Page 29 of Taking Care of You
Crystal giggles as she helps Elle to her feet. “No, I swear.”
During the time we’ve been sharing lunch with Ethan, Crystal and Elle have started to get to know each other. I think they’re starting to really hit it off.
“He made me wear it,” I say in a mock whisper, and Ethan huffs beside me.
“I did not,” he pouts. “Come on, you’re going to be late.” He pulls me away, and I wave at Crystal and Elle over my shoulder.
He doesn’t say anything else and his face is set, like he’s angry.
“Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?” I ask quietly.
Ethan looks at me quickly and stops me. “What? No. I just…” He looks around and pulls me into the tech hallway that’s usually empty this early in the school day.
When we’re away from the bustling student body, he looks down at me. “Is this uncomfortable for you? Am I making you do it? If it’s too much, you can change. I’m just trying to help.”
“No, Ethan. I want to,” I say quickly. “I was joking. I’m not very good at it, though. It’s okay. You are helping. No one has said any snide comments about me, and I’m having fun hanging out with you.” My cheeks burn as I say all this, revealing more to him than I intend to. “It’s fine, I promise.”
He looks visibly relieved, like he really thought I was upset about wearing his jersey. I’m the furthest thing from upset. I love it. I love that he’s staking his claim on me like this. Loud, and in everyone’s face, no matter what they might think, even though it’s not real.
“Okay. Good. I like how you look in my jersey. You’re cute.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not sure about cute.”
I try to walk away when the warning bell rings, but he pulls me back to him. “Youarecute. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
I give him a weird look. Cute? Is he just saying that because people are around? Playing it up in case someone hears? Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.
“Thanks, Ethan,” I say, and I’m sure he can catch my sarcasm. He smirks at me and we start to walk down the hall again.
The bell rings and he gives me a look. “You’re late, creep.”
“So are you,” I point out. He shrugs and shuffles me off to my homeroom.
“I’ll be here to walk with you to English.” I nod and slide into class. I swear I’ve been late to classes more times in the past three weeks than I have the entire time I’ve been in high school.
Again, eyes are on me, most looking down at the jersey. I hustle to sit down, thankful that homeroom lasts for only twenty minutes.
Like he promised, Ethan is waiting for me when the bell rings. Did he even go to homeroom? I should probably get a copy of his schedule to see how far he has to go to walk me to my classes.
Nevertheless, I smile shyly when I see him. He pushes himself off the wall and takes my hand so we can walk to English.
When we walk into class, I hear audible gasps. You’d think Ethan and I were out here jerking each other off in front of everyone. I’m just wearing his jersey, it’s not that serious.
Ryder, the quarterback and Ethan’s best friend, skips over to our table after we’ve sat down. He’s a ridiculously good-looking guy. Built large like Ethan, with long blond hair that he pulls back into a ponytail most of the time, white teeth, with one of the front ones overlapping the other. But that doesn’t take away from his good looks. It probably enhances them. He has those cute dimples that he flashes whenever he smiles and piercing green-gray eyes that always look happy. He’s fine but has nothing on Ethan.
He leans against the table in front of Ethan and smiles at him. “It’s true, then? Y’all are really a couple?”
Ethan looks at him for a few seconds before he says, “Yeah. That a problem?” He shifts his body into my side, like he thinks Ryder will try to grab me.
Ryder shakes his head and answers him back with a smile. “Nope. I heard rumors and wanted to ask yesterday. Since he’s wearing your jersey, I figured it was a thing.” He grins at Ethan. “You’re my boy. Who you date doesn’t matter to me.”
Before he can say more, the bell rings and Ryder trots back over to his table. Ethan looks at me and smiles, squeezing my hand. I’m glad to have the approval of his best friend, but I wonder why Ryder had to ask instead of already knowing. Crystal knows what Ethan and I have isn’t real, but I talk to Crystal almost every day. Now that I think about it, Ethan rarely calls or texts anyone when I’m around. I’ll have to tell him not to ignore his other friends because of me. I’d feel horrible if our fake relationship got in the way of his real friendships.
Ethan and I go to the library for class. Not because we have to, but because we don’t want to be in class. We’d have more fun talking to each other in the middle of the aisles than sitting at the table listening to people whisper.
We laugh and talk about nothing until there’s only about ten minutes left of class. Then I ask, “Why don’t you hang out with Ryder anymore? I’m over your house all the time, and I don’t see him there or see you on your phone that much.”
He sighs, taking a random book off the shelf, flipping through pages but not really reading. “Can we talk about it some other time? Please?”
