Chapter Twelve: Philia
Ethan didn't want anything to be wrong. The more preferable approach would be to ignore what he felt deep down and enjoy the moments he could share with Benny, regardless if he were being honest or not. As much as he tried to brush that haunting thought of unrequited love aside, he found himself being haunted by three more angry ghosts. Many more questions and theories flooded each time he took a small glimpse into deciphering their relationship.
On the way to his grandmother's house, Ethan was silent. Selena Gomez's presence was absent and the soft brush of trees passing by was the only whisper in the teens' ears. Occasionally, a huff would come out of Sarah and Benny would make that grunting noise he made when he was nervous about something. Ethan sat there squirming in his seat, focusing on the blur of green out his window and doing everything in his power to not think about Benny. Failing miserably, he succumbed to his instinctual ways. But man was it hurtful. Gosh there was so much pain and he swore he physically felt his heart sink when Benny's reflection was caught in the window.
When the awkward car ride ended, the trio exited the vehicle and ashamedly made their way inside. Ethan and Sarah weren't even guilty and they felt bad entering her home. Knowing that Benny wouldn't drag them was reassuring, but guilt by association was still a thing.
"What have you twits done now?" Benny's grandmother, Evelyn, had a hand on her hip and a presumptuous look in her eyes that told them that she had sensed there being an issue long before they arrived at her humble abode.
It was a nice little home. Outside was all brick and inside was dark wood and books. She had added some color with drapes and rugs, but the design was very old fashioned. Benny and Ethan didn't care about it that much, but Sarah secretly adored the fashion. If she could dress up her house in a creepy old way...never mind. The loss of blood must really be getting to her head. She loved the modern look more than anything, not old lad vibes!
"Well, actually Grandma, it's more what I've...done," Benny said as he placed himself on the blue couch. Ethan followed, sitting farther apart than normal, and Sarah found herself sharing a seat with Evelyn.
Evelyn noticed Ethan being off-standish but didn't point it out. His aura was different. Instead of a positive energy, it gave off a blackened vibe. Difficult to tell why with lack of information, she assumed that it was hormones to blame. They messed with auras more than people considered.
"I'm listening," Evelyn said as she situated herself, staring at the three with anticipation of an explanation.
"Okay...so yesterday I tried to use the spell 'amare' on Tiffany," Benny said, already giving his grandmother a sorrowful look knowing that she was going to be marked as the most disappointed grandmother in history. He knew without any psychic powers that he was going to get another lecture about never learning and how messing with the pendulum will swing things back in his face. He didn't need that now though, he needed answers to curing this thing.
"Again with the love spells? Benny, didn't we talk about this already?" Evelyn wanted to let this go. How could she when her idiot grandson hadn't learned from almost being killed from the same spell.
"I know, I'm sorry. Anyways, the spell accidentally hit Ethan. I thought it was that spell anyway," Benny was all over the place. Mostly he was distraught. The entire car ride there he had rehearsed in his head what he would say. Now that the occasion rose, he was choking.
"Benny..." Evelyn said, truly hoping that nothing too bad had happened to Ethan.
"He mixed up the spells and I'm feeling sick, as well as the rest of the school, so he had concluded that he induced a lovesick spell on me! There, was that so hard?" Ethan said bitterly, crossing his arms across his chest and almost facing away from Benny hadn't they been in the same room engaging in the same conversation.
"Right, that," Benny said with a sheepish grin.
"If you casted a lovesick spell then this is more serious than I thought," Evelyn said with fear in her voice. She knew of that kind of power and it wasn't something to tread lightly with.
"How serious?" Sarah asked, her turn to freak out. Out of all the stupid things Benny does and he chooses to release biological warfare on the entire school. Sure, he didn't choose it, but it was his fault!
"Lovesick spells are a force to be reckoned with. They're what's known as the 'heart disease' of spells," Evelyn said.
She suddenly leaped from the chair and swept her feet to a bookshelf. After finding a thick blue book, she flipped through the pages. Evelyn came back to the group and set the book on the table, her finger stuck on a picture with a heart on it, only the heart didn't look like one you'd find in your health class book. It looked like it had been rotting.
"When this spell is casted, it immediately starts at the core, the heart. Ethan's heart is slowly being eaten away each time he isn't around Benny. Since they are often together he has lasted longer than usual, but it will only get worse from here. You need to save whoever else is under this spell by tonight or you'll be too late," Evelyn explained.
"Crud. And now we have a deadline!" Benny bemoaned. Pressure was becoming too real, especially when he now had no choice but to pull his act together.
"Oh boohoo," Ethan said sourly.
In truth, he didn't want to be 'cured'. It was hurtful now, but before the emotional turmoil Ethan hadn't felt happier. It was as if the sun had handed all of its light to him in a little box and when he opened it joy exploded. Oddly, it didn't scare him to see how his heart would end up. His faith in Benny went farther than magic.
"Is there any way to stop this?" Sarah asked, wanting to know Ethan's impending doom.
"There is one way, true love's kiss," Evelyn said, waiting for someone to protest after that.
"Like in the story I read to Jane, Sleeping Beauty," Sarah said, recalling to when she babysat Jane Sunday.
"Precisely," Evelyn said with a serious expression on her face, darker than before.
"Okay, but how are we going to get every person in school to kiss each other?" Benny asked, contemplating how to pull this off now that he was in work mode.
"Right. Even with a kissing booth we don't know if we're getting the right people together," Sarah chimed in.
"You don't need that. If you can convince two people to kiss, you have them both blow the kiss afterwards into a potion and then you're home free," Evelyn explained to them. She walked away again and brought back a large vile filled with a sparkling pink substance.
"Great! Ethan and Sarah can kiss, boom, whole school saved," Benny cheered.
"What makes you say me and Ethan are true loves kiss? Ew," Sarah made a face at the idea and crossed her arms.
"Yeah, total ew," Ethan agreed.
"Not so fast warlock. In this case, only the kiss of Philia works," Evelyn said, in the back of her mind hoping it wouldn't be an issue.
"Philia? Is that some kind of Phil thing cuz I don't get it," Benny said dumbly.
"To the Greeks, 'philia' also known as friendship love, is the strongest type of love there is. You and Ethan need to kiss in order for it to work," Evelyn said, ruining his chance of not having to kiss the lovesick puppy.
"Why do we have to kiss? Ethan and Sarah are friends too," Benny complained.
"Again, ew," Sarah said.
"Their friendship isn't nearly as strong as yours. It won't have enough power to save the entire school," Evelyn answered, handing him the bottle. "You put yourself in this mess and now you have to get yourself out of it,"
"Yeah, alright," Benny said, still not sold on the whole idea.
Ethan would usually be bouncing off the walls with glee at the thought of kissing Benny, but now he was feeling guilty that he would be enjoying the kiss and his friend would have to force himself to do it. He didn't say anything about it, knowing that the whole school depended on his lips. Regardless, it was heartbreaking to acknowledge.
