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So far, so good: Ethan Lewis walked into the large hallway of East Highland High School feeling quite confident about himself. Clearly this is a very social school where there was an active rumor mill.

“Did you hear about that girl who cut herself in front of Nate Jacobs at that party?”

“I saw Maddy Perez making out with some guy in the pool.”

“Man, can you believe Rue Bennett is alive? I thought she died!”

“Did you hear that the McKay twins did Kat?”

“Who?”

He made it to the locker he was assigned to where he saw two friendly and pretty girls who greeted him. The dark haired, slim one with red lips introduced herself first, “Hi, my name is Lexi Howard and this is my sister Cassie,” motioning to the bustier blonde who smiled at him. “Did you just move into town or transfer from another school here?” asked Cassie. “I just moved, I actually kind of thought I was moving to Ocean Shores, but this is okay although I think that guy was wearing pink overalls without a shirt and a ladies hat” as he pointed to a picture of a red-haired guy in the outfit labeled “Dylan Prescott Pickles: Man of the Year 2006” underneath the portrait. Lexi smiled, “Yeah he’s the stuff of legend around here, can I see your schedule?” Ethan handed his schedule to her and she smiles, winking at Cassie who gave her a conspiratorial smile, “Oh you’re taking biology,” Cassie adds “We have a friend in that period, her name is…” A stony faced teacher yelled “Get a move on people!” forcing the three to separate, as he walked to class he heard some more gossip.

“So that girl in the video is Kat.”

“No way, if I was as big as her, I would lock myself up.”

“How can you tell it was her?”

Ethan thought, “This school is so gossipy.” So far he heard a girl was filmed having sex, a girl named Rue was thought to have OD’d over the summer, there was a trans girl who cut herself after being threatened by the biggest jock on campus, that a guy named Nate has ‘roid rage, that someone saw Lexi’s and Cassie’s mother puking in front of a Church group full of old ladies and she cussed at them, that a girl named Maddy made out with a guy to piss off her boyfriend, and it turns out that a up and coming indie director  with his active YouTube channel (the somehow naturally purple-haired Tom Pickles) went to school here. Ethan couldn’t help but think that this town was a testing site during the Cold War at some point, and was still curious as to what Lexi was leading with earlier.

He walked into an open door where his Biology class was starting, he glanced and saw there were several empty seats and a few kids shooting the breeze, not unusual for the first day back at school. He then saw one specific table with a tallish girl with a full frame and a dark shirt with bright colored butterflies on it, it didn’t hurt that she looked quiet, had an intelligent look on her face, and that she was gorgeous with sleek, shiny black hair cut into a bob and full lips with soft clear skin.

He then walked over and slid into the chair next to her, made a “Hmm” sound,  and held his hand up greeting, “Hi, I’m Ethan.” She looked interested but deadpanned “Please don’t be a mass shooter.” Ethan couldn’t figure if she was serious, “What?” Kat said, “Sorry, first thing that came to mind.” Taking on the chance she was pulling his leg, “What the…? Am I giving off shooter vibes?” She murmured, clearly taking the piss off him (flirtatiously?), “Nah” “Really?” he replied back, noting that she had a curvaceous figure. Looking amused, she asked “Like I don’t know, what is your Reddit username?” He thinks for a bit, thinking he can take the piss off her, “Um, it’s ‘Incel Uprising’.” She raised her brows, her beautiful brown eyes lit up more, “I’m joking.” She chuckled embarrassed, but smiled, “Her smile looks drop dead gorgeous,” he thought. She turns, recovering from their jokes and clearly amused, “I’m Kat”. “So this is the girl that Lexie and Cassie were interested in me meeting?” he thought. “I’m Ethan,” his mind lost in her beauty, she smiled “Yeah you said that.” The bell rang and the teacher yelled “Okay! Listen up everybody! Welcome to Biology 301!”

For the next several days, Ethan had gotten acclimated into the school (and sometimes met with a knowing look from Lexi Howard whenever they were in World Literature) and had gotten to know Kat a bit more. She made lectures a bit funnier in her notes, which she’d shown to Ethan, about their teacher’s droning personality and his love for the many knock-offs of Scooby Doo. He liked her dark sense of humor, her quiet honesty, the way she could turn a simple note from a lecture into a joke on print, she kept him in the know of some of the school gossip. So far he’d learn that Rue Bennett had OD’d at the end of the last school year and that was why everyone thought she was dead, something surprising to learn about the quiet girl with curls that reached her shoulder blades always swathing her slim figure in men’s shirts, and that Jules Vaughn cut herself as a response to Nate Jacobs (a bigger tool wrapped up in floral gift wrap, as Ethan’s Aunt Jessica would say) threatening her over looking at him funny and likely being trans. Ethan admitted it was hard to see a girl like Jules, who looked like a Shojo Manga heroine, do something that dangerous, harmful, stupid….and daring. A friend of Kat’s was dating Nate: Maddy Perez, who was a petite cheerleader that always seemed sure of her power over the student body and of her desirability and he learned indeed that Lexi and Cassies’ mother did indeed puke and cuss at some old ladies but at an Interfaith event.

He especially liked how Kat looked. He was sure it was either hard for her to go shopping for clothes for her but he loved how the colors she chose for her wardrobe served to accentuate her shape: small waistline, a plushy looking chest, her long arms, wide and rounded hips, substantial thighs, dainty and shapely calves, and how every angle and curve was soft. Her skin looked soft and delicate, something he was sure of after they ended up both reaching for an instrument to dissect a squid. He had to will himself and think of less pleasant things: dog poop, gallstones, the Dr. Pimple Popper videos his cousin loves, and the fungus that Uncle Henry likes to show off on his toes at family BBQs. He couldn’t embarrass himself in front of everyone, Kat, or it’d be like 6^th grade all over again when Shamkeeka Lincoln showed off the very grown-up bikini her big sister bought for her birthday at a pool party. He noticed how she was always smiling around him, even when she wasn’t joking with him, her cosmetics ad beautiful face beaming when he was around, it made him wonder if she liked him that way. He sure liked her, even more than he liked Megan Fox in all those Transformers movies he saw with his cousins and big sister. He always had a weakness for gorgeous, dark-haired girls with full lips. Granted not much of an accomplishment at this school that was filled with attractive people like it is with gossip.

“Are we going to win!”

“Yeah!” cheered the lunchroom.

“Then let’s hear it for the East Highland Black Hawks!” roared the Coach.

Ethan was sitting at a table with Raymond Garcia and his friends, there was a raucous pep rally held in the school cafeteria. Football players drumming on the tables and roaring and clapping, cheerleaders dancing, Lexi eyeing Rue, Ethan looked over at one of the other tables where he sees Kat who smiles at him and raises her eyebrows in appreciation.

Somehow he was filled with a spirit and it had nothing to do with school….and he needed to think of something other than how Kat would look in those cheerleader uniforms.

Chapter Text

The world went black and white, Ethan can clearly see this wasn’t his era but an earlier one where you had to pay a nickel to make a phone call when you went out and when your milk came to you and not the other way around. He was just studying his assignments in literature (The Most Dangerous Game for starters) when his door opened to Lexi dressed as Kitty Foyle (thank you Jess for making me watch TCM with you), hair and dress and all, who said “Mr. Lewis, you have a visitor for you” and he replied “Send her in”, noting he was dressed like Humphrey Bogart and shocked that Lexi was somehow working for him and taking his calls. Lexi stepped aside and closed the door after his guest arrived. Dressed in a well-tailored suit with a flamboyant hat with a large flower and red lipstick was a voluptuous brunette with long lashes. “Ah, Hernandez, what brings you here?” She brought her silk gloved hand to her breast, “Oh Ethan, you don’t know how much I have been longing for you, how I have ached for you, you don’t know what’s like for a woman who looks and sounds like me to go without a particular touch.” Ethan walked around her, “Well you don’t know what it’s like for a man like me to see a woman who sounds and looks like you, moaning about her lack of a particular touch, care to make your request known?” She smiled a knowing smile, started off taking off her heavy coat, then the jacket, the heels, the skirt, the blouse, and suggestively the gloves and hat. She stood in front of him in a silky one piece that clung to her figure and when Ethan was about to kiss her….

“Wake up!” Ethan woke up and saw his sister Jess standing in front of him in her pajamas with her hair in a net and a frown on her face, “C’mon lazybones, you gotta get ready for school and our parents are making me drive you! There goes my day off!” She was looking forward to a day of canceled classes and no work because there was a plumbing problem there, Ethan couldn’t blame her but that dream… “Jess, you woke me up from a beautiful dream where I was going to kiss…” Jess made a grimace, “Ewwwww….you mean Kat? I know what you were thinking and the thought of that makes me puke, my baby brother humping!” Jess had the unique personality of having a 1960s housewife, a 1990s Riot Grrrl, an Andy Hardy girl character, an old lady, and a little girl high on candy on her way to Disneyland within one twenty-something year old person. But she was fearless seeming and even with fear, she seemed to power through no matter the circumstances (“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe its Asperger’s”). He grabbed his clothes and took a shower, taking care to style his hair in a manner that looked perfectly boyish and went for his bowl of Lucky Charms while Jess went to the shower to shampoo her yogurt conditioner and “get her face and hair did” where she came out all dressed for fun. “Where are you gonna go?” asked Ethan with a mouth with minimal cereal and milk and she answered “Me and my friends are gonna go to Disneyland! And lucky you will take the bus and be on your own!” He smirked, thinking of a stash of sodas and booze Jess kept as gifts from her friends, “And don’t think you can touch my stuff and touch yourself thinking of Kat!” Jess got her bacon and banana ready, motioned for Ethan who finished his cereal and they went to her turquoise colored car with pink upholstery and one bumper sticker that said “Good Girls Go To Heaven, but Bad Girls go Everywhere”. Ethan sat on the seat where he can see instead of basic car mats under plastic Jess had Flamingo carpets, “Jess can I ask you a question?” and she turned to him “Yeah?” “What’s it like being weird?” and she laughed. “Baby brother, in case you don’t know, ‘weird’ is the name of your school, I should know, my friend Kimi, she went there a long time ago and she knew this guy named Luke Kasten and she dumped him like a hot potato!” Ethan thought about it, “Does Kimi know some guy named Dylan Prescott Pickles?” “Yeah, they grew up together, she also knows his brother that purple haired guy from YouTube and their lawyer cousin Angie! Also Kimi has a brother who was school teacher there until he became a stay at home dad and moved closer to their grandparents.”

They drove in front of the school, “All right, see you baby brother! I’m going to Disneyland!” She drove off, revealing her Garfield Cat on the back windshield with a sign on her right side reading “The 90s and 00s Will Never Die!” He turned around and saw Kat talking with Jules, for a second he freaked out, “What if she thinks I’m weird because of my sister?” They waved to him with friendly faces and Jules seemed sincere about her compliment about Jess’s car and even how youthful Jess looked, disbelieving that Jess was in her late 20s. Kat seemed impressed and they actually walked to Biology together talking about their particular aesthetics for cars, he thought that Jess would like Kat’s glasses and call her look “90s alternative chic”. He liked how her short sleeved sweater accentuated the concavity of her waist and her perky breasts, “Oh Lucky Charms, I love them, ugh I can’t though.” He quipped “Because you’re lucky enough?” and she had a stunned look on her face when the bell rang and they had to race to their seats.

A few days later (on a day when the schedule was twisted), Ethan was at line for lunch: Italian sausage and pepperoni pizza, salad with a side of Italian dressing, cranberry-apple juice, and cinnamon State graham crackers. He felt some movement coming off from the line, someone got to the cash register early. A little later, the caustic Ceci Carrillo yelled “Yo! May you please hurry the fuck up!” and Ethan looked over at the register and saw that Kat was trying to count money and she was a little short. “I’m sorry baby,” said the cashier “that’s policy.” He held up his wallet and said to Kat “Oh, hey, uh I got you” and Kat greeted him with a sheepish “Hi”.  As Ethan pulled out his money, he asked “How’re you doing?” and she turned, still shy, but a bit more open “I’m good, how are you?” Juggling both his wallet and the attentions of Kat and the cashier, Ethan replied “Good, good. How much was it?” “$3.25,” replied the cashier. Still embarrassed Kat fished in her purse, “I got one twenty-five here” handing it to the cashier and Ethan giving the remainder took a look at what Kat had bought for lunch: just a grapefruit. He was concerned, what was she going to eat? “Do you, um, grapefruit? Do you want something else to eat?” She suppressed an embarrassed chuckle, “No, no.” They started a small back and forth about how he can cover more food for her, “some actual food…” and the cashier interrupted “She’s doing the grapefruit diet. It’s not easy, don’t tempt her.” Ethan was shocked but muttered a calm “Okay…cool.” He didn’t understand why, well he can see why, Kat would be on such a ridiculous diet “Umm, well, umm” and a serene (?) Kat replied “Thank you” shyly and he was still struggling to say something. “Well I’ll see you biology.” She waved him bye until then.

He decided to ask Raymond about Kat and he said: “Oh Kat Hernandez? Yeah she’s been struggling with her weight since 6^th grade after Spring Break, I heard she had 80 pina coladas at Sandals resort and gained 20 pounds but it was too quick for her body to absorb and she returned looking fat. Course she was chunky before, but girlfriend couldn’t fit into her clothes and the first day back she wore a sweatshirt and another tied around her waist and she’s been snacking and dieting like nuts, sometimes skips gym because of asthma, other kids say she’s being a fatass but really some of the kids saying that are fat. Anyhow I caught three guys, those douchebags from Glee Club making ‘Womp womp womp’ sounds at her when she walked but then I told those guys that I knew shit about them that made them shut up.” Ethan figured it out, Kat was insecure about her weight, and he had no words for a world that would make someone, especially someone as gorgeous as her, feel terrible about their looks. When he spotted Cassie later before Calculus, she confirmed that most of it was true and that Kat’s old boyfriend dumped her for the weight gain, Ethan cannot imagine dropping anyone especially someone as lovely as Kat for their looks or circumstances changing. Later in biology Kat seemed very nervous and then delighted that he was considering going to the same local carnival as she in the future. Then he heard her stomach growl.

One day he came to school overhearing rumors.

“OMG did you see Kat?”

“OMG that was her? I didn’t even recognize her!”

“Did you see what she was wearing?!?”

Ethan wondered what scandalized the school this time about Kat, who dressed like a normal girl (Jess, upon seeing Kat after she picked him up from the first day of school remarked “She needs a Joan Holloway wiggle dress to get her booty poppin’!” making him cringe about his bisexual, Aspie, nostalgic and old sister talk about Kat’s butt) and looked as gorgeous as most models….he was surprised no agent approached her, even for plus-sized modeling. He can imagine walking with her down a red carpet….

Ethan has to think about his Aunt Mimi’s dandruff and the blackheads she’d show him from her nose strips for a while just to make it to Biology (last thing he wants is to look like he wet himself at school).

Suddenly she came in, sashaying her way inside the classroom with all eyes on her (including his own eyes); her hair was wavier and slightly punked up and parted to her right side, heavy smoky eye with a metallic color eyeshadow (thanks Jess) replaced her glasses, her skin looked whiter due to her makeup and hair color, her full lips were covered in bright red lipstick, her cheeks had some color in them, the light freckles were still there but more made-up, she was wearing a thin and clingy white t-shirt under a black corset that looks like several belts put together, then there was her bottom half covered by fishnets and combat boots and a very short red miniskirt. Around her soft, delicate neck was a choker reading “Kitty” in silver letters. Ethan had to comment, “You look different” and she took off her little ear pods and answered “What?” He then repeated, a bit softer, “You look different” and she turned, shook her head and replied “I changed” and continued listening to her music on her pods.

Ethan thought, “Not a bad different.” Kat had even more layers to her person than he thought before.

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“Hey is that Kat?” asked Jess as she dropped him off at school before she headed to the local university for her classes. This time Kat was wearing tight hot pink tights under a purple miniskirt with zippers and a leopard (?) print blouse with tiny sleeves and a generous open neckline with her “Kitty” choker and turquoise boots. She had a hot pink cats eye with a bit of smoky teal shadow and nude-pink lip gloss that looked so gooey and her hair was teased and curled like Joan Holloway in the season two premiere of Mad Men…soooo smoking hot…. “Wow looks like she’s wearing belts, I think she’d be better off with some kitschy Barbie accessories earrings,” added Jess.  Ethan replied “Yeah, that’s Kat, I know she’s going to the carnival that’s coming up, do you think you can lend me some…” Jess interrupted, “Tomorrow is pay day, I will give you 50 bucks, and a free ticket and don’t forget to wear two layers of underwear because I am going to lend you my good soda flask.” Jess doesn’t drink booze regularly, pleading she’s a lightweight and doesn’t need substances to be high, but she loves sweets. “I have some unused booze as a gift from a friend, it tastes good with slushies,” she winked at him. Now I’m parked and let’s meet your future wife,” before Ethan could stop her Jess was already sashaying her quirky self up to Kat, “Hi! I’m Jess Lewis! Ethan’s sister! You are turning heads girl! I love your look!” Ethan almost wanted to die on the spot, compared to Kat’s sophisticated and edgy presentation, Jess looked goofy like some cheap Barbie doll. A chunky pink sweater cinched in with a loud heart hot pink belt, boot cut jeans from the 2000s, her purple rimmed cats eye sunglasses with daisies on the corners, loud pink lipstick, black Sketchers sandals with foam wedges, long necklaces with Betty and Veronica pictures, and poufy dark blonde hair and earrings made from Berenstain Bear figurines (Papa and Brother Bear on her left, Mama and Sister on her right). “Hi, I’m Kat,” replied the other girl who looked fascinated at Jess “do you go to school here?” Jess said “Naw, I go to University, I’m Ethan’s big sister but you don’t wanna know how much older, LOL. Well take care of my baby brother, doesn’t his hair look cute? Bye!” And Jess drove off, Ethan was so embarrassed but still managed to mutter a “Hello” to Kat, who smiled at him and said “Your sister is pretty cool, what is she studying?” He answered, “English Literature and then get her Masters in Library Science.” Kat took out a small bag, “A bit hungry, want some?” holding out pretzel M&Ms which Ethan accepted, glad that Kat wasn’t on that silly grapefruit diet anymore, he can’t place where she’d even want to lose weight…she looked smoking hot with that mini skirt and the tights emphasizing her shape…Ethan smiled “See you at lunch? I’m going to be swapping notes with Lexi, even for a little…” Kat replied “See you then,” smiling and sashaying her way to first period. Ethan was so distracted, he almost walked into Jules, who seemed very good natured and forgiving, replying she was distracted herself which she was, looking at her own phone and cupping her hand to cover the screen.

“What can be gained by presenting the Mirabal sisters as characters in a novel, instead of simply telling the facts of their involvement in the revolution?” read Lexi as she and Ethan went over their notes from World Literature where they were studying Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies and were studying as partners together. Ethan and Lexi both had peeled their oranges, Lexi had a pepperoni personal pizza while Ethan had spaghetti and meatballs, Lexi had a green salad with Italian sauce and Ethan had steamed broccoli and the both of them had water bottles. “I think it helps the reader connect with the sisters as ordinary people who were thrust into and took advantage of influencing a moment of history…” Lexi adds “rather than distant historical figures that the reader can only look in on in amazement. I can’t believe the school board tried to get this book off the curriculum, glad Ms. Calderon fought them hard on it.” Kat came in carrying a tray with Chicken Parm over penne pasta, stir-fried yellow and green zucchini, a milk carton, and grapefruit “Hey,” she said sitting down and Lexi replied smiling “Hey, I guess still on that grapefruit diet?” “Yeah, I’ve felt like shit during that diet.” “Yeah you really need to stop with that diet, you almost fell asleep once and I was afraid you were fainting. I’m going to read my guilty pleasure over on the other side now,” pulling out her copy of L.M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle. He and Kat had a conversation where she tried to be cool and detached with him but she couldn’t hold back her interest in the movies and shows he has watched (some courtesy of spending time with Jess and her new friends) and they discussed their love for their P.E. teacher Lil DeVille (who also taught Film History in the evenings as an adjunct professor at the local community college), and Kat was interested to hear that Jess’s friend Kimi was friends with her and a bunch of figures that attended East Highland. Kat mentioned that she hated going to her new doctor (had her pediatrician for a long time) who was going to mention her weight. Kat has a fever? She needs to lose weight. Kat has a sprained ankle? Lose weight? Kat has a weird rash? Lose weight Kat. Ethan just thought of something, one of Jess’s feminist lady friends that she loved to hang around with, “My sister Jess is friends with this lady named Dr. Susie Carmichael, she describes herself as a sex-positive, inclusive, fat positive doctor. You can give her a call…” Ethan realized that he might have indirectly insulted Kat, it’s not that he thought there was nothing wrong with her being fat, she looks gorgeous and her figure was perfect weather she was large or small but he figured Kat would be sensitive to it as she was on that grapefruit diet. Kat looked thoughtful and replied “I am going to have my Mom take me to her then.”

The fair, Ethan and Jess stopped by the Jacobs Family’s chili booth (only because the chili was reputable) and Ethan concluded while Nate was a misogynistic jerk with terribly high standards for women and saw them as objects to critique and own, Nate’s family did make a really good chili. Jess went to join some friends, “You have fun, hopefully you run into Kat in a while, you don’t see her in an hour, call me and you can hang out.” She then slipped her flask inside his jacket pocket and zipped it. “Has that rum I bought on sale, enjoy!” And left with a wink.

“Hands and feet inside the ride unless you wanna die!”

Ethan climbed up the outdoor metal steps to the Gravitron, through the circular lurid green lit room, where he found an empty spot and saw a familiar (albeit even more punked up) face. He smiled, “Hey!” and Kat smiled, albeit nervously, “Hey! I’m really fucking scared!” as the ride started circling around and turning different colors. At one point, because her chuckles were getting more stressed, he clutched her hand, giving her a look “You’re safe with me.” After getting off the ride, they decided to get on several rides together: the Pendulum ride, Bayern Kurve, Bumper boats (where he felt her luscious thighs smacking against him), rickety-ass log ride (where he saw Jess in line and she made sure she and her friends Phil and Lil kept a distance and winked), the merry go round where they got on the sled because all the horses were taken, the Disk’O, the Caterpillar, the Fireball (where they screamed their lungs out), the Hurricane, the Pirate Ship (where she held on to him), and finally the “spinny ride that is so gentle”, in the sleep-deprived narrator’s words. In between the rides they talked about how they got there with Ethan mentioning Jess and her co-worker Phil and Coach Lil dropped him off while Kat talked about how she was spending time with Jules until she lost her in the crowd. They had Chicago style gyros and Greek fries together with Cokes, where Kat flirtatiously place a crinkle fry in Ethan’s mouth, he liked Greek Fries but didn’t think they’d taste as good as they did coming from a pretty girl’s fingers. Then later after seeing some exhibits together, where they privately joked about the horses and cows and the hobbyist collections, they got a Pina Colada flavored slushy and Ethan decided to show her the flask where he filled their half-empty cups with rum.

“That’s so hot!” Kat exclaimed before taking a sip of the slushy and telling him “That’s so good.” “Right?” Ethan exclaimed, feeling more at home with her and feeling a bit bolder. “I could drink this, like every day of my life,” she replied. “Um, how about you grab another slushy and I get more tickets and we get super drunk and ride the Ferris wheel,” he proposed watching her beautiful dark eyes glitter. “Deal,” she replied.

“Okay.” He said. “All right.” She said and he said “Bye!” (How he regretted saying that later that evening). She giggled away.

After Kat walked off to get a slushy, he couldn’t help but get mesmerized over how she walked with those boots and those shorts showing off very shapely legs and the curviness of her backside, how did he get so lucky to befriend a girl like her with her good looks, her witticisms, her dark sense of humor, the way she was willing to be down for a lot of things, her vulnerability, her intellect. He bought a few more tickets for him and Kat at the booth and walked over to where he can see Kat in line for slushies.

“Hey Ethan!” yelled a familiar female voice, he turned around and saw distant cousin (and Jess’s co-worker at the college bookstore when it wasn’t her day at the library) Ashley Bardot. “Ashley! Hey!” he called out and to which she said “That’s me!” swishing her long blonde hair around, he liked Ashley a lot and she was one of the few conventional dressers in his family aside from him. She was working on her Bachelors in French Literature and was often a bit competitive with Jess, both at work and school and at family gatherings. Sometimes Jess would ignore texts or calls from her and has muted her on Facebook (“Always talking about how weird her boyfriend is even though technically he will be the best she can do!”) “Hey Ethan, have you seen Jess around? I was wondering if she can take over my shift next Wednesday at the college bookstore because my boyfriend,” she gave a sly smile “you know Dylan Pickles, he’s taking me to his cousin Angelica’s wedding and wants to introduce me to his family. I want to get my nails done and see if I can pick out a conservative dress to impress them.” Ashley is conventional, but she often likes to wear clothes that show off and accentuate her toned and shapely frame. “But enough about me, tell me what you are doing without Jess?” she winked. Ethan replied, “I’m kind of on a date but not date with a girl…” “Oh My God! You have a little girlfriend already! I’m not surprised you are so cute! But baby Ethan?” “Kats not a girlfriend yet, but you and Jess would like her, Jess met her before. She’s very sexy, punked out, stylish, she has a dark sense of humor, she’s smart, she’s gorgeous, and we are going to ride the Ferris Wheel after she gets us another slushy.” “I’m so happy for you Ethan, well I shouldn’t keep you from Kat, just tell your sister I really need her to cover my shift on Wednesday.” “Sure,” he murmured. Ashley emphasizes, “For real! She’s not answering any of my texts!” “I promise you I will say something.” Ashley calms down, “Supposed to meet my boyfriend’s family for the first time, really important” Ethan raised his brows, hoping to leave, “Yeah I got you.” She smiled and turned, “Thank you, you’re the best.”  Ashley walked away, “Wow such a piece of work” he thought. Now to get back to a date not date with Kat….and Kat was nowhere to be found but he saw two new looking slushies on the ground.

He texted Kat and after about 45 minutes, no reply, he was about to cry when Jess with Phil and Lil came by. His instinct was to hide his head in Jess’s bedazzled and patchwork jean jacket, “Ethan! What’s wrong?” She held him close, “Kat left and I don’t know why, our night was going so good.” Phil and Lil held their arms around him and Jess, “It happens Ethan, was she crabby before you left?” “No, she was happy and she was going to get a slushy.” Lil murmured, “Oh that Kat can be a bit impulsive; I wonder what is going on with her, she was so lucky to be out with a boy like you.” “Jess, Ashley came over and said she needs you to cover her shift on Wednesday so she can shop and get her nails done to meet her boyfriend’s family…” “Yes I will contact her,” Jess furiously texted Ashley while muttering “that no-good, cockblocking my baby brother…” Lil exclaimed “Jess I’m sure Ashley is not to blame!” Phil added, “C’mon Lil, Kat probably saw Ethan with Ashley and thought he was going for Ash, you know how hot she looks.” Ethan wondered, could that be why Kat left? Because she thought Ethan was going to ditch her for Ashley? “I remember her being on a diet…” Jess consoled him, “Come on, me and you will get some funnel cakes and some bacon wrapped dogs and sodas,” and holding a fistful of a tickets “and we will take home Mac N Cheese after riding all the rides!”

Later that night, on the way home, Ethan sent Kat another text. No reply to that or the last one.

He sent her a few texts throughout the weekend, no reply. He was so upset and he had a steel stomach, he then vomited in the toilet.

Chapter Text

“I have to let go Ethan, I’ll never forget you, I promise,” said Kat in sopping wet long curly hair and a heavy coat obscuring a light pink flowy dress while she laid stomach-first on a door and Ethan felt himself sinking into the north Atlantic Ocean. He then woke up, “Screw me for watching Titanic,” and rolled down to the breakfast table where he saw Jess and their parents (David Richard Lewis and his husband Christopher Cris Holland, Lisa Jayne Weld Lewis and her wife Heather Annette Colombo) sitting over multi-grain toast with jelly and butter, pork bacon and chicken Italian sausage, egg whites, poached eggs, home fries, stir-fried bell peppers and onions, some cheddar for them to sprinkle, roasted tomatoes, Berry Zinger tea, and Cranberry juice and they all looked concerned as Jess pushed a plate of Apple Danishes for him. “Want some?” Ethan answered, “I feel so hungry yet I feel so miserable I could stuff myself, had a bad dream again.” Mom Lisa blew a raspberry through her lips, “About that tacky Kat girl again?” “Mom!” shouted Jess. The rest of the parents were appalled, “I’m sorry but what kind of girl just up and leaves with no word or answers a message?” Mom Lisa stabs at her sausage. “This town is full of oddballs, not in the good sense. The other day I ran into Jacobs guy and he was really looking me up and down like I was a piece of meat, I wanted to give him a piece of my mind! Also that Suze Howard woman….Didi Pickles and Kira Finster told me all about her and how Betty DeVille had to ban her from events because of her drunken behavior and for trying to assault Kira because she claimed her daughter Lexi liked her better! Can you blame her? Those girls are too sweet to have a mother as awful as she! She is a bad example!” Mom Heather calmly replied, “I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding, maybe her battery is dead.” Dad David added with a bit of paranoia, “Maybe she got snatched by human traffickers,” which earned a light smack on the hand from Dad Christopher. “Can we all just calm down and try to support Ethan during this time,” asked Dad Christopher “I remember being heartbroken when I was younger, it was some hunk that looked like Tom Cruise with Robert Redford’s coloring way back in college.” Mom Heather added, “Hhhhmmmm mine was this girl that looked like a curvaceous version of Winona Ryder but with chestnut auburn hair all the way between my senior year of high school and my first semester of college.” Mom and Dad Lewis looked at one another, Ethan remembered stories from Jess about how they used to be married to one another and they were bitterly jealous and argued a lot during her childhood; they thought trying for another baby in their forties would help things but the marriage was denigrating further and Jess was found by the schools to be depressed a lot, so they decided for her good and Ethan’s well-being to split up. Dad Lewis moved to Highland where he grew up and Mom had a lot of relatives, it was there he met Dad Christopher and they married the summer Mom met Mom Heather. Ethan was glad not to see his parents re-enacting American Beauty, as they are very amicable, to the point they are having breakfast together and that his Moms decided to move to Highland because Mom Heather found a good job working the archives at Disney Studios.  Of course all this made Ethan feel like he stuck out like a sore thumb at school, despite them living in southern California.

“My friend Angelica is going to pick me up for BBQ at her boyfriend Alejandro’s family’s house,” said Jess “Hey Ethan want to come? We have to be ready by 4 though.” The Parents looked up beaming and unanimously said: “We think it’d be a good idea for you Ethan, you really need the sunlight.” Mom Lisa added, “And I hear that Lexi will be there with Raymond and little sister Emma.”

Later in the car Angelica had A LOT to say: “So I was at the mall earlier because I needed to do my Sephora and Victoria’s Secret run and get my food court fix…and hit Bath & Body. No good clothes on sale, but OMG I saw this girl walking like she was a sexy badass, well she did look hot but obvi your age Ethan and an acquaintance told me her name was Kat Hernandez.” That name gave two jolts respectively to Ethan and Jess, Angelica continued on “She was wearing tight red pants, a sheer batching blouse, some kind of corset made of belts, and a bra underneath and then I saw she was hitting up with Luke Kasten so I screamed ‘Little girl! His ass is two years younger than me! I’m 30! #JusticeForBarbAndKali!’ at her, I hope she listened.” Angelica took a look at her mirror at Ethan in the backseat and noticed how unusually quiet Jess was, “What’s got into you two?” Ethan opened his mouth, “Kat is my classmate, she was the girl who ditched me at the fair, I really….I think I love her.” Angelica was stunned, “I’m so sorry Ethan, I’m so sorry to be so insensitive to your feelings…” Jess interjected, “It’s okay, Angie, you didn’t mean it.”

“So I am planning to go as Bob Ross, what do you think?” asked Lexi. Ethan replied, “Sounds unusual but I think it suits you, like an author planned it to contrast your wholesome and awkward character with more worldly and messier characters.” Lexi smiled, “So what are you going to be?” Ethan took a breath and chugged more Coke, “To be honest, I haven’t gave a lot of thought to my Halloween costume; I’ve been depressed this whole weekend.” Lexi looked concerned, as Ray and his freshman sister Emma joined them with four plates of Mac n Cheese, Carne Asada, Fried Chicken, Olive Garden Salad, Asparagus, and mild homemade salsa. Emma was excited, “Oh man I wish I was gonna be at that party, I bet if Lexi went as Gilda, she’d have all the folks lookin’ at her bomb self!” Raymond hushed her and Emma hushed him back. Lexi blushed a little, then asked “Why so sad Ethan? When I passed you and Kat at the fair you two looked so happy.” Ethan replied, “She left me all of the sudden after I talked to Ashley, I left her several texts, she never replied.” Lexi sighed, “Well Kat has been a bit different, I think she has been so used to listening to Cassie and Maddy talk about their experiences with boys and she lost her virginity earlier this school year, I think she’s trying to lean into her sex appeal but might be a bit lost…I love my sister and Maddy but they really don’t have their priorities straight.” Raymond let out a whistle, “For sure, that Maddy don’t know stability if it bit her on the cara.” Emma added, “Yeah because our Mom is Facebook friends with Maddy’s Mom and I always hear them talking on the phone and one time I listened in and I heard that Maddy’s mom is at a loss what to do with Maddy because girl is lazy! She doesn’t do chores, homework, schoolwork, or even have a job! All she does is date that rich jerk and get spoiled by him, I think he’s doing shady stuff! My Tia said once that she saw his eyes and said that there was something off about him. Then I heard my Mom yell ‘Spank her!’ and then I started laughing and fell on the door and Mom was pissed!” Raymond was laughing and added, “Maybe you can go as a vampire Ethan or do a lazy costume, that’d be so bomb, I’m going to be trick or treating with Emma and see Ceci Carrillo.” Emma, Ethan, and Lexi all gave him stunned looks and Raymond defensively added, “What? She’s hot, she’s fun, and she loves watching Unsolved Mysteries with me!”

Monday came, Ethan tried to catch Kat whenever he could see her but she seemed to glide away from him, Lexi and Ray squeezed his hands at lunch while Ceci frankly noted, “Honestly I think you should get you a bitch that can literally carry you on her back, Kat don’t exercise during gym class.” Raymond told Ceci, “Mi amor, please unclench, Ethan please eat your pizza. You need to eat something, you’re already too skinny.” Lexi nodded, “You have to eat something.” Ethan slowly bit into his pizza. Then their phones blew up: Nate Jacobs strangled Maddy Perez at the Carnival and has been arrested.

Then came Biology, at first Ethan noticed that the seat next to him was empty and then he sat there to watch the documentary that was going to require notes (And Ethan realized the projector was behind his chair, suddenly felt a Mad Men symbolism moment) and about 10 minutes into the movie, Kat came in quietly and gave a pass to the teacher, then sat down next to Ethan. She seriously looked hot: her blunt and sleek bob covering the right side of her face like Veronica Lake, her mascara and smoky eye, bright purple lipstick accentuating her full lips, the tight sweater (?) with the black sleeves and a front with zebra stripes reading “Baby Girl” in glittery turquoise curvy letters, she was wearing a black leather miniskirt that hugged in all the right places, but Ethan needed to set things straight. “Hey,” he whispered, “Did you get my texts?” Kat answered, “No.” He persisted, “Really? She whispered back, somewhat wishing to avoid the topic, “Didn’t get them.” “Well it said ‘Delivered’ on my phone,” explained Ethan. Kat’s eyes looked a little moist, “Look I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” Ethan wasn’t going to let sleeping dogs lie, “For real? Did I do something?” Kat sniffed, “Yeah I don’t know Ethan, did you?” and shook her bob dismissively, slightly tensing up. Ethan felt a little down, it was like Mr. Hyde took over a teenage girl’s body and she was this ice-blood queen and he heard the rumors already, Nate was a monster who had control issues and didn’t know how to deal or walk away from a girl prone to dramatics and tantrums and McKay the former star quarterback acted like Cassie Howard was just a side-piece, but while Ethan wasn’t going to force Kat to say what was bothering her, he was going to say his piece. “Why are you suddenly being so mean?” She didn’t answer; he would have preferred an answer, even if she said “I don’t have the same feelings for you Ethan” or even if she seriously thought he was giving off shooter vibes.

He never got an answer that day or for the next few weeks or even at the party. He wished he could forget her, it would have hurt less to ache for someone like Lexi: beautiful, sweet, down to earth, practical, a lot like him right down to her clear preference for gorgeous, damaged women.

Chapter Text

“Yo tell Lexi to call me after the party, I want to hear about how well her costume went, I helped with the shirt and bounding her tits,” said Jess who looked puzzled at him “Is that what you are wearing?” Ethan was wearing his school clothes, “I’m going to add my vampire teeth and some makeup.” Jess winked, “Smart, like when I went as a Final Girl.” Later in the car Ethan lamented that Ray, Ceci, and Emma weren’t going to be there: “Ceci is sick with the flu and Mr. and Ms. Garcia won’t let their kids go to this party.” Jess smiled sweetly at Ethan, she was going to attend a party at a Senior Home where she will help supervise young children trick or treating there. “At least Lexi will be there and try to hold your own with Kat; you know Mommy doesn’t want you with her, claims she’s bad news like that Nate Jacobs because no matter what the police said. Mom has a read that boy ain’t right.” She stopped in front of Daniel’s house and said, “You know I think this kid tried to look up my skirt onetime.”

Ethan decided to talk to a few people around at the party, like Shawanda Bassett and Charlie Wong from his Statistics and Film Study classes, nosh on a few snacks. He ran into Lexi and Cassie, where Lexi was looking quite good as Bob Ross (and reminded Ethan of when he peeked into Dad David’s drawer of dirty magazines and he loved that shoot where the models dressed as famous male figures, facial year and all) and Cassie as Alabama Worley minus the sheer top worn with the bra, where they chatted before he went separately from the sisters and they joined the party host dressed as Ted Bundy. He then saw her at the punch bowl: in a nun’s habit albeit with a short skirt and the hood being made of Pyrex, very made up like a cross between a Ronette and a punk rocker, several crucifixes around her neck, under the cape was a little opening revealing cleavage, high-heeled knee-length boots…she looked super gorgeous and so scary and badass. He decided to approach her right there as his vampire self. He made a hissing sound while baring his fangs to let Kat know he was there, “I’m, like, a street vampire,” he said beaming. He and Kat muttered a few “Yeahs” while she looked him up and down in curiosity, “All going according to plan,” he thought to his satisfaction. “Um, you’re dressed as a slutty nun?” he asked motioning with his cup to her habit and the cleavage baring dress that spared no view of her shapely legs. “I’m Thana from Ms. 45,” her eyebrows flirtatiously going up, Ethan had to ask “Uh yeah, uh what’s that?” She answered, “It’s this movie about this mute seamstress who gets brutally raped at gunpoint and at the end she puts on a nun costume, goes to a Halloween party, and shoots everybody.” “Oh yeah, this girl is delightfully dark,” thought Ethan. He nodded, “That’s cool.” “Yeah you should watch it,” she replied turning to the punch. “Um, can I ask you a question?” Ethan wanted to set things clear. “Sure,” she said hesitantly. Nervously he proceeded, “Uh um, what like happened, um, the night of the carnival? Because it felt like we were, like, having a lot of fun, hanging’ out, and then you just like kinda disappeared.” Kat sharply turned to him, “What is, like, your weird fascination with me? I don’t get it.” He was shocked, “What? I don’t have a weird fascination with you.” Kat scoffed, “Okay, say we hung out that night, then what?” He was perplexed, why was she being so nasty? “Um, I don’t know, maybe we can, I don’t know, hang out again.” Kat continued, “Ethan why would we hang out again?” He smiled, “Because we enjoy hanging out.” Kat lowered her eyelids, “Ethan if you want me to suck your dick or fuck you, just say it, stop acting like we’re going to be boyfriend and girlfriend because the chances of that happening are literally zero.” Shot through the heart and Kat’s to blame, Ethan smiled an awkward smile and took his cup to his face, he need to leave. “What if Mom and Jess and Ceci were right?” he thought, maybe Kat wasn’t a great idea, he didn’t know what happened to the fun-loving and dark girl he started having feelings for, why did she turn so nasty? It’s like she started hating him overnight, was there something going on in her life? “Why can’t you fall for a nice girl like that Angela Vitti or that nice Lexi girl with the slutty lush of a mother?” asked his Nonna Colombo before Mom Heather yelled “Ma! Will you please stop letting up! He’s a teenager!” “I don’t care if that girl has the hips for it! She’s not giving birth to my future great-grandchildren!” He saw Lexi acting like she was guarding something, she gave him a bemused look about her situation, and he shot her a “Let’s talk later about this” look at her and they talked, about how his parents and grandparents were gung-ho about him dating certain girls or even Lexi but he had feelings for Kat while she told him that she isn’t sure she likes guys and that she can’t ever fit in with Cassie and her glamorous friends and even her mom looked down on her. Ethan can hear his Grandpa Lewis screaming, “That no good Suze Howard and her junkie husband, I don’t know how they have nice daughters like that, don’t even deserve them especially the one with the brown hair.”

Ethan snacked and drank some soda with some rum and heard a favorite song that he loved ever since he took a road trip to the Mall of America with Jess and their Dad and Dad Christopher, he really loved The Animals and he somehow felt like Eric Burdon was telling him “C’mon young boy, take a chance with that girl, it’s your time. But is that how all the chicks are doing their makeup these days?” Ethan dunked a shot… “Like Adam’s work on God’s green earth. My reaper, my reaper baby, yeah me is my reaper, yeah!” Ethan walked and slicked his hair back and went over to Kat, reaching for her hand and beckoning her up the stairs, she gamely followed to the restroom where she watched him lock the door. “What are you doing?” she asked curiously. He saw her look curiously, her full red lips parted sensuously and kissed her, she was into it and they kissed until the song ended. His power song, he could listen to Classic Rock all night and day if he could get away with it. Damn Kat smelled so good, what perfume was she wearing? She smells like a mixture of jasmine, rose and something else.

Then when OHNO started playing, she asked him after one peck: “What’s your number?” “What?” he asked and they pecked again. “How many people have you had sex with?” she clarified. Self-conscious he answered, “Like um uh…sex, sex?” She grinned, “Yeah, sex sex.” He thought a bit, wanting to say no but… “Uhmmm.” She chuckled, in that kind of chuckle he heard Joan Holloway do before laying into Paul Kinsey on Mad Men, “Holy…shit, you’re a fucking virgin aren’t you?” Embarrassed he answered, “Uhh…I mean.” What if his mother was right? She answered, “Is that why you wanna fuck me?” Okay, Eric Burdon in his head was shocked, “Okay where is this child going at? And are those upside down crosses on her eyelids?” Shutting up Burdon was… “Of all the goils with odd makeup you coulda kissed, it was this goil?” asked Humphrey Bogart “I mean, like even Joan Crawford wouldn’t do that and that dame put lipstick over her lip line.” “What? No! No, no…” where was Kat going at? She asked accusingly, “So you don’t?” He stammered, “No! I mean, I, I...” She then took a tougher stance, “You do or you don’t want to fuck me Ethan?” Bogart and Burdon trying to cover up their mouths in his head as he answered, “I do want to fuck you” Bogart and Burdon were joined by Liz Taylor who commented, “My, I thought my appetite was voracious.” Kat cooly answered, “Well I don’t fuck virgins.” Liz Taylor took out her inhaler from her caftan while Bogart and Burdon supported her and Marlene Dietrich came by and said, “Chubby darling-h, we all need to start somewhere, I certainly wasn’t above bedding virgins before they went to fight Hitler,” and she took a whiff from a cigarette holder. Ethan answered, “Really?”  Kat answered, “Yeah.” Then Great-Grandma Lewis from the family album showed up and gave a disapproving grunt and face, with her hands on her hips, “Young women these days!” Kat explained “Because they…They get too emotionally attached,” and looking at him “Plus you’re too shy.” The stars had to stop great-grandma from trying to slap her ghost hand at Kat, with only Marlene cheering her on. Ethan sent a mental note to them to leave the vicinity for a while, he can handle it. Kat continued, “I like to fuck people who know how to fuck.” Ethan gave her an answer, he came in and kissed her. Hardcore French kissing, “you’re like soaking,” and took off his teeth and tucked them in his pocket “What are you doing?” and then he went down to her legs and gave her a look that said, “Something that will knock you out of your senses.” 

Meanwhile…. *read in SpongeBob narrator voice*

Nonna Colombo was lounging around in a vintage caftan with Jess in her romper, “Ahhhh my granddaughter, what are you watching?” Jess gave her some popcorn, “Watching Dinner at Eight on TCM, wanna join?” Nonna smiled, “Oh yes, I love the fashions and Billie Burke and Jean Harlow and Marie Dressler, such good stars. You have the spirit of Harlow cara mia.” Then a puzzled look came to her face, “Where is Ethan?” Jess answered, “Oh Ethan is still at that Halloween party where he wants to see Kat.” Nonna looked horrified and enraged, “Che cosa? Con Kat?” Jess hesitated, “Yes.” “Ma quel grande vagabondo non è abbastanza buono per lui! Come hai potuto lasciare il tuo fratellino con quella ragazza senza rispetto per se stesso!” Nonna yelled, getting out her stick of wrapped salami and beating Jess with it. “Moms! Dads! Nonna is going nuts!” Jess yelled.

Back to the party…

Bronski Beat was playing and Ethan looked intently at Kat and kissed her. He then felt something wet and looked down, “Oh shit,” he thought, now it’s back to the 6^th grade again when he saw Shameeka Lincoln, God with how Kat was being and if she saw this, he’d never live this one down. Probably would have to transfer schools, he wondered if he can be a Priest. No, that would be traitorous to his parents. No bones about it, his pants were wet and he needed to avoid further embarrassment. “Uhhhh…” he said. “What?” she asked with concern. “Uh, I, um just need to use the bathroom,” he said and she looked confused at the discretion in his voice, “I’ll be right back,” he assured her. He went to a toilet room and looked in the mirror, “Oh fuck,” he got jizz over his pants and at the crotch, looked like Kindergarten all over again after he said to his Mom that no he didn’t want to go to the bathroom. He furiously scrubbed at the inside of his crotch with a decorative towel he saw, anything to get rid of it. “Why can’t he control himself?” he thought. Why couldn’t he be like other guys with other pretty women? Why did he have to care so much? Better to be that jerk Mark Darcy and have her wondering, he thought. He wished he didn’t care so much.

After some time, he went back to the room where Kat was at last and saw she was gone, he went out and saw the party had emptied out and Kobe Marshall informed him that earlier Nate Jacobs came to the party with Maddy Perez on his arm to the cheers. This didn’t feel right, thought Ethan; he got his phone to call Jess. “Hey pick me up?” his mouth was quavering.

Jess turned up in her car, playing their favorite song by Bette Midler, “My little sister is a pretty, pretty girl! Hey Ethan, come here sweetie, what’s going on?” Ethan whimpered, “It was a crummy night, I really don’t think….Kat was acting so weird and then I went down on her and I…look at my pants.” Jess looked down, “I’m sorry, did she make fun of you?” “No I left before she could see and then she was gone. She was pretty mean about the fact that I was a virgin and she was so weird about why she ditched me at the fair, but she was game to make out with me and all. I don’t know, I really don’t know what to do or what she feels.” Jess started singing as soon as they pulled into their driveway: “Daddy! Play the song for Ethan!” Their Dads came and she whispered (so Mom Lisa won’t hear and exact some revenge on Kat’s house, it happened when some boy dated Jess and made her cry about her thigh size, she was Divine incarnate), the Dads turned to Ethan and sang “Oh walk, walk, walk man. Oooo whee ooooo. Oh how she tried to cut him down to size, telling dirty lies to his friends, but his own father said give her up, don’t bother, the world isn’t comin’ to an end!” Jess chimed in, “He said…” “Walk like a man, talk like a man. Walk like a man my son, no woman’s worth crawlin’ on the earth so walk like a man my son.” Ethan felt comfortable with his family and thankfully Mom Lisa wasn’t any the wiser, and he went to sleep but not before he told Great-Grandma Lewis to not tell Mom Lisa in her dreams.

Chapter Text

“So what’s going on Lex?” asked Ethan as they were at the Garcia household. He and Lexi were studying with Raymond and Ceci with Emma hanging on going over her homework and making puppy eyes at Lexi.

Lexi took a deep breath “Ohhhhhh things have been tense at home,” she leaned in to the crowd to whisper so Mrs. Garcia doesn’t hear and get angry enough to charge into the Howard home to give Suze a beating, “Mom has been drinking more and more and talking bitterly about Dad, Maddy and Kat had gotten into an argument and I really think Nate was guilty, Rue is a bit manic lately and preoccupied with Jules, Cassie has been asking and asking how she looks and I lost my temper with her. Because everyone since we were kids always said she was the pretty one and she got the most attention and Mom is friendlier with her than with me, I really sometimes wonder if I should just screw it and run away. I doubt they’d notice.” Lexi started crying and without a prompt, Ceci hugged her and rubbed her back. “We’re here for you,” Ceci soothed as the whole group came in to hug. “DO I HEAR SOMEONE CRYING?!?” Emma called, “Mama! Lexi just got on her period!” “Ay, Pobrecita! Let me get some pizza with everything on it for you all! It helps Emma!” Lexi whimpered, “Thank you Emma” and Emma shrugged “Hey we are getting pizza out of it and more we get Mom in a good mood, the better!” Ethan felt guilty that he was so busy thinking of Kat rather than Lexi’s grief. Ceci then started talking about how she started a marathon of Esther Williams’s movies, “I love that woman, so smart and sassy! She also has some sweet swimsuits and she doesn’t let her butt or boobs hang out like Maddy or Kat!” Raymond mouthed, “Ceci!” and pointed to Ethan.

Over pizza, after Ethan told them an edited and condensed version of what went down at the Halloween party (for Mr. and Mrs. Garcia’s ears) and Lexi commented that Kat has likely been trying to prove something and get out of her older sister’s and Maddy’s shadows, Emma asked everyone about Winter Formal plans, Ceci smirked “Obviously going out with your big lug brother and we got a surprise,” elbowing him. Raymond explained, “Emma we are going to take you to Disneyland over Winter Break.” Lexi smiled, “It’s nice you two are so close as brother and sister, Ethan if neither of us have a date for prom at the end of the year, would you like to go together?” Ethan looked at her softly, “Yeah. I would Lexi.” “And if Ethan isn’t available?” asked Emma making big eyes at Lexi. Lexi smiled, “Then you can go with me, of course with your Mom’s permission.” Mrs. Garcia then interjected, “Yes! Then ONE of my children will be going out with someone super proper!”

Ethan rode into a beach party in very short swimming trunks and a black leather jacket on a motorbike and stopped to get off and take off his jacket. He checked his hair in the mirror and met up with a guy, “Yo it’s Bobby Vee, what are you here for?” Ethan answered, “For a special girl, you know Kat Hernandez?” Bobby let out a sound, “Good luck, they say she’s a run-around lover.” “That’s not a problem, I can run fast myself,” Ethan answered. “Is she here?” Bobby nodded, and pointed behind him with his thumb and Ethan made his way through his schoolmates who were twisting and doing the watusi and a myriad of 1960s dances. The bryllcream and the hairspray were powerful smells competing with the fresh salt air; Jules was dancing around with her hair in a beehive and in a tight dress with no straps but rows of fringe bouncing as she danced. Raymond and Ceci were building a sand castle big enough for them to make out in, Rue was in a circle where someone was playing ukulele and passing around a blunt, Maddy and Nate were shoving each other with her pushing him into the ocean, Cassie and Lexi were checking each other’s bouffants, and painting their nails, and he passed them and saw with her toes in the tide pools, Kat in a white bikini with a mesh top that supported her bust but didn’t obscure the view. She looked super gorgeous, her dark hair into a hard helmet with a perfect swoop and she even had a Mickey Mouse face on her backside, “I was waiting for you!” she exclaimed. “You don’t have to wait any longer,” he replied and then the Zombies came on “Well no one told me about her, the way she lied, well no one told me about her, how many people cried, well it’s too late to say you’re sorry, how would I know why should I care? Please don’t bother trying to find her…she’s nnnnoooooottttt thereeeeeee!!!!!!! Well let me tell you ‘bout the way she acts and the color of her hair. Her voice was soft and cool, her eyes were clear and bright, but she’s not there!” “Come to me,” she whispered and he obliged, so much, which she stopped and said “You know something? A kiss is worth more than a thousand words.” He replied “Then let’s stop talking,” and kissed her. And they were both making out into the cool, moist sand. “Heavens above!” shouted Ashley. Ethan woke up to the radio blasting “Things Can Only Get Better” by Howard Jones and got up to the kitchen to clean and have breakfast. The day of the Winter Formal and then he heard three of his parents retching.

Jess (with Susie and Kimi) was going to drop Ethan off at the dance before they were going to head to Kimi’s house to see her brother Chuckie come into town with his wife Nicole and their baby for a short family reunion before they had more guests come over that night. Which meant Ethan would likely be the one person out of that big smorgasbord…okay one of three as their parents are dealing with food poisoning from some rancid clams (Dad David has a shellfish allergy and ate some baked salmon but insisted on staying, telling the kids to enjoy themselves). Soon Ethan was at his mirror checking his outfit (dark navy blue collared silk-like button down shirt and a black blazer with matching pants with a faint light blue check pattern and black loafers) and hair out (his hair looking very Season Four of Mad Men Harry Crane), looking for any pimples or other imperfections, screw that he was just nervous about going alone (Lexi already committed to go with her sister and the girls) and Raymond was going to be busy with Ceci. His birth parents came in and they looked sentimental, “Oh my Gosh Ethan, you look as handsome as your father did on our first date,” clapping her hands together with tears rolling down her eyes and his father wistfully murmured “Way back in February 1979 and we ended up singing along to ‘Is She Really Going Out With Him?’ by Joe Jackson about all the folks we knew in school.” They both looked nostalgic and stopped, “Ethan, try to focus on finding someone that is going know everything about you and still love you, someone you can talk about things rather than just making snarky comments,” said his father and his mother smiled her sickly pale face and added, “And make sure they are the kind of person you can get along with as an ex and co-parent with.” They hugged Ethan and then his mother took a sniff and said, “You can use my Acqua di Parma Colonia, knock Kat out.” Guess Mom Lisa was feeling better to smell him and suggest a scent.

Jess started playing the radio when Kimi started to sing “Your cruel device, your blood, like ice one look could kill my pain your thrill I wanna love you but I better not touch…” Ethan interjected, “Please change it.” Kimi skipped the track and found another song on another station that was unfortunate: “That girl is poison…Never trust a big butt and a smile…” Jess changed it to her CD where Sheena Easton was singing to a man to respect women better and all he wanted was to see them strut. Kimi asked Ethan, “What’s going on Ethan? You liked those songs before. Is this is a hormonal thing?” to which Jess answered, “He fell for a girl that’s…poison.” Kimi turned to him, “That girl Kat?” Ethan nodded, “Oh I heard from Phil and Lil, I guess that girl has a bug up her butt from what I heard from Angelica, Susie won’t tell, Doctor-Patient confidentiality and all that.” Ethan sighed, “I really don’t know how I’m going to go through this.” Kimi said “You can hang with your friends; your parents told me you made a few friends.” They pulled up to the dance where they saw Lexi with Maddy, Cassie, and Kat. Shit those blunt bangs and that red gladiator top wiggle dress made her look like an updated Bettie Page, looking every inch the femme fatale that Bell Biv DeVoe and Alice Cooper sang about. Lexi saw them, mouthed something cheerfully to her group and waved to Ethan; Kimi exclaimed “Oh she looks cute! Ethan, have you ever thought of dating her instead?” Ethan smiled, “Sadly she’s into girls instead, but she’s nice, she hangs out with me and Raymond and Emma and Ceci. She was a study buddy for a literature assignment. See you two, tell Chuckie I’m sorry I couldn’t see him.” His sister and Kimi waved him off and blasted the radio volume high to “Babysitters on Acid” and whooping.

Ethan walked over to Lexi, who was wearing a lurid blue silk cocktail dress that showed off her smooth alabaster skin and slender figure, “Hey Lexi, you cleaned up.” “As did you,” smirking at the blue tones in his outfit, her lids exposing the obvious-up close eye makeup she applied, they played around with going matching colors with Raymond and Ceci. “My Mom seemed to have approved for once, was that Kimi Finster?” asked Lexi. “Yeah,” Ethan answered knowing that Lexi’s mother wasn’t popular with his parents’ crowd even though they liked Suze Howard’s daughters. “Hey, try to enjoy this, I know I’m going to try,” said Lexi smiling. “Yo what up!?!” yelled Raymond, causing Lexi and Ethan to turn and laugh. Raymond was wearing his father’s suit from the early 90s (after he watched House Party) with big bright blue pants held by a belt with a Robin’s Egg blue large blazer with pointed lapels, bright yellow cuffs, a pale blue shirt, and a plaid (with some pink) bow tie while Ceci was wearing a tiger print gown with a low neckline paired with dark blue cashmere bolero, blue rosette earrings, a blue bangle on her left wrist, a Sterling hand and fan chatelaine brooch pin on her bolero, midnight blue platform stilettos, her eyelids were in an ice blue eye makeup look that would make Jess scream “Vintage!”, frosted pink lip gloss, some glitter around her eyes like it was a masquerade mask, and her hair was done in a glittery and silver-blue color that seemed to blend well with her dark hair and was bundled into a beehive. “I look even hotter than my Bisabuelita did at that age,” Ceci said “You going back to those messy bitches Lexi?” “Ceci!” laughingly exclaimed Ethan and Raymond. “It’s okay, they’re messy but I think my sister really needs me,” said Lexi and then she parted with a wave while Ethan walked with the couple to their table where they had a few drinks and snacks. After setting their mini pizzas and brownies, Ceci asked “Did you two hear that Lexi’s rubia sister had an abortion?” her face leaned in very close for them to only hear. Ethan and Raymond looked at each other open mouthed and verb-lessly communicated that this would be kept so Raymond’s parents won’t hear (they are pretty tolerant people but against abortion and would find it as more ammunition against Suze). Then Raymond pointed something to Ethan, Ethan turned to a table where Maddy (in a very pop star looking get up and makeup), Lexi, Cassie (looking turned out like her younger sister albeit in pastel pink tones and revealing more cleavage), and Kat looking beautiful and fierce with her dress and the neon cat eye makeup but looking deflated. Ethan’s heart ached; he turned to Raymond, who gave him a brotherly shove showing solidarity.

Raymond and Ceci really got into the dancing, Ethan watched from a section along with other kids going stag, he saw that Nate was out with this one tall, thin blonde in a very micro minidress with glitter while Rue and Jules were dancing together. The next song came on and the couples really got into it, Ceci and Raymond started showing off their moves with Ceci whistling between her fingers every time Too Short sang “Blow the whistle!” and the whistles came on. Honestly despite the song’s beat, Ethan was miserable, he had no one to dance with and it was partly on him because he can’t help but get over Kat. No one came close to Kat, he wondered what happened to the funny girl and her dimply smile, she acted so tough and like she couldn’t care less, did she not like that he knew parts of her that were vulnerable? Her enthusiasm, her insecurity over her body, her fears, what nerve did he touch and looking back, she was utterly trying to fight tears when he mentioned texting her and she seemed lost in her world when she wasn’t being all coy and cold. He looked up and saw Kat looking directly at him, “Oh shit,” he thought and he leaned against the wall and sunk a little lower. “She probably is looking at me like I’m some kind of loser,” he thought “I’m alone and just standing around while this song is going on.” He can spot Ceci and Raymond giving glares in Kat’s direction as if challenging her to dare hurt him or even gossip about him. He got his posture straight up again and all of the sudden Kat showed up with her purse on her shoulder and she looked like she was in a hurry to get something. “Hey,” she greeted him with her voice sounding all nervous and sweet like she used to be. “Hey,” he replied calmly but feeling a slight bit of hesitation seeing her, out of the corners of his eyes he saw that his friends were still dancing  but discreetly checking in on the both of them, with Ceci giving a nod to Raymond as if to assure him everything is fine. Did Ceci know something that Ethan didn’t? “Can I talk to you for a second?” Kat asked, as if she was asking for something very embarrassing or about to give a speech in front of 100 judgy people. “Uhhh, yeah,” answered Ethan, he was still a bit hesitant but wanted to love her so bad. He started to follow her through the crowd on the dance floor, and in spite of himself, he liked how she looked gingerly walking with her lower body wiggling in that skirt….now he saw that Rue and Jules were dancing together with their middle fingers up as if to gesture to Nate, so cool.

They walked up the stairs where he joined her on the practically dark and empty mezzanine and he had to ask, “What’s up?” She tentatively turned and replied, without looking up and she was mumbling until he heard “…I really don’t know what else to say, I’m so so so sorry,” and she got a little emotional: “That night at the carnival when you were flirting with that girl…” so she did think that he was flirting with Ashley “I don’t know, I just had this reaction, and I just like hated you.” Wow, Ethan was a bit shocked, he somehow suspected she had some bone to pick with him but not like this, he had to listen more, like she was breaking down stone barriers. “Whether that’s fair or not, I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to hurt you like I imagined you hurt me.” She looked ready to cry but looked relieved, he was a bit relieved, she actually cared that hard about him but of course, his Mom and Nonna Colombo could be right that she was no good and Kat would be right they won’t be together forever and he heard more from her, “And I know that sounds juvenile but it’s true, and I wouldn’t even be saying this to you, because you’re actually not like this, you’re actually really kind and you’re actually nice…and I’m so shitty, I just wish I could go back…” Ethan needed to add his two cents now; he saw she looked so raw. “Kat, I liked you since I sat down next to you. You know, and I know that you think there’s, like, zero chance that we’re gonna be together forever, and,” he stopped for a second, this was scary, she was looking intently at him very curiously “uh…I don’t know. I guess, we’re both juniors, so you’re probably right about that.” She was moving her lips around very nervously, as if she was awaiting bad news from her doctor, and he was not too confident himself. He made himself smile a little, he was glad to be talking to her again, like she was coming back: “I mean, like, is one of us gonna get hurt?” he paused and continued, “Yeah. Probably, but I’ll do my best to make sure that it’s me.” He was sure of it, he wanted to be there for her and assure her she is safe. She giggled and embarrassingly admitted, “I’m crying.” She was finally happy again and BTS was playing “Euphoria”, she blew her nose a little and looked up, eyes moist and shining and oddly her eye makeup wasn’t running “Sorry,” wiping her tears from her left eye. He couldn’t take it anymore, and without context he should have asked, but he kissed her right there and held her ivory face in his hands. Her face had a nice amount of flesh and curves for him to hold well in his hands and her chin would have fit into his fingers just fine. He used his thumb to wipe away her tears and tearstains, she seemed to lean into his kisses and caresses. They pecked a few more times, her soft lips on his…he can hear Lexi yelling excitedly, she looked super happy and like she came out of her shell for just one moment, Ceci and Ray looked overjoyed. He and Kat turned to each other and chuckled, “Want to get the fuck out of here?” he asked light-heartedly. Kat laughed, “Yeah.”

They went down the stairs and out the door, laughing, now as it turns out they both had rode with others. “I haven’t thought this through,” admitted Ethan. Kat, now snug in a coat with a painted rose on the back, smiled “We can go to that one burger diner a couple of blocks away.” Ethan laughed, “What’s so funny?” asked Kat who was amused at his response. “My biological parents actually ate there a lot when they were kids, it’s that old, they always talked about this cherry pie with the sugary lattice top and how they’d have chocolate egg creams with cheeseburgers with these seasoned crinkle fries.” “Sounds good, even though I’m probably going to end up wanting to burn the calories,” Kat remarked and Ethan didn’t know why he replied as such: “I can help you burn them if you like, if you want to get together this weekend.” “Are you planning to wine, dine and 69 me Mr. Lewis?” asked Kat laughing and walking with him, holding his hand. “Uh, yeah, like I want to really do something uh, physical with you,” he said and looked over at her where she was sweet and wistful, “Yeah I have been with like a few guys, but no one ever made me came like that or at all.” “Really?” he replied, he totally was a virgin and he didn’t picture himself as Don Draper (or even Harry Crane). “Yes Ethan, you’re quite a sex god. Why did you leave all of the sudden at Daniel’s Halloween party?” she and Ethan stepped around this one drunk guy who was pissing on a fire hydrant. Ethan took a deep breath, “To be honest, I actually jazzed myself and it was embarrassing,” he took a look at her to see if she thought it was funny, she looked curious “and the last time that happened was during Freshman Orientation when I was thinking of making out with Megan Fox and then someone sold me out and I was gossip fodder for two months and my parents had me see a specialist and before that was at a 6^th grade pool party after I saw this girl liked in a bikini and she looked well not like a girl anymore. I just couldn’t take being embarrassed in front of a beautiful girl again, I was afraid you’d think I was weird.” Kat was chuckling, trying to stifle it and then it got uncontrollable, “I knew it,” he lamented and it was nice while it lasted. “No, Ethan I just wanted to tell you that it wasn’t…” she took a deep breath “you’re not the only one embarrassed by your body, believe it or not, I actually wondered if you were embarrassed to be seen with me, and wanted someone skinnier, and I’m not happy about it but I then slept with Daniel. He was my ex-boyfriend from the 6^th grade and he dumped me after I got fat after Spring Break and I wasn’t a cute girl so…and I was feeling myself and wanted to prove I was powerful or some shit, but he didn’t remember me. We used to text each other a lot.” Ethan was shocked, he knew she felt bad about her weight but didn’t know how deep it went, “I would never be embarrassed with you, doesn’t hurt you’re gorgeous with your hair, face, and body.” She looked amused, “Oh God I was so insecure, and recently thinking I was this badass bitch until I saw you with that blonde girl, she looked so perfect with her perky boobs and firm ass and those legs and her flat stomach. You looked so much at ease with her and like you enjoyed being with her.” Ethan had to stop her, “Kat, that was Ashley, she’s a distant cousin of my biological mother’s side of the family and she works with my older sister Jess. She was telling me she wanted me to tell Jess to reach her because she needs her to cover her shift at the college bookstore because she was going to a wedding with her boyfriend and meeting his family for the first time. You are guaranteed I wouldn’t drop a smart, funny, cultured, pretty girl like you for my distant cousin.” Kat started hysterically laughing, “Why didn’t I just scream and yell at you right there rather than dump our slushies and do nasty stuff with fuckin’ Luke Kasten?” Ethan was stunned, “You slept with Luke Kasten? Oh my God, my sister’s friend Angelica told me she saw you two talking and she sold him out, what was he doing?” Kat looked chastened, “Sorry,” said Ethan “I’m just so mad at him.” “It was stupid and you have nothing to fear, he’s so pathetic, he was a legend in high school years ago and he didn’t make me come, I faked my orgasms,” Ethan chuckled hysterically, it was Kat’s turn to be shocked, “What?” Ethan collected himself and they were in front of the diner, “My sister’s friend Kimi Finster, she’s friends with Ms. DeVille, Dr. Carmichael, and a bunch of other folks that went to East Highland, Jess said she went out with him in high school for a few weeks but dropped him because he was a sleaze and had no vision or plan.” Kat nervously laughed and got serious, “Do you still want to go out?” Ethan was enthusiastic, “Hell yeah.”

They were enjoying their chocolate egg cream and split fries between them with their cheeseburgers (the California dressing, the tomato, the lettuce, the toasted buns, the beef patty and the cheese and onion), Ethan liked looking into Kat’s large dark eyes as they drank their egg cream, “How did you get through life not realizing you looked this good?” Kat challenged him, “How about you? Looking like Captain America before he became a superhero,” she eyed him indulgently. “No way I look like Chris Evans,” Ethan laughed but happy she found him that handsome. “Oh yeah? Well I looked at your Tumblr and there are tons of pictures of Bettie Page, this chick named Jane Russell, Megan Fox, wow you really like brunettes.” Ethan got into his Ron Swanson, “I’m a simple man. I like pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast food.” Kat laughed, getting into her Karen Walker impersonation “Speaking of chairs, you look like a fun place to sit…” and she slid next to him on his side of the booth, “Can’t complain,” he smiled, “so happy that Cassie and Lexi first told me you were in Biology and I decided to sit next to you.”

The door swung open and in came Ashley in a low cut jumpsuit in a lurid green followed by a familiar looking red-haired guy in polka dot vest and vertical striped pants and Ethan can see the guy was not wearing a shirt under the vest and he was “OMG, that is Dylan Prescott Pickles from the Man of the Year photos!” exclaimed Kat. Ashley saw Ethan and started racing forward, “Hey Ethan! How are you doing, sweetheart?” and hugged him to Kat’s polite disgust and Ashley turned to Kat, “Oh is this girl you were talking about!” and her expression looked slightly dismayed at Kat’s getup and Ashley re-focused and said “Ethan, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Dil Pickles, isn’t he a dream?” Ethan shook his hand, “Hey I saw your picture at my school, you were Man of the Year?” Dil smiled and said, “The one and only,” and Dil turned to Kat and said, “Good choice, keep it simple with the egg creams.” Kat smiled and said, “Nice meeting you, you’re kind of a wholesome legend at our school, Ethan suggested it.” Ashley leaned in, “Did he suggest the cherry pie with lattice top with the sugary crust? Because that’s so good! OMG Dil, we have to pick up the pies your mom ordered! See you Ethan, nice meeting you Kat!” Ethan was glad they were going.

After they ate the last bite of cherry pie, Kat had to ask him while delicately walking her fingers up his left thigh, “When our ride comes to pick us up, I really want you to meet my parents for a bit, and we can drive you home.” Ethan had to smile a little, how lucky can he get in one night? “I want to meet them.” “Then you can come over lunch this Sunday, my Abuelitos are coming over to see my Cousin’s new baby, we’re going to have pozole but there’s going to be snacks like chips and dip and this spread of ham and fried chicken and mac n cheese.” “Sounds great,” affirmed Ethan, he was afraid he’ll discharge but now that the cat (LOL) is out of the bag he’s less afraid. “Then maybe I can come meet your family.”

Suddenly discharge wasn't an issue anymore.