Consequences of an Afternoon
“My taste in music is what would be politely called eccentric, but really the word strange is more accurate,” Ethan said to Sarah’s back as her index finger ran the length of his shelves of CDs. She spun around quickly, brown hair whipping behind her; she hadn’t realized that he had entered the room.
“No, no, you aren’t strange, I mean, your music isn’t strange,” she stumbled, trying to overcome the feeling that she had been caught doing something wrong. She had entered this room through an open door while trying to escape the chatter of other classmates enjoying the gathering. “Your choice in music is really varied, just like mine.” She watched as Ethan sat on a well-worn brown sofa directly across from the shelves she had been perusing. Looking around, she saw that the room was lined with windows, with shelves on every wall from the windowsills down filled with books and CDs, as well some expensive looking pieces of stereo equipment. The sofa was the only piece of furniture in the room. “Is all this music yours?”
“Yeah, the books too. I guess this is kind of like my own library – my parents just leave me to myself in here.” Ethan’s piercing blue eyes stared at Sarah from under his shaggy dark hair. “I’m glad you came. I didn’t know if you would, since you don’t really know anyone but me.”
“I almost didn’t – my Dad wouldn’t have let me, but then he left, so I did too.” Sarah closed her mouth quickly; she always said more than she meant to around Ethan. ‘Thanks for inviting me’ would have been just fine. At least she had stopped herself before telling him that she didn’t care about not knowing anyone but him at the party -that he was the only one she wanted to know anyway.
“Well, I’m glad you did,” he repeated, his eyes shifting away from her face to where his hands were fumbling with the zipper on his sweatshirt. He stretched one arm across the back of the couch to stop the nervous fiddling. “Parents can really be a pain can’t they?” he commented, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, right, a pain,” she mumbled in agreement, looking out a window into the gray afternoon. “Anyway, it’s nice to see your house,” Sarah said after a minute, shaking her head to break her gaze and train of thought and turning to where Ethan sat. “I was wondering what it looked like after hearing so much about your family.”
“It’s a pretty standard house, I think,” Ethan responded, looking around the room. “You know, we do talk about my family a lot,” he directed his gaze back at Sarah, “but you really haven’t told me anything about yours.”
“Not much to tell. I’ve got a dad, a mom, and a couple younger brothers.” She moved to sit by him on the couch, the sagging cushions pulling her into Ethan’s side. She would have struggled against gravity and the timeworn groove of the sofa, but Ethan didn’t seem to mind the closeness of her body, so she stayed where she was, staring straight ahead and avoiding eye contact. “Should you get back out there to the party?” she asked, hoping to change the subject but not actually wanting him to go.
“Nah, they’re fine – they are so wrapped up in the video games I don’t think they even noticed I left. It wasn’t even really my idea to have everyone over before the football game tonight. My mom suggested it in front of Chad, and he jumped on the idea so quick I couldn’t tell him and the others no. I’ve kind of been around less lately since I started eating lunch with you, and mostly they’ve just quit trying to hang out with me.” Sarah didn’t think Ethan sounded sad about this. A glance to the side told her that his eyes had shifted straight ahead as well.
“I meant to thank you for sitting with me - it’s been nice having someone to eat with,” she said softly, “I sat alone for the first few days after I moved here, and I always felt like people were staring at me. I like talking to you.” She closed her mouth abruptly again.
“I like it too,” he said. They sat silent for a moment, listening to the laughter and talking against the background of the video game in the other room. Sarah laid her head on Ethan’s shoulder without thinking, but realized it was too personal and started to sit up. “No, stay there,” he said quietly. She relaxed her neck and her head rested on his shoulder once again. She was surprised at how natural it felt, how right. She looked up at him and felt an irrepressible desire to press her lips to the underside of his chin. She did so, wondering how he would react. His hand went to her hair, stroking it a few times. Her heart fluttered, and her cheeks grew warm as he took her hand and laid his head on hers. They sat that way for a while in silence, until a voice from the other room called out for Ethan.
“Dude, we’ve got to go get ready for the game tonight.”
Sarah didn’t know who was talking, but she and Ethan stood up, and he slowly dropped her hand, looking into her eyes for a moment before turning and leaving the room. She stayed where she was, willing her face to return to its normal color as she listened to the scuffs of tennis shoes against linoleum and complaints that it had started raining. She heard goodbyes and then a door closed, and a minute later Ethan was back. Suddenly, panic hit her. “What time is it?” she asked quickly.
“About four.”
“I need to go home,” she said briskly, “I didn’t know how late it was.” She moved around Ethan and out of the room, making her way to the front door.
“I’ll take you,” his voice was right behind her. Sarah kept moving toward the door.
“No, you can’t. It’s ok, I can walk. That’s how I got here,” she explained in a rush. She opened the door and stepped onto the red brick of the front steps.
“But it’s raining now, and you don’t even have a jacket. Just let me take you.” She heard the jingle of car keys being pulled from their hook and the door shutting behind them, footsteps following her down the walk.
“No, you don’t know where I live, you can’t…” she trailed off as she turned to look at him standing in the rain staring at her with concern on his face. He took her hand and looked her in the eye.
“I don’t care where you live,” he said intently. “Please, let me take you home.”
“Alright,” Sarah sighed resignedly. “Let’s just go.”
In the car, Ethan drove with one hand on the wheel, the fingers of his other hand interlaced with Sarah’s over the gearshift. It was quiet except for the occasional direction she gave him. She tried to keep her eyes trained on the road ahead, but couldn’t fight her urge to give surreptitious glances in Ethan’s direction to gauge his reaction as they entered the neighborhoods near her home. To her surprise, she read nothing there but joy, something that was mirrored in her own heart at the pressure of his hand on hers. She knew she should be worried about what was coming, but all she could feel was happiness.
The car slowed as it bumped through the muddy lane where she lived, jostling Sarah out of her euphoria.
“You can let me out here. I’ll walk down to my house,” she said, looking at Ethan as he turned his face to her.
“And let you get all muddy?” he kept driving. Sarah groaned as they approached a dingy yellow house, gasping slightly at the sight of a beat up blue pickup out front.
“That’s it – that’s my house. My dad is already home. I’ve got to go,” she said hurriedly, removing her hand from Ethan’s and trying to unbuckle her seat belt quickly. She heard the car shut off, and her eyes flew to Ethan’s face.
“I thought maybe I could come in and see where you live,” Ethan sounded hopeful. “I’m not quite ready to let you go yet.”
“No!” Sarah shouted, adding hastily in a quieter voice, “You can’t come in now. I’m going to be in trouble, and I’ve got to go.” She opened the car door with shaking hands.
“Maybe I could come in and talk to your dad – maybe if he met me, he wouldn’t mind letting you hang out.”
Sarah turned back to face Ethan, putting one trembling hand on the side of his face.
“No, you really can’t meet my dad. I need you to go as soon as I get out of the car – don’t listen to anything you might hear and please don’t call me tonight.” Ethan’s face fell as he misinterpreted her words. “Look, Ethan, thank you so much for inviting me today – it may have been the best afternoon I’ve ever had. I am going to be in a lot trouble when I go inside, but it was worth it. I will see you at school. Save me a seat at lunch?” She knew she must sound crazy, but his confused expression turned into a smile as she quickly brought his hand to her lips, kissed it and got out of the car.
Sarah hurried up the dirt walk to her front door, not looking back as she heard Ethan’s car start. The front door opened before she could reach the knob, and she stared down at her father’s muddy steel toe work boots. She could still hear the car idling behind her, and she silently pleaded for him to go.
“Where have you been?” her father drawled. “Who said you could leave the house?” He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her in the door, kicking her leg out from beneath her so that she hit the floor. Sarah heard the car pull away just before her dad shut the front door, and she sighed quietly knowing that Ethan was out of sight and the range of sound. “Did you say something?” her father’s words slurred drunkenly.
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