The Rebel's Apprentice

Christmas came and went. It was tense and awkward. Dad caught me texting one afternoon and confiscated my phone. Merry Christmas indeed.
I hoped dad wouldn't go though my phone and see all the calls I'd made to Ethan. Man I'd be dead if he did.
But hope didn't exist with me. It was new years eve when I heard the shouting.
Dad burst into my room and threw my phone on the floor. My eyes landed on it before timidly looking up at dad.

"You never learn do you?" he accused. "Do you want to be a low life like him?" I said nothing. Dad waved a hand at me. '"Forget it. Do what you want. I'm past caring anymore." he slammed my door and I slid over to my phone. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Past caring huh? So he wouldn't care if I left. I crept out my room and into mom and dad's room. I went through their cupboard and found Ethan's biker jacket and boots they'd taken from me after discovering where I acquired them. I walked back to my room. My room was in darkness and I kept it that way. I stuffed my bed up with clothes so it looked like I was in it. An old trick I hoped still worked. I stepped in to the boots and pulled on the jacket. I did my make up and hair. It was new years eve, and I was damned if I was going to spend it at home. I packed a purse with necessary things like money, my phone and a camera to remember this night forever.

With everything set, there was nothing left to do but climb out my window. If Ethan could do it, so could I.
I shimmied down after shutting the window behind me and jumped the rest of the way. Through the window mom and dad were preparing for dinner. I turned my back on them and walked away. I zipped up my jacket and dug my hands deep into the pockets. It was cold, but I didn't care.



I knocked on the door and stood waiting for an answer. The door opened a moment later.

"Alice," frowned Mrs Kowalski. "What a lovely surprise. What are you doing here? I heard you and Ethan broke up."

"Not through choice," I told her. "Mind if I come in?"
Mrs Kowalski stood aside and I stepped in.

"Who's choice?" she asked.

"My dad's," I answered without a problem. "He's then one keeping us apart." Mrs Kowalski's pretty face turned dark.

"So he's the reason my boys been so down?"

I frowned. "He's been down?"

"Of course dear. You meant everything to him." I felt a heat creep up my neck and lowered my eyes.

"Is he in?" I asked timidly.

"He's upstairs." she smiled and nodded to the floor above. I walked up the stairs. Since school ended this term, it had been three weeks since I'd seen Ethan and eight since I'd touched him. I hesitated at his bedroom door, savouring the butterflies in my stomach. The anticipation was delicious.
I quietly opened his door and found him with his back to me, guitar on the bed like he'd just been playing. He was just sitting, staring down at his cigarette. Not smoking it, just staring at it. I smiled and leant against his door frame.

"Shouldn't you open a window or something?" I asked. Ethan visibly jumped and span to look at me. He stared at me a moment in confusion and I stepped into his room shutting the door behind me. He stood and stubbed out his cigarette. "Happy new year Ethan," I smiled. He shook his head unbelievingly before he couldn't stand it any longer. He stepped forward and scooped me up in his arms.

It was the best feeling in the world. To be back in his arms after eight gruelling weeks. He laughed and held me tighter. It was the best hug of my life, ever.
I held him like I would never hold him again. In this day and age, it was possible. He looked down at me, that same disbelief in his eyes.

"Good to see your bruise healed." I nodded to his eye. He said nothing. He just continued to stare at me like I'd disappear. "You okay?" I asked.

Ethan nodded. "Yeah, yeah," he said evasively. "It's just . . . I've really missed you. How did you escape?"

I shrugged. "My dad stopped caring."

"Really?" I could see he didn't know whether to be concerned or excited about this prospect. I shrugged again.

"But that's not why I'm here."

Ethan frowned. "Then why are you here?" I grabbed him and put my hand over his mouth.

"I'm kidnapping you, of course," I smiled, grabbing his jacket as I hurried him to the door. He laughed and willingly let me lead him away from his house. I don't think Mrs Kowalski minded. I think she was just pleased to see Ethan smile again.
I pulled him to his car and threw his jacket at him. He caught it and put it on.

"Okay lets go."

"Wait," Ethan interjected. "So not only are you kidnapping me, you're expecting me to drive as well."

"I don't know the way," I shrugged at him.

"The way to where?" he asked.

"You know where, Ethan." I told him, staring straight into his eyes. He understood and unlocked the car.
We jumped in and I rubbed my hands together.

"Get some heat on in here," I ordered.

"Is that kidnappers orders?" he smirked as he turned the heat up.

"You're loving this aren't you?" I quizzed. "That's a little sick y'know?" Ethan laughed and started the car. Pulling out his driveway and turning right, I flicked on the radio. All stations getting ready for the count down to midnight in two hours.

"Stop off at the shops on the way. We need supplies." Ethan smirked at my command. He really was enjoying being kidnapped by me. But come to think of it, I wouldn't object had it been the other way around.
Ten minutes passed in a comfortable silence. We pulled up at a convenience store and Ethan parked. We unbuckled our seatbelts and Ethan reached to open his car door.

"Don't try anything stupid," I warned him. Ethan looked back at me and smiled. "You hint to anyone what's really going on and I'll end you, Kowalski." Ethan laughed and we got out the car. There was no way in hell I could end Ethan Kowalski, but he did as told nonetheless. I got a basket and we browsed around the shop. I put in a bag of party poppers and a packet of glow sticks.

"Going to a rave are we?" he joked.

"Quiet you," I ordered. He smiled and said nothing else. After spotting the snacks rack, I pushed a load in. I fully well intended to have a good new year with Ethan.
Seeing neither of us were old enough, or looked old enough, to buy alcohol. We gave it a miss. Though I was pretty sure Ethan could get served if he tried.
We walked back to the car and put the bags in the back. We got back in the front and were off again.
We talked and listened to music on the radio for the 45 minute drive. It was like old times. It was so easy to be around Ethan now. And after our agonising time apart, it was the only place I wanted to be.



When we got to the wheat field, it was 35 minutes to new year. We turned the music up loud and left the car doors open. We crawled on to the hood of Ethan's car and had the best time we'd had in weeks. The wheat from our field had been harvested and sat bare and empty. I knew it would get harvested at some point and looked forward to the summer when Ethan could flatten us another patch to sit. He lent back against his windscreen, hands behind his hand. I bobbed along to the music as I snapped glow sticks and made head pieces with them. Ethan sat up as I placed glowing bunny ears on his head. He leant back and watched me make one for myself.
I put the remaining glow sticks around our wrists. I wiggled my hands at Ethan and the glowing colours blurred. Glow sticks always got me excited for some reason.

"Oh!" Ethan jumped.

"What?" I gasped.

"I love this song," he grinned at me. He slid off the hood and pulled me with him. Together we danced at the side of the road to Jumpin' Jack Flash and laughed the whole time. We sang along in the chorus and span and jumped to the music.
Then the music on the radio slowed right down and Ethan didn't hesitate to pull me closer to him. I put my hands on his shoulders while his were on my waist. We moved back and forth to Two Of The Lucky Ones. We fell in to a comfortable silence for several minuets. Ethan began to look troubled.

"I should have listened to you," Ethan said suddenly, staring down at me. "If I just stopped and listened to you I could have prevented all this."

I shook my head. "We don't need to talk about this now."

"I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."

"I know. It's okay, Ethan really. It's fine." He sighed and didn't look convinced. "Hey," I stopped dancing and took my hands from his shoulders. "As your kidnapper I order you to be happy. It's new year and we are going to party like it's 1999."
The music on the radio changed and we both laughed.

"Oh, how appropriate is this?" Ethan grinned as Dancing In The Street came on. He lead me into the middle of the street and twirled me. We danced and I couldn't help thinking, 'it's new years eve and I'm dancing in the street in the middle of nowhere with Ethan Kowalski.' several months ago, I wouldn't recognise myself now.

"Oh wait, wait!" I cut in. "I totally forgot." I ran back to the car and went through my bag, pulling out my camera. I turned it on and span round, taking a snap of Ethan. He smiled.

"Sweet," he nodded. "Get one of us together." I went over to Ethan and he slung his arm around me, reeling me into his chest. Behind us Shout was playing. This station was playing all the old classics. I held the camera out in front of us and took a picture. I turned it round to check it took right. It was a great picture. We looked happy.
I know we were happy, but it really showed in the picture. We looked happy together. I looked up at Ethan. He was looking down at the picture.

"I want a copy of that," he told me, walking back to the car. I smiled and turned the camera off, following him. He sat back on the hood of his car and checked the time.

"Five minutes," he told me. I sat beside him. "Any last minute things you want to do while it's still 2010?" I thought a moment.

"I don't know really," I shrugged. "You?" he was looking at me in a strange way and nodded.

"Just one." He held up one finger as if to prove this point.

"What's that?" I asked.

"This." He closed in on me and pressed his lips to mine. I felt powerless to stop it but didn't want to anyway. It wasn't a short kiss like I thought it would be. In fact, Ethan slid me closer to him across the hood and leant over me. I gripped the front of his jacket as I kissed him back. It was amazing. Sparks of electricity jumped between us. Ethan's hand found the small of my back and held me closer to him. His mouth moved expertly over mine and I wished I was better at this. Ethan stopped to catch his breath and I did the same before he began kissing me again, more passionate this time. Fireworks exploded around us, literally. We jumped and looked up. Fireworks were shooting out from a farmhouse down the road. We smiled and Ethan checked the time.
We heard the radio counting down and grabbed some party poppers and joined in.

". . 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." We pulled our poppers with a bang and confetti and coloured strips of paper showered over us. 'happy new year! we said in unison, pulling more poppers. The hood of the car was cover in confetti by the end of it and Ethan collected a load before throwing it all at me. I cowered from it and he laughed. I grabbed my camera and took some pictures of Ethan, confetti hanging from his perfect hair. He slid me along side him by my leg and took the camera from me. I was on my back. He took a couple of pictures of me before dropping my camera to one side and leaning over me.

"My new years resolution," he told me. "Is to never let anything hurt you again. With that you have my word." I smiled up at him.
And my new years resolution, I thought to myself, is to make you mine.



I looked away from the fireworks to glance at Ethan as we lay on the hood of his car. It was at this moment that it hit me. That I finally realised. I didn't have a crush on Ethan Kowalski. I was in love with him.