He pulled a bottle from the back somewhere and tossed it to me. My hands trembled as I threw the pill in my mouth, followed it with water, and swallowed it back in one gulp.
“What changed your mind?” he asked softly.
“I guess I just decided God allowed scientists to create birth control for other medical reasons, and if God didn’t like it, he wouldn’t have allowed it to be so accessible.”
“How very astute.”
I shifted my knees to face him more. “I like spending time with you, Ethan.”
His hand reached over to my thigh and squeezed it. “Me, too.” He stuttered. “Oh! I mean, being with you... you get it.”
I chuckled at how adorable his nervousness was. “But, I have to go back to Germany this summer. I won’t ask you to wait for me. So let’s just make the most of the last few weeks we have together, all right?”
“Even if your Papa hates me?”
“Eh.” I waved my hand. “He’ll have to get used to me doing what I want eventually. I have to grow up someday.”
Ethan pointed at the box in my hand. “Well, at least we have prevented that from happening too soon.”
I nodded. “Next time, let’s just plan ahead, okay? And talk to each other?”
His hand moved to cradle my face. “When did you get so much more mature than me?”
I leaned into his hand and smiled. “Maybe the day I met you.”
He leaned over and kissed me.
When it was over, I pushed the door handle to open the door. Ethan eyed me but didn’t ask where I was going. I think we both knew we had priorities after the day we had.
“By the way, thanks for last night,” I told him as I got out. I wanted to add something else, but it was simply too risqué, so I shut the door and left it at that.
Chapter 19
Ethan
“Blocking!”
I chucked a pen at Gavin, who was always messing up his footing and running into one of the other actors. Jackson chuckled beside me, but then cleared his throat when I glared at him. I didn’t mean to be so harsh, not really, but tech week was going terrible. We opened in two weeks and Gavin still had trouble figuring out where to stand.
It wasn’t Gavin’s fault I was so angry today, however. It wasn’t just two more weeks until the show, but also only two weeks until Taylor would go back to Germany. Our precious time was running short, slipping through our fingers, and before I knew it, she’d walk out of my life as quickly as she walked into it.
I mean, hopefully this time she wouldn’t hit me with a bathroom door again.
“What?” Gavin exclaimed as if I’d just told him he had two heads.
“It’s a bright strip of tape on the stage floor, can’t you see it?” I added. I realized it wasn’t Gavin’s fault I was taking all this out on him, but his absentmindedness did make him an easy target.
Gavin just blinked at me like I was speaking Mandarin. Callie came to the rescue and pointed out Gavin’s blocking for the fifth time today. I sank into my chair and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“This is what it’s like directing,” Jackson whispered. “This is your time to shine, Hersbill.”
“It’s like herding cats,” I whispered. “They never listen to me, they still deliver their lines too fast, and both Gavin and Susanna are struggling with proper blocking. This is going to be a disaster.”
“Calm down, we still have a few weeks left to go,” Jackson assured me.
I groaned. I didn’t know if we’d be ready. We had all of Act I down to an art, but Act II was still much of a mess.
“Reset from the church scene,” I called. “Notes. All actors in this scene front and center.” Gavin stumbled with where to stand, and I groaned again.
“We’ve sung this one like a million times,” Susanna wined. “Can’t we skip it today?”
“Nope,” I told her, giving her the do as I say look. She cowered under it, so I knew it was working.
Taylor poked her head out from the curtain. “Do you need me yet?”
“No, it’s just the three of them right now,” I told her.
“’K. I’ll be here if you need me for the next scene.”
“Soon,” I told her, and waved her away.
Two hours later, we were finally free. Taylor and I hung out behind the rest, trading kisses as we made sure props were but away and the lights turned off. Jackson yawned as we exited, and he let the heavy steel door to the parking lot behind the auditorium shut behind us. Jackson reached his car first, and as soon as he pulled out of sight, I reached for Taylor’s hand.
“I’m starving. You?”
“Same. I’m thinking mozzarella cheese sticks and turkey paninis at Sally’s.”
Sally’s was one of our favorite places to go after rehearsal and sometimes after dance practice, too. It was also the only twenty-four-hour place in town.
“Do we have time?” I glanced at my smart watch.
“It’s Wednesday. Papa’s playing cards. He won’t be done until midnight.”
“Oh, right.” I nodded, flipping my keys in hand and unlocking the car with my fob. “All right, sounds good, but I’ll get fat if you keep us eating like this.”
We had reached my car, and she was looking over the roof at me. “I like you just the way you are, Ethan Hersbill.”
I smiled at her. “Back at ya, Taylor Berm.”
She smiled and got in immediately.
On the short drive to Sally’s, Taylor cranked up the satellite radio to our Broadway station and we sang along to Wicked and Heathers. I had to focus hard on the road in front of me instead of snatching little glances at her as she bopped to the music. God, she was so gorgeous. I sang along with her, our voice matching in perfect harmony. What would I do without her?
I couldn’t even think about it.
Before I knew it, I pulled into the last spot available in front of the rectangular diner. It was packed even mid-week because it was one of the few places in this town open after sunset. Taylor and I waited a few minutes before we were seated in a little booth in the corner, but all around us every booth was packed with loud teenagers, older adults sipping coffee and eating pie, and a few college students in front of laptops from the junior college outside town. I had to lean forward to even hear Taylor as she chattered excitedly about our opening night in two weeks, and how her costume was coming along. She wanted my opinion on how to do her hair, but I didn’t have any preferences, so I just added the obligatory head nods and verbal affirmations.
I loved to watch her talk, and even more loved engaging with her. I thought back to my other high school relationships, where it was either a competition or they didn’t contribute much to conversation. Even Maeve fought me on speaking turns, preferring to talk right over me. Taylor was so different; she would talk, pause politely, wait for my response, and then continue. She was unlike any other high school girl I’d ever dated. Unlike any other girl, period.
The waitress came over, and we ordered two coffees, a Philly cheesesteak for me, and a turkey and avocado panini for Taylor, plus some mozzarella sticks to share.
“Like I was saying, Heather thinks Lilla’s character should have my hair up like this,” Taylor blurted when the waitress had returned with our coffees. She held her hair up with two little tendrils dancing around her heart-shaped face. “What do you think?”
“I think you look gorgeous any way your hair looks,” I told her, sipping my black coffee. She was busy dumping cream into it and her one sugar packet like usual. “Up, down, spread across my pillows...” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
She mock gasped and grinned. “Ethan!”
I nudged her foot with mine under the table. “Not sorry.” I matched her grin. “Every guy in school should be jealous. I have the most beautiful girlfriend.”
Her cheeks reddened at that as she sipped her coffee.
“Speaking of which, wanna go make out in my car after this?”
She nearly choked on her coffee
. It was like I never flirted with her, when it was a daily thing now. She nodded, smiling around her cup. “Of course I do. I thought you’d never ask.” She swirled her cup between her hands.
God, how I love you, I wanted to say, but a crowded diner on a Wednesday night was no place for it. You didn’t just say “I love you” to a girl like Taylor. You had to make that a special event. I had no idea what I was going to do, especially since she was leaving in two weeks, but I’d figure that out later. We had plenty of time.
Our food arrived and we ate without much talking. Both of us were starving, at least my inner – and outer – fat kid was, and Taylor devoured as many cheese sticks as I did. She even stole a couple of my fries, which, even though I protested, I found adorable.
Just as our food arrived – they were quick here, like usual – the college kids in the booth behind us paid and left and were promptly replaced by more teenagers.
The worst kind, actually.
Angelica and Susanna didn’t bother to use inside voices, like they even knew what that was, as they slid into the booth each with a boy on their arms I didn’t recognize. There were only two high schools in town, so they had to be from the other one – I pretty much knew everyone in our small school, or they knew me. After Angelica’s suspension, Susanna had told me her parents pulled her from the school and put her in a small charter school downtown. That school had a reputation of being for alternative kids and, judging by the half-shave and mohawk of the boys they were with, it was clear Angelica was adapting to her surroundings.
Across from me, Taylor immediately stiffened when she heard Angelica’s high-pitched, whiny voice. We were waiting for our check, but we could go to the register and pay all the same. The waitress looked busy as heck anyway as she deposited a round of chocolate shakes and waters on Angelica’s table.
I reached across the booth and grabbed Taylor’s hand and squeezed it. “Do you wanna go?” I whispered.
She nodded and I could see she was shaking a little.
I let her slide out of the booth in front of me then followed her, my hand pressed to her back as I followed her to the front.
Don’t you dare say anything, Angelica, I thought to myself, wishing she could read my mind. We were a week from opening, and I didn’t need her drama. Taylor certainly didn’t.
We didn’t make it a foot away from our table before I heard Susanna giggle, and then Angelica did in turn as well. I winced, trying to hurry Taylor, but at a table in the middle of the narrow lane that led to the front door, a small child pushed their chair out and Taylor skidded to a halt.
“Well, if it isn’t the girl that screwed her way to stardom,” Angelica snapped with a giggle, mostly to her friends. Given the din in the place, I doubt anyone overheard it. Taylor’s back stiffened under my back, and I slipped my arm tighter around her.
“Don’t worry about her,” I whispered in Taylor’s ear. “Let’s go.”
The parents of the kid were busy apologizing and moving the chair, and I expected Taylor to bolt full force for the door. Instead, she spun around to face me, smiled slightly, and ducked behind me before I could move.
It was only a few feet to Angelica’s table, but Taylor reached it before me.
“What did you say?” Taylor demanded.
Susanna sunk down in her seat, studying her hands, and the two boys looked extremely uncomfortable as they exchanged awkward glances.
“I said,” Angelica enunciated slowly, “that sleeping with the director will always get you the starring role. Know how I know? Because I did it, too. He was mine first, you know.” She smirked at Susanna across from her. “And also hers.” She hooked a finger at her friend to demonstrate. “You may think Ethan is special now, but he’s just another boy who will screw you and leave you.”
This was getting out of hand, and people were staring. I reached for Taylor’s hand, but she yanked it away. I saw what she was reaching for, and I took a step back because I realized I was about to be in the splatter zone.
Taylor reached down in front of Angelica, snatched up the silver pitcher that contained the remains of her shake order, and promptly dumped it over Angelica’s head. She even swirled it and shook it to get out every drop. The brown ice cream ran all over Angelica’s blonde head, into her eyes, and cascaded onto her shoulders.
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Angelica’s mouth open in a silent shriek, and she began to wave her hands like a goose in distress. It was so funny to watch I actually laughed. To nearly everyone’s horror, her hair actually began to separate from the bottom of her head – it was then I realized that most of her ample locks were actually fake.
Angelica was wearing a weave.
“You’re just going to stand there?” one of the boys demanded, the one with the mohawk and leather jacket. I rolled my eyes at him.
That was when Angelica finally found her voice and started shrieking like a banshee – I’m sure they were supposed to be words, but I couldn’t understand them. Around us the diner fell eerily silent, and everyone was staring now, even the cook, who had come out from the kitchen to see what the commotion was about. Angelica was busy tearing her fake bottom hair from her scalp and laying it on the table, still huffing and crying.
Taylor leaned over the table on her palms, as close to Angelica’s face as she dared, and said, “I used to wonder why you were so mean to me when I first moved here, but now I know you’re just an insecure, lonely little bitch. You may have had Ethan first, but I’ll be his last. And don’t you ever forget it. Consider this your last warning: mess with us again, and you’ll get more than a chocolate shake in that god-awful weave.”
She straightened, turned to me, and grabbed my hand.
“Can we please leave?” I asked hastily, and she nodded. We hurried to the front door, and I slapped two twenties at the register and told them to keep the change, which meant I’d left around a ten-dollar tip for that mess Taylor made.
Totally worth it.
As soon as we were in the car, both Taylor and I burst out laughing. I hit the steering wheel with my hand as a tear ran from my cheek I was laughing so hard.
“That was amazing!” I told her, shifting in the driver’s seat to face her. I wiped the laughing tears from my eyes. “God, you surprise me every day. Who are you?”
“I’m your girlfriend,” she said, holding her stomach and laughing, but when she turned to me her eyes glinted in the lights from the dashboard. “Now that that’s over, shut up and kiss me, will you?”
Chapter 20
Taylor
One week until I left town.
One more week with Ethan, and I didn’t want to think about it.
Tomorrow was our final rehearsal, and I was dragging my feet getting out of bed on a Wednesday morning. Most people called this a hump day, meaning we had to get through the middle of the week, but as my date for flying back to Germany loomed over my head, I lost track of the days. The only way I knew it was Wednesday was because we had three performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday was graduation, though I didn’t know anyone so I wasn’t going, and then Tuesday would be the last day of school. My flight left at seven a.m. sharp Wednesday morning.
I refused to think about it because I could feel the tears prick the back of my eyes, so I was glad when Ethan distracted me by asking if I had any plans that evening. Papa still wasn’t happy with Ethan, but he was still recovering from his hospital stay and slept most of the time, so he didn’t seem to care when or where I went after school, as long as I continued with my dance lessons. I didn’t talk about the play with him; he’d ask who was in, and I knew Ethan would come up and he’d tried to control me again. I only had six days with Ethan, and I planned to spend every moment I could with him.
Before I could answer Ethan’s text, my phone rang.
“I’m going to be late walking to school,” I protested without even greeting him.
“You don’t have to walk today. I’m down the street in the Si
lver Beast. With donuts.”
My inner child had a fit. I almost squealed but remembered I was much too old for that. “Did you get the cream filled ones?”
“I sure did. With maple frosting.”
“I’m getting my shoes on.”
Not only had Ethan bought donuts, but he also had steaming hot coffee, too. I wrinkled my nose as I inhaled the strong black aroma as soon as I opened the door. No sooner had I buckled than he passed me a cup smelling strongly of vanilla. “I didn’t know how much cream and sugar you wanted so I guess...” he said sheepishly.
I took a sip. It was a little too sweet, but so was he, so I didn’t mind. “It’s great,” I told him, mostly honestly. I leaned back and pulled out a donut from the box on the dash as he pulled away from the curb. The pink box was from Holy Donuts, my favorite shop downtown, but they always sold out early in the morning, so I only had them a couple of times. Ethan must have gotten up early to secure this precious commodity.
“So what did you want to do later?” I mumbled around a gooey bite of donut.
“Look in the back,” he motioned.
I glanced in his back seat, and just next to Amy’s car seat were two long rods. “Are those fishing poles?”
“Yeah, I thought we could go to the lake since it’s getting warmer now. Have you ever been?”
“No,” I admitted. I heard about kids from school going, but no one had ever asked me.
“But you have been to a lake before, right?” Ethan asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” I drawled, “they have lakes in Germany but... it’s not like they are here. You don’t swim in them really.”
“Well, the one we are going to isn’t impressive. It’s more like a creek, really...”
He trailed off as I reached for his hand. He threw a glance at me, then smiled. “I love you,” he muttered, barely above a whisper.
My heart soared. “I love you too.”
“So what do you want to do after school? Like next year?” I asked as I skipped a rock. The rest of the twenty-minute drive up into the mountains had been mostly silent. Some music played on the radio, but otherwise it was just him and I
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