Chapter Text
Ethan was bored out of his mind. He had a half day of school that week because of parent-teacher meetings. So Ethan was forced to be with his older brother, Richie, at his stupid bowling alley job until Quinn’s college classes ended, as she took online courses from Blackmore Univ. and she could come and “collect him,” as Richie would say.
Usually, Ethan would just stay home alone as he was 17, but his parent-teacher meeting a few days before went… less than great once his math teacher told his father that he was flunking the class. Ethan was immediately grounded upon his father returning home. Part of that grounding was that he needed to be supervised and wasn’t allowed home alone because, in his father’s words, “If you are too stupid for math class, you’re too stupid to stay home alone without burning the place down.”
So here Ethan was, sitting at a sticky, grimy bowling alley table with his math homework open. He was scrolling through his phone without thought, trying to distract himself from the boredom eating away at Ethan’s brain. Just as Ethan found something remotely interesting, his cell phone was plucked from his grasp.
“Homework Ethan! No phone! This is why you have a 30% in math class, dumbass!”
Groaning softly, Ethan looked up to see Richie standing above him with a smug look on his face as he waved Ethan’s phone back and forth. Ethan tried to quickly grab his phone back, but Richie was always faster than his younger brother.
Ethan’s relationship with his older brother was…for better words, strained. Richie, by all means, wasn’t a horrible brother to him and Quinn. I mean…He once purposely broke Ethan’s arm and used to chase Ethan and Quinn around in a Ghostface mask with a knife in hand. Richie also once shoved Quinn down a flight of stairs, breaking her ankle in the process. And they had to lock themselves in their closets so Richie couldn’t attack them when he was on his Ghostface highs, where he pretended they were the helpless victim and he was Billy Loomis!
But Richie was also friendly to them sometimes! Rarely, but still!
When Richie broke Ethan’s arm for the second time, he surprised Ethan with a stack of new X-Men comics! And when he cut Quinn’s hair up to her shoulders when it was initially down to her back–He got Quinn some lovely beanies! He would sneak them both a handful of bills when they were little kids so they wouldn’t tell their mother about Richie’s attacks, but once their mother passed a few years ago, that stopped. Wayne didn’t care that Richie attacked them. “It’s what siblings do,” Wayne would always tell them.
So both Quinn and Ethan grew up believing that what Richie did to them was regular sibling activity. That being chased around with a knife was expected and that the uncountable trips to the hospital were something everyone went through.
That night Ethan curled up in his bed, covering his ears, eyes squeezed shut, silent sobs racking his body. Blood was soaking his bed from where Richie stabbed him in the arm while Richie screamed different ways to kill someone was normal.
When Quinn would hide outside for a whole night because she was going to get attacked again by Richie, holding her broken nose because Richie slammed her into the wall breaking it. Not being able to breathe correctly from the crying and her nose swelling.
But then, about six months ago, it all just…stopped. Richie stopped bringing up the Stab movies he was obsessed with. He stopped chasing them with knives and stopped breaking their bones. All the normal sibling behavior they grew up with suddenly vanished. Richie was suddenly overly friendly to both siblings.
Around this time, Richie started talking about Sam instead, bringing her around and officially introducing his girlfriend to the rest of the family. Quinn said that Sam was making Richie a better person, and they should be grateful for that. Still, Ethan always felt a little weird about the whole situation.
Richie made the two younger siblings meals when their father was gone. Instead of making them cook for him like he used to, he would offer them rides to school on his way to work–that, typically, Sam was in the car for as well– and started to give them lunch money. It was all so different from what the two siblings were used to.
Ethan once overheard Sam telling Richie that she loved how sweet and caring he was towards himself and Quinn. Ethan didn’t know exactly what to make of that because while he knew Richie wasn’t the worst to them– it was all normal sibling behavior. Ethan, You could have it much worse. -- He wouldn’t exactly call Richie sweet or caring.
Even now that things were better between the three siblings, there were still moments when Richie would slam something too hard, causing Ethan and Quinn to share a knowing, scared look. Or one of the two siblings would do something that pissed off Richie a little too much, and he would stare at them with the same cold, haunting look that he would stare at them with when he stood above them with a knife.
There were still days that Ethan and Quinn hid together, scared of the rest of the world, only having each other.
But there stood Richie, the stupid smug look on his face as he swung Ethan’s phone back and forth in one hand and had a plate of fries in the other before he set the fries down on the table, sitting across from Ethan.
“Eth, dude, I know Math is annoying, but you have a 30 in the class, bro; no phone till you finish your homework. Dad left me in charge, remember?” Richie said before shoving a handful of fries into his mouth.
Of course, Ethan remembered.
Last night, their father left on a couples trip with his new girlfriend, Ethan couldn’t remember the name of. Before he left, he declared Richie was responsible for his two younger siblings. Ignoring the fact that Quinn was almost 20 and Ethan was 17.
So Quinn and Ethan were left at the hands of their older brother, listening to whatever he wanted them to do, which included Richie bossing Ethan around about his homework.
“I’m doing it, Richie! I was just…Taking a break!” Ethan said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest. He could feel Richie’s eyes burning into his head as Ethan turned his head, looking out into the empty bowling alley instead of meeting his older brother’s eyes.
Ethan knew on the surface that Richie had become a lot nicer to him and his sister over the last few months since meeting Sam. But he couldn’t help the anxiety that built up in his chest when Richie looked his way from the years of fear they’re already ingrained into his mind from riches attacks.
Without looking, Ethan knew Richie was rolling his eyes at Ethan’s words. One glance at Ethan’s paper gave away the fact Ethan had worked on the paper at all during the time he spent at the roller rink that day. All the math problems are empty. There wasn’t even a pencil scratch on the paper except when Ethan wrote his name and the date.
“Whatever you say. Your funeral when Dad finds out your math grade didn’t go up while he was on his trip.” Richie responded, lending back in his chair. Still spinning Ethan’s phone in his hand as he ate the fries.
Ethan groaned quietly before he reached for the bag of fries and grabbed one out of it, quickly shoving it into his mouth before Richie could snatch it away. Richie glared slightly at his younger brother before tugging the fries closer to himself.
“I bought these for me, you know. Not for you?” Richie said, annoyance leaking into his tone. The Richie Ethan grew up showing its face slightly.
But then, Richie’s eyes slipped off of Ethan and locked onto something behind him instead. All traces of annoyance slipping away and being masked with a look of…fondness towards his younger brother? Before Ethan could turn around and see what his brother was looking at. Richie quickly stood up and shot a sickeningly sweet smile on Ethan’s way.
“But! Since you’re my little brother, I’ll let it slide, yeah?” Richie’s tone was drastically different. Instead of annoyance, it was dripping with fondness and humor. It has been almost five months of this from Richie, but Ethan still wasn’t used to it. Richie’s eyes were still locked on something behind Ethan.
Ethan glanced over his shoulder to see what caught Richie’s attention quickly.
Unsurprisingly, Ethan saw that Sam was standing at the ticket counter. When Sam was in earshot, Richie always acted extra sweet to Quinn or himself. Ethan watched as Sam pushed away from the counter and started to walk outside.
“Hey—Hey, Sam! Wait up!” Richie called, catching Sam’s attention. Sam turned and faced the brothers, a soft smile covering her face as she watched the two.
Richie suddenly crouched down to be at eye level with Ethan while he was sitting. With a soft smile on his face, Richie gently pushed the tray of fries to Ethan’s side of the table.
“Don’t stress about math, yeah? You deserve a break. I can tell how hard you’ve been working!” Richie said, his voice soft and kind as he stood up, still smiling at this younger brother.
Ethan nodded slightly to Richie’s words. Feeling a slight whiplash from the sudden switch-up from his brother.
Richie smiled at Ethan gently before softly ruffling Ethan’s hair.
Richie’s touch made Ethan shiver. Ethan never liked when Richie touched him. It left Ethan feeling like his skin was crawling.
“I’ll be back, and then I’ll work with you on those math problems!” Richie said before jogging to catch up with Sam before she exited the building.
Ethan sat there in slight shock. He wasn’t used to Richie’s overly kindness yet, unlike how Quinn fully embraced it, Ethan was still weary of it all. Quinn didn’t question Richie’s new personality at all, while Ethan always had an off feeling about it. He still had that gut feeling that something was wrong.
Ethan pushed his thoughts away, focused on his math homework, and ate Richie’s fries instead.
It wasn’t even ten minutes later before Richie, and Sam burst back into the bowling alley. Sam had a pale look on her face like she would throw up, and Richie immediately went to the back where their boss was.
Ethan watched as Sam quietly gathered her things before returning outside. Having a feeling that they would be leaving soon after, Ethan packed up his backpack and quickly finished the fries.
By the time Ethan finished packing and eating, Richie was walking back over to their table. Richie had a freaked-out look on his face as he held Ethan’s phone to him. Ethan carefully took his phone back, confused. Usually, Richie kept his phone for days once he had it.
“Call Quinn. Tell her to meet us at home rather than here, okay?” Richie said softly. Ethan could tell something was bothering his older brother by the way Richie’s leg was slightly bouncing.
“Yeah–Yeah, sure, what’s going on?” Ethan asked as he opened his phone and pulled up Quinn’s contact.
“I’ll tell you both at home. I’m getting my stuff. Call her.” Richie said before walking off. Ethan was stunned momentarily before clicking ‘call’ on Quinn’s contact.
Ethan picked at his hoodie strings as he waited for Quinn to answer. Finally, after two rings, Quinn picked up.
“Hey, Eth! I’m leaving the house now and be on my way!” Quinn chirped into the phone. Her voice, as always, was soft and cheerful. Ethan loved his older sister with everything he had in him. Quinn was his best friend and sister, all wrapped into one. There was no one else in the world he was closer to. Never will be either.
“No need Q, Me and Richie are coming back early; no clue why Richie won’t tell me till we’re home and the three of us are together…Can you make pasta for dinner?” Ethan asked, completely switching topics without meaning to. Quinn swears up, and down that the boy has the shortest attention span she has ever seen.
“What–Okay then, uh…Course Eth. Thanks for the heads up! I’ll start dinner, dork. Did you finish your math homework?” Quinn asked. Ethan could hear her making her way into the kitchen and getting ingredients for dinner.
Ethan said nothing for a few moments. Quinn sighed deeply into the phone. “Taking that as a no–I’ll work with you on it after dinner.”
“Thanks, Quinn! You’re my favorite sister! Did you know that?”
“Yeah, you’re lucky you’re my favorite brother, dork.”
The ride back to the house was very tense. Richie wasn’t speaking, which wasn’t like him. Generally, as they drove, Richie ranted about whatever he was thinking. Ethan always sat in silence, just letting Richie listen to himself speak. Ethan never spoke in the car. Really, he preferred to look out the window and daydream about anywhere but where he was.
Richie drove with an iron grip on the stirring wheel. His knuckles were turning white from how hard he was gripping the wheel. Ethan was starting to worry Richie would rip it from the car.
Ethan felt himself hit the car door as Richie took a sharp turn at a way too fast speed. Richie always drove recklessly, exceeding the speed limit and not stopping at stop signs. Just overall, Ethan never felt safe while Richie drove.
Finally, after the 20-minute drive, Richie pulled into the driveway of their house. Quickly opening the garage and parking the car inside of it. Ethan felt himself able to breathe correctly once more as the vehicle was placed into park.
Ethan gathered his backpack and things before jumping out of the car and locking the doors behind him. Looking over the hood, Richie shook a pack of cigarettes at Ethan, signaling that Richie was going for a quick smoke. Ethan nodded as Richie made his way to the driveway and pulled out his lighter. The curly-haired boy quickly toed off his shoes before he went inside before the nasty cigarette smoke could make its way near Ethan’s lung.
As Ethan opened the door, he could hear the clear music blaring from the kitchen, showing him exactly where his big sister was. Ethan smiled as he made his way inside the house, making a b-line to the kitchen.
Just like he guessed, Quinn was standing in the kitchen. Music was blaring at top volume, Taylor Swift to be exact, and to be more precise, it was “Speak Now” Quinn’s favorite song. The ginger-haired girl danced around the kitchen, singing into her dirty wooden spoon with pasta sauce. Ethan could smell the sauce cooking as he watched Quinn ungracefully spin herself on the tile floor.
After watching her momentarily, Quinn finally noticed Ethan standing in the doorway instead of being embarrassed that she was caught having her own mini-concert. Quinn grabbed Ethan’s hand, tugging him further into the kitchen, forcing him to join her concert.
“So don’t say yes, run away now–I’ll meet you when you’re out of the church at the back door!” Quinn sang along to the music, spinning herself and Ethan around the room to the music. Ethan couldn’t help the laughter that was escaping him as they danced.
This was a regular thing in the Kirsch household. Quinn loved music. It was her world. So any chance she got, she played it as loud as possible, singing along to the music and, more times than not, dragging Ethan into it as well.
As the song ended, the two siblings chuckled together before leaning against the counter to catch their breaths from the laughter and dancing. Sitting on top of the kitchen island, Ethan jumped up, turning the music down slightly to hear Quinn. Quinn made her way to the pot of sauce, stirring it.
“So! Any idea why Richie came home early with you?” Quinn asked after a few moments to catch their breath. Quickly sticking a spoon into the sauce before holding it out to Etha so he could taste it.
“No clue. Richie wanted to wait till we were all together–That’s really good, Quinn!” Ethan said around the spoon. Quinn laughed softly before throwing the spoon into the sink.
“Thanks; where is Rich anyways?” Quinn asked as she pulled bowls out of the cabinet before handing them to Ethan. Ethan slid off the counter and placed the bowls on the table. Whenever Quinn cooked, Ethan set the table. It was how it always worked.
“Smoking outside, probably on his fifth one, too,” Ethan responded, grabbing the forks from the drawer before moving to the fridge and pulling out three cans of iced tea. Quinn rolled her eyes; she hated Richie’s smoking.
“He’s so fucking gross with that shit.” Quinn huffed, rolling her eyes. Ethan nodded along to his sister’s words. Ethan hated smoking, too, it always left a nasty smell in the house, and the smoke made Ethan’s chest tight.
Quinn quietly started to plate the pasta up into the bowls Ethan set out on the table. The two siblings work silently as the music still plays quietly in the background.Ethan finished setting the table as Richie opened the front door.
“Alright, everyone, family meeting. Come to the dinner table.” Richie shouted as he entered the kitchen where his siblings were. Quinn rolled her eyes at her brother’s shouts.
“We already were heading there, Rich. I just finished dinner.” Quinn said, taking her seat at the table. Ethan quickly sat beside her as Richie claimed the chair across from his two younger siblings.
Richie said nothing at first as he quietly took his first few bites of the dinner Quinn had prepared. The two younger siblings also looked confused before they started eating.The silence continued until the end of the meal, the only noise being Quinn’s Taylor Swift playlist still playing in the background, but softer than before.
“So… I’m sure you two are wondering what’s going on, yeah?” Richie asked, pushing away his now empty bowl. Both Quinn and Ethan’s heads snapped up at their brother’s words; the curiosity was starting to kill them.
“Uh—how do I start…well… Sam’s younger sister—she’s about your age Ethan…She was attacked. By a guy…In a Ghostface mask.”
The words settled over the two younger siblings like battery acid. It felt like the words alone burned their skin. The word ‘Ghostface’ made both siblings feel like they wanted to throw up. It brought back too many bad memories and experiences, all caused by the man sitting across from them.
“…What?” Quinn whispered, her voice shaking quietly. Under the table, Ethan’s hand found Quinn’s. The two locking hands tightly, Quinn could feel how Ethan’s hand shook.
“Yeah…Not great—But! Sam needs me to go to their hometown with her…and you two are coming with.” Richie said, finally lifting his head to meet his younger siblings’ eyes. Richie’s expression was dark; it matched the one in Quinn’s nightmares. Quinn immediately looked away, focusing on Ethan’s hand under the table.
“What—Why? I don’t understand why Quinn and I must go with you?” Ethan asked; his voice was scared, but he was clearly trying to cover it up.
“Come on, guys, trust me. I’m your older brother. This might even be fun, yeah? Sibling road trip!” Richie exclaimed, trying to meet his sibling’s eyes, but neither would look up from their lap.
“How could any of this be fun?” Quinn asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Richie sighed quietly, throwing his head back in annoyance.
“Listen. I’m your older brother. I won’t let anything happen to you two. This is final. I’m in charge; you two go pack. We leave shortly.” Richie said, his voice stern, leaving no room for arguments as he exited the table and walked away.
Ethan let out a shaking breath once Richie was in his room with the door shut, quickly turning into Quinn, pressing his face into his older sister’s shoulder. Quinn instantly wrapped her arms around Ethan’s shoulder, bringing him closer.
Both siblings just needed each other at that moment, forcing all the bad memories out of their heads.
The two siblings packed as quickly as they could after they took a moment to collect their thoughts, knowing making Richie wait for them wasn’t an option.
Quinn packed faster than Ethan, so she ended up in the doorway of Ethan’s room as Ethan finished up. Quinn played on her phone as she waited, quietly reminding Ethan of what he usually forgot, his phone charger, headphones, and spare binders.
A few moments later, Ethan zipped up his duffle bag and swung it onto his shoulder. Quinn followed him out, her headphones already plugged into her ears.
Once they made their way outside, the siblings saw that Sam had arrived and placed her bags into the back of Richie’s car. Richie waved the two siblings over as he also put his bag into the car.Sam waved at the two younger Kirsch siblings but didn’t greet them any other way. She wore an unreadable look as she sat in the passager seat. Quinn didn’t blame her; if Ethan had been attacked like that, she would have gone crazy.
Ethan and Quinn quickly got into the backseat, buckling themselves in as Richie began to drive. The car was silent; Richie had the radio on a low volume as the sun set behind them. Ethan slipped his headphones on, settling into his seat before resting his head on Quinn’s shoulder. Exhaustion is starting to take a toll on him, causing Ethan to shut his eyes.
The curly hair boy felt himself slip into sleep as Quinn rested her head against Ethan’s.
Ethan wasn’t sure how long it had been, but when he opened his eyes, the sun was high, and he could hear Sam and Richie whispering in the front seat.
Sitting up slowly, Ethan stretched out as far as he could go with being in the car. Feeling his bones crack and pop as he moved as his body woke up after his surprisingly deep sleep. Looking to his left, Ethan saw Quinn awake, scrolling through TikTok on her phone. Once she saw Ethan looking, the ginger-haired girl sent him a soft smile.
Pulling off his headphone, Ethan listened to what his brother and Sam were saying.
“—The Stab movies. Ghostface? ‘Based on actual events?’ You’ve never seen Stab? Not even the one came out last year?” Sam asked, the shock evident in her voice.
Ethan felt confusion rock his whole body. Why was Richie lying about seeing the Stab movies? Ethan glanced at Quinn and saw that she had the same confused look, no doubt wondering the same. They both knew how obsessed with these movies their brother was.
Ethan opened his mouth to speak but quickly caught Richie’s dark look in the review mirror. Ethan promptly got the message and shut his mouth.
“I’ve never seen Gone with the Wind either; I don’t consider it like a massive hole in my cinematic education-“Richie joked; his voice was light compared to the dark look still staring down both Quinn and Ethan.
“Most Stab movies are based on things that really happened in my hometown,” Sam replied, looking away from Richie and out the window instead.
Ethan felt like there were suddenly rocks in his stomach; her hometown? Did that mean they were going too…? No way…It can’t be.
By the look on Quinn’s face, Ethan knew she had come to the same realization.
“Define “things,” Richie said, finally taking his eyes off his siblings to look back onto the road.
“Things like a guy named Billy Loomis and his friend carved up a bunch of high school kids while wearing this Halloween ghost mask,” Sam said, messing with the sleeve of her shirt.
“You mean like in Halloween ?”
“Not like in Halloween .”
“It sounds a lot like Halloween -“
Ethan forced himself to stop listening to their conversion. He could feel the fear and anxitey building up in his chest and stomach. He quickly slipped his headphones back on, using them like a security blanket. Quinn reached over and gently took Ethan’s hand into her own. Squeezing slightly to remind her younger brother that she was there and he wasn’t alone. Ethan squeezed back, glancing out the window.
What he saw knocked all the air out of his lungs.
“ Welcome To Woodsboro!”
Ethan knew whatever happened next wouldn’t be good for him or Quinn.
A few hours later, they finally reached the hospital. Richie quickly parked the car; Sam jumped out when it was safe, racing to get inside the building and to her younger sister.
Richie waited for a moment, walking behind Sam in front of his younger siblings. With one look over his shoulder, both siblings knew they better stay quiet during this if they knew what was best for them.
Following Sam into the hospital, the brown-haired girl quickly leads the group to an elevator and down a few hallways. Finally, bringing them to an opened door. Ethan could hear quiet talking coming from inside.
Slowly, Sam and the others made their way inside the room. Immediately caught the attention of the others who were already inside the room.
Ethan glanced around the room, taking everyone in. There was a girl in the hospital bed, who Ethan assumed was Tara. Next to her on the bed was a black-haired girl who was holding Tara’s hand. Two tall, dark-skinned teens were in a leatherman jacket, and the other was already glaring at them. Finally, a blonde-haired boy was smiling at them.
The boy in the leather jacket looked over at them, waving slightly. Ethan couldn’t help the warmth that filled his chest; there was no denying that the boy was beautiful.
Blushing slightly, Ethan returned the wave, causing the taller boy’s smile to grow in size as he looked over Ethan. The two met eyes for a moment, staring at each other before Ethan forced himself to move his gaze to the ground. He could feel himself blush harder as the boy’s eyes made their way over him.
Sam made her way over to Tara’s bed, crouching beside it. Sam had a soft smile on her face, but the clear signs of worry were there.
“Hey… How are you feeling?” Sam asked her voice in a whisper. Ethan couldn’t help but feel they were invading a moment they shouldn’t be.
“You came…?” Tara whispered. Shock and happiness were evident as she let go of the other girl’s hand to hold onto Sam’s.
“Of course I did. Wes called me.” Sam said softly before turning and gesturing to the Kirsch family. “This is my boyfriend, Richie, and his younger siblings, Quinn and Ethan.”
“You brought your new family?” The Dark hair girl spoke up from her spot next to Tara on the bed; Anger was evident in her voice, but her voice didn’t show it.
“Amber… Don’t start.” Tara whispered to the girl, causing her to sigh but nod quietly. Richie went further into the room, Crouching down next to Sam.
“It’s very nice to meet you, and I hope me and my family are not intruding,” Richie said softly with a kind smile.
Tara smiled at Richie as Sam stood and walked across the room, embracing the other three teens.
“This is Chad and Mindy, the twins, and Wes Hicks. I used to babysit them all.” Sam explained. The boy in the leatherman—Chad, Laughed quietly at her words.
“Which is always how I like to be introduced.” We joked, waving to the younger Kirsch siblings. Richie shook their hands in turn as Sam moved back to Tara.
Despite the warm welcome, Ethan and Quinn kept their distance from the group, feeling out of place.
“Where’s Mom?” Sam asked her sister; the concern was apparent in her tone as Tara shrugged in response.
“She called here earlier,” Tara explained quietly. Amber pulled Tara away from Sam slightly and into Her side. Ethan had to guess that the two were dating.
“For all of ten minutes. Look, Tara’s really tired, and there are like many people in here, so-“Amber started to say, but Tara shook her head, cutting her off.
“It’s okay. I want her to stay.” Tara said softly, smiling at her older sister. Sam quickly returned the smile, grabbing Tara’s hand into her own once more.
“I was thinking... I could sleep here tonight. If That’s okay with you?” Sam suggested. A large smile broke out across Tara’s face as she listened to her sister speak.
“I’d like that,” Tara whispered. Next to her, Amber opens her mouth, but Wes places a hand on her shoulder. Ethan watched as Amber quickly shoved the hand off her, sending Wes a disguised look.
“Maybe we should let them catch up,” Chad suggested, already approaching the door with his sister Mindy. Amber looks to Tara, who subtly nods, letting her know it is okay. Amber was obviously a little hurt but planted a kiss on Tara’s forehead anyway.
Ethan silently cheered about being right about them dating before following the rest of the group into the hallway. Richie quietly shut the door behind him before turning to his siblings.
“I’m going downstairs and calling around to find a motel, okay? You two stay here and stay together.” Richie ordered before setting off to the elevators.
Quinn quickly grabbed Ethan’s arm and pulled them over to a nearby bench. They both sat down and pulled out their phones as they waited.
A few moments of silence passed before Ethan felt someone touch his shoulder, causing Ethan to jump away and almost fall out of his seat. Ethan quickly turned to see Chad standing there, hands in the air, with an amused look on his face. Ethan could already feel the blush begin to burn his cheeks.
“Wooh! Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You’re Ethan, right?” Chad asked, a kind smile covering his face. Ethan felt himself relax for some reason as he looked back at Chad. His own awkward smile formed on his face.
“Oh! Yeah—that’s me… You’re Chad?” Ethan asked back. A stupid question since Ethan knew for a fact his name was Chad. But Chad simply smiled at him and nodded.
“That I am—So hey…I wanted to give you this. You should use it.” Chad said, handing Ethan a small piece of paper.
On the paper was clearly Chad’s phone number with a little winky face drawn next to it. Ethan felt himself blush more as he read the note but couldn’t help himself from making a joke.
“Was that your idea of a pickup line? ‘You should use it?’ Ethan asked, amusement clear in his tone as he smiled at Chad. Chad laughed quietly and shook his head.
“Not my best work. But hey—I could show you more pickup lines if you use it.” Chad suggested, standing up and running a Hand over his hair.
“I’ll keep that in mind. I have to hear more of these great pickup lines.” Ethan responded, not sure where his sudden confidence came from but grateful for it as he spoke to the handsome boy.
“Good, I’ll see you around?” Chad asked, slowly making his way to the elevators, his eyes never leaving Ethan’s.
“You might,” Ethan responded; he could feel the blush now on his neck too. Ethan knew he looked like a tomato, but it didn’t stop the wide smile from gracing his face as Chad waved one last time before stepping onto the elevator.
As soon as the doors shut, Quinn turned to her brother. The shock was written all over her face as she playfully slapped Ethan’s arm.
“What the fuck? Where did any of that come from!” Quinn asked, her voice thick with shock. Ethan shook his head, hiding his face in his hands.
“I have no clue! I—holy shit!” Ethan responded, disbelief Clear in his tone as Quinn reached over and shook him slightly.
“That was amazing, Eth! Oh my god! I’m so proud of you—He was so cute too! Holy shit!” Quinn gasped, soft laughter making its way out of her as she smiled at her baby brother. Ethan couldn’t help but laugh along.
The two calmed down after a few minutes of laughter. Ethan rested his head back onto Quinn’s shoulder. Quinn hummed quietly as they calmed down from their shock and laughter.
Ethan pocketed the note Chad gave him, butterflies swarming around his stomach as he smiled to himself. Never in a million years would Ethan ever think something like that could happen to someone like him—especially with someone as hot as Chad.
Quinn suddenly pulled away from Ethan, catching her brother’s attention with a confused look. Quinn stared at her brother with a suddenly serious expression.
“Don’t let Richie see the note. I don’t want to know what he’ll do. Don’t let him ruin this for you, okay?” Quinn whispered, her tone deadly serious as Ethan nodded to his sister’s words.
Suddenly the elevator door beeped, causing both siblings to look over and see Richie walking off the elevator and over to them. Ethan quickly wiped any happiness off his face and hoped Richie didn’t discover what had happened.
Ethan vowed to keep this happy moment for himself and not let Richie ruin it. Ethan had to guess the next few days wouldn’t be fun, so this happy moment was special.
Little did he know precisely how bad the next few days would be.