiteboard. Several heads went down, the sounds of pencils and pen scribbling on the paper surrounding me with the occasional clicks on calculators.

I noticed Katherine, my good friend, pass the calculator toward me. Her green eyes were glinting with mischief. I took the calculator from her and she wriggled her eyebrows. And at that moment, I knew she was thinking the same thing as I was.

Sixty-nine.

I coughed, ceasing the bubbling laugh, and shook my head at my immature friend.

I met her in kindergarten and knew that the blond girl who was threatening a mean bully would make a great friend. That day, she saved Rio from getting bullied and I gave him his glasses back. Ethan had glared at the bully and his friends from the book he was reading as if daring them to make a move. It’s safe to say that he had always been an intimidating person even though he was the sweetest guy I knew.

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