Ephram was shocked. One, he couldn't believe they broke up; they seemed like they were actually doing well with the distance, and two, he couldn't believe she was laughing. She was laughing at the break up of the one she loved.
"Wow," he said. "Are you okay? And answer me, seriously."
Ryan nodded and smiled. "Yea, you know, I am actually happy in a way. This is a huge relief. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest and I can finally breathe again. It's sad, in another sense. He was my last real tie to everything back home. My friends have slowly stopped calling and I make no effort to call them. But I've realized, this place is becoming home. And Adam knew that. I needed to be cut from the last strings that keep holding me back. We realized we still loved each other, but because of the distance, we weren't in love with each other anymore. So, it's a mutual ending, and we agreed to still be friends."
"Well, at least it wasn't bitter," Ephram said. "Was he 'the first love?'"
Ryan stood up and walked over to her dresser and picked up a photo. She walked back over to Ephram and showed him the picture in the frame. It was of her and some guy, with brown hair and brown eyes, dressed formally, posing. She was in a long, blue dress with her hair all done in curls. "No, he was."
"Who is he?" Ephram looked at the picture, he was getting jealous.
Ryan smiled. "His name was Jared. He was my best friend. We met freshmen year, and we had every single class together, kinda like us. We were instant friends and before we knew it, we were best friends. He was a football player, but he wasn't the typical jock. He played guitar too, and he was in the band with me. He was the best. One of the most amazing and beautiful people I had ever met. He was there for me after my dad died and I probably wouldn't have gotten though it without him." She was tracing the outline of his face in the photo with her fingers.
"Then sophomore year came and everything changed. Soon, I realized that I was in love with him. He never knew. To the outside world, we were like brother and sister, but inside, I knew I was so deeply in love with him. And then, during winter training for football, he started getting dizzy at practices and then after one workout, he blacked out. He kept blacking out for a week before he finally passed out at home, and being an only child, his overprotective parents immediately got him medical attention. He wasn't on any kind of drugs; he was a good kid, probably the only player that wasn't taking some kind of pill…"
Ephram looked at her, and saw she was still smiling. "What happened? What was wrong with him?"
"Well, the doctor's took a blood test. They thought he was anemic. They also recommended an EKG, because they thought there was possibility that there was something wrong with his heart. He got the blood test and the test came negative. The doctor said he was a perfectly healthy teenage boy. They never got the EKG." Ryan swallowed. "The decision to not get the EKG cost Jared his life. There was something wrong with his heart, I don't remember what, I was in denial and didn't want to accept it. Before I knew it, his health started deteriorating rapidly. After battling whatever what was wrong with him for two months, he finally gave up. He died a little over six months after my dad. He didn't see the end of sophomore year. If they had just gotten the EKG, he'd probably still be alive."
"Oh my God, Ryan, I don't want to say 'I'm sorry' but I am, you shouldn't have had to go through that." Ephram couldn't believe she was still smiling.
"For the longest time, I blamed myself. I was the only one who knew about the blacking out, and I didn't say anything. Then I spent all this time thinking about how it wasn't fair. He had so many dreams, and so many things left to accomplish. The band was always the biggest dream, someday getting famous and touring all over the world. You know the band got its first real big gig two months after he died? He didn't even get to see that. Of course, I started going out with Adam about a month after Jared's death, and he just made everything okay," Ryan said, as she turned to look at him with that same smile. "I know you're wondering 'How the hell is she still smiling when she lost her father and her best friend in a six month period?' and the truth is, my father lived a long life, and fought till the end. I just wished I had taken the time to get to know him more than just those seven months before he died. And yea, it's not fair that Jared died when he just sixteen years old and didn't get to experience all these things I'm experiencing, but I know in a way he is. He's experiencing these things through me. I swear I feel him watching me, making sure I'm okay. Jared was a beautiful person and he wouldn't want me to mourn his death, but rejoice his life. So, that's why I've chosen to tell you this story, Ephram. Thank you, for listening to me."
Ephram pulled her into a hug, and she rested her head on his chest. He just held her close and felt her body warmth. "Anytime, Ryan, anytime."
Ryan felt safe, in this cold November night. Whenever he was over, Ephram brought this house life. She hated being there all alone. And being there in his arms, she didn't want him to let go. She looked up at him, into those eyes that made her melt. She had continued to fall for him over the past month and half and now, there was nothing holding her back. "Ephram, I--"
Ephram put a finger to her lips, silencing her. For some reason, he knew what she was going to say. "Shh, don't speak," he said, as he lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. And Ryan kissed back and the two fell backwards onto her bed, wrapped in each other's arms and not breaking their lip lock.
A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Hehe, the very expected hookup has arrived. By the way, I know I never explained the circumstances of Ryan's father's death. So, basically, he had cancer, since she was six, and it kept going back and forth in remission. Her father was a workaholic and never home, like Ephram's dad, and she had a very bad relationship with him. Then they finally started to get along and form a relationship and the cancer came back for the final time. And yea. Ephram knows all about it. Sorry I forgot to somehow add it as an actual part of the story. Don't worry – you'll get to find out about the absent little brother in a future chapter. He pushed open the door and there she was, sitting with her guitar on the edge of her bed. She looked up and gave him a half smile. "Thank you, for coming. You really didn't have to. I didn't expect you to." She put the guitar down behind her.
"Nothing would have stopped me."
"You're a good friend, Ephram," she said.
"So… what's up?"
"I was wondering, if you could maybe tutor me in math?" Ryan asked, trying to avoid answering the question.
"Try again."
"Okay, I was thinking tonight, about something. This is our junior year, so we have our prom this year and since I don't really want to go with anyone else, I was wondering if you would go with me? I'm planning ahead, I know, and you probably wanted to have an actual date, but I figured it was either you or Bright and since I'm afraid Bright might step on my feet when dancing with him, I chose the better option." Ryan smiled at him.
"Of course I will. And I was going to ask you anyway," Ephram replied. "But try again, I know there's something else on your mind."
Ryan gave him a look. "You know, I hate you!" she said in a playful voice. "I can't keep anything from you." And then, she looked down, trying to find the way to put this.
"Ryan, what is it?" Ephram came and sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulders.
Ryan looked up and into his eyes. With a laugh she said, "Adam and I broke up."
