"Oh, I suppose this is healthy," Dr. Brown said with slight sarcastic tone upon entering the kitchen to find his two children eating leftover pizza for breakfast. Ephram frowned slightly but Delia smiled.
"We're out of milk," Ephram reported sternly.
"Out?" Dr. Brown responded surprised, "we had a half gallon last night."
"Yea, well, someone dropped the cartoon and spilled it all over the floor," Ephram said leaning in toward Delia to made sure she had heard him. She stuck her tongue out at him and he sneered back. Dr. Brown chuckled slightly.
"Okay, okay you guys, cool off," Dr. Brown told them, his laughter still evident in his voice.
Ephram spun the dial on his locker and it opened easily from wear. To his surprise a folded piece of paper was laying on his books with his name written on it. He looked from side to side, down each end of the hallway as if he were being watched. Wordlessly he picked up the paper and unfolded it.
-It could be real love or it could just be "puppy love," I'm not sure yet. I've seen a picture of him, quite a few, actually. He's better looking then you are. There are a lot of nice stories about him too, he seems like a really nice guy, perfect for Amy. If I were you, I'd hope that when he gets out of that coma, he has amnesia or something.
Jig
Ephram sighed angrily, crumpled the paper up, and shoved it into a random pocket in his book bag. When he had a crush on a girl back in New York, it never got complicated. Now he had spies… When did love involve spies? He was a high school student, not a G-man…
Jig was asleep again when Ephram got to History. He rolled his eyes as he sat down in front of her. Doesn't she get any sleep at home? He checked his watch. A few more minutes before class started, like yesterday. He waited a few moments but no question came so he turned around in his seat. Jig was still asleep.
"Gene Starwind or Spike?" he asked her. She didn't seem to hear him so he sighed angrily again and turned back around.
"Gene," she answered simply. Ephram scoffed and turned back around.
"Gene!" he asked in disbelief.
"Better hair," she mumbled, her head still laying on her folded arms.
"Even when he gets it cut at the end of the series?"
"At least it's symmetrical."
"Yea, but Spike's hair is part of his character."
"It's green."
"And Gene's is red," Ephram said defensively. Jig scoffed.
"This coming from a guy whose hair is purple."
"Hey, hey! At least I'm not breaking into other people's lockers!" he yelled at her and she smiled unexpectedly.
"It wasn't hard, 1, 13, 25. It was predictable," she told him slyly. He narrowed his eyes.
"Then I'll have to change it."
"You're thinking 8, 1, 13, aren't you?" she asked him with a wide smile. Ephram turned around in his chair, facing the front again.
"Be quiet," he scolded. She laughed.
"Ha, ha, ha. That's what I thought."
Amy stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom. She held her hairbrush in her hair and ceremoniously brushed the long blonde strands into perfection. Putting the brush away she plucked off any detached strands of hair from her shirt. She then brushed an eyelash off of her cheek with her fingers. Normally she'd get the eyelash onto her finger and make a wish, but she didn't feel like wish making today. The door to the bathroom opened and Amy looked in the mirror to see her second cousin walking in, green paint on her shirt.
"What happened to you?" Amy asked in earnest worry, turning around to watch her cousin walk over to a sink.
"Don't worry, it's Tempera, it washes out," Jig told her with a reassuring smile.
"Yea, but how'd you get it on you?" Amy asking, making sure she was perfectly understood.
"Some guy spilled it on me," Jig said. Amy watched her cousin pour water on the front of her blue shirt silently for a few moments.
"You've been talking to Ephram?" Amy asked her simply, turning back to the mirror in front of her. Jig smirked, glanced at Amy, and then back at the green paint.
"Yea. He's weird," Jig said still smirking. She knew her cousin was more than interested in the subject of Ephram, but didn't want to seem like it.
"Weird? What do you mean?" Amy asked her, a little worry seeping through her voice. Jig shrugged in false confusion.
"Well, one moment he and I are talking about anime, and he gets pretty into it. The next he's huffy and giving me the cold shoulder," Jig explained. Amy's eyes narrowed and looked down at her hands, before returning once again to her cousin.
"Maybe you just brought up something he doesn't like," Amy suggested. Jig laughed and shook her head.
"Oh no, I mention something he loves, actually, and he gets mad."
"That doesn't make sense. Is it a cartoon of some sort?" Amy asked her confused. Jig laughed a little.
"Yea, sure, it's called "Guy Loves Girl Loves Guy in Coma,"" Jig said laughing. Amy wasn't laughing so Jig stopped. "Sorry."
"No it's okay. It's just…" Amy said but deemed it too hard to finish. Jig rung the excess water out of the front of her shirt and tried to flatten the crinkles out of it. She walked over to Amy, a genuine concerned look on her face. She laid her hand on Amy's shoulder.
"Amy, do you genuinely like Ephram, or are you just trying to get his dad's help?" Jig asked her slowly. Amy turned her head to look at her, a sad look gracing her face.
Ephram picked at the food on his Styrofoam tray casually with his fork, in no way enticed to eat any of it. He supposed his poking it was a subconscious notion to make sure it didn't jump up and try to bite him. He let out an annoyed sigh as Jig sat down across the table from him. She had no lunch with her, just a can of pop, which she set on the table and opened with a "pop."
"If you stop with the "I'm conscious he's not" jokes you might have a chance," Jig told him. Suddenly Ephram's lunch tray was not as interesting to him as it had been, and he looked up at Jig eagerly.
"You're good…" he said and she smiled.
"Information can be a way of life in LA," Jig told him. He nodded in mild understanding.
"So what are next week's lottery numbers?"
"If I knew that I wouldn't be in Everwood. Not that this week's jackpot would matter to you, oh overly rich one," Jig said with a bow of her head in false homage. Ephram sighed and shook his head.
"Why'd you come to Everwood anyway? You didn't come here by choice."
"Now how would you know that?"
"You're wearing five shirts and a sweater, two pairs of pants, three pairs of socks, and snow boots…" he told her matter of factly. Jig laughed and shook her head.
"It's cold."
"So why are you here?" he repeated. Jig sighed and looked down at her pop can.
"To give you a friend, Ephram. That is my entire role here," she told him. Ephram rolled his eyes and sighed.
"You can tell me later," he told her rather kindly for his normal disposition.
"If I do it'll be against my will," she admitted. He looked at her surprised but she waved it off.
"So are you going to stop with the coma jokes?" Jig asked him, changing the subject. He nodded.
"Yea, of course."
"Now that includes the ones to Bright too. Be nicer to him," Jig instructed. Ephram scoffed and looked away from her.
"Oh don't give me that "I'm above him on very level" look. When it comes to Amy you're not. Bright's good will is important, Ephram," she told him.
"I'd rather wither away and die."
"Then what would I do for fun?"
"Watch Mononoke Hime again?"
"Or Spirited Away."
"Has that come out yet?"
"I think so, hasn't it?"
"I don't know but I really want to see it."
"I hope they dub it as well as they dubbed Mononoke."
"They did a really great job on that!"
"Hey. Ephram," Amy said walking up behind them. The two fell silent as Ephram turned to see the face he expected to go with the voice. Amy had a slightly uneasy look on her face, which turned into slight embarrassment upon seeing that Ephram had been in a conversation.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" Amy asked him.
"Uh, well, actually Jig and I were…" Ephram said turning around to look at Jig. She was gone but her pop can was still on the table. Ephram looked around the cafeteria but couldn't see her anywhere. He heard Amy laughing slightly so he turned back around and was glad to see a smile on her face. Ephram smiled and chuckled slightly.
"Can I sit down?" Amy asked him. He nodded his head quickly so she maneuvered into the chair next to him.
"Does Jig do that a lot? Disappear?" Ephram asked Amy. Amy laughed and nodded her heard.
"I remember when we went down to see her when we were kids, she kept trying to disappear. It was weird…" Amy said and the two fell silent. Uncomfortable looking at Amy, Ephram's eyes banded around the cafeteria. He spotted a group of girls who he had known to be Amy's friends.
"Shouldn't you be over there with your friends? Wouldn't want them to think you and I were friends or anything…" Ephram said looking back at Amy.
"Who cares what they think? If they really are my friends they won't care who I talk to," Amy said to Ephram's surprise. That was different than the last time she had to choose between them and him. Ephram smiled.
"I seem to remember when it wasn't that way…" he said poking at his "food" again, not really wanting to see Amy's immediate reaction. Amy sighed and looked at her hands that were folded in front of her.
"Yea, about that… Listen, Ephram, I am so sorry about that. I, I just didn't realize I was a person. I mean, I know I was a person, I just didn't realize I was myself. That I was the one who had to decide what I did. Does, does that make any sense?" Amy asked him somewhat disgraced, but mostly apologetic. Ephram nodded.
"Yea, yea I get it. It's okay, I understand," Ephram reassured her, even though he was just guessing at it himself. Amy smiled, relieved.
"Good," she said placing a hand briefly on his shoulder before taking it off. "Listen, to thank you for helping me out, you know, by asking your dad about helping Colin, let me take you to dinner. My treat. Is Thursday okay?"
"Uh, about my dad…" Ephram started, guilt long since tearing away at the inner strength he thought he had. He had lied to her. What kind of a guy lies to the one he loves?
"No, it's okay. He's allowed to or not to help Colin. He might not be any help anyway, who knows, right? So, Thursday, okay?" Amy asked him, standing up and pushing in her chair. He nodded his head nervously; she smiled, and walked away. Ephram let out a long, shameful, completely lost sigh and pushed his tray aside. He then used the free space to bang his forehead against the table.
