Page 30 of Taking Care of You
“Yeah, sure.”
I wonder what that’s all about, but don’t push.
“Time to go,” he says just as the bell rings. I laugh and let him put his arm around my shoulders to guide me out of the library.
The rest of the day passes by with stares and whispers about the jersey, and I try to look unaffected, but that’s not me. So when Ethan isn’t walking me to class, my head is ducked, trying to get out of the hallways as quickly as possible. People really don’t know how to use their inside voices.
At the end of the day, I wait for Ethan in front of the school. Since the game is tonight, he won’t be giving me a ride home, but I know he likes to see me before he goes to practice. He walks outside and when he sees me, he skips over to me like a little kid. It’s silly and adorable.
Like it’s his favorite thing, he hugs me and kisses me on the forehead. “Ready for tonight?” he asks when he lets me go.
I shrug, stepping back from him. “I don’t understand football, so I’m going to be lost the whole time. Crystal can explain everything to me, I suppose.”
“How about this? When we get home tonight, I’ll give you a rundown. Well, a rundown of what I do, since you’re only supposed to be watching me, creep.”
Rolling my eyes, I jack my backpack up on my shoulders. “Yeah, whatever. What’s so hard about catching a ball?”
He scoffs, looking deeply offended, but I know he’s joking. “I’ll have you know it’s extremely difficult. I’ll give you allll the details.”
“Can’t wait,” I tell him dryly.
Ethan kisses my forehead again, then grumbles, “I gotta get to the field. You promise you’ll be there tonight?”
I nod and give him another hug, loving how his arms feel around me and how he doesn’t seem like he wants to let me go. I’m sure that’s all in my head, but I like the thought.
He jogs away just as Crystal honks her horn at me. Sighing, I head to her car, flopping down in the seat. This will be my first football game in forever. I’m only coming because Ethan asked. That probably makes me pathetic, because I’ll do pretty much anything he asks me.
As we’re driving home, I ask Crystal, “What time are you leaving for the game?”
She glances at me quickly, then says, “Six. Why?”
“I’ll meet you at your house at five forty-five.” I want to mumble it since I know she’ll give me shit for going just because Ethan asked, but her car is too noisy so I say it loud enough that she hears me.
We pull up to a red light and she turns to me and gawks. “Wait, you’re coming to a game? Really?” I nod, trying to cover the smile on my face. She studies me, then when the light turns green, she faces forward. “Ethan asked you to come, huh?” Again, I nod. “Is this still pretend or are you two really dating?”
“No, nothing has changed. But it’ll look weird if I don’t come to my boyfriend’s game after this.” I gesture towards the jersey.
We pull up at her house and she puts the car in park, then turns it off. “Koby,” she drawls, getting my attention when I try to get out. “Look, I know this isn’t real with you and Ethan, but…you two make a really cute couple.”
I roll my eyes, even though my heart is hammering.
It would be amazing to date Ethan. Not because we look cute together, like Elle and Crystal are saying, but because he’s slowly but surely becoming one of my best friends. Who’s better to date than your best friend? We don’t know each other very well, but he’s been there for me at some truly low points. I let him in about Tim, about not having much money, about my mom.
And I think I’m starting to get to know him too. He’s so nice. Like ridiculously nice. Not just to me, to everyone he encounters. And it’s not a front. That’s who he is. He has a genuine heart.
He cares about me. Enough to put his reputation and friendships on the line so I can have a comfortable senior year. He’s willing to spend money on me so I can experience my first Homecoming. He took me on my first date, albeit a ‘friend’ date. And we talked well into the night last night while we sat at the restaurant.
In short, in the past few weeks, Ethan has shown me more kindness than anyone outside of Crystal, and he’s been a rockfor me when I needed him, comforting me without complaint. If there’s a man better than Ethan, he’s probably already taken.
“We’re friends, Crys,” I say. “As soon as we graduate, all the pretending will stop. We won’t ever be a couple, but I don’t mind that. He’s a good person. I like having him in my life as a friend.”
She opens her mouth but closes it before she can say anything further. Then she looks at me and nods. “Okay, Koby. But I love when I’m right.”
I scoff and get out of the car. Crystal is insufferable when she’s right. She is not the person that doesn’t say ‘I told you so’. She will shout that shit from the mountain tops, so everyone else knows, too.
But she’s not this time. Ethan and I will be friends, hopefully for a while, and that’s it.
I quietly sneak into my house, quickly darting into my room. I don’t hear anything coming from my parents’ room, but I don’t want to risk making noise, so I won’t wake my mom. I don’t want another repeat of yesterday.
