Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters…unfortunately.
Author's Note: I know I have a slash story with Ephram and Wendell, but I didn't like it. Don't worry another Ephram/Wendell story will be coming at you because I'm not giving up on it.
Time Frame: Right after Fear Itself and right before Home. It's one of those inter-phase times. Except Home never happens. Get it? Okay.
Chapter One: Colin
My sister came home from her date with my friend Ephram pretty early. I was sitting around at home, flipping channels on TV, finally settling on Nickelodeon. Amy, my girlfriend, had been over, but she left in a huff when I wanted to talk about Ephram and Laynie, my sister. All I wanted to know was what she thought of them getting together. Obviously I said the wrong thing because she left in a huff.
"Why are you home?" I asked Laynie, eyes still glued to Spongebob, not understanding what Bright found so appealing about a yellow sponge that could talk.
"That's great Colin, I love you too." She snapped sarcastically.
"Sorry. I just expected you to be out longer with Ephram."
She sighed at the mention of my New York friend.
"What's up?" I turned to her, confused.
"I hate that stupid asshole of a guy!"
"Ephram? Ephram Brown?"
"What other Ephram do you know? I never want to see him again!" This got my attention. I shut the TV off and adjusted my sling a little so that I would be in a comfortable position.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Okay," I said easily shifting my gaze from my sister to the window. It was already pitch black out and the only light I could see was the faint porch light down the street. The house, the school, the whole town, was still a little unfamiliar to me. I supposedly grew up in this town; never left it until I went to Denver and got myself into that coma. The coma that caused everything. The coma that left me in a situation like this. Maybe if the coma never happened, Amy wouldn't have gotten mad at me that night. 'What does that have to do with anything? You're over-stressing,' I told myself.
"So where's Amy? I thought she was over here. I was expecting some kissing when I walked in through the door!" I jumped at the sound of Laynie's voice. I had almost forgotten she was there.
"She left," I muttered, "Didn't want to be here."
"Things not going well in paradise?" I raised an eyebrow at her.
"If this is paradise," I stated with a slight annoyance, "Then I would hate to see what hell is like."
"That good, huh?"
"I don't really want to talk about it right now, Laynie."
"That's cool. We can watch Spongebob together like the losers that we are then."
"Hey, Spongebob isn't loser-ish. It's Bright's favorite TV show," I jumped to my best friend's defense. Laynie raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
"Doesn't that tell you something?" I rolled my eyes and took a pillow with my available hand, smacking her in the face with it.
"Hey!" She grabbed another pillow and playfully smacked my leg. We looked at each other for a minute before breaking into hysterical fits of laughter. We spent the rest of the night on the couch flipping channels, sinking lower into the tunnel of heartbreak and fell asleep there.
The next morning, I headed over to the Brown's place. It got me away from my own love problem plus Ephram lived there. And he was always good at listening. Come to think of it, he never really talked. I shrugged, letting out a puff of cold air. The Browns weren't as bad as Dr. Abbott made them out to be. Dr. Brown was a really nice guy, though I admit he gets a little overdramatic about some of my health issues, not that he wasn't right most of the time. The little sister…Dana or Delia or something like that. She was a cute one who apparently had a major crush on Bright. Surprisingly, Bright humored her most of the time and claimed that she was, "The only normal one in the family." Ephram wasn't normal, I agreed that much with Bright. But he wasn't abnormal. He'd gone through things that fifteen year olds don't usually put up with. What with losing his mother and his father, who had never been there before, suddenly up-rooting the family and plopping them in Everwood. Why he chose Everwood, I still do not know.
"Hey Colin," Eprham opened the door when I knocked. He did not look good.
"Hey man, what's up?" I asked nicely, stepping into the house and shrugging my jacket off.
"Just sitting around. Where's Amy? I thought you'd be out with her today."
"Yeah well it seems as if I'm not. We fought last night and I don't exactly know what I did and I don't know what to apologize for."
"Must have been 'Bad Love Day' yesterday."
"Yeah, hey, Laynie told me you guys broke up? Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure." But he didn't look very convincing. For one thing, he didn't look as if he got any sleep at all. I stared at him intensely, hoping to find a hint of weakness. If I knew one thing about Ephram Brown, I knew that he didn't like to show that he needed help. He didn't like people to know he needed a hand. Still, every time I saw him, I searched for it because I knew that he did have a great fear. A fear of something that was still a mystery to all the residents in Everwood, including his own family. Even during the six months or so that he'd been living in Everwood, nobody had been able to figure much out about Ephram Brown. Except that he was a cynical rebellious teenager from New York City.
"Ephram? I'm not done talking to you yet, don't you think I am!" Dr. Brown's voice was heard through the halls.
"Sorry, is this a bad time?" I asked taking a step back, putting my jacket back on. He nodded gravely.
"Yeah, the Great Doctor Brown is in the middle of a lecture. Thanks, by the way," he smiled sarcastically, "I'll look for you when he's finished. In other words, I'll see you in school on Monday." I laughed a little.
"Alright, good luck man. I'll see you!" I retreated down the front steps of the Brown house, totally unaware of what was going to happen. If I'd known, I'd stuck around outside waiting. But it never happens that way.
Please review! I know it's kind of…bad right now, but it'll get better. I promise!!
~Melody
