Just Friends Read online

  “Finished!” Ethan shouted, holding the bracelet in front of me.

  Mine was pink, hot pink. It fit perfectly, obviously spelling out ETHAN. It’s sweet now that we have our own friendship bracelets.

  May 1st

  “Good morning dear.” Ethan said as I opened the front door to him. We always meet before college, mainly beside the tree outside college or Ethan often popped by my house and walked me there. He was wearing one of his tartan ties today. He has a few now. They make him look quite smart. I bought him this one for our sixth Christmas together.

  “What do you want?” I sarcastically replied.

  “I’m here to walk my delightful bestfriend to college.”

  Madeline came rushing to the door, pushing past me and cutely wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “Hey you.” He said patting her head.

  “Are you still wearing your bracelet?” She asked, releasing her grasp from around him.

  He dangled his wrist in front of her. “Of course I am!” He knelt down and kissed her cheek. “You best go and get ready for school, you. Don’t want you to be late do we.”

  She sighed, then returned inside and raced back upstairs. I adore how well Ethan and Madeline get along. He was so nervous when he first met her. She was such a tiny, delicate baby. He’s loved her endlessly since that moment.

  My Mum then came to the door. “Hello Ethan, how are you? Have you two admitted you’re both perfect for each other yet?”

  “I’m well Mrs. Bishop, I trust you’re well, too. As for August, she’s too… boring for me, like a cat, I’m more of a dog person.” Ethan replied with a smug look upon his face.

  “Well this chat is fabulous guys. I do wish we could continue it, but we must dash,” I announced.

  “Let me grab my bag and we can go.” I said to Ethan, who nodded in acknowledgement.

  My Mum grabbed my wrist before I rushed down stairs. “Stop being boring.” She said, raising her eyebrows at me.

  I rolled my eyes at her and laughed. She didn’t mean it because she thought I was boring, she said it because she wants us to be a couple.

  May 16th

  Since it’s the weekend, Ethan asked if I wanted to stay at his since his Dad is hardly around. He’s occupied by travelling constantly to gamble. Apparently he’s been doing well lately, but drinking has now become a big problem in his life since the end of last year. Ethan claims he said it helps him make risky decisions he wouldn’t when sober. I’m not sure why he’s drunk when he’s home then, if that’s the case. Ethan’s Dad is only home once every two or three weeks. The image I am painting of Ethan’s Dad isn’t pleasant, I know. It wasn’t always like this. It’s only been over the past year or so that he’s become a proper gambling addict. He’s gambled for a long time, but not like this. I’m not sure what caused him to become this way, maybe he doesn’t even know. All that concerns me is that Ethan is ok. As long as he’s ok then I’m ok.

  Ethan ordered pizza, and it was delicious. I only eat plain pizza. Ethan’s favourite is pepperoni. Since I hated the smell of pepperoni he decided to join me in eating the plain pizza. We sat and watched an episode of Patrick Miller’s chat show. I live for his show. It is my dream to appear on it. He always interviews the coolest people and he has a great sense of humour! I love how Patrick is always smiling, too.

  “Do you want something else?” Ethan asked, passing me the last slice.

  “No, thank you.” I replied, nurturing my stomach and flopping out along the sofa. I shouldn’t have accepted the last slice of pizza.

  May 22nd

  Ethan, Max and I ate outside at lunch. The sun was shining so we ventured out to make the most of the rare warmth. The only decent empty seating area was the rickety old wooden bench near the tree I meet Ethan at each morning if he doesn’t meet me at my house. As we sat down, Ethan pulled an apple out from his rucksack. He shut his eyes and looked up towards the sun, allowing it to shine upon his face. Today he was wearing his hilarious dog tie. A springer spaniel tie if we’re being exact, which I bought him for his fourteenth birthday. His tie has a black background and at the bottom is a cartoon sketch of a dog sitting on grass outside its kennel, smiling at you.

  “So last night I came up will a simple, yet clever new trick to show you my dear.” Ethan said, holding the apple up in front of me.

  “Oh, I see. What happens in this one may I ask?”

  I snatched the apple off of him, biting into its succulent core. Wildly chewing it directly in front of him and cheekily grinning afterwards.

  “Well… one will require the apple back first to perform one’s trick.”

  I rolled my eyes at him and passed him the apple back while maintaining a sarcastic look. He frowned at me before holding up the apple. Showing the side that had the bite mark, as if I’d never seen it before. Then casually launched it a few feet into the air, reclaiming it in his hands as it fell. He paused before spinning it around, to reveal the bite mark had disappeared.

  “Not your best work, but, I shall admit I am impressed. Am I going to be shown how this one is done?” I asked out of repetitiveness. The secrets to his tricks are kept a secret, as they should be really. Ethan squinted at me for a second, “Ah all right, I can part with the secret of this one, since it’s so simple,” He took a second to gather his explanation. “It helps if you have two identical apples, good slight of hand, and voilà, the apple is replaced.”

  I remained puzzled. “So what happened to the other apple?”

  He took a bite out of the apple in his hand. “Check your lunch container my dear. Then all shall become clear.”

  I looked at my lunch container anxiously. I opened the lid with one eye open, squinting with the other. And there it was. The apple I had bitten. I looked back at Ethan, smiling in bewilderment. “Well played Mr. Knight. Well performed might I add? You set me up. You knew I’d ask for it to be explained as I always do.”

  Ethan tilted his head in acknowledgement.

  When I got home I thought the trick over, while watching TV with Madeline and platting her hair. I realised that the trick was actually very clever. Simple, but clever. How he got the apple into my container I’ll never know.

  May 23rd

  I met Ethan outside college by our tree this morning. He stood with his back against the trunk as I approached.

  “Good morning dear.” He said as he gave me a firm hug.

  “Good morning to you, too.” I replied.

  Today, he wore his elephant tie. A white tie, covered in a pattern of tiny miniature grey elephants. I bought it him for our eleventh Christmas together. It surprises me how well I remember each one I buy him. This tie is ranked in his top ten favourites. It may not sound like a big deal, however, if you knew Ethan and his tie collection, you’d understand it’s a big deal. We’d not taken five paces into the college before calls of Breakfast from Verity came our way. Verity is a girl from college who has a massive crush on Ethan. She calls Ethan Breakfast because he’s so delicious, she doesn’t need anything to eat in a morning. Embarrassing, right? After a while we had gotten use to it. Most of her friends call Ethan, Breakfast, too. As he walked me to first period, which he insists on doing, they walked by checking him out from head to toe with no level of discretion. It doesn’t seem to bother him.

  As much as I love performing arts, I lacked the energy to take part with any enthusiasm today. I wanted to go home, return to my bed and sleep. It’s very rare for me to say otherwise. Ethan and I fist bumped as we arrived outside my PA class.

  “Catch ya later dude.” I said before entering.

  I’d just placed my bag on the back of my seat when a junior student walked in, explaining that Ms. Andrews, my performing arts teacher, is off sick and our replacement teacher will be along soon. This news saved me. I’d never been happier. Not about Ms. Andrews being unwell. Although, now I had two periods of doing whatever I pleased. Which I didn’t waste, I got myself nestled in the corner with my earphones in a
nd read my Hallway magazine I had stolen from Madeline earlier. Eleanor Walden – the main subject printed amongst hundreds of articles – the actress, taking the world by storm. Without question the most beautiful woman the lord has ever created. There’s another section about Natasha Thompson, the stunning model, too. But I paid little attention to her since I’m more into actors and actresses. Back to Eleanor Walden, words don’t describe how much I envy her, the perfect complexion, figure, career. She’s a Goddess. Her beautiful brown hair and eyes entice me. She’s everything I aspire to be. The interview inside included her controversial on and off relationship with former co-star, Cole Palmer. I didn’t envy her relationship. Cole often disrespected her and cheated on her many times. I don’t know Eleanor personally, but I know for sure she deserves to be treated with more respect than Cole showed her. I hope she finds her happiness one day, she seems like a nice girl.

  Ethan and Max waited for my exit as I stepped out.

  “Hey losers.” I said as I walked over to them.

  “Ethan and I nearly burnt off our eyebrows in Science. I thought it’d be a good idea to spray deodorant into this chemical thingy and it didn’t react well.” Max replied.

  I giggled at their childishness and shook my head.

  “This chemical thingy will not get you a good grade in your exam, Maximus,” Ethan hinted.

  He opened the college doors for us to head outside. We reclaimed the unoccupied bench we sat on yesterday. We almost sat down before calls of, “Breakfast, hey Breakfast!” Came our way. Verity enthusiastically trotted over. Verity is actually quite pretty. She has blonde hair, which she always ties up in a messy bun, and she has a beautiful smile. She doesn’t wear too much make up and she’s always dressed well. If someone said she was the hottest girl at college, I’d probably agree with them. I sound like I have a crush on her, I don’t, I most certainly don’t. I’m sure we’d talk to Verity more often, but we don’t like her friends, they’re too stuck up. So we have the odd chat in passing. I don’t think I’d allow her into our group because, like I said, we run a tight a shift.

  “I’ve been looking for you.” She said with a huge smile on her face.

  Ethan said nothing, he acknowledged what she said and waited for her to continue. “I’m having a party tonight at mine. Would you like to come? It’s sorta being planned last minute. August, Max you’re also welcome to come along if you wish.” Her smile had now grown into a grin and it worried me how long she held it for. Ethan looked over at us with an unsure image on his face.

  “I guess it’d be cool to check it out, right guys?” He asked, searching for our agreement with his decision.

  Max and I smiled and nodded.

  “I guess we’ll see you tonight, what time?”

  “That’s great! 9:00pm. Get there for 9:00pm.”

  She extended her cheesy grin before leaving. Max leant towards Ethan with a sarcastic expression already poised. “Well you handled that with ease, Breakfast.” Max switched towards me. “Are we going to go?”

  I shrugged, “I guess we’ll need a sober designated driver.” I pointed to Max as I spoke. “It’d be nice to go out for an evening. We can always leave if we’re not enjoying it, or whatever.” I waved my hands around to show I wasn’t being serious but some seriousness remained.

  “I hope I don’t have to carry you home, being sick on isn’t how I intend to spend my evening again,” Ethan replied.

  I punched his arm and sarcastically laughed.

  When college came to an end, I was exhausted. All these essays and rehearsals for our final assessment wear me out. We only have to prepare a couple of scenes from our favourite play, but we’ve practiced and repeated them so many times. My partner for the assessment, Daniel, agreed we did My Fair Lady. It’s our favourite play, and now, we hate it. Daniel and I get along, but he doesn’t like to chat, he just likes to rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. So I don’t really know anything about him, apart from that he likes to rehearse. I can’t wait until it’s over. I hope my parents have booked a holiday to somewhere sunny. A holiday would be perfect right now. I sat at the base of mine and Ethan’s meeting tree, and imagined I was sunbathing in Spain. I admired the sky while I had time to spare. I love how calm it is, and how it slowly passes by. It’s just so peaceful. I wanted the shade from the tree to protect me from the blistering sunlight, but the branches didn’t cover that far. So I had to hold my hands over my eyes to avoid giving myself a migrane from constant squinting. I loved listening to the leaves rustle in the wind. Other than listening to rainfall, listening to leaves rustle is my favourite natural sound. A short time after my encounter with Mother Nature, Ethan walked over and graced me with his presence. He looked upon me, dropped the rucksack off his shoulder and sat down beside me. I shifted over, creating some more space. I lifted his arm, placing it over my shoulders so I could tuck into him and rest my head on him.

  “Tough day, huh?” He asked.

  “I’m so tired, I swear I could fall asleep for a decade.” I murmured.

  “Wow, you must be tired because that’s a rather long time, especially if you’re waiting for a delivery.” He laughed at his comment.

  “You’re such an idiot.” I sniggered, but was too tired to maintain it for more than a second or two.

  “You don’t have to come later if you don’t want to. Max and I are big boys now. We can take care of ourselves, believe it or not.”

  “No, no. I need a short nap when I get home. Then I’ll be fine.” I smiled up at him. Our eyes met. His brown eyes lit up in the sunlight as I lazily stared into them. Ethan lifted his left hand and tucked my hair behind my ear before bringing his hand down to the edge of my chin squeezing my cheeks together.

  “So adorable.” He blubbered.

  I innocently rolled my eyes at him as my face remained in his hands.

  I don’t want to imply I’m making an effort for Verity’s party. Although I don’t want to imply that I’m not making an effort for Verity’s party. Does that make sense?

  I watched an episode of Patrick Miller’s show before drifting off to sleep. My outfit was laid out anyway, in case an emergency quick-change was required. I don’t wear much make up, so I didn’t need to worry about that, only mascara and eyeliner. Foundation makes my face feel horrible and blotchy, I like to stay as natural as possible also. That’s how my Mum raised me, so it remains that way.

  A car horn blazed from outside, awakening me from my nap. I realised my nap had lasted a lot longer than I intended. I shot to my feet and threw my clothes off and snatched at the ones I laid out. I struggled to jump into my jeans, whoever was downstairs must have thought I was trying to jump through the floor. I eventually slotted into them and surrounded myself with a cloud of deodorants and perfumes. I put on my black leather jacket that had been laid in my wardrobe for a while. The car horn blazed from outside again. I hopped out of my room as I placed on my boots, and sprinted down the stairs, jumping the bottom two steps. I Shouted goodbye to my parents who were sat at dining table. I slammed the door shut, catching the edge of my jacket in it. The perfect way to start my evening.

  “Sup bro.” Max said as I paced up to the car.

  “Maximus.” I replied, tilting my head in acknowledgement and hopping into the back seat of his truck. Ethan had taken passenger alongside Max. As I was fastening my seatbelt, Ethan turned around, “Miss Bishop.”

  “Mr. Knight.” I replied with a thumbs up.

  Max is a surprisingly good driver. Sure, the truck jolted at the start of our journey, he was a little nervous. It’s the first time we had been in his truck with him. It was nice. I wish I could afford a car. I’ve passed my test and everything, but I never manage to save enough money to buy one of my own… I drive my parent’s when it’s free, until I can afford one or have one bought for me. Ethan and Max were strangely quiet in the truck during the journey to Verity’s. I’m sure they’re both anxious of how the night is going to pan out. I gazed out of the window, focus
ing on the streetlights flowing by.

  I must have dosed off for a few minutes, as Max banking the truck on the curb, woke me. He probably hoped for a smoother arrival. Still, he stuck the handbrake on as if sharply banking the curb was his exact intentions. I reached for the door handle before Ethan beat me to it from the other side.

  “Me lady.” He said, offering his hand to help me out of the truck.

  Ethan’s outfit didn’t really surprise me; black fitted jeans and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the hinge of his elbow. His typical everyday outfit except for his trainers, they’d been replaced. He’d exchanged them for his smart black shoes with pointy ends, accompanied by the black tie with white spots, I bought him for his thirteenth birthday. I pulled the back, tightening and readjusting it for him. Max walked around to our side of the truck and huddled us in.

  “Right team, remember no man gets left behind or abandoned. I’m not drinking tonight, so please try to keep your behaviour to a mature level. I don’t want to embarrass you guys tomorrow with stories of unsuitable things you did while you’re nurturing your aggressive hangovers.”

  Ethan laughed and put his hand on his shoulder, “I doubt we’ll even have that much tonight my man. We’re going to enjoy this on a sensible level.”

  Max nodded sarcastically, “Whatever you say sargeant, right let’s roll out team.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at them for being such dorks. They really spent too much time watching movies. I was genuinely expecting them to commando role and crawl up to the front door while I walked behind them, questioning our friendship.