Chapter 2 [updated: July 16, 2016.]

Ethan's pov

"Ethan? Earth to Ethan!" Sarah laughed, watching me from where she was sitting on the couch.

I blushed, but laughed as well.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, getting up and coming to sit down next to me in the table.

I closed my math book and sighed. Just thinking about what was making me space out was too much. I bit my lip. Sarah watched me, patiently. She gave me a warm smile.

"It's Benny." I confessed. "He was acting...weird today. Did you notice?"

I should have known that bringing Benny up would make Sarah smile knowingly. She face me and crossed her legs. She made me think of how Dr. Phil sometimes focused on his guests on his shows.

"Sarah, look, it's not what you think."

"Why not? Ethan, think about it. You've been friends since you were six, you're both really close. Why wouldn't he like you?"

I had confessed to Sarah that I had feelings for Benny. She had been very supportive of me. Whenever I had a problem, or needed advice on how to act normal around him, I talked to her.

The problem was that Sarah was fixed on the idea that Benny liked me too.

Me, I didn't think so.

"Because A) he is not gay and B) I don't know. . .it's wrong?" I sat back on my chair.

Sarah gave me one of those looks that said, You're crazy.

"Sarah, how can I- This is my best friend. The possibility of anything happening between us is almost non-existent."

"Than make it existent. It's not fair that you're just going to sit back without at least trying. Love can overcome anything." Sarah told me with a smile.

I laughed. "Yeah, yeah."

That's when Benny chose to come. He wondered into the house, with Jane right behind him. They were talking about something magic related. Benny was smiling and happy, the most I've seen him do in almost all summer.

I sighed and twirled my pencil in my hands. I wondered if Benny somehow sensed that I liked him. Maybe that's why he was acting distant. I pushed away the hurt that came with that thought and smiled brightly at Benny.

Benny's pov

"Hey, Benny." Ethan said, when I put my backpack down.

"Hey, yourself. How's homework working out for ya?" I asked, mentally slapping myself. What a stupid thing to say! Ethan, thankfully, smiled and shrugged.

"It's fine. Where were you today?"

"Helping Grandma with painting my room." I said, it was the truth. I had decided that I was tired to having my walls white. I was thinking of painting them blue or green. I wasn't sure yet.

"Want me to come over tomorrow?" Ethan asked.

"No! I mean, no. I'm almost done anyway." I laughed weakly, but just like that morning, Ethan noticed.

I needed to get a grip, but how? I couldn't tell him that I liked him. He would hate me. But I couldn't keep coming over and seeing him when I felt this way.

Damn it, being a teenager sucked.

"Oh, okay. That's great. Maybe I can go see it when it's done."

"Yeah."

We both sat there awkwardly until thankfully Sarah came to our rescue. Like always.

"Ethan, can you go help Jane? She wanted you to bring down her box of dolls from her closet."

Ethan nodded and quickly went upstairs to Jane's room. I visibly relaxed, which made Sarah raise her eyebrow at me.

"You okay, Benny? I've never seen you so tense around Ethan before." She said slowly. She walked over to the table, and I stared up at her. In my mind I was making up all these excuses to try and get out of this confrontation? Is that what this was?

"Benny, you like Ethan, huh?" Sarah said.

I looked up at her, eyes wide in shock. My mouth dropped in surprise.

Sarah stared at me, before she began to smile victoriously. I blushed.

"No, Sarah, wait. You don't understand." I choked out.

Sarah crossed her hands over her chest, and narrowed her eyes at me. "Benny, it's okay. Just relax."

I stared at her, "So you won't tell him?"

"No, I won't. But you will." Sarah said, sure of herself.

"What? No, I can't. He'll hate me." I blurted out.

"Look, you have to tell him something then. Ethan thinks that you hate him or something. What with how you've been acting, I don't blame him. Look, Ethan will understand. He won't hate you. I know he won't."

"Why are you so sure?" I asked, relaxing a bit.

"You guys wouldn't hate one another because of something like that. If your positions were reversed and he liked you, would you hate him?"

I sighed, feeling sad because I knew that wasn't possible.

"That'll never happen. He likes you." I said angrily, and glared at the table.

Sarah looked at me surprised now, but before she could say anything, Ethan walked down the stairs toward us.

"Hey, you guys okay?" He asked. Looking from Sarah to me.

"Yeah, I just remembered I had to go to the library." I said, standing up, already slinging my backpack over one shoulder. "Sorry, E. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Ethan only had time to nod, before I walked out of the door.

Sarah's pov

"Sarah, what did you tell him?" Ethan asked, looking at me worried. "Did you tell him about how I felt?"

"No, I promised I wouldn't do that remember?" I said, sighing.

"Then what happened?" Ethan asked.

"I was trying to see why he was acting weird, that's all." It wasn't a complete lie.

Ethan nodded, believing me. I told him I would go with Jane, leaving him to his thoughts. As for me, I was now thinking of what Benny had said. He thought Ethan liked me? What a mess. I had to help them. I wasn't going to get in the middle of their romance. Heck, I was in the middle of their friendship. Now I really needed to do somethinng.

Okay, this chapter was alright. :)