The Rebel's Apprentice

I hiccuped and giggled.

"Shhhhh," Ethan hushed, a finger at his pale pink lips. I drunkenly copied him and smiled stupidly. "Good girl," he whispered. "Now where's your room?" I was drunk, to put it lightly. After finishing my beer I had another. After finishing that, feeling a little tipsy, I accepted the challenge when Cookie dared me to have another.
Ethan told me not to but I drank it anyway. It wasn't my fault. I just wanted to prove to Cookie that I could do it. We were now stood in my kitchen, after just entering through the back-door. Earlier that afternoon I called my parents and told them I was going to a friends house for the evening and would be home late. I also, thankfully, told them to not wait up for me.

"Upstairs silly," I giggled at Ethan. "Where else would my bedroom be?"

"Okay, okay," Ethan sighed. "Lets just-" he stopped talking abruptly and I giggled at him again. I seem to find him a lot funnier when I'm drunk.
He looked quickly around the room until his eyes lingered over the broom cupboard in the corner of the kitchen.
He took my hand in his and lead me quickly over to the cupboard. I looked at our hands and smiled stupidly. Ethan had the door open and us in within seconds. The door was open a crack so he could look out. My back was pressed against his chest and his arm was tight around my waist.

"Ethan what are you-" his hand snapped around my mouth and I quietened instantly. Through the crack in between the door and the door frame I saw the kitchen light flick on and my dad shuffle sleepily over to the fridge. My dad often woke in the middle of the night. He was a light sleeper but a glass of milk normally did the trick.
Ethan and I momentarily stopped breathing as we watched my father glug down his midnight milk.
The glass was put in the sink, ready to be washed up in the morning, and the kitchen light flicked off again, rendering us in darkness. We waited about five seconds before we thought it safe to start breathing again.
Ethan's hand slowly lowered from my mouth but his arm didn't move from around my waist. I turned around in his arm, in a vain attempt to look at him. We were in total blackness, without the moonlight from outside to illuminate our faces for each other. I reached up and felt for his face.
I guess in the back of my mind I was thinking how good it was to be drunk at that moment. If I were sober I'd be pushing him out the door, worrying about being caught in the broom cupboard with a boy. I also wouldn't have had the courage to start touching his face.
I felt his cheeks. So soft, flawless, unlike most teenagers.
I felt the bridge of his nose. So straight and perfect. I would have thought he'd have gotten it broken in the one of the many fights he says he gets into, but no. it was perfect.
I felt his lips. They were soft. Kissable.
That's what I wanted to do for some reason. I don't even no the guy hardly and I wanna come on to him when I'm drunk? Ugh. I'm never drinking again. I'm practically a whore. But my drunken mind was focusing only on his lips. The lips that called to meet mine. I leaned closer ever so slight. Then stopped.

"I don't feel so good," I groaned. "My tummy hurts." Ethan sighed a strange sigh. Irritation? Disappointment? He reached up and gently took my hands from his face and held them. All thoughts of kissing him were now forgotten. A thing of the past. Never to happen again . . . maybe.

"I'll get you some water," he whispered. He lead me silently out the broom cupboard and over to the sink. He washed the glass my dad had used minutes before and filled it with cold water. I took gentle sips from the glass until it was all gone.
Ethan put the glass back in the sink and helped me upstairs. I wasn't feeling as giggly now, more ill and tired. I pointed out my room down the hall and Ethan took me in, shutting the door behind him. He pulled back my bed sheets and sat me on my bed, pushing me down into a laying position. He pulled the sheets back over me and I smiled up at him.

"You didn't have to do all this," I said before yawning.

"Yeah I did. I said I'd look after you remember? Besides," he smiled back. "You're my apprentice. You're my responsibility now."

"Thanks Ethan. I had fun tonight," I beamed with tired eyes.
He smiled softly.

"Sleep tight, sugar. I'll wake you in the morning." I nodded happily, content with the thought of Ethan being the last thing I see when I go to sleep and the first thing when I wake up. I watched him walk over to my window and open it.
Hoisting his leg over the sill he gave me one last smile before disappearing. I slept soundly that night in anticipation for the morning.



"Wakey wakey, princess." I groaned and reluctantly opened my eyes. I groaned even louder. Ethan was in my room. What was he doing in my room, the creep. I rolled over and looked at the clock. 9:15. Holy cow! I sat blot upright in bed.

"Why didn't you wake me sooner, y'jerk. We're late for school." I got out of bed and ran around my room, franticly pulling cupboards and drawers open.

"Alice," Ethan said, making me freeze in my tracks.
That was the first time he'd ever used my real name. "It's Saturday," he finished with a laugh. I relaxed and walked back over to my bed, getting back in.

"So what are you doing here?" I wondered out loud to him.
Ethan looked seriously hurt.

"So you don't want me here?" he asked painfully sadly. I regretted saying what I did instantly.

"No, no," I said quickly. "I do. I didn't mean it like-" I stopped as Ethan started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"I was kidding," he winked.

"What?" I said, astounded. "But-but, you looked so sad. How can you fake looking that sad. It even made me wanna cry for you."

"Talent," he beamed. "How do you think I get outta all my detentions?" he asked rhetorically. "There is so much I wanna teach you kid. So much for you to learn. Lets seize the day and get started shall we?" I sighed, a little annoyed at how easily he just played me but also intrigued to learn how to do it myself.

"Fine. Wait outside. I'll get changed and meet you out there."
Ethan grinned triumphantly and jumped off my bed, walking to my window with his hands in his pockets.

"And don't take too long, else I'll have to come back up here," he smirked as he climbed out my window.

Okay, so maybe it was creeping me out just a little. So we were just aimlessly wandering around town. That was normal. Ethan and I were chatting about seriously unimportant stuff. Still nothing new. But what I found strange was the fact that Ethan had his arm around my waist, rather than it's usual spot upon my shoulders.
I mean, did he like me or something? I thought guys did that when they liked a girl.

"You're a lot of fun when you're drunk y'know?" Ethan said thoughtfully as he pulled me down onto the grass next to him.

"Yeah?" I said curiously as I watched him. "What do I do?" I tried to sound indifferent. Like wasn't nearly as interested as really was.

Ethan shrugged. "You're just . . . more confident." I thought about that and it's secret meaning. Oh god. What did I do?

"Hey, Ethan?" I asked, my eyes glancing down at his thumb as it rubbed circles into my hip bone.

"Yeah?"

"Did something happen with us last night." his thumb froze.

"You don't remember last night?" He looked at me. There was something strange lingering in his eyes. I didn't recognise the emotion because I've never seen it in him before. I shook my head. Ethan pulled his arm out from around me.

"Nah," he laughed. "Nothing happened. Why would anything happen? You were drunk. What you think I'm going to take advantage of you cause you were drunk?"

"No," I said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that, honest. It's just you said I'm more confident and you seem, I dunno, different today . . . nicer." I shrugged.

"Nicer? What, so you want me to be a total dick to you? Is that it?"

"Ethan, please. You know what I mean," I begged.

"Do I?" he said icily. I sighed. "Look, it's just business, baby. I don't date my students."
All of a sudden I wished I'd never said anything.

The rest of the weekend was a bit of a drag. I didn't see anybody. Ethan never called round. The others don't know my home address. And my old friends aren't even calling as much. It was so boring.
So when school finally slipped back around I was strangely relived, though still, as I walked down the corridor, I was alone. No sign of Ethan and the gang. I opened my locker and pulled out some books, placing them neatly in my school bag. Suddenly a sharp pain shot up through my right shoulder and arm.

"Ow!" I hissed, dropping my bag and rubbing my arm. I turned around and saw a group of jocks and cheerleaders laughing their way down the corridor.
A few glanced over their shoulder at me and laughed more. I frowned moodily to myself as I shut my locker and picked up my bag.
Just you wait, I thought to myself, just wait till I'm a bad ass rebel kid. They wont mess with me then. I rubbed my arm again. It was sure to bruise.

"Hey, what's eating you, new girl?" I looked to find Scott walking beside me, a skateboard under his arm. "You got a face like thunder," he noted. I shrugged, looking over my shoulder down the corridor, though no bullies stood there any more.

"I'm fine," I lied through my teeth.

"Well . . . okay, see you at lunch," Scott said before walking into a classroom as we passed it. A few doors down the hall I entered the science lab and sighed. Science wasn't a good lesson for me. Well, it was, I guess. It was my favourite. But it wasn't good cause my lab partner was Jordy Dawson. He's on the school basketball team. He's a total dick. He insults me all lesson and then expects me to let him copy my work.

I took my seat as Jordy rolled his eyes. I glanced at his t-shirt that read I pwn n00bs. Talk about advertising your bully status.
Today's lesson wasn't any different. He poked me in the side. Nudged my arm while I was in the middle of a sentence. Called me silly names and then shamelessly copied my answers straight from my page.
I sighed in relief when the bell rang and packed up my bag. I was the last one out the classroom, following moodily behind Jordy, watching my feet. Not a good idea.
Lesson number 1: never watch your feet.

Smack!

I walked straight into the door which Jordy deliberately slammed shut as I approached. I staggered back and held the side of my face that throbbed. I rubbed it.
No blood, thankfully.
I sighed in defeat and opened the door. I skulked to the girls bathroom and peered in the mirror at my now bruised cheek. I scowled. I'll show em. When I'm hardcore like Ethan, I'll show them who really runs this school.

Lunch came round and I shuffled slowly to the bleachers on the field. I ducked underneath them and was greeted by loud laughter.

"Hey," Ethan greeted with a grin. "Thought you weren't gonna turn up today."

"Yeah, well. I'm here now," I mumbled from under my curtain of brown hair. Ethan frowned, put his cigarette in his mouth and approached me. I folded my arms and looked the other way.
He grabbed my face and turned it so he could see my bruise. He looked at it a moment, contemplating it. He took the cigarette from his mouth to talk.

"Who did that to your face?" he asked casually, not letting go of my chin. I lowered my eyes.

"Hey! Don't you lower your eyes at me," he ordered. They darted back up to meet his eyes. "who did that to your face?" he asked again, a little agitated.
I swallowed and looked above me. Ethan looked up also to where all the jocks sat. with them was Jordy. "Which one?" he asked, calm again.

"Jordy Dawson," I mumbled. Ethan pouted lightly as he thought about it. He always did that when he was deep in thought. Just like I always found it cute.

"Okay," Ethan said breezily as he looked back at my bruise. He touched it lightly and I winced. "Does it hurt?" he asked. Well duuuuh, I thought, though never said it. Instead I just nodded and sighed. "Hey, don't let those meat heads destroy your confidence," Ethan said, leading me over to where everyone else was. "You've been doing so well." Cookie snorted and Ethan glared at her.

"You kidding me?" she laughed. "she's still a geek. She's got no attitude. I'm not even sure she has a personality." I glared at Cookie, feeling almost bad for not liking her.

"Cookie?" Ethan said. "Shut the fuck up." Cookie huffed. she clearly hated being told what to do. "Don't worry kid. I'll take care of it," Ethan said, giving me a reassuring wink. I had no idea what that meant. I just hoped it was nothing bad.



When I arrived at school the next day I was greeted by hurried gossip. Everyone was whispering in the corridors. I had no idea what about. I noticed all the kids holding a copy of the school paper. I was keen to find out what the fuss was about so I stopped by the office before class started and picked up a copy. I unfolded it as I walked to my locker and read the headline.

Jordy Dawson Out of Game For Rest of Semester.

My jaw dropped and I stopped walking. I read on.

Senior Jordy Dawson, the schools finest basketball captain will be out of the game for the rest of the semester due to a broken leg. Sources say Dawson was found outside his house, alone, with the broken leg. He is currently in hospital recovering. No one is yet sure how his leg broke but we all wish him a speedy recovery. . .

I stopped. I couldn't read any more. Guilt flooded through me. This was my fault. The basketball team lost their best player and would probably lose in their next game thanks to me. I ran, forgetting about my locker, desperate to get to the bleachers before first bell went. Once outside I continued to run. I had to find him. Had to talk to him.
This couldn't be my fault could it?
Ethan's words echoed around my skull as I approached him.

don't worry kid. I'll take care of it.

"What's this?" I questioned, holding the paper in his face. He didn't seem startled by my rage and panic rolled into one.

"A crappy school paper," Ethan confirmed as he looked away into the distance, taking another drag from his cigarette. "Y'know, you shouldn't believe everything you read in those things."

"Please tell me you had nothing to do with this," I begged.

"Alright," Ethan shrugged casually. "I had nothing to do with it." I sighed in irritation. The bell rang then and Ethan straightened up, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stepping on it.

"C'mon toots," he beckoned.

"No, Ethan," I said sternly, surprising myself, and Ethan. He furrowed his brow at me. "I don't want this. Not this," I said desperately, slapping the paper in my hand. "I don't want people hospitalized. I just wanted to be cool. This is wrong Ethan. Have you no morals?"

"I said I didn't do it, didn't I?" he quizzed angrily.
We stared each other out before Ethan's glare slowly slipped into a smirk. "Why don't we cut school entirely today?" he asked. "Seeing you stand up for yourself there just gave me motivation to keep teaching you."

"No," I said firmly. I had no idea where I was getting this courage from. Ethan applauded me.

"Nice," he quipped. "See? You can say the N word." I sighed and let Ethan lead me away from the school. There's only so many times I can say no to this boy before I can't help but say yes. Ethan slung his arm across my shoulders. "You're not quitting on me that easily, babe," he whispered into my hair.