Scarlett Blake (wantingisenough) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2022-10-10 08:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | #july 2018, ethan, ethan x scarlett, scarlett |
Who Ethan and Scarlett
When: Early evening, Wednesday, July 5th
Where: The hospital
Status: Complete
Because Point Pleasant was such a small town, news traveled fast. She had heard about Ethan and Jules’s car accident sometime Sunday, and had texted both of them once she had been told that they were okay. Jules had responded, but Ethan hadn’t, so she had to imagine he was still pissed at her. Or nothing at her, considering the way they fought the last time they’d seen each other. By Wednesday though, Scarlett had made the decision to go see Ethan anyway. He could have died and Scarlett really hated thinking about it. The last time they’d spoken they had fought so maybe this was a sign to stop being mad and forgive him.
Despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in a while, Scarlett still did her best to look cute, dressing in a sundress and braiding her hair. If he was all banged up, he might like seeing something pretty.
On her way to the hospital, Scarlett stopped and got him a milkshake and burger from Moxie’s. Hospital food was shitty and didn’t they say the way to a man’s heart was food? She tended to think it was pussy, but she couldn’t fuck Ethan in his hospital bed, so food it was.
Once she found his room, she saw the door was partially open so she knocked a little before pushing it open some more so he could see her.
“Hi,” she said with a small smile. “Want some company?”
Ethan was bummed to find out his phone did not make it through the car crash. It could be replaced easier than his car could, but his mother didn’t seem to be in any hurry to do it for him. Without it, he felt stranded, stuck trying to pass the time on daytime tv that he cared nothing about. Having Jules next door helped, but they were both still weak enough that sitting for long periods of time was uncomfortable. Ethan was bored, stuck in his head more than was helpful, running circles around topics that continued to go nowhere.
He looked up at the knock on his door, fully expecting it to be Jules. The sight of Scarlett, in a sundress no less, stunned him silent, and for a moment he wondered if he’d fallen asleep or hit his head. “Hi,” he said, offering her a tentative smile in return. He pushed himself in a better sitting position, cringing a little in the process, but he wasn’t going to chat with her laying down. “Sure, but… I really didn’t expect to see you again.”
"Well, it's a small town," Scarlett said, still smiling as she walked into the room. He looked kind of beat up, but he was still hot to her. Maybe he would have scars or something. Scars were hot too. Mostly she was just glad that he was alive. Even if she tried to ignore it, Scarlett wasn't fully oblivious to how Point Pleasant liked to take people. Walking over to the bed, Scarlett offered the bag and milkshake. "Moxie's. I had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days when I was a kid... had to get my appendix taken out. The food was super gross, so I thought you might like something more edible."
“Thanks,” Ethan smiled. “The food is definitely lacking. And I killed my phone in the crash, so I could use the company.” He was a little worried about how she might come after him again, but knew that he probably deserved anything that she had to say. Her accusation had come out of nowhere, at least to him, but for all he knew, maybe he’d seemed guilty. Looking back, he had no idea how he’d come across, high as he’d been, and even if her accusations had been baseless, they’d been spot on. “I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, needing to get it out there. “For what happened, for how I’ve been lately. I haven’t made the best decisions lately, but… I never meant to hurt you.” He didn’t want to lie to her—he didn’t regret sleeping with Jules, but he’d never wanted to hurt Scarlett.
Well, that would explain why he hadn't responded to her text message. It sucked that his phone was destroyed, but at least he hadn't been ignoring her. Scarlett listened to his apology, not entirely sure why she had accused him of cheating on her other than she just assumed all guys cheated and for whatever reason, her paranoia and anger had gotten the better of her. After the fact, it made no sense to Scarlett, but Ethan had admitted to it so she just told herself it was instinctual. Boys were cheaters. Scarlett shrugged softly before sitting gently on the edge of his bed. "I know. And I guess maybe you were right that we never, you know, talked about being in a relationship or whatever." Scarlett so desperately wanted to ask him who he had sex with, but she had a feeling her temper would explode if he told her and it was someone she knew, or worse, a friend of hers. If it was Vic, Scarlett would probably set fire to her friend's hair. So it was probably better than Scarlett didn't ask. "I'm sorry for stuff too. I just liked you a lot and just thought... you know." Scarlett gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you're okay though. What happened?"
It was good that Scarlett didn’t ask who Ethan had slept with because Ethan had zero intention of telling her. It would only make things worse and probably damage Scarlett’s friendship with Jules. Seeing as how it was unlikely to ever happen again, it seemed better to keep it to himself. “I liked you, too,” Ethan told her. “I still do. I didn’t mean to—” He shook his head, not wanting to give her excuses. He couldn’t even say he regretted it, because he didn’t. It felt better not to lie if he could avoid it. “It was just a stupid accident. Jules and I went to the carnival and it started to rain. We left. Apparently I couldn’t see as well as I thought I could.” There was more to it than that, but expanding on it felt like opening a can of worms, both figuratively and literally. He had no idea how Scarlett would react to hearing he’d had black smoke worms in his body and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
Scarlett knew if Ethan told her who he'd fucked, she'd probably lose her shit, especially if it was someone she knew. And it was probably better to try and not get into much trouble this summer. It was somewhat validating to hear he still liked her too. Maybe this whole thing wasn't a complete disaster. Despite that, it was a little irksome to hear he had been with Jules at the carnival, but Scarlett knew they were friends and she knew Jules was still hung up on Jasper, so she didn't really feel that threatened by it. "You could have died," Scarlett said, frowning. "Although I know you've probably already heard that from like, everyone whose walked in this room. But I'm glad you're okay. I would've been pretty mad at myself if something had happened to you and I was... well, really bitchy to you the last time we saw each other."
Ethan had definitely heard it before, from pretty much everyone who had walked through the door. The crazy part was that, without the car accident, they definitely would have died. They’d have gone back to Ethan’s apartment, passed out, and never woken up again. He wished he could tell Scarlett about it, but it wasn’t the kind of information he could share with a girl he might not even see again. Even if they started to date again, it felt like too big a trust leap. It was the kind of thing he’d never been able to share with anyone but Jules—was that what made them special? Or was that what made every other relationship lacking? “It was justified,” he sighed. “I’d like to try and make it up to you. When I get out of here. If you’d like.”
If he hadn't just been in a car accident, Scarlett might have made him beg for a while before giving him a second chance. But he looked so bruised and tired and she supposed it would be really bitchy to make him really work for it. Whoever the other girl was... well, she better hope Scarlett never found out her name. "I think I'd like that," she said with a small smile. "But the important thing is you getting better. I'm not a nurse or anything, but... if you need help with stuff, or just want me to bring you Moxie's, I could do that." Scarlett wanted to show him how good it would be if he needed her. She was an awesome girlfriend. He would realize that.
“I don’t need a nurse,” Ethan smiled. “But company would be nice. I’ll be taking it easy until my ribs and ankle heal.” He could work around his ankle, but his ribs would make doing much of anything difficult. It made him wonder if his uncle knew some way to heal him up faster than normal. It seemed like something AIR could do, but he really had no insight into any of the projects, other than his own. Scarlett might be bored, hanging out and watching Netflix with his body in less than optimal condition for anything else, but he wasn’t going to turn her down. Seeing her would be a bright spot in his day, something to look forward to. He just had to make sure she and Jules came around at different times. It seemed essential that they not overlap, even though they were friends. “My mom promised me a phone sometime soon. I’ll text you as soon as I get one.”
Scarlett nodded in understanding. She could resist jumping his bones when he was home. Not being able to have sex right away was probably a good thing, because she could show him all of her other attributes. It might be fun to get to know each other outside of fucking anyway. Hanging out with Ethan, even fully clothed, had to be more fun than some of the stuff she had been doing this summer. "Do you... I mean, I can stay for a while, if you want? Unless you're tired and stuff, then I leave you alone." She brought him food, but he may just want to eat without anyone hovering.
Ethan realized that Scarlett being there was another sign that she wanted more than just sex out of their relationship and if he didn’t want to run her off, he’d have to start putting some work into it. He cringed as he pushed himself up a bit, so he could dig into the food, and offered her a smile. “All I do is sleep. I’m bored, but I’m also kind of boring right now, but… I’d like it if you’d stay a bit?” He assumed if she wanted to go, she’d come up with an excuse. He was the one who wasn’t going anywhere. “I think I’m becoming addicted to Moxie’s,” he said as he opened the burger. “Have you eaten? Do you want some?” It was always a little weird to eat in front of someone else that didn’t have food, but after a few days of hospital food he wasn’t going to let that stop him.
"You're not boring," Scarlett said, turning to grab one of the visitor chairs to drag over to the side of Ethan's bed. "I mean, surviving a car accident is pretty damn scary, but also... badass? Everyone you know is going to want to know what happened." It might be traumatic and maybe Ethan wouldn't want to talk about it, but Scarlett knew her friends well enough to know they'd be super nosy and interested. Scarlett reached into the bag and took a couple of french fries before sitting down. "I could try to do something to help your boredom, but they'd probably kick me out of here." She grinned teasingly at him. "I think I'd go crazy in here, especially without my phone."
“This… this wasn’t badass,” Ethan said, shaking his head. “It was stupid. Scary. They say life flashes before your eyes, but it was more like everything went black. And then too fucking bright.” Coming back out if it had been the most painful thing he’d ever experienced. They’d had to sedate him almost as soon as he was conscious, and even then the second time he’d woken up had been bad. But he didn’t want to think about that right now, especially since he couldn’t tell Scarlett what really happened. “There are other cures for boredom,” he grinned. “Have you always lived in Point Pleasant?”
Scarlett listened, understanding that he was probably really scared when it happened. She had been in a car accident only once, but that was when someone hit the back of her car and left a tiny dent. Nothing so bad that it put her in the hospital. Reaching out, she touched his leg briefly, relieved again that he was more or less okay. His question prompted Scarlett to smile a little as she nodded. "Yeah. My family's lived here for like, generations. My great grandfather actually helped build St. Dismas... the church that burned down not too long ago." She didn't think Ethan had been in town when that happened, but she couldn't really remember when it had happened. "My mom told me that her great-grandmother carved the stone angels in the cemetery too. There are Blake family touches all over town. Which I guess is kind of cool even though a lot of people don't know it."
“That’s really cool,” Ethan said. “Now I want to go check out the cemetery.” It was probably a creepy place to visit, but that didn’t bother him. The longer he stayed Point Pleasant, the more he wanted to know about it and the people that lived there, especially those close to him. “It seems like almost everyone that lives here has lived here for generations. It’s kinda weird, considering all the stories I hear. But maybe that’s all they are—stories.” He knew that wasn’t completely true, but he was curious about Scarlett’s take on it all. How much was she willing to believe? How much had she seen with her own eyes? He wasn’t sure he’d have believed all that he did without his abilities, but he hadn’t grown up there.
She thought the cemetery was creepy on some days, but really pretty on others. It wasn't somewhere she liked to hang out though, unless it was Halloween time and her friends wanted to do something spooky. She reached for another french fry, her gaze lifting to his. It wasn't surprising at all that Ethan would have heard the usual Point Pleasant stories. Some people came here because of the stories. Scarlett supposed it was all part of the tourist-y appeal, but she had lived there all her life, so she knew the truth. Or some of it. "Some are just stories, people running their mouths. Not everything that can't be explained is because of monsters or witches or whatever. But this town is definitely weird and has weird things happen. Jules hasn't told you about any of it?"
“Jules has told me about a lot of things. But I want to hear your take,” Ethan said, because he was never going to get to know Scarlett if he went to Jules for everything but sex. He knew a large part of what happened in Point Pleasant was weirdly true, but he didn’t know what Scarlett believed or what she’d gone through herself. She seemed like a normal teenage girl, living a normal teenage life, just as he had been until about six months ago. He didn’t want to rock the boat if she was oblivious to what was really out there. “Have you seen anything weird yourself?”
Scarlett hadn't really been expecting this kind of conversation but it wasn't like she was going to run away from it. She was just afraid that he was setting her up to make fun of her or something. Scarlett didn't know why he would do that, but it was always a delicate thing to talk about Point Pleasant with outsiders. Then again, Ethan had been living in town for a while now, so... he wasn't much of an outsider anymore. "I've seen some things," she admitted after a moment. "Nothing super crazy but... fog. Really strange fog. Not, you know, normal fog. There were things that lived in it too... it's hard to explain without sounding crazy." Scarlett smiled a bit sheepishly, though it didn't last terribly long. "Normal people acting insane one day and fine the next. I saw something last year, out on Witcham Road? Coming home from a football game, our bus got into an accident... when we were all on the side of the road, I saw something in the woods. It was dark with like... huge antlers? It wasn't a deer." She sounded confident about that. "And it was looking at me and I just felt like... if it wanted to, it could just come out and devour everyone. It disappeared though and I thought maybe it was just shock from the accident, but it was definitely real." Scarlett trailed off. "My mom hangs rosaries all over our stupid house, like that's going to ward off the bad stuff somehow."
“People like to believe in a higher power, especially if it might keep them safe,” Ethan said. “I’m not sure that’s enough though.” It didn’t mean he didn’t believe, because if there could be demons, there could potentially be angels, but he’d never seen evidence of God stepping in and personally saving anyone lately. Maybe a priest could help if someone was possessed, but Ethan was under the impression that most of the stuff in Point Pleasant was somewhat other-worldly. “I believe you, by the way,” he said, offering a small smile. “I haven’t seen much, but it’s been enough for me to know that some stories are more than just stories, especially around here. It’s what I’ve always wanted to study, but I kind of wonder how safe it is, chasing after things I don’t understand and maybe never will.” It wasn’t just science, like he’d originally thought. These were things that could get him killed.
Scarlett had no idea if she believed in a higher power. She knew if she questioned it out loud, her mom would freak, so she just questioned it silently in her mind. It didn't seem super important to decide now anyway, but when she was feeling like shit, she didn't usually look to the sky to ask for help. Scarlett felt some relief when Ethan said he believed her, and she could tell that he wasn't just humoring her. "I think if you live here long enough, you'll see enough. But you should definitely be careful. It's like... listening to your gut. If you see something and everything inside of you is screaming to run, you do that." He was smart so Scarlett assumed he already knew that, but still. "It's hard not to be curious though, right? I think like... knowledge makes you safer. People who are in denial or don't know... they're the ones in real trouble."
Ethan knew more than she realized and he almost told her so, but he still wasn’t sure it was the best idea. Telling her what he knew and what he could do would lead to more questions, some of which he knew he couldn’t answer. It was hard to tell her his side of the story and not bring up Jules and there was no way he was telling Scarlett her secret without clearing it with her first. “Yeah,” he nodded. “You can’t prepare yourself for what you don’t know is out there. Based on what I’ve heard, it seems like everyone should have a hint that things aren’t what they seem, but I know that’s not the case.” He paused, pressed his lips together in consideration, and decided maybe he could give a little. “They—The doctors—they said something was inside us. Little tiny creatures. Like worms. They found ‘em because of the accident.”
Scarlett knew it was impossible to live here and not know something was going on. She had been taught by her parents at a young age to always be aware of her surroundings and never let her guard down at night. So far she had been lucky enough not to be directly affected by things. Was she more careful than others? Or had her mom's roasries and crap worked? Scarlett had no idea but she was happy enough not to be the one going missing, or dying or being cursed by some witch or demon or whatever. Scarlett listened to Ethan, her brow raising slowly when he mentioned worms... because, ew. Worms. "You had them inside you?" Scarlett asked, searching his face now for any sign that they might still be there. Had they been visible? How hadn't she noticed something being wrong at the carnival? "Did you know they were there?"
“Kind of? I knew something was wrong. I saw shadows moving beneath my skin, but… it was like nothing really mattered,” Ethan tried to explain. “I didn’t react the way I should have, which would have been to freak the fuck out. Instead it was like… oh well. Which is how I know they were messing with my head.” He couldn’t blame the worms for making him do anything, but he knew they’d altered his mood drastically from what it would have been without them. He would have been more upset about how things went down with Scarlett, and he definitely would have been worried about creepy crawlies under his skin. “It was like we were high all the time. And if we hadn’t gotten in an accident, they would have killed us. So it was kind of good luck, even when it was bad.”
Scarlett was shocked by what Ethan was telling her. It sounded insane but he looked sane and if he had gotten some kind of head injury, surely they would have told her when she came to visit. At the same time, Scarlett wanted to believe it was those things that made him sleep with someone else because if he was clear headed, surely he wouldn't have, right? Selfish for her to hope that, but it was what it was. Maybe they weren't an official couple but she did have a possessive streak. "That's so... crazy," she murmured, scooting in a bit closer to his bedside. "How... where did they come from? I mean, I'm not happy you were in a car accident, because you could have died, but like... if it saved your life... I'm just... I can't believe all of this happened. I feel like I should have noticed something, but I just thought you smoked pot." Scarlett huffed softly. "Are you sure you're okay now?"
It was good that Scarlett wasn’t asking some of those questions aloud, as Ethan wouldn’t have known how to answer them. Would he have slept with Jules if he wasn’t high? It was hard to say. He didn’t think they’d have ended up in that situation in the first place. He’d already spent a lot of time wondering about it and decided he needed to let it go, especially since Jules was back with Jasper. He couldn’t know how he’d have behaved if things were different. All he could do was move forward and make the best of the situation now. Scarlett was here, willing to talk to him, even give him a second chance. He’d be an idiot not to take it. And yet, he still didn’t think he could tell her everything. “They think they came from some other world. Like… like the fog monsters.” He hadn’t been in Point Pleasant at that time, but he knew Scarlett would get the comparison. “They think I’m okay now, but they’re going to monitor me. My head’s clear now. I feel pretty normal, just… like I’ve been in a car crash. Maybe a little weaker than normal.”
Scarlett felt a chill at the mention of the fog monsters. That whole thing had been traumatic as hell for everyone. Knowing Ethan could have gotten infected with something as horrible as those things was really unnerving. Did that mean anyone in town could be infected? Were things really just slipping in and out of this place whenever they felt like it? It was scary to think about. "That's really awful," she said quietly, reaching out to take his hand. "I'm sorry that happened but I'm really glad you're okay. Can I do anything? I mean, other than bring you greasy diner food?"
Ethan almost felt bad for not telling her the whole truth, because it would have cleared some things up, but it also opened a whole new can of worms. He couldn’t tell her about himself without telling her about Jules—or he could, but if she ever asked to see what he could do, he’d be stuck. Years of being able to do nothing at all was proof that he couldn’t open doors without Jules, no matter how much he wanted to. And after what they’d just been through, he wasn’t really wanting to. “Keep me company?” Ethan asked, giving her hand a little squeeze. “I know you’ve got other things to do, but I’m really glad you came by today.”
"I don't have anything else to do," Scarlett said, slipping her fingers through his. "I mean, even if I did, I'd rather stay here with you. I can always go whenever you get tired or whatever." She knew he didn't have a phone and she could only imagine how bored he was laying around with nothing but the television. It was strange, but in a nice way, to know more about Ethan now. He knew more about her too, though there was plenty left to learn. She just hoped he would want to stick around long enough to know everything.