- 7.
Ashton was waiting for me at the school gate,
39
1300
His face lit up when he saw me. “Here, your
–
favorite vanilla.”
I took the ice cream and walked home with him.
On the way, Ashton excitedly recounted how he’d crushed Southwood’s team on the court.
I didn’t have the heart to interrupt him.
But finally, I said gently, “Um… Mr. Hughes, there’s a slight chance I actually go to Southwood.”
Ashton’s hand flew to the back of his neck, a
sheepish grin on his face. “Haha, right. Forgot about that.”
My parents were always busy with work, so
after our tutoring sessions, Ashton would
usually stay for dinner.
Saying he was “staying for dinner” was really
く
just a nice way of saying he was cooking dinner
for me.
I remembered learning to cook that summer in
my past life. Ethan loved sweet and sour pork,
and I’d scalded my hands trying to learn to
make it for him, never even receiving a thank
you.
“Mr. Hughes, I’m craving Korean BBQ tonight.
Let’s go out.”
“Sure.”
Ashton didn’t come from a wealthy family, but
he was always generous, treating me to things.
Like the BBQ tonight. He was paying again.
I rubbed my full belly, a contented sigh
‘escaping my lips. “My treat next time!”
Ashton smiled and agreed.
<
Back at my house, I saw Ethan waiting by the
front door.
I told Ashton to go ahead without me.
Ethan saw me and limped towards me.
Watching him hobble over, I felt a pang of…
something. Amusement, maybe.
I remembered in middle school, I’d gotten hit by
a motorcycle while buying Ethan his favorite
sneakers for his birthday.
I’d limped to his house that night to give him
the gift, but he barely even glanced at the box
before tossing it onto a pile of other presents,
where it was promptly forgotten.
Later, I saw Zach wearing those sneakers.
He said Ethan had given them to him.
く
I’d had a huge fight with Ethan about it. I’d said he could have thrown them away if he didn’t want them, but he shouldn’t have given them to someone else. I told him about the motorcycle accident.
Ethan had just kept playing his video game, his voice cold. “Did I ask you to go? You’re crazy. Don’t bother me while I’m gaming.”
And now here he was, limping towards me.
“Where were you?”
He glanced behind me, probably looking for
Ashton.
“Is there something you need?”
I didn’t want to talk to him.
Seeing his face brought back memories of my
child.
く
He shouldn’t have come into my life. I couldn’t
give him a happy family. His father didn’t love
his mother, and he wouldn’t love him either.
“Mia, what’s going on? What did I do wrong?
Tell me, and I’ll fix it. Please don’t ignore me.”
I looked up at Ethan. His face was etched with
anxiety, like he was searching for something
precious he’d lost.
“I’m not doing anything. I just don’t like you
anymore.”
Panic flashed across his face. He placed his
hands on my shoulders, his eyes welling up. His
youthful vulnerability and fear, however, only
struck me as absurd.
The night was dark. Ethan’s voice was hesitant.
“But I… I like you, Mia. I like you. Can’t you…
keep liking me?”
<
Like me?
Was that what it was?
He was just uncomfortable with my sudden indifference, with the fact that Mia, who had always revolved around him, was no longer orbiting his sun.
I didn’t want to prolong this conversation. I shrugged off his hands. “Go home, Ethan.”
He grabbed my arm, his eyes red–rimmed.
39
I looked at him, silently pulled away, and went inside.
The next morning, he was back at my doorstep, holding breakfast.
He looked exhausted.
€9
Ashton also arrived with breakfast for our
tutoring session. Ethan and Ashton nearly got
into a fight right there on my porch.
