Page 16 of Run
While Ethan stands in front of me, stunned, I take the opportunity to step around and make my way down the hall.
This time he doesn’t follow.
ETHAN
I’ve felt like shit ever since Ari walked away from me. I didn’t want to go back to class, so I caught a ride with a buddy from the football team who offered to drop me home at lunchtime. Of course, Ari would be disturbed by seeing me act like that. But I couldn’tnotreact. I thought Sean was a cool dude. In fact, I’m sure he has his eye on Ari.
I drag my hands down my face. Good God, the idea of Sean pursuing her makes me murderous.
Laying on my bed and staring up at the ceiling, I’m wondering how to make this whole clusterfuck better when my phone chimes with a text message. It’s from Catherine.
I’m at your door.
Huh?
I jog to the front door, opening it to find Catherine standing there in her tight jeans and puffy jacket, hands stuffed in her pockets as her backpack hangs from her shoulder.
“Hey,” she says. “Uh, sorry to just drop by, but I heard about the fight with Sean—”
“It wasn’t a fight. I mean, it wasn’t like we threw punches.”
“Right … Well, whatever it was, I heard about it, and I wanted to see if you were alright.”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Like I said, it didn’t come to swings.”
“OK.” She looks around. “Well, I guess I’ll go.”
I look outside to see if there’s a car in the driveway, which there isn’t. “How did you get here?”
“Oh, um, I took your bus. But I’ll just head over to Fonz’s house. He wanted to get off with me, but I told him I wanted to come alone …” She lets the sentence drift off and linger in the air for a moment as she stares at me.
Oh!
“Well,” I say, gripping the back of my neck with one hand. “Look, just come inside. It’s too cold to walk over to Fonz’s house. My mom will be home in a bit, and she’ll let me use her car.” I move to the side and let Catherine enter.
“You have your driver’s license? I’m so jealous. I can’t wait to get mine.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not really too useful if you don’t have your own car.” Catherine laughs lightly, and I look around and click my tongue. “You, uh, want the grand tour?” I raise my arms wide. “This here is the main living area. As you can see, it connects right to the kitchen-slash-dining area.” Catherine smiles at my dramatic tour guide personality, and I wave for her to follow me down the hall. “On this wing of the abode we have the master bedroom where my parents fight—I mean sleep.” She laughs. “That is followed by the bathroom, and then on the other side is my quarters.”
We walk into my room and Catherine looks around, letting her backpack slip to the ground. “This is very … boyish.”
“Ari said something like that the first time she was in here.”
Catherine swings her head toward me. “Ari’s been in here?”
“Yeah,” I shrug.
“Oh. I didn’t realize you guys were so close.”
“Well, she’s my best friend.”
Catherine nods. “So, is she like … a sister?”
I think about it for a moment. “No,” I answer truthfully. “Not a sister, just someone I care about, I guess.”
“Oh.” Catherine perches on the edge of my bed, and I sit down next to her. Our shoulders brush, and I realize she still has her heavy coat on. “You want to take your coat off?”
She doesn’t answer, but starts unzipping it, then pulls her arms out and tosses it on the bed behind us. She’s left in a tight, soft-knit peach sweater that hugs her body. Suddenly my mouth is dry, and my heart is hammering in my chest.
