The taxi slowly rolled to a stop at the end of a long stone driveway. Ethan stepped out, the crunch of gravel under his sneakers echoing slightly in the quiet mountain air.
He looked up.
The White Family’s estate stood like a monunt to old money—clean, grand, and unnervingly quiet. High pillars frad the porch. The house stretched wide, windows glinting in the soft golden hue of the late afternoon sun. The surrounding forest rustled with wind, and a crow cawed in the distance. It almost felt haunted.
Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets.
His mind raced.
"(Fuck... what should I even say? ’Hey, I’m here to stop your mom from drugging you?’ Yeah, good plan, Ethan.)"
He stood at the foot of the stairs for a mont, staring at the white double doors. He could already feel the weight of it all pressing on his chest. The "plot" from his past life. The characters. The consequences.
Then he exhaled and started walking.
One step. Two. Three.
Each step felt heavier.
When he finally stood in front of the ornate wooden door, he hesitated. His hand hovered just above the brass knocker.
His reflection stared back at him from the polished tal.
"No turning back now," he muttered.
He knocked.
...
A mont passed.
Then, the door creaked open.
It wasn’t Panny. It was Noah.
The two boys stood there in silence for a second, neither speaking.
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"...Ethan?"
Ethan blinked. "Yo."
"...What are you doing here?" Noah asked, his tone neutral—but the edge was there. Slight suspicion, slight confusion.
Ethan scratched his head, putting on a lazy smile.
"Ca to check on Aiden... and maybe talk to you too."
Noah’s eyes narrowed a bit. His mind worked quickly—he knew sothing was off.
But instead of pressing, he stepped back and opened the door wider.
"...Co in."
Ethan stepped into the White household, greeted by the faint scent of pine and lemon polish. Expensive, neat, quiet.
Noah closed the door behind them.
As they walked through the hallway, Ethan’s eyes darted toward a small purse resting on a side table by the stairs.
The sa purse Panny had earlier.
And next to it... barely visible... was a corner of a bottle peeking out.
The pills.
Ethan felt his stomach twist.
Noah noticed.
"Ethan," he said suddenly. "You didn’t co here just to ’check on Aiden,’ did you?"
Ethan t his gaze.
No smile this ti.
"No. I didn’t."
There was a silence between them. No more gas. Just two people caught between the past and the future.
Then, Panny’s voice echoed faintly from the kitchen.
"Noah? Who are you talking to?"
Noah raised his voice just a little, turning his head toward the hallway.
"Um... Aiden’s friend."
A brief pause.
"Aiden’s friend?"
Ethan’s breath hitched slightly as he heard the soft patter of footsteps approaching.
Panny White stepped into view—graceful, composed, but with tiredness in her eyes. She held a towel in her hands, drying them calmly as she glanced between Noah and the unexpected visitor.
Ethan, trying to keep his voice steady, said quickly,
"Hey, where’s your sister? Lily, right?"
Noah turned to him and replied,
"Lily’s with Aiden at the hospital. She wanted to stay with him a bit longer. Said she’d take care of him like a nurse or sothing."
Ethan let out a soft chuckle, his tension easing just a bit.
"Ah... she really adores Aiden."
Noah nodded faintly.
"Yeah... she does."
Then Panny reached them.
Noah turned to her and gestured politely.
"Oh—Mom, you’re here. This is Aiden’s friend... Ethan."
Ethan straightened a bit and smiled politely.
"Hello, ma’am."
Panny offered a pleasant smile in return.
"Hello, Ethan."
There was a long pause—just a few seconds—but it felt like a quiet interrogation.
Then she asked,
"So... you’re here?"
Ethan swallowed.
"I was here just, you know... Um..."
"Here?" she repeated, tone still calm but curious.
Ethan’s thoughts swirled like a storm.
"(I have to lie. I can’t say I ca to stop her from giving the pill. That’s insane. How could I possibly explain knowing about it? They’d ask how I knew. They’d get suspicious. And if I say too much, I risk screwing everything up—no second chances this ti. Shit. Shit. Think, Ethan. THINK.)"
He forced a small, nervous smile and tried to shift the focus.
"I just thought I’d drop by... check in on Aiden. We all visited him earlier, but I guess I just... wanted to say thanks. For raising a good teammate."
Noah raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn’t interrupt.
Panny’s eyes softened a bit.
She smiled faintly, brushing so hair behind her ear.
"That’s kind of you."
But her tone was still watchful—like she didn’t fully buy it. She wasn’t rude. But she was smart.
Noah looked at Ethan again, expression unreadable. He could tell Ethan was dancing around sothing.
But the question was: What?
Ethan, anwhile, stood still. Calm on the outside. But his heartbeat was pounding in his ears.
"(I need to find a way to talk to Noah alone,)" he thought.
"(Before she gives him that damn pill.)"
Panny glanced between the boys one more ti, then offered a faint, polite smile.
"I’ll leave you two boys here to talk." she said softly, her voice calm but still carrying that usual weight of motherly observation.
Ethan nodded quickly, trying not to seem too eager.
Noah gave a small nod as well, watching her carefully.
She turned and walked back toward the kitchen. Her steps were quiet, unhurried—like she didn’t suspect anything. But Ethan still waited until she was fully out of sight.
The second she disappeared behind the hallway corner, Ethan leaned in.
He lowered his voice, whispering directly into Noah’s ear.
"Do not take that pill."
Noah blinked in confusion.
"What?"
Noah stood still for a second, watching Ethan with narrowed eyes. His mouth was slightly open, like he wanted to say sothing but didn’t know what. His mind was spinning.
He instinctively looked toward the kitchen, then back at Ethan.
"(What the hell is going on?)"
"(How did he even know about the pill? Mom didn’t say anything to anyone... And I haven’t said a word.)"
Before he could say more, Ethan quickly placed a hand over Noah’s mouth—not roughly, but firm enough to make him stop talking.
Ethan’s eyes were sharp. Focused. There was no hint of hesitation in them.
He leaned even closer and whispered, voice low and serious,
"Just don’t take it."
Noah’s eyes darted around the room, and then back to Ethan. His breathing was quiet but a little uneven. There was tension in his shoulders now—not fear, but realization.
Ethan pulled back slightly, just enough to whisper again.
"I’ll tell you everything in your room."
"No one can know. Not your mom. Not anyone."
Noah hesitated, unsure if he should trust him—but the look in Ethan’s eyes wasn’t sothing he could ignore.
There was no joke there.
No mischief.
Just urgency.
And concern.
"(He’s hiding sothing... but it doesn’t feel like he’s trying to hurt ,)" Noah thought.
"(It feels like... he’s trying to protect ?)"
He gave a slow nod.
Without a word, he turned and led Ethan down the hallway, past family photos on the wall and a quiet ticking clock. The air felt heavier now, like the walls themselves knew sothing wasn’t right.
They reached his room—a neat, simple room with posters of old basketball players and a tall shelf filled with trophies that hadn’t seen dust in years. The bed was made, the curtains slightly open to let in the soft, fading afternoon light.
Noah closed the door gently behind them and locked it.
Then he turned around, arms crossed.
"Okay," he said. "Now talk."
Ethan took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair.
"That pill... the one your mom wants you to take—it’s dangerous."
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
"You don’t even know what it is."
Ethan stepped closer, his voice low and firm.
"I do. I’ve seen what it does. Not just short-term. Long-term."
"It makes you fast. Strong. Yeah. But it also eats at your body. It sses with your mind. It’s not so miracle. It’s poison in disguise."
Noah looked away for a second, his jaw tight.
"(That can’t be true... right? She said it would help. She just wanted us to be strong again... to be great again.)"
"How do you know all that?" Noah asked quietly.
Ethan paused.
He looked at Noah—and for a second, he almost said the truth.
Almost said he’d read the novel where Noah and Aiden took the pills and fell into comas.
Where their mother made a choice out of desperation.
Where it all went to hell.
But instead, he just said:
"Let’s just say... I’ve seen people take it before. And it never ends well."
Noah blinked. His brows furrowed slightly.
He didn’t speak right away. He just stared at Ethan, watching him—like trying to read between his words.
Then finally, softly, he asked:
"And where did you see them?"
Ethan didn’t hesitate this ti. He looked right at Noah and answered flatly:
"You don’t need to know."
"What you should know is that you shouldn’t take it."
There was silence between them.
Then Noah, however, was still eyeing him with narrowed suspicion. His voice ca quieter this ti, cautious.
"But... how did you even know Mom had a pill on her?"
Ethan didn’t flinch. He looked Noah straight in the eyes and answered simply:
"I have my ways."
Noah’s brow furrowed deeper. The answer was vague—too vague to make sense.
But sothing in the way Ethan said it... calm, collected, like he’d carried that knowledge for a long ti... made it feel heavy.
And so Noah’s thoughts started turning again.
"(He said it like it’s normal. Like he’s used to this kinda thing...)"
"(Could it be from his past? Did soone close to him go through this sa thing before?)"
As Noah didn’t back down from the eye contact. He kept staring, but now there was sothing else in his gaze—sothing softer.
Like a realization.
Like he was beginning to see Ethan differently.
His thoughts turned inward.
"(And the way he talks about it... like it hurt him personally.)"
"(Did soone close to him go through this? Is this... is this from his past?)"
"(Maybe he lost soone... maybe that’s why he’s warning like this.)"
Noah looked down for a second, then back up.
"(So, this isn’t just about ... is it?)"
He misunderstood. Entirely.
But Ethan caught it.
The shift in Noah’s eyes. That quiet sympathy that started to form behind his usually guarded expression.
And in his own mind, Ethan realized it too.
"(The way he’s looking at ...)"
"(He thinks I went through sothing. He thinks this is personal. Did he... did he misunderstand?)"
Ethan nearly smirked—just barely.
"(Well... that works for .)"
"(If that’s what it takes to stop him from taking the pill... then I’ll let him believe it.)"
But outwardly, he kept his expression serious.
Noah finally looked away and leaned back a bit on the bed, letting out a quiet breath.
"...Alright."
"If it’s that serious to you... I won’t take it."
Ethan exhaled, relieved—but careful not to show it too much.
He nodded.
"Thank you."
For a second, they just sat there in silence.
Not as strangers anymore.
But two boys carrying different weights on their shoulders—one real, one misunderstood—and sohow, finding a strange connection in that silence.
To be continue
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