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Normality	By : AlphaOmegaPsi Category: Twilight Series > AU/AR > Slash Views: 2984 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 5
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AN: SOOPER SHORT CHAPTER GUYZ!!! D:

Yeah, so I actually was inspired but I was sort of rushing...because I wanted to finish so I could start on the next chapter, where the FUN begins!! :D

Sorry, Raisden_Captivity, no kissing. None next chapter either. But the chapter after that...who knows?

Enjoy the last bit of filler crap!

--

Another boring day working in a boring bookstore…okay, that was an exaggeration, but when I had nothing to do I could be bitter. Nobody wanted to stick around the bookstore today, so my work was kept to a very bare minimum, and I knew from experience that if I tried to read on the clock, Mr. Yorkie would give me a lecture.

I sighed, laying my head down at one of the tables, watching customer after customer wander amongst the shelves for what seemed like hours, then leave without buying a single book. Part of me hoped they’d make a mess, just so I’d have something to do, or at least sit down and read a little. I hated slow days.

“Man, you’re lazy. Why don’t you get up and do a little work?” I glared at my sister, who had appeared next to me while I was busy trying to think of what the best word to describe the annoying way our so-called customers were acting was, and stuck out my tongue playfully.

“You try finding something to do,” I challenged. “As a matter of fact, why don’t you take my place, and I’ll stand around calling you lazy.” I stood up straight, stretching out and wincing as my back cracked. “Is it lunchtime already? I didn’t expect a day like today to go quickly.”

“No, I’m early. Actually, I needed to ask you a favor.” She glanced at Ethan, whom I had just noticed was standing behind her. “Uh…I applied for this job a while ago and they want me to come in for an interview. I was wondering if you could hang out with Ethan for a while until I’m done?”

I frowned. What was I, the kid’s babysitter? “Why can’t he just go with you?” I asked. Or better yet, why didn’t he go home?

“That’s actually my decision,” Ethan chimed in. “I don’t really want to be waiting around for hours with nothing to do, and I figured since Lizzie wouldn’t be around to go to lunch with you, I could go instead. I won’t disturb you from your work, I promise.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” Lizzie said, grinning. “Anyway, I have to go before I’m late. See you two at home.” Before I could protest, she was out the door and gone, leaving Ethan and I alone together for what I realized was the first time since that day in the living room.

“Umm…” The blond boy looked around nervously, fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt. “I am sorry about this. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll find some other way to entertain myself until Lizzie’s done.”

“No, it’s fine,” I sighed. I didn’t particularly want to spend all day with him, but I guess it would be boring eating lunch alone and his company was better than none. Besides, without Lizzie around it was the perfect opportunity to see if I could squeeze a little information out of him.

Ethan sat down in the chair across from me, as on-edge as the day we went to see that movie. Now that I thought about it, he was on-edge at the movie, too. He had sat next to me, and kept fidgeting every five seconds. It had been very distracting, and I had tried to ignore it but by the time the movie was over I realized I couldn’t remember what it was about. I had fumed a bit that day.

Ethan always seemed to be this way around me. Picking at his clothes or averting his eyes…I wondered if it was just his normal behavior or if it really was because of me. It seemed a little excessive to me. Maybe he was faking it? It was hard to tell.

The time until lunch passed a little awkwardly. We didn’t talk much, since I couldn’t think of a single thing to talk about, and I’d never been more grateful to have the shield of a meal.

“Where do you want to go?” I asked, forcing a smile to my face. Ethan fought to match my longer stride, thinking.

“I could go for a burger,” he said. “Is that okay with you?”

I nodded. I had been craving a cheeseburger all day, so I definitely wasn’t going to complain. “Let’s go to 5 Guys.”

The restaurant was less crowded than it usually was at this time. I wondered where everyone’s customers were going. Was there some secret festival nobody had told me about going on? Ethan and I ordered our burgers and drinks and an order of fries to split, then sat around eating peanuts while they cooked our food.

“Do you come here a lot?” Ethan asked, shelling a few peanuts and popping them all in his mouth at once. I shrugged.

“When I can. It’s expensive, but the portions are huge and the food doesn’t give you that sleepy feeling some fast food does.” I frowned I tried and failed to pull a peanut shell apart, eventually throwing it back into the bowl. “Have you ever been here before?”

Ethan shook his head. “No, I’ve never even heard about it before.”

“Well, I don’t really think they advertise,” I said, glaring down at my bowl of uncooperative peanuts. “I’ve never seen a commercial for them, at least. They just sort of appeared, and after that it was all hearsay. I guess it’s pointless to waste money if people are going to be coming here anyway.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Ethan chuckled at my expression. “You want some help?”

“Be my guest,” I said, pushing the Styrofoam bowl across the table. “I’ve never been able to open these damn things.”

“Never?” Ethan cracked a few and dropped the shells back in the bowl, placing the nuts on the table. “It’s not that hard, you know.”

“Maybe not for someone with small fingers,” I grumbled.

Ethan blinked, glancing down at his hands. “My fingers aren’t small.”

“Compared to mine, they are.” I held up my hand, showing off my thick fingers. “It’s difficult to do stuff like that when your hand keeps getting in the way of itself.”

Ethan smiled. “I guess, but they’re good for other things. Bigger hands have more raw strength than hands like mine. I can do more delicate things, but I couldn’t throw a decent punch to save my life.”

“I think that has less to do with your hands and more to do with you being a pansy,” I teased. I laughed as I dodged a peanut.

“I was trying to be serious,” Ethan said. Nevertheless, he was grinning.

I had to admit, this was really nice. I didn’t go out much, and even when I did it was with my sister or my parents, and very rarely the wolves. It was rare for me to have such a relaxed, friendly interaction, that for a second I forgot about my plan and let myself get caught up in the moment.

Then all at once, I did remember, and I became aware of just how much I had dropped my guard. Mistakes like that could cost me my chance at information or even my life. I couldn’t afford to do it again. I had to be alert.

I became aware that Ethan had quieted, and he was staring at his lap like he was thinking of something. I was going to say something, but he beat me to the punch.

“Hey, Barlie?” he asked hesitantly.

“What?” It was so rare for him to call me by name that it put me on edge instantly.

“We’re friends, right?”

I frowned. “Right.” Wrong. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just…” He sighed. “This is the first time we’ve actually spent any time alone together, and I know we’ve only known each other a short time but I feel really close to you, like we’ve been friends for years. Why is that, I wonder?”

“I don’t know.” I really didn’t. We had only known each other a week, and we’d never had any extended interaction. However, I hoped it meant my plan was working.

“Maybe I’m just desperate,” Ethan said. “It’s hard for me to make friends, and you’re such a cool guy…it’s like a dream that you’d even talk to me.” He smiled sheepishly. “I guess I’m just trying to say that I really like you.”

I was stunned by that. Nobody had ever actually said that to me before; nobody had ever called me “cool.” Maybe “cold,” or “hot-headed,” but never cool. Most people I knew steered clear of me because of my anger. Then I reminded myself that Ethan didn’t know about my issues with anger. Would he still think the same way if he knew? Suddenly the idea was a lot scarier than him finding out about my weaknesses.

My mind was still reeling about the conversation through the rest of work, long after Lizzie had picked Ethan back up, and even when I walked through the door at home around 9:00.

When I went inside, I was surprised to see my father sitting on the couch. Not so much that he was still up, but that he was there at all.

“Hey,” I said, trying to hide my shock. “You’re back pretty early.”

“Yes, well…I was hoping to catch you when you got home.” He muted the TV and patted the couch next to him. I sat nervously. My father and I didn’t often have talks like this alone, but when we did it was always serious.

“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, looking around and noticing the house was almost completely dark, save for the glow of the TV monitor.

“Your mother’s still at work, and your sister and her friend went to go see a movie,” he answered. “I wanted to talk to you, if that’s okay. Man to man.”

I nodded mutely, even though he wasn’t looking at me.

“Mostly, I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve treated you,” he said. “I didn’t mean to set you off that day, but…it’s frustrating. I hate seeing you suffer through your life because of this thing. I wish I could take it and rip it out of you.” He sighed. “Your mother has accepted it and tries to get me to do the same, but it’s difficult to see it as a part of you when I know that without it you would be a gentle person. You are so much like her.”

“Like mom?” I asked hesitantly, though I knew the answer. “Even mom gets mad sometimes.”

“That doesn’t stop her from being a gentle person.” He sighed again. “Look, I don’t want you to think I love you any less because of it. You are my son, always. A few anger issues can’t stop me loving you.”

“I know that, dad.” I stared at my knees, trying to push down the uncomfortable feelings. “I know you and mom still love me, and I promise I’ll beat this thing someday. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Let’s just hope that happens before too much damage has been done.” He gave a weak smile and ruffled my hair. “Why don’t you go to bed? You look tired.”

I took that as the cue that the conversation was over and rushed off to my room. I considered reading or getting online or any number of things, but in the end I simply shut off the lights and crawled into bed.

It was a weird day, I decided. First the thing with Ethan, then a heart-to-heart with my dad. Two strange occurrences in one day was enough to overload the brain.

He didn’t have to tell me he still loved me; I knew. Sure, he wasn’t around that much, and sure, he wasn’t very patient with me, but he had his own way of showing he loved me. It was just one of those things that didn’t have to be said to be known.

Ethan saying he liked me was a bit of a shocker, though. Having anyone actually want to be around me was a shocker. I wondered if it was a trick. I wondered if he had the same plan as I did, to get close and take me down. More than that, though, I wondered if he was sincere.

It wasn’t that I was going to let my guard down around him, but a big part of me began wondering what it would be like if we started acting like real friends. If I let myself have fun with him, maybe I could retain enough normalcy to make real friends. It couldn’t hurt as long as I was careful, and it might be nice to be a normal kid for a while.

I decided I would think about it in the morning and finally closed my eyes, allowing the day to end.
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Normality