*****
When Ephram woke up the next morning he still held Amy in his arms. He wasn't sure how, but somehow he had ended up wearing just his boxers while, Amy had on a very large tee shirt of Ephram's. Suddenly he remembered all of what had happened that night.
~*Flashback*~
"Amy, I'm not kidding. It's really late. You're parents are asleep, so is my dad. I'm not letting you walk home, and I'm sure it will be okay with them if you stay here." He was becoming annoyed with Amy's crazy idea that 1:30 in the morning was a good time to go home.
"But I don't have anything with me." It was obvious she was trying to find an excuse to get him to let her leave.
"That's okay. I have big shirts in my closet and I'm pretty sure that my dad put a spare toothbrush in the bathroom."
"Fine Ephram, you win."
He handed her one of his shirts and she headed to the bathroom.
~*End Flashback*~
"Amy, wake up," he said as he gently shook her, trying to wake her.
"Mmmmm…" she moaned sleepily. She opened her eyes and saw Ephram looking down at her. "Oh, Ephram. Hi. Good morning," she said before she leaned up and kissed his cheek.
"You'd better call your dad. If you don't call him soon, he'll come after me wanting to know what I've done with you."
"Okay, I'll be right back." You could tell Amy was still half asleep. Her speech was slightly slurred with sleep, and as she got out of bed she almost fell.
"Hello?"
"Daddy? It's Amy. I'm still at Ephram's. I'm sorry I didn't come home or even call but we kind of lost track of time, and before I knew it, it was 1:30. I would have come home then but it was really late, and I didn't call because I figured you were asleep. I'm sorry daddy."
"Amy it's alright. Thank you for calling now. It looks like you may need to stay there a little longer though."
Dr. Abbott seemed rather calm. That concerned Amy. He was never calm when it came to Ephram.
"Why?" Amy asked.
"Well, I was watching the weather and it looks like we're going to get some snow. It started about two hours ago."
"Oh. Okay. Well I'll talk to you later daddy."
Once Amy hung up she walked into the kitchen and sat down sat the table. When she looked up she saw Ephram cooking, what appeared to be pancakes.
"Why on earth are you cooking?" Amy asked.
"Well, because my father isn't here, and even if he was, you wouldn't like what he cooks. Most of the time its not even food."
Amy looked down at the table and saw a note that she hadn't noticed before. It read:
Ephram- I went to the office early this morning. Say hello to Amy for me, yes I did see her in your room, asleep, with you. We'll talk when I get home. -Dad
"So your dad saw us huh?" Amy said with a giggle.
"That's not funny. I know exactly what he wants to quote talk about."
"Yeah, so do I."
"Where's Delia?" Amy asked after a moment.
"She slept over at Sam's."
"But isn't that just next door?"
"Yeah. I think she was planning to let us be alone."
"She's a smart girl."
"Yes she is. Now be quite and eat your pancakes," he said placing a plate in front of her.
*****
Later on that afternoon Ephram walked into the living room to find Amy staring out the window obviously lost in thought. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned back onto him and put her head on his shoulder.
"What are you thinking about?" Ephram asked looking down at her.
"Colin. And how different my life would be if he was still here," she said with a sigh. Then she closed her eyes giving her the appearance of being asleep.
"What would be different?" He already knew the answer but he wanted to know what she thought.
"Well, I'm not really sure. I'm pretty sure that I'd still be going out with him. And Bright wouldn't be insane. Well, he would be, but less so. I wouldn't have the whole town asking me if I was alright every damn time they bump into me on the street. And we would still be just friends."
"Do you want that?" Ephram wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer but he had to ask.
"Well parts of it. I mean I really wish people would leave me alone, and Colin was the first person I ever loved. But I'm really happy with you Ephram. And I love you now, not him."
"Good. I love you too."
Suddenly Amy turned around and started to walk towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Ephram asked hopefully. [A/N: If you don't know what he was hopeful about there is no help for you.]
"To find proper clothing. You don't think I'm going to go out in the snow in an oversized tee-shirt do you?" Amy said turning to smile at him with an evil glint in her eye.
"Why in hell are you going outside?"
"I'm not the only one. You need to get dressed too mister."
"Okay. Why are we going outside?"
"So I can dump snow on your head of course." Amy said like everyone else in the world knew that was the reason.
"Oh of course." Ephram said back with his famous sarcasm taking over.
*
"Amy, that's really cold!" Ephram yelled at the girl who had just shoved a snowball down the back of his jacket. "You are really gonna get it now! Well, once I get this snow out of my jacket."
"You'll have to catch me first!" she called back over her shoulder.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
Ephram ran after her. When he caught up with her, he pushed her from behind. He pushed her lightly, but hard enough to knock her over. He then went over and sat on top of her.
"That was for the snow." He said before leaning over and kissing her. "And that was just because I felt like it."
At that moment Nina stuck her head out one of the windows of her house.
"Hey Ephram. Keep it clean out there. I've got young impressionable children in here. And one of them is your sister." Nina said more to give them a hard time than anything else.
"Sorry Nina!" the two teens called at the same time.
Ephram kissed Amy once more then helped her to stand up.
"Can we go back inside now? It's really cold out here." Ephram said more to get out of Nina's watch than anything else.
"Yeah. Fine." Amy then gave a fake cough that sounded remarkably like "baby".
"Hey, I heard that!"
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing in front of Nina, because we both know she's still watching. Isn't that right Nina?" He said that last bit slightly louder.
Then from in side Nina's house came the reply. "You know it!"
"Point taken."
*
By the next day the snow had stopped, been cleared away, and allowed Amy to go home. It had also allowed Dr. Brown to come home after being trapped in his office. He looked tortured but spending hours with Edna could do that to a person. He had a newfound respect for Irv. When he walked in the door he looked around for Ephram. Not finding him on the ground floor, he went upstairs to Ephram's room. He was there, laying on his bed, reading a manga book, listening to what he called music; his father just called it noise.
"Ephram, we need to talk," Dr. Brown said waiting to see his son's reaction.
"Normally, I wouldn't mind having a shouting match with you dad, but today I'm feeling happy, and I don't feel like ruining that." Ephram said without looking up.
"You slept with Amy didn't you?" Dr. Brown meant it more as a statement than as a question.
"No. Actually I didn't. Unless of course you mean did I sleep in the same bed as Amy, then yes dad, I slept with her." Ephram was becoming annoyed with his father. He was being incredibly nosy.
"Look, Ephram, you don't need to lie to me. I was fifteen once too."
"Dad, I'm not lying to you! I didn't sleep with her. Go call her if you want, but I'm not lying to you."
If Ephram was annoyed with his father, it was nothing compared to how Amy was feeling about her family. She got the exact same talk but she got it from her mother, father, and brother. She was ready to hit something after about ten minutes. Fortunately she didn't hit anything. Instead she when to find the phone so she could call Ephram.
*****
Amy was getting angry. Ephram didn't seem to want to answer the phone. She had called about twelve times, and he still didn't answer. She tried one more time.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
"Oh come on Ephram, it's not that difficult to pick up a ringing phone!"
She decided that the next time she saw him, she'd smack him but for now she would just go online and talk to her friends.
Kayqueen516: hey Amy!
Grover564: hi Kayla
Kayqueen516: uh-oh whats wrong?
Grover564: oh its nothing... im being stupid...
Kayqueen516: well i could of told ya that... whats wrong?
Grover564: Ephram wont answer the phone
Kayqueen516: i told you to dump freak boy weeks ago... why does no one listen to me?
Grover564: oh shut up you dont even know him
Kayqueen516: and id like to keep it that way
Kayqueen516: but i still think you should dump him
Grover564: you know theres a reason no one listens to you... your advice sucks!
Kayqueen516: i love you too... but you really should
Grover564: yeah well i think i might
Kayqueen516: wait… why? your usually as stubborn as a mule
Grover564: and I kick twice as hard… but i have a feeling that this has something to that Boston girl
Kayqueen516: what does she have to do with anything?
Grover564: shes like in love with Ephram… i have a feeling that she has something to do with him not answering the phone
Kayqueen516: so your gonna dump him
Grover564: yeah
Kayqueen516: good! now go do it.
Grover564: fine fine
Grover564: ttyl
Kayqueen516: bye
*****
Ephram had been talking to Jordan on the phone pretty much all day. He had originally called just to apologize for being a jerk, but he found it really easy to open up to her.
"No I'm not kidding. I really did jump out of my bed room window, just to go to a party and get drunk," Ephram said with a small laugh.
"I think it's the east coast in you. People here don't do that kinda stuff. They just don't. It's weird."
"Yeah well that's Everwood for you."
"Ephram!" Delia called from downstairs.
"Hold on a sec Jordan," he said putting his hand over the speaker. "What Delia?" he called back.
"Amy's here," she said.
"Ok, tell her I'll be right down."
"Jordan can I call you back later?" he said turning back to the phone.
"Sure."
"Great. I gotta go. Bye."
*
"Whatsamatta?" Ephram asked sluring he words like only people from the northeast can.
"Well.... ummm.... I just wanted to tell you that.... I think.... that we should.... uhhh.... breakup," said Amy.
"Oh. Okay. That's fine. Whatever." he said, obviously hurt.
"I'm sorry Ephram."
"No, it's fine, really. But I've gotta go. I got a phone call to make," he said before stumbling up the stairs, leaving Amy alone in his living room.
"My brothers a jerk, isn't he," Delia asked coming in to the living room.
"No he's not. He's hurt that's all."
*
"Hey Jordan, do mind if I come over tonight. I'm bored I need something to do."
"Sure, no problem. My parents are outta town so they can't object."
"Great. I'll be there soon."
He hung up the phone and went down the stairs.
"Hey Delia, I'm going out. Dad'll be home any moment so I'll just leave you here. Tell him I went to Jordan's."
"But Ephram..."
"It'll be fine, just don't go anywhere and if you need something call Nina."
"Okay fine."
*
"Hey Ephram. Oh my gosh, what's wrong?"
Ephram had just arrived at Jordan's house, and looked as though he had been crying.
"Oh. It's nothing, I'm fine."
"Okay, well I was just watching a movie, you want to watch it with me?"
"Sure."
They sat in silence, eating popcorn and watching the corny, romance movie, for about half an hour. Ephram started getting thirsty so he got up to get something to drink.
"Hey, you want anything while I'm in here?"
"Yeah. Just give me whatever your having."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Ephram started rummaging through the refrigerator and cabinets, looking for something to drink. He had a couple different choices. In that one moment he made a choice that would change his life, Jordan's life, and the lives of all of those around them.
*****
[A/N: Like it so far? Want to know what happens next? Well, let me know, and I'll post the next chapter as soon as physically possible.]