Chapter 37: Chapter 37

Ethan's POV

I feel inexplicably happy as the last bell rings. I quickly grab my book and stuff and walk out of the classroom. Today is actually the best day in my two and half years in Westview. Those two assholes got dismissed from school and the other two bitches got suspended. I'm finally free. I can finally have a peaceful school life.

I can't help but smile from my heart at everyone I pass on the corridor. People are confused and only a few smile back at me. But I keep on smiling as I happily skip through the corridors and down the plethora of steps, my eyes searching for Michael's baby blue ones. He might not have gone back to dorm so soon today. He might be somewhere here with Grace.

But I don't see them even after walking through the corridors for a long time. And I don't see Gavin too. Anyway I'm going to Michael's room today. I've some works there. Also I changed my earlier plan. I'm not finding questions alone from half portion of the history chapter. I'm only doing the assignment together with Michael.

I fish my phone from my pocket and dial Michael's number. The call is answered after a few rings.

" Hello..", Michael's sweet sound is heard from the other side of the line.

" Hello, where are you ? Did you go back to dorm ?", I ask.

" No. We're in the..c..canteen.", Michael says.

" Oh..canteen ? Shall I join you there ? Are you guys about to go ?", I ask a bit too eagerly.

" No..we just came. Yeah..c'mon. Let's have an I- Ice cream.", he says.

" okay, I'll be there in two minutes.", I say and end the call, already rushing towards the canteen.

When I reach the canteen, Gavin is also there along with Michael and Grace. They all are having come ice-creams. Grace and Gavin are having Strawberry icecreams while Michael is having chocolate.

" Hey ! ", I wave at them and they all wave back smiling.

" Get an ice-cream man.", Gavin yells at me as I'm already walking to the counter to get a chocolate icecream. Once I get my icecream I quickly joins them, sitting down opposite to Michael.

" You like ch..chocolate flavour?", Michael asks me whilst licking on his icecream.

" Yeah..my favourite. ", I nod smiling.

" um.. why did you c..call me ?", he then asks.

" Let's work on the history assignment together like we did earlier. That's more easier.", I say.

" I was actually th..thinking to tell you that.", he smiles. " Shall we work today ?", he asks.

" Yeah..if you are free.", I say.

" I'm free.", he nods.

" Then okay.", I also nod.

" So you are coming to our dorm today ?", Grace asks.

" Yeah..we are partners in history assignment. Do you have any problem in me coming?", I ask.

" oh c'mon..no problem. I'm only happy. ", she chuckles. " And we can watch a movie together after you guys finish with your assignment."

" Yeah..", I nod more than happy.

" Then I'll be alone at dorm. I'm also coming.", Gavin quickly says.

" You are welcome.", Grace says licking on her icecream.

" Yes ! So which movie ?", Gavin asks Grace. Then they both start discussing about movies while I avert my attention to Michael.

" You want one more Ice-cream ?", I ask him.

" No.", he shakes his head.

" Are you hungry? Do you want Pizza?", I asks.

" um.. yeah. The p..pizza you brought me last time was y..yummy.", he says licking his lips.

" Then I'll order it. It's from a nearby cafe. They'll deliver it at our dorm.", I smile.

" So you guys are friends from before itself ?", Gavin suddenly asks frowning at us.

" No..we are just partners in history assignment and I've worked with him once before.", I say. Michael nods with me. Gavin and Grace goes back to talking about movies.

Soon we finish our ice-creams and head out of the canteen in direction of Michael's and Grace's dorm. Grace and Gavin are still talking enthusiastically as we walk to the dorm. They both got along really well in a short time. In fact Grace gets along well with almost everyone I guess. She and Michael became great friends just in a day.

Finally we reach the dorm and Michael opens the door for us. Grace goes and directly plops down on her bed, throwing her bag on the floor. Gavin goes and falls on the other bed as if it's his own while Michael goes and starts tidying up the desk.

I sit on one of the chairs and order Pizza and sprite for all of us while watching Michael going to his cupboard and rummaging inside it for a pair of clothes. Once he gets what he was searching for, he goes with the items to the bathroom and shuts the door behind.

Five minutes later, Michael steps out of the bathroom, wearing an orange full sleeved t-shirt and grey shorts.

" Ahm..then let's start ?", he asks looking at me.

" We've a few works before that.", I say.

" Wh..what ?", he asks.

" C'mere..", I say standing up from the chair. He walks to me confused. " Take out all the sharp objects in this room.", I say.

" Why ?", he asks frowning.

" It's needed. C'mon, take out all your razor blades, scissors, knives and everything.", I say. " Grace, give me a plastic bag or something.", I call out to Grace. She nods and get up from her bed, going to one of the cupboard. She produces a pink plastic bag out of her suitcase and then hands it to me.

" Thanks.", I mutter to her and starts my works, searching Michael's desk drawers first.

" Wait ! ", Michael shouts as I'm about to open one drawer.

" What ?", I ask him.

" one minute.", Michael says and rushes towards me. " M..move.", he tells me and I move away confused from the drawer. Once I'm enough far from the drawer, Michael opens it and takes out a piece of card, no a photo card from the drawer. He hides it to his chest and rushes with it to his shelves.

" Whose photo is that ?", I ask Michael confused.

" My brother's.", he says from his shelves.

" Oh..you have a brother ?", I ask him. He told me he only has an elder sister.

" Yeah..his brother died three years ago.", Grace answers my question. What !? He had a brother and he died ? But Michael didn't tell me that. And he told it to Grace whom he only met yesterday.

I look at Michael and see him biting down on his bottom lip whilst closing the shelves. I feel really bad for him. It's really terrible to lose a sibling. Michael has suffered way more than I expected. I want to protect this boy at any cost.

Right now, I need to remove all dangerous items from his sight. So I open his desk drawer and starts searching through it.

" What are you guys doing ?", Gavin then calls out, frowning from the bed whilst hugging one of Michael's pillows.

" You just shut up and lie there.", Grace tells him and accompanies me in searching Michael's drawers.

" You guys are m..mad.", Michael tells me crossing his hands as I pull out a packet of razors from his drawer and then throw it into the pink bag.

Next I fish out an orange handled knife from Michael's drawing pouch.

" Hey hey...I- I want it !", Michael instantly protests.

" Why ?", I ask.

" To cut..paper and things. G..give it back to me.", he says rushing to me.

" No.", I shake my head and throw the knife into the bag.

" You guys can't g..go around s..stealing my things.", Michael stomps his legs and he looks really cute like a child.

He keeps on whining as I and Grace together gets all the sharp items, candles, lighters and all such dangerous things we could find in the room and throw them into the bag. He had a dozen of different coloured and flavoured candles in his cupboard along with four lighters. We got it all and threw them in the bag.

Gavin stops asking us what we are doing after sometime. Seems like he figured out what is happening or Grace might have told him while she was searching Michael's bed and pillows.

" Th..then..what'll I do when current goes ? I'm afraid of dark.", Michael whines stomping his feet in front of me, asking me to give back his favourite strawberry flavoured candle. I just laugh at his cuteness.

" I'm here right. You don't need to worry Nate.", Grace says laughing slightly.

" Grace, he's actually really afraid of dark. He starts hyperventilating in dark. Be careful about that.", I tell Grace whilst going to the bathroom to find whether Michael has hid some razors inside there.

" Hmm..he told me yesterday. But he has lamp. And I too has lamp. Anyway, give me some candles. I'll keep them.", Grace says.

" Oh No ! That is my l..last blade.", Michael yells at me as I come out of the bathroom holding a razor blade in between my thumb and forefinger. I ignore him and throw it into Grace's pink bag.

" You don't have any idea wh..what you're doing.", he says.

" We do.", Grace says.

" Taking away my r..razors'd only turn me into a hairy chimp...Chimpanzee !", he says struggling with his words. " I wan to shave and all. Wh...what will I d..do now ?", he asks.

" Ask me when you want to shave. And you've to give me back the razors after you finish shaving. In fact you can ask me for any of these things when you want them. You just have to give them back to me after your use. They'll be safe with me.", Grace says.

" Ahhhh...you guys are c..crazy ! ", Michael groans and then goes and sits with Gavin, crossing his arms over his chest.

" Michael, we are doing this for your good. We'll give back everything to you soon. Grace is just holding them for a short while.", I say smiling at him but he just sighs.

" You'll get it all back. I promise.", I say.

" Hmm..okay.", Michael finally nods and uncrosses his hands. " Can we start doing our assignment now ?", he asks.

" Yeah..okay, C'mon.", I smile at him and then hands the bag to Grace who goes with it to her suitcase. Michael leaves one more sigh and then comes to the desk and sits down on a chair. I drag a chair closer to him and then slumps down on it, watching him opening the history text to second chapter.