Nate's POV
" Hey Nate, will you be coming for tomorrow's party ? ", Andrea asked me as we walked out of the chemistry lab, evening after the two hour's practical.
" Party ?? What p..party ?", I asked clueless.
" Oh..you didn't know ? Our volleyball team is throwing a party at Noah's house tomorrow cause they won the match.", She said.
" Oh..your best friend?", I asked.
" Yeah..", She nodded. " Ethan and Gavin will be coming. So you also will be there, right ?"
" Ahmm..I didn't g..get any invitation.", I replied.
" Oh..you don't get any special invitation for that. Just come. Everyone will be there.", She said.
"Let me see.", I replied, although I had already decided I wasn't going. I have never been to this kind of parties yet. But I know what it'd be like. Just drinking and dancing like crazy to heavy raucous music. Isn't that what is called party ? I'm clearly not interested.
" Do come Nate. It's gonna be fun.", Andrea insisted. I just blankly nodded to her. She smiled and walked away after saying bye.
Only then I noticed someone standing beside the doors of the physics lab with their hands crossed over their chest. Yeah, none else than Ethan.
" Hi ! " He waved his hands and smiled widely on seeing I noticed him. I let out a sigh. This is the 7th time, he is saying 'Hi' to me today.
Today whole day he has been seeing me after every hour. He shows up at the doors of every next class I'm about to enter, just to flash his boyish grin at me. Everywhere I go, he is there. He has somehow got my timetable. Or else how he correctly knows my hours ? I highly suspect Grace. It must be she who secretly took a pic of my time table and send it to him.
I think both Grace and Gavin are supportive of Ethan in this matter. Probably I'll have to have a serious talk with them both. When I told them everything, I thought they'd understand me and stand with me. But they are now supporting Ethan instead of helping me out of this situation.
" Hey..", Ethan says walking towards me whilst smiling. I don't respond. I'm already tired of his behaviour. He is clinging too much to me that people has started getting suspicions. I noticed people in the Calculus class, especially girls whispering things between each other whilst looking at us. I can guess what they were talking.
And I've decided I need to stop this as soon as possible.
" Hey..I'm speaking to you. ", Ethan says snapping his fingers in front of me.
" Yeah..what you want ?", I ask.
" C'mon..let's go have a coffee from outside.", he says and reach to grab my hands.
I shake my head." I'm not coming. And Ethan, j..just leave me alone. "
He frowns at me. " What's the problem now ?".
I let out a sigh again. "You are the p..problem. I can't h..handle it ! ", I scoff shaking my head in frustration. I was already starting to feel like crazy because of him. As much as I love seeing his face and seeing him smile, I don't actually want this. This is going too wrong.
" C'mon..let's talk.", he says before grabbing my hands and dragging me along with him. A few people on the corridors looks at our intertwined hands and I feel really uncomfortable.
" Leave my h..hands Ethan. Okay..let's t..talk. I'll come with you. ", I say and he finally frees my hand.
We continue to walk and he takes me to the back side of the school where there is a medium sized ground, partially filled with green grass. Only a few people are there and most of them are sitting and standing by the rectangular swimming pool towards the other side of the ground, separated by railings.
" Have you come here before?", Ethan asks.
" No..", I shake my head. Although Grace told me about this part of our school yesterday, I didn't bother to visit yet. But I must have found this place earlier. It's really beautiful.
" Come..", Ethan says and guides me towards a tree on one side of the ground.
Ethan sits down on the grass beneath the tree and I follow him in suit.
" What's wrong ?", he asks me after a few seconds.
" I- I can't deal this. Let's c..cancel the two week deal.", I say.
" What is that you can't deal ?", he asks.
"This ! What is h..happening right now. Ethan..I just wanna be f..friends with you. I can't see you anything more than that.", I burst out. And he clicks his tongue on his cheeks making me nervous and also angry. He sits like that with a pissed face, his gaze on a far away spot while my heart beats like crazy.
" Are you scared about what people would think if you date a boy ? ", he asks after what felt like hours to me.
" N..not actually. First of all I'm not g..gonna date a boy. I don't like b..boys.", I reply.
" So you like girls ? You like that Andrea ? What were you talking and smiling to her so much inside the lab ?", he asks turning to me, his voice suddenly cold and harsh. So he was again peeking at us through the window. I look at him almost taken aback.
He quickly look away brushing a hand through his hair as if he regret what he just said.
"Yeah...What if I l..like her ?", I ask. He tilts his head back to me, his lips part a little in surprise. " I told you I- I'm not g..going to like you that way. Ethan, I agreed to your d..deal only because I wanna continue to be f..friends with you. But I'm a..already tired of your behaviour.", I say and avert my gaze as his eyes were staring intently into mine, making me almost shiver.
" What did I do ?", He asks cold. " I didn't do anything yet. And I'm also tired of this good boy behaviour.", he says and suddenly grab my chin.
He pulls me forward but I manage to slap away his face before his lips touch mine. " STOP ! ", I scoff and jump up from the grass, totally astounded.
Ethan's eyes are widened in shock as he palms his cheeks and then looks up at me.
" Enough ! I- I can't d..deal with you anymore.", I snarl furiously. " It's better I end my f..friendship with you than dealing this. Why can't you j..just understand I don't l..like you ?"
He looks at me with burning eyes.
"This is over ! D..don't come in front of me a..again."
With that I turn and walk away furiously.
When I reach my dorm, Grace isn't there. I slump down on my bed, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I just slapped Ethan !
He made me do that. I wanted to deal with him gently but he exceeded the limits today. Maybe he won't talk to me again. Probably our friendship is over now.
But that's better than letting him behave that way towards me.
I walk to the bathroom taking a pair of clothes. I step into the shower and I couldn't help but let out more tears thinking I slapped him.
When Grace arrives after almost an hour, I'm sitting on my desk doing my Calculus home works. She closes the door behind quietly and walks to me, sitting down on the chair beside me. I'm sure she already knew what happened.
" You slapped Ethan ?", she asks lowly.
" Yeah..", I say nonchalantly whilst continuing to do the problem I was doing.
" Why ?", she asks.
I sigh but doesn’t avert my gaze from my notebook. " Because he t..tried to kiss me. You might have known a..already."
"I thought you liked him.", She says lowly.
" Did I ever tell you I l..like him ?", I ask her, dropping my pen and tilting my face to her. She shakes her head whilst biting down on her lips. " I t..told you clearly that I don't like him. Wh..when I told you guys everything, I- I th..thought you'll talk to Ethan and d..dissuade him from this. But you two...d..did the opposite. And it r..reached the point where I had to s..slap him."
" I- I'm sorry Nate.", Grace says lowly.
" Please j..just don't s..support him again. Cause I can't see him that way. If possible, please t..talk to him and m..make him understand the things. I just see him in the p..place of my brother. ", I say.
Grace nods to me pressing her lips together. " I'm really sorry. I'll talk to Ethan. He won't behave like that again."
I nod to her and avert my attention back to my book. She sits there for a few more seconds before she quietly stands up from the chair and then go out to the balcony, picking her phone, probably to call Gavin or Ethan.