The Rebel's Apprentice

I don't know what time it was when I awoke the next morning. My eyes fluttered around the car. I was crammed on the back seat with Ethan behind me. He was still asleep. I felt his soft breathing in my hair, felt his arm draped limply around my waist. His head was rested on his other arm and I reached out and touched his hand. I played with the silver ring on his thumb as I thought about the previous night.
Mom and dad were probably having a fit.

I gently eased Ethan's arm to one side and reached onto the front seat for my purse. I sat back, his arm now across my lap, and opened my purse for my cell phone. I glanced at Ethan. He was still breathing softly. His hair had fallen in his eyes and he had light stubble growing on his face.
I looked back at my phone to find many missed calls from home. I cringed a little and sighed. I gave Ethan a nudge.

"Ethan?" I asked, rocking his shoulder. "Ethan?" He groaned and his arm around me tightened and drew me closer. "Ethan," I giggled. "You need to take me home." I was answered by another groan. I shook him again and he stretched and brushed his hair from his face. He looked around, looking a little lost and sat up. He was adorable when he was tired

"What time is it?W he yawned and scratched his head after remembering where he was.

"Twenty passed twelve."

"We slept a long time," he said with a light smile, his voice sounding thick with sleep.

"Yeah, now I need to get home," I told him.

I frowned at me as he rubbed his eyes. "Why? You ran away remember?"

"Only for one night. I wasn't leaving permanently. I've have missed calls from home. My parents are probably worried."

"Okay okay, I'm up." Ethan slipped out the door and stretched properly before pulling a cigarette and lighter out his pocket, I got out also and shut the back door behind me. I looked up at Ethan. He was looking back at me as he took a hit from his cigarette. He blew smoke into the air.

"You realise, right, that as soon as I take you home, we wont see each other again?" That indeed was something I hadn't considered. "They'll be even worse. We'll get in bigger trouble and they'll keep us apart."

"I think we've already proven that they can't keep us apart," I told him. Ethan sighed and threw his unfinished cigarette to the floor.

"Well, we'll soon find out."
We got in the car and began our journey home.. I took my phone and dialled home.

"Mom's going to kill me," I sighed.

"Hello?" came the frantic voice of my mother. "Alice is that you?"

"Yeah mom. It's me." Ethan kept his eyes on the road as I spoke.

"Thank god. Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine mom. We're on our way back now."

". . . we?" she asked, voice trembling. She knew who I was with but hoped I'd say someone else.

"Ethan, mom."

"Oh, Alice. What happened? Are you sure you're okay? Where has he taken you?"

I sighed. "Mom, I said I'm fine." Ethan smirked. For some reason he found it funny how my mom thought I were in danger being with Ethan. "I told you, we're on our way back. Ethan'll drop me off home."

"No . . ." she hesitated. "He best stay. His mother is here."

I frowned. "Really? Why?" Ethan glanced at me.

"Your father thought he had something to do with it and so got his home address. He got into an argument with Mrs Kowalski. She was quite upset with him."

"She argued with dad?" I asked in astonishment, feeling new found respect for Ethan's mom.

"Yes. You both best come here right away. We need to talk about this."

"Like adults?" I said in a tone that suggested if that if we didn't, she shouldn't expect us at all.

"Yes, like adults."
After I hung up I put the phone back in my purse and sat quietly as I thought.

"Well?" Ethan asked.

"Your mom had an argument with my dad. She's at my house and that's where we need to be."

Ethan laughed. "Yeah, mom don't take shit from no one."

"They say we need to talk about this."

"That don't sound good," Ethan didn't seem as bothered as his words suggested.

"Does nothing faze you?" I asked. Ethan's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"People who hurt you faze me," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Right," I said weakly. In all these weeks passed, I'd finally forgotten about Johnny.

"Tell me about that night," Ethan encouraged. 'the one at the party.

I shook my head. "It'll only anger you," you reasoned.

"Tell me," he said again. "Your dad never really gave me the specifics. Just said I couldn't remember cause I was drugged."

"Ethan . ." I sighed.

"Alice." he replied in a tone not to be messed with.

I shrugged. "We met up at Chloe's so mom and dad didn't see you pick me up. You said we were going to a party but never told me it was a drugs party." Ethan listened closely as he watched the road. "We met Johnny and he gave us drinks. He tried to offer you drugs but you didn't take them."

"Really?" Ethan smiled, sounding impressed by his own self restraint.

I nodded. "But our drinks were spiked."

"With what?"

"He said Roophie's?" Ethan nodded and I continued. "I didn't drink any and you only drank half then stopped cause I wasn't drinking." he nodded again. "We were talking and it was fine. Then suddenly you changed your mind and said we should leave. You went to the bathroom first but you never came out." I felt my blood run cold as I retold the story. I was scared at the time and still scared now, thinking back. The image of Ethan Slumped against that wall, slowly losing consciousness is an image I'll never be able to forget, or the fear that came with that image.

"Yeah, then?" Ethan asked after my moments silence. He was curious now.

"You were vomiting. You knew and said you had to get it out." he nodded, as if that sounded like something he'd do. "I didn't know what to do. I was so scared. Your eyes lost focus and your words slurred. You kept holding your head in pain. I didn't know what was happening. There was nothing I could do." I was aware my voice was rising several octaves. "You couldn't walk straight. I was so scared for you. I just knew I had to get you out of there, and I did. I sent you down in the elevator and went back for Johnny," I shrugged.

Ethan shook his head angrily. "Stupid," he muttered to himself. He then glanced at me and said a little louder, "Reckless, Alice. What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I wasn't, clearly. I was just so angry at him for doing that to you," I shook my head. "I couldn't let him get away with it." Ethan muttered something to himself and it was probably about me and probably not very nice either.

"Y'know what you said to me?" I questioned. He said nothing, eyes on the road. "You said, 'I can't protect you like this.' . . . then I knew I was the one who had to protect you." We were silent a little while.

"Why did he drug us?" Ethan asked eventually, unable to stay silent. I looked into my lap.

"You said I looked good and told Johnny to stay away from me. I wore this little dress, short . ."

"Bet you looked great in it," Ethan smiled. "Johnny sure seemed to think so." His smile fell and expression turned dark.

"I knew this would only annoy you," I sighed.

"Of course it's annoying me," Ethan frowned like I were mad. "I'm just finding out that one of my friends tried to drug you so he could . . ." Ethan trailed off. Neither of us wanted to think about it, let alone say it out loud. ". . . he didn't . ." Ethan began. "Y'know? . . do anything to you, did he?"

I shook my head. "No we left before he could try anything."

"Except you went back," Ethan sighed frustratedly. I sighed also and left the conversation there. I turned my attention to the window and whatever was out there.



We pulled up outside my house and I stared at the front door. Heaving a sigh I followed Ethan to the door.

"Alice?" I heard mom call out as I shut the door behind us. She ran out from the kitchen and gave me a hug. Following mom was dad and Mrs Kowalski. Ethan nodded at his mom and she smiled back. She hadn't been worried at all. No doubt she was used to her son disappearing all night.

"Oh, where have you been? I've been so worried," mom gushed, letting go of me.

"I've been fine. I've been with Ethan, he looks after me." I looked up at dad, directing the last statement at him.

"What were you thinking?" dad questioned. He wasn't angry, he just wore a look of disapproval. I lowered my eyes.

"That's what we need to discuss," answered Mrs Kowalski for me. "We need to clear up this mess."

We all sat in the family room staring at each other. Ethan's mom in the arm chair. Mom and dad on the big couch and Ethan and I on the two seater. Ethan had his arm across the back of the couch, looking very casual and cool about the whole thing. I was sat nervously on my hands and looking into my lap.

"What we have here," Ethan's mom began. "Is a misunderstood concept of our children's lives." I knew she meant that mom and dad misunderstood, cause she sure didn't. "We have to remember here, that these are teenagers. They're not children anymore. They are at the age now where they want to explore their feelings. I say, who are we to stop them? It's apart of growing as a person."

"They don't need to grow that quick though," dad interjected.

"But preventing them from seeing one another was really not the smartest move," Mrs Kowalski quipped with a raised eyebrow. She looked at Ethan. "Ethan," she began. "Before last night, when was the last time you saw Alice?"

Ethan shrugged. "Last day of school before Christmas."

Dad scowled at me. "I forbade you to see him," he told me.

"And look what she did," said Mrs Kowalski. "She saw him. You tell a teenager not to do something, they go and do it anyway. It's their age. And they should be allowed to be their own person and rebel once in a while."

"Because your parenting skills have produced a model citizen," dad retorted sarcasticly. Ethan glared at my dad.

"Oh, don't get petty," shot back Mrs Kowalski. "You're not exactly number one dad. You baby her. You never gave Alice the opportunity to grow on her own. You're over protective and it's that protectiveness that's pushing her further away from you."

"So I'm the problem now?" dad quizzed. "Cause I thought is was that trouble-maker with anger issues." I frowned at dad. I didn't like the way he was talking about Ethan. Ethan however didn't seem bothered what dad said about him.

"My son doesn't have anger issues," said Ethan's mom calmly. "He's had a hard time growing up so he's allowed to be angry sometimes. Everyone's allowed to be angry sometimes. But what I think you don't understand, officer Harper, is that my son saved your daughter from god only knows what but you're too proud and stubborn to admit you were wrong. That Ethan is a good kid and he does nothing but care about Alice." I glanced at Ethan as my dad and his mom argued about what was best for us. He looked back at me and smiled.

"If he really cared about her, he wouldn't involve her in such dangerous things. He took her to a drugs party!"

"He didn't know," I stepped in quickly.

"I don't care! He has no business taking you anywhere."

"See?" Mrs Kowalski pointed at dad. "It's that attitude that'll drive Alice in to Ethan's arms every time. You really think she's going to ever side with you again when she could side with Ethan and be happy?"

"I think we should ask them what they want," mom spoke up for the first time. Everyone looked at us.

"You know what I want," I mumbled, looking back in to my lap.

"Ethan?" his mom encouraged.

He shrugged. "It's her," he sighed. "Always her."

"You see?" Mrs Kowalski pointed out. "Whether we like it or not, we must face the truth. Our children are in love." My eyes darted quickly to Ethan's at this obvious lie. Well, lie on his part. I knew I loved him and was pretty certain he didn't love me back . . . not in the way I loved him, at least. But for the sake of our friendship, neither one of us objected and played up to the boyfriend-girlfriend lie we'd created. As far as Ethan's mom knew, we were in love.
Young, dumb and in love.
Dad shook his head dismissively at the L word.

"You're not in love with him are you Alice?" he asked me.
Oh thanks a lot dad! You actually want me to say it out loud? How frigging awkward!
I bit my lip and looked up at Ethan. He was looking back, expression unreadable. I lowered my eyes from his. I couldn't look at him as I said it.

"Yeah, dad," I said quietly. "I love him." and I meant every word.

"And you?" dad turned his eyes on Ethan.

He simply nodded and said. "I love her." He didn't mean every word.

Dad sank back in to the couch. "I can't believe this," he shook his head.

"I don't think we can keep them apart anymore," added Mrs Kowalski softly not to disturb the atmosphere. I refused to meet Ethan's eyes after that in fear of blushing, an obvious trait of being in love.



It was all settled after five minutes. Ethan and I could stay together, but he had to work on his temper. He agreed to.
And just like that, it was all over. We were back on track. Things could go back to normal. I could see the rest of the gang again. It had been so long, I didn't realise how much I missed them all. I thought it was all about Ethan, but they were important to me too. I couldn't wait to get back to school and see the look on Cookie's face. Ha! Sweet victory.
I walked Ethan to his car.

"I can't believe how well that worked out," he smirked, opening his car door.

"I know right?" I smiled half-heartedly.

"And all we had to do was say the L word," he winked. "People freak out when you say shit like that. It was so obviously going to work."

"Yeah, totally," I nodded weakly. "Boy do they look stupid right now." Ethan smiled and turned to get in his car.

"Oh, almost forgot," he leant forward and left a soft kiss on my lips. "Your mom and dad are watching. Best keep up appearances." He needed to go, now. My smile was quickly failing me and I couldn't fake it much longer.

"See you at school on Monday," I told him. He nodded and got in the car. I waved him off as he followed after his mom's car.
I'd won. I stuck it to the man and I won. I fought the law and I won.
So why did I feel like such a loser?
Feeling totally deflated, I told mom I was feeling sick and spent the rest of the day in my room. I didn't want to see anybody who may have questioned me about Ethan.
I just didn't want to think.



Come Monday morning, I walked proudly under Ethan's arm into school. Of course everyone looked at us. We looked at no one in return. It didn't matter what they thought. The entire student body knew that the school had tried to keep us apart. It was apparent to them now that the school was unsuccessful.
Under the bleachers were my friends, teasing Scott as usual, like nothing had changed.

"Hey guys," Ethan called to them. "Look what I found." They all looked up at Ethan and saw me smiling under his arm.

"Alice!" Scott and Zach cheered together. I never expected Cookie to to be pleased to see me. She didn't seem concerned either way, which was a certain improvement from the dirty looks I used to get.

"Where- how- I don't understand," Scott babbled as he looked between Ethan and I.

"We had a family intervention," Ethan rolled his eyes and sat down on the floor, where he normally sat, and pulled out a cigarette.

"So that's it?" Scott asked, astonished. "Just like that? Alice is back?"

"Yes, Scott," Ethan sighed, cigarette in his mouth. Zach appeared at my side and I looked up at him.

"Good to have you back," he winked, giving me a light nudge.
And just like that, I was back in the gang, and it was as if the past two months never happened at all.