Page 32 of Don’t Love the Boy Next Door (Hotties Next Door #2)
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Phoenix
“Are you sure you want to come?” I ask Katie Saturday morning as I tie my hair into a high ponytail and let it swing down the back of my neck. “Eric might be there.”
Shrugging, Katie brushes her hair. “Of course I want to come. Ethan’s my friend. And yes, his brother might be there and it’ll be hard to see him, but I want to.”
“Okay.” I check myself over and over in the mirror—I have no idea why—then tell Katie I’m good to go. She hardly looks at herself before following me out of the house.
I catch her eyes darting to the Palmer house, and her body tenses up. She kept her shade firmly shut the past few days, like she’s shutting off that bright part of her life. I still have no clue how to help her. She hasn’t even been in my latest live streams.
We climb on the bus and take it to the hospital. I don’t know how Ethan will react when he sees me. I mean, does he even want to see me?
Why am I even going?
“Phoenix, it’s our stop,” Katie says. She’s standing at the back doors, ready to descend as the bus slows to a stop. I rush to her and jump down the stairs and out of the bus.
“What are you so distracted with?” she asks as we make our way to the hospital a few blocks away.
I shrug. “Nothing.”
She gives me a face.
I sigh. “It’s selfish.”
“What is?”
I stop walking and turn to her. “For me to be nervous about seeing Ethan when you’re dreading seeing Eric. Like, I have no right to be a drama queen when you’re still hurting from what he did to you.”
“Why are you nervous?”
I continue walking. “I don’t know.”
“Phoenix.”
I turn around. “Okay…I want to see Ethan.” I cover my face. “Is that crazy? Like, I was up all night wondering if he’s okay. Everyone was saying on social media that he has small injuries, but, like, I still want to see him and see if he’s okay. That’s crazy. I mean, I don’t even like the guy.”
“Okay…why is your face red, then?”
My hand shoots to my cheek. It’s not that hot—okay it is. But why? I mean, I was worried about him after he got hurt, but so was the rest of the crowd. And Katie, too. So why do my cheeks think they have the right to turn red?
“We’re here,” she says once we get there and walk through the doors. We take an elevator to the right floor.
My heart is beating wildly and my stomach keeps closing in on itself. What the heck is up with that? And my hands are a little sweaty. That’s never happened to me before.
The elevator doors ping open and we file out. After looking right and left, we find the room and step inside. But it’s nearly impossible to move because Ethan’s room is filled with kids from school, and even kids from other schools.
Katie and I exchange a glance. There’s no way we’ll be able to break through this blockade.
“Good, let’s go,” I say as I turn to go.
Katie grips my hand. “No way. He has to know we’re here.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re his friends.”
Friends…? Me? Nah, I don’t think so…but if I want to be honest with myself, I kind of want him to know I’m here.
“Everyone move!” I yell.
No one budges.
Katie and I exchange another glance.
I hold my hands over my mouth, deepening my voice. “Visiting hours are over!” I boom. “Unless you want security to escort you out, I suggest you leave.”
Again, nothing. This crowd is so huge and so loud that even a fire drill won’t make them flee.
My shoulders sag. “Guess we should go home.”
Katie is about to say something, when Eric slips through the blockade. He freezes, his eyes widening as he takes her in.
She averts her gaze, pushing some hair over her face. He turns away from us, shoulders tightening.
“Eric, you’ve got to help us get through,” I tell him.
His eyes creep in Katie’s direction for a second before he focuses on me. Then he nods and disappears inside.
I can’t exactly see or hear what’s going on. Until a woman who must be their mom tells the kids that Ethan appreciates them visiting, but he’s tired and needs to get some rest. They reluctantly leave, and it takes, like, five minutes for the place to clear out.
Once it does, I have a good view of Ethan.
He’s sitting on his bed, looking perfectly normal, except for some swelling on his head.
Eric’s at his side, his mom at his other side.
Eric keeps his gaze on the wall, as if making sure not to look Katie’s way.
Then he gets to his feet and sweeps out of the room.
Katie watches him go, a large swallow making its way down her throat. Then she pushes a wide smile on her face. “Hi, Ethan. How are you?”
He returns the smile, his eyes brightening when he notices us standing before him. I never realized it before, but he’s, like, really handsome when he smiles. “Hi. I’m great, thanks.” His gaze shifts to me. “Hey, Phoenix.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I tell him. “I was worried. I mean, we were worried. Everyone was.”
He dips his head slightly. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
I nod and glance away.
“I’m happy you guys came,” he says, flashing us more smiles.
Their mom gets to her feet. She’s very pretty, though her eyes are sad. She doesn’t look one bit like her sons. I guess they get their looks from their dad. She grins to me and Katie, thanking us for coming.
She squints, turning to Ethan. “Are these the girls you wanted to see so badly that you had me get rid of the others?”
Ethan’s eyes widen and he pushes some hair out of his eyes. “Mom…yeah.” He laughs awkwardly, looking away.
His mom’s eyes move from us to Ethan, and I think she’s trying to figure out which one of us her son likes. I want to tell her that Ethan doesn’t like either of us…but is that true? I mean, it was like the sun shone on his face when he realized we came. Was it because of…me? No, that’s crazy.
“I think I’ll go to the cafeteria for a bit,” his mom says, kissing him on the cheek. Offering us another smile, she exits the room.
It’s just me and Katie and Ethan. He gestures for us to sit.
Katie hangs back. “I’m so happy you’re okay, Ethan, but I think I’m going to head home now.”
“Katie….” I hiss.
She ignores me. “See you later.” She waves and leaves me alone with him.
Alone with him .
He looks at me and I look at him. He grins. It really does make him look so much more handsome…Gosh, what am I thinking?
“Want to sit?” he offers.
Like Katie, I hang back. “Maybe I should go home, too. You know, not leave Katie alone.”
He nods slowly, but I can’t ignore the disappointment clouding his face. “Oh…okay.”
I slip toward the door, when my phone beeps with a text. It’s from Katie.
Don’t even think about following me. Stay with Ethan. I’m fine. And if you follow me, I won’t talk to you ever again.
Another text.
STAY WITH ETHAN!
Holy…if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she’s purposely shoving Ethan and me together. Oh my gosh, he doesn’t like me!
“Everything okay?” Ethan asks.
I forgot for a second where I am and that he’s, like, right there. He looks so vulnerable in that hospital bed, so normal, so…not like a pompous football player who only cares about himself.
I slip my phone in my pocket. “Yeah, everything’s cool.”
His eyebrows furrow as he nods. “Okay. So I’ll see you later?”
Katie’s virtual yelling splashes before my eyes. Geez.
“When are you being released?” I ask him.
“Later today.”
“Oh. I guess I can stay for a little while.”
His eyes fill with surprise. “Really? Thanks. Means a lot.”
“Why?”
He plays with his hospital blanket. “I told you I’d like us to be friends.”
Right. Friends.
He looks like he wants to say more, and he has a weird expression on his face that I can’t read. He nods toward the TV. “My mom was watching this old show.”
I sit on the chair near his bed and we watch. I have no idea what’s going on on the TV, because I’m distracted by the guy sitting less than a foot away from me. I feel his eyes on me. It’s like he wants to say something, but is either too scared—which I highly doubt—or maybe I’m just imagining it.
But what I’m not imagining is the way my stomach keeps flipping like it’s a freakin’ gymnast. Why did Katie do this to me?
How can this guy, this guy who was my biggest enemy in the world, make my heart beat a million times a minute?