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Waking up on the couch, slumped on the inner part trapped by Ethan's body, I looked around to see a greasy pizza boxes sprawled on the floor and Ethan snoring loudly. How enjoyable. I poked his arm playfully and hoped to wake him. After 10-12 pokes, I gave up and tried a different solution.
"Ethan?" His snoring drowned out my crackly voice which I hadn't used all night. I cleared my throat, "Ethan?" I said a bit louder.
He turned around to look at me, "Huh?"
"Wake up, you lazy swine," I said, jokingly, "It's," I checked the time on my phone, "10:30 in the morning. Get up so I can."
He mumbled an almost inaudible sound. He just turned away from me again, snuggling into a more comfortable position.
"I'm going to push you off!!" I sang. He seemed not to hear me as he continued snoring. "Okay... I warned you..." With one light shove, he was on the floor, moaning and rubbing the shoulder he fell on.
I got up, off the couch and expecting to flinch from the bruises my father inflicted upon me, but became surprised to get up painlessly. "That ginger stuff is good."
"Yeah," he said, "Now I'll need some." He complained.
"That's what you get." I smiled. For some reason, I became cold, probably from not having Ethan next to me. He was my furnace as we always joked. "Hey, got a blanket?"
"No, I'm warm enough with a couch and a shirt."
"Who in the world doesn't own a blanket?" I questioned.
"Me," he replied, "Besides, it's what you get." He smirked back at me as he got up.
I watched Ethan as he checked his watch. "Hey, it's Saturday. Where'd do you want to go?" he asked playfully.
"I don't know. What if Charlie's out there?" I questioned, worried and paranoid.
"Of course he's out there." His eyes widened, trying to scare me.
"Ethan, seriously. I'm nervous." I said.
"Aw come on... scaredy cat."
"What? Are we still in the third grade? Ethan, please, do me a solid and don't make me go out for a while. I don't want anything bad to happen."
"Fine, but let me go out. I NEED LIGHT!!!!" He joked, making his hands into claws, kneeling toward the window and pretending to grab the light.
"Okay. I guess I'll just hang around... alone...lonely and alone..." I said falsly solemn.
"Dude, grow up. I'm going to go get us some coffee, 'Kay? Then we'll have something to drink and you won't have to go out. It'll only take me a few minutes. Maybe a little longer if I don't speed." Ethan smiled.
"Alright. Now get outta here. I want my coffee." I played.
"How do you like your coffee?"
"Black, please" I replied.
"Well, I'll do you one better. Just get me some coffee beans and a spoon." He laughed.
"Whatever, just go get our stinkin' coffee."
He grabbed his keys and left, slamming the door. I hadn't much to do, so I began searching for something to occupy me.
Curious, I headed over to Ethan's room and darted around like a snake, looking for something to entertain myself with. On a shelf, under a few textbooks, I uncovered a single drawing. It wasn't the best, but it told me enough.
Ethan had drawn a portrait of me. But not any old portrait, it was a portrait that consisted of many hearts surrounding my face. It was childish and seemed very girly but it probably meant a lot to Ethan. I carefully folded it up and slipped it into my pocket. I would keep this forever.
A few minutes later, I was sitting and watching the news on the small television propped up on a desk, I heard the jingle of Ethan's keys, turning the lock. I thought back to the discovery I made in my little scavenger hunt in Ethan's bedroom. I hoped he wouldn't find out.
"What's up? I got the coffee," He smiled as he raised the cup holder, "Also, I got a few bagels incase you were hungry." Ethan said, showing me a plastic bag which crinkled loudly.
"Just watchin' some television." I checked the time on my phone. "What took you so long?" I wondered.
"I bumped into someone..." Ethan replied softly.
"Who?" I said, ignoring the quiet of his voice.
"You don't want to know." he dismissed.
I immediately realized who he meant. "Charlie?" I raised my voice.
"Yeah..." He said, scratching behind his ear like a dog.
"Don't tell me about it. Please. Spare me the details. I can't take this. He's out there." I said, beginning to tear. I was scared shitless of Charlie. He's haunted me for years. And now, even when I try to get away, he finds me on accident.
Ethan came over to hug me. His arms wrapped around me as he sat on the couch. I closed my eyes and sobbed. "Nothing is going to happen, Sara. He's not going to find you. Not while I'm here." He comforted.
I stood up yelling, releasing myself from Ethan's grasp. "And what if you're not here? What if you're off, getting coffee, and he comes into the apartment?!" I scream, insane.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight from now on. I promise you. I can have a friend bring it to us. I will stay with you, okay?" Ethan said, pulling my back onto the couch and hugging me again. "Everything will be fine." He confirmed.
After ten to twenty minutes of being held in his arms, I looked up at him with my mascara smeared eyes. "Are you tired of sitting here with me?" I asked, hoping he'd say no. I wish I could sit there, comforted in his tight hug forever. I felt secure.
"I'll stay here as long as you need me to, Sara. Although, I'm going to need more of that ginger rub." He smiled, lightening the mood.
I chuckled as the last few tears streamed down my face. "Yeah, I'll let you go."
He gave me one last tightening of his grip as a true hug and let go.
"Want to go defeat some virtual ogres?" He offered, turning around and grabbing a video game controller and shaking it around.
"Sure." I replied happily. We were such dorks. But that's that way things worked between Ethan and me.
Seizing a controller as well, we hooked everything up and I was suddenly Sorceress Xanyethemine and Ethan was Prince Alxonendroid. We worked side by side, killing off creatures of the dark, one by one until our thumbs were sore, pausing only to take a sip of coffee.
1,830 deaths or so later, we both lay asleep on the couch. We sat there all day, destroying monsters. My head slumped onto his shoulder, in between his head and neck. And his head rested on mine. We both still grasped the controllers loosely in front of the bright television screen that read, “Game Over, Play Again?”
That next morning, around 8 a.m., I opened my eyes to see that I was laid carefully onto a mattress and covered with a throw blanket. Staring up at the ceiling, I saw the plain whiteness of it like a sheet of Xerox paper. I turned onto my side and saw a vaguely familiar shelf. Then it hit me. I was in Ethan’s room and that was the shelf on which I found the portrait. The portrait! I scrambled my hand into my pocket and sighed in relief to find the neatly creased paper safely hidden in the pouch.
I jumped up, out of the bed and looked outside, into the apartment. It was deserted. Where was Ethan? Had he left me? Alone? I immediately panicked. My heart raced, my pupils dilated, my breathing became ragged, and I collapsed onto the floor. Charlie could find me. I was vulnerable…
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Third part here.
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Third part here.
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