Kathy With A K's Song

"Wake, Baby, wake but leave that blanket around you there is no where as safe" - No One Would Riot for Less

- 

"Does that hurt?" Ethan questioned, pressing a finger into my arm.

I hissed sharply, pulling away from his touch. "Is the sky blue?" I snapped, giving him my worst glare.

Ethan's face turned thoughtful. "You know, actually it's not. We only think-"

I shoved him away with my uninjured arm, giving him a pointed look. Ethan chuckled and held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm just trying to educate you on something that I actually know about. Unlike this. I have no idea what I'm doing. You should really go to the hospital." Ethan sighed, mostly to himself, as he wrapped my shoulder tight with gauze.

I gripped his hand tight in my hand, making him meet my gaze.

"I'm sure you know what you're doing precisely," I assured him, without an ounce of doubt in me. "Besides I hate the hospital, and I refuse to go back there."

My faith in Ethan's abilities as a medical professional wasn't that strong; he was a bigger fan of numbers than science. It was more about me not wanting to return to the land of sharp needles and the choking smell of antiseptic. I'd even let Chris patch me up himself before considering to go back there.

The look in Ethan's eye told me he didn't believe it either, but he went back to his work. When he finished with my shoulder, he stepped back with calculating eyes.

"You're lucky he didn't break it because, through hell or high water, I would've gotten you to that hospital. Your shirt hides the gauze. I'll come and change it after school every day. As for the bruises..." Ethan trailed off, walking over to the bathroom cabinet. He came back a few moments later with a jar of concealer.

I rose an eyebrow at him while he rubbed the makeup into my forearm.

"Ethan, why do you have concealer?" I asked slowly and then watched his face explode a telling shade of red.

"It's my moms." He muttered dismissively without looking up from my arm. I took another glance around the disorderly bathroom and then looked back down at him.

"Your mom keeps her makeup in your bathroom?" I asked with disbelief clear in my tone, so Ethan knew I wasn't buying it.

Ethan groaned quietly and pulled away from me to lean against the counter. He kept his gaze straight on the wall in front of us, refusing to look anywhere in my direction. There was silence as his leg nervously jittered in place.

"You can't tell anyone. Really. Not even Sophia." He insisted with a pleading look in his eyes. There wasn't an ounce of joking in his tone. He sounded like telling me this secret would be the same as committing espionage.

"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's keeping a secret from Sophia." I joked, but then sobered my expression. "I can tell this is important to you Ethan. I'm not going to say anything Ethan."

He took his lip between his teeth and began rolling it back and forth. The abuse continued until he took a deep inhale.

"I'm gay. I've known I am for a while. Years in fact." He began hesitantly, glancing over at me. I did my best to keep my face neutral so that it wouldn't mimic the explosion of emotions going on in my head right now.

Ethan looked as if he still had more to say, so I stayed quiet.

"And I've been seeing this guy Wyatt for a while. Sometimes he leaves hickeys because he thinks he's funny so I have to cover them up with makeup." He admitted, his confession turning into an embarrassed flurry of words towards the end.