35 - Ethan
Ethan
I stood in the hallway outside the science building and stared at the grade sheet as if it were some kind of alien object. It felt like I hadn’t breathed in minutes, and my eyes were clearly deceiving me because what I was seeing couldn’t be real.
My name was halfway down the list: Rose, Ethan—PASS.
I stood there, frozen in disbelief. Of all the things I expected to see when I’d woken up this morning, a pass wasn’t on the list. So I blinked, hoping it wouldn’t miraculously change.
It didn’t, so I blinked again and, once again, the letters stayed exactly where they were.
I let out a slow, steady breath, but it was quickly followed by a disbelieving laugh.
“No fucking way,” I muttered as my brain refused to register what I saw.
I ran a shaky hand through my hair and stepped closer to the board just to make extra sure that I hadn’t misread it, but there it was in black and white. The word I had been praying for. Pass… On the biology test that I had gotten a ‘didn’t attend’ on previously.
The memory flashed through my mind and ignited something in my chest. Weeks ago, I was sitting in that exam room, staring at the paper as the questions blurred together.
My brain had locked up completely, and the panic crept in oh so slowly until it became impossible for me to breathe.
I couldn’t think and I could barely remember anything Elizabeth had helped me to study.
I walked out shortly after I began. To this day, most people don’t believe it, but I really just stood up and left.
I could still remember the look on the professor’s face, and that should’ve been the end of it.
But somehow Elizabeth got the professor to give me another chance.
She was so convincing that he gave me one last shot and allowed me to redo it during the midterms.
And everyone knew how brutal it was. Even Jenna’s biology-obsessed boyfriend had been complaining to Elizabeth about it the night I thought she was with another guy.
“That exam wrecked half our class,” were his exact words.
I had walked into the retake convinced I was going to fail.
The difference was that this time I didn’t panic because Elizabeth had spent hours drilling me beforehand.
She had bombarded me with flashcards and diagrams. She even made me explain things out loud until the words started to make sense.
She believed I could do it even when I didn’t, and now…
I pulled out my phone and was already dialing. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” she said, sounding a little concerned.
“Guess what,” I said, barely able to contain my excitement. “I passed my biology test.”
For a moment there was silence, and then there was a sharp, almost comedic gasp.
“You’re kidding. There’s no way you passed that test,” she said, but I could hear the smile in her voice. She was definitely teasing me.
“I swear, I was just standing in front of the scoresheet. I’m pretty sure I didn’t ace it and that it was probably more like a ‘barely made it’ situation, but it’s definitely a pass.”
This time she couldn’t hold back. Elizabeth let out a loud, triumphant cheer that was better than anything I’d received from the field all season.
It reverberated through my bones and energized me more than any steroid ever could.
If I had that kind of encouragement on the field, Coach wouldn’t be on the verge of losing his job
“I knew you had this one in the bag, and I told you that before you walked out the first time. You just gotta have a little more faith in yourself.”
“I still think the test was designed by a psychopath though,” I joked.
“And yet you still passed it, psychopath or not.”
I leaned against the hallway wall and grinned like a total idiot, but at that moment I couldn’t care less. It was the best day of my college career, and nothing was going to take that away from me.
“Your flashcards nearly killed me,” I said, but my tone was no longer the same.
Her voice dropped to match. “They might’ve been a pain in your ass, but they’re one of the biggest reasons for you being where you are right now.”
“And you made me draw the Krebs cycle like ten times.”
“Because you mislabeled the mitochondria the first nine times.”
We both laughed as the memory flashed through my mind. She was so unimpressed when I labeled it as the ‘energy blob.’
“Will you come out and celebrate with me?” I asked, feeling more insecure than ever before.
“Um… sure, but can you give me some time to get ready? I look like I had just gone through a year’s worth of depression feasting.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Even at your worst, you’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. However, I’ll give you some grace and be at your place in an hour to pick you up.”
She giggled slightly. “I’ll see you later.”
*
I had arrived at least ten minutes ago, but I couldn’t gather up enough nerve to actually knock on her door.
Even the crisp air didn’t help because tonight was unlike any other encounter we had before.
It was technically our first official date, even though I used the grade as an excuse.
And I didn’t know how it would go down, especially since we didn’t have an attention stealing topic at hand.
Then Elizabeth opened the door, and my heart stopped beating.
I had never seen her in jeans, sneakers and a hoodie before, but it was a sight that traveled straight to my cock.
She looked breathtakingly gorgeous. She spotted me down the hall, and a beautiful smile spread across her worried face.
Had she thought I wouldn’t show up? Could I actually do something like that to her? My heart clenched at the question.
Elizabeth stopped in front of me, her eyes shining brightly. “You passed your biology test.”
I kissed her cheek ever so lightly. “And it’s all thanks to you.”
She studied my face for a good long moment before taking a step closer. I froze, unsure of what she had in mind, but all I wanted in that moment was to feel her skin against mine.
“So, what are we getting up to this evening?”
I held out my arm, hoping she would take it. “I was thinking of a very chilled date. Some walking, maybe a bite of street food, and if we’re really lucky, some music under starlight.”
She gave me the sweetest of smiles, and we started walking. The sun was just starting to set, casting an orange glow on the city and creating the perfect accent for what I had in mind for the evening.
“I told you that you could pull this off,” she whispered as we stepped out of the campus.
“You are the only person on the planet who believed in me enough to think I could pull this off.”
“That can’t be true,” she said, looking a little shocked.
“Well, it is. I guess that makes you even more unique.”
A moment of silence passed between us, and only then did I realize she had a certainty in her voice that hit me harder than I expected.
“I’m proud of you,” she mumbled, and I nearly died on the spot.
No one who was close to me had ever said those words out loud, so hearing them from her made them even more precious. It gave me this warm, fuzzy feeling that I couldn’t explain but wanted more of.
I shrugged. “I couldn’t have done it without my terrifying tutor.”
She playfully slapped my chest. “I’m not so bad, man.”
I winked at her and stole a quick kiss before taking her hand in mine and weaving our fingers together so she couldn’t escape.
“So what do you remember about the test?” she asked casually.
“Not much, to be honest with you. I mostly just remember the memories I used to get through it.”
“And what memories would those be?”
“They all revolve around you.”
She tried to hide it, but I could see the smile playing at the corners of her lips.
We finally reached town, and the warmth from the street lamps highlighted her features in the most amazing of ways.
It was as if I was seeing her for the first time, but yet all those creases and crevices seemed so familiar.
I suddenly pulled her to a stop in front of a stand.
“Whatcha want, my friend?” Luis, the vendor, asked me.
Elizabeth gave me an incredulous look. It was similar to the one I wore myself the first time I stumbled onto this guy because it kind of felt like he belonged in a drug den with his hoodie pulled halfway down his face and gloves with cut-off fingertips.
“Two hot dogs and loaded fries, please,” I said, earning another pointed look.
I laughed out loud, especially when he pulled out two huge hotdogs wrapped in thin foil and handed them to me. Her eyes went wide, and she looked around like we were about to get caught. I pulled her away, but as I handed her a hot dog, she raised an eyebrow.
“Is hot dog a codeword for some kind of study drug, or is there actually a delicious meal in this oversized wrapping?” she eventually asked.
“I guess you’ll have to open it and find out,” I teased.
She gave me a look that said she was wondering if I could be trusted, but she opened the wrapping anyway.
Inside sat a hot dog that was slightly larger than usual but still completely traditional.
Elizabeth examined it from every angle to see if anything would fall out, and she was highly disappointed when nothing did.
“So this is your celebration dinner?” she asked.
“Trust me, it’s so much better than it looks.” I took a big bite, hoping it would get her to trust me. “When I first came to town, and I was all alone, these hotdogs were all I had to make it through the rough nights.”
We sat down on a low brick wall and shared fries. Elizabeth laughed as I accidentally spilled half the toppings on the ground, and for the first time, it didn’t feel like my every move was being judged.
“You’re the worst,” she teased.
“But you’re still here…” I responded. “Through everything I’ve done and every mistake I’ve made, you’ve always come back and stood by my side.”
We got up and kept on walking. We were strolling through the small downtown streets while music spilled from the nearby bars. Other students passed us by, smiling like they knew us. And I was sharing some of our best memories.
Elizabeth wiped her tears away as I finished my story of Dylan puking on our first bus ride.
“Oh, my God.” She stopped to catch her breath. “I completely forgot about that.”
“He still denies that it ever happened. He even tried to swear us all to secrecy.”
“He literally looked like the vomit emoji.”
“Malik was forced to open a window.”
She shook her head and laughed. I just looked at her for a moment, and once again my heart swelled with something I couldn’t quite explain.
She had a habit of doing such things to me, and it was maddening, especially since I couldn’t explain it, but I think I might’ve figured out what’s happening here.
And I was hoping I would get to prove it tonight.
“You guys really are a disaster,” she said with a laugh, but then her entire mood shifted. “There’s only one game left now.”
“Yeah, and we don’t have a single win to our name.”
We reached the park in the center of town, where a large fountain glowed with soft blue light. Its water was spilling down in steady sheets, making it seem ethereal. It was where I hoped we would end up because it’s the perfect place for my confession.
Elizabeth leaned against the stone railing and said, “Can I ask you something?”
I nodded nervously, not knowing where this was going to lead.
“Are you still thinking about transferring?”
“I thought I was, but so much has happened and changed that I’m not too sure anymore.”
She looked at me carefully, like a dragon would if they were trying to guard a treasure, and I instantly knew that my answer wasn’t good enough.
“The team’s changing,” I added. “You should see the practice lately. Stuff that took ten tries before is now being nailed by the second attempt. Malik has turned into a drill sergeant, and Coach is starting to figure it out too.”
She studied me for a good long while. “You’re talking about things that will happen next season.”
I shrugged sheepishly. “I guess I’m starting to think about hanging around for a while.”
“What changed?” she asked as the fountain lights reflected in her eyes.
“I think this place might actually turn into something.” I turned to face her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “And then there’s you.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and she grabbed onto my arms like her life depended on it. For the first time, it seemed like I was her life raft as well, and I really liked that.
“Ethan,” she breathed.
I pulled her closer and kissed her deeply, pouring everything I felt for her into it.
It was a majestic kiss, with the lights from the fountain caressing us while the rush of the water surrounded us, creating a tranquil blanket that sealed us off from the rest of the world.
Her hands slipped into my hair, but I kept mine in place.
I wanted her, I really did, but tonight was so much more important.
So I pulled away from her and rested my forehead against hers.
My voice was quiet but certain when I said, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
She gasped, but it was quickly replaced by a little smile. “Wow, I never expected to hear those words leaving your mouth, but now that you mention it… I feel the same way. I’m falling in love with you too.”