- 9.
The nurse’s office was almost empty. Only
one student sat on a cot
Ethan.
His face lit up when he saw me.
“Hey, Ashley! What a coincidence! You here
too?”
I gave him a small nod.
I noticed Ethan was injured, much worse than
my scraped knees. His knee was wrapped in thick gauze, blood seeping through, staining
the white a deep red.
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He followed my gaze and chuckled
sheepishly.
“Oh, this… Yeah, there was this loose piece of
turf on the court. I didn’t see it and tripped
during basketball practice.”
“It’s nothing serious, just a flesh wound. How
about you? You okay?”
I vaguely recalled hearing Ethan was the
captain of the school basketball team and
pretty popular.
The sight of the bloody gauze made me
wince. I couldn’t help but soften my tone.
“I’m fine, just low blood sugar. You should
rest.”
Ethan nodded enthusiastically, his smile
bright, showing no sign of pain.
For the next few days, due to my low blood
sugar and period, and Ethan’s knee injury,
we’d run into each other every morning
during the pre–class run at the nurse’s office.
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uunny the pre–class full at le mure uitive.
All al
We became much more familiar with each
other.
Ethan was a bit of a natural flirt, but he was
also cheerful, kind, and considerate, easy to
be around.
One day, as he sat on the cot, Ethan looked
at me a bit shyly.
“Ashley, I think our friendship has potential
for…something more. What do you think?”
I was taken aback and quickly shook my
head.
But he didn’t give up. A week later, when we
no longer needed to visit the nurse’s office,
he’d seek me out during every break,
sometimes bringing candy, other times
bringing my favorite milk.
He’d hover near me, talking non–stop.
And for some reason, the girls around me
would always eagerly offer him their seat.
Dumore started spreading about Ethon
<
senior, dating a sophomore girl. Everyone
assumed we were together.
I denied it, but everyone just gave me a
knowing look and said, “Sure, whatever you
say,” as if it was an open secret.
The girl behind me asked, “Hey, Ashley, is it
true Ethan has a six–pack?”
I was confused. How would I know? “I don’t
know,” I answered honestly.
“Come on! Don’t be shy with your girls!
We’re just curious! He never lifts his shirt to
wipe off sweat during games, so no one’s
ever seen! He’s like, the ultimate gentleman,
you know?”
My deskmate chimed in.
“I heard from a guy on his team that he’s
totally ripped. You’re his girlfriend, so you
must have seen, right? Tell us, tell us! Is it impressive? What’s it like to touch?”
I thought back. He never lifted his shirt?
く
That wasn’t true. I remembered him
complaining about the lack of AC in the
nurse’s office and constantly tugging at his
++
shirt to wipe off sweat.
Now that I thought about it, I guess I had seen it. I went quiet, lost in thought. “I think he does…He’s pretty lean though. I haven’t…
touched it…”
“OMG! Girl, you’re living the dream!” The girl.
behind me squealed before I could finish.
“Hey! Shut up! I’ve just seen it a few times.
It’s not like…it’s not a big deal,” I hissed,
covering her mouth.
Just then, a sharp crash echoed through the
classroom.
We turned to see Jason, his face pale, staring
at the shattered pieces of his water bottle on
the floor. He seemed to snap out of it and
slowly bent down to pick up the shards.
As he did, Brianna gasped.
く
“Jason! Your hand!”
I saw a deep gash on his finger, blood flowing
freely.
He stared at his hand, as if in a daze.
“Jason, I have tissues. Come here, let me
wrap it.”
Brianna reached for his hand, but he pulled
away.
Then, right in front of everyone, he started
walking towards me.
The cut was deep, but he seemed oblivious to
the pain, leaving a trail of blood droplets on
the floor. He stopped in front of me.
He looked at me and whispered, “I…I’m hurt,
Ashley. Can I have a band–aid?”
I just stared at him.
I always carried band–aids. Jason knew that.
Because of him.
