whaddup

ethan maddox. 21

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“it was cheesy and you know it. i mainly helped you because it is my job as your best friend to assist, and i am the ultimate wing woman,” she gave a proud nod. “i mean, i didn’t really love the girl that you asked, but that’s not the point. besides, i never got a promposal because my boyfriend at the time was cheating on me and i was super single after that,” she let out a dry laugh, shifting uncomfortably as she took a longer sip from the drink in her hands. “i mean like, dating wise. but you’re one of the few decent guys left, don’t let that get to your head. i have seen quite the ego on you, kid.” she poked the center of his chest, shrugging her shoulders. “i mean, in the grand scheme of things, two dollars a day for the what, fifteen years we’ve been friends? that adds up. you’d have made over ten thousand off of my family by now.”

“say what you want, but deep down everyone loves at least a little bit of cheese sometimes.” he rolled his eyes, “how are you the ultimate wingwoman when you were against the very thing that got me the girl?” ethan sighed, “so you don’t like the girls i date, and you date complete assholes -- that god i never gave you veto power, you are a terrible judge of character.” as much as he tried to lighten the mood, nothing would take away the fact that she really did go for the worst guys. “i have never seen this ego you are referring to. i am probably the most humble person you have met.” he screwed up his face, “now i’m really regretting not extorting your parents for the last fifteen years. why wasn’t five year old ethan more diabolical?”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“don’t have to ask me twice,” she mumbled, taking a moment away from ethan to focus her attention towards the bartender. once her drink was ordered and eventually in her hand, she turned back to the male and scoffed. “you ask for dumb things all the time. let’s not forget junior year when  you made me help you with that ridiculous promposal? that was probably the one dumbest things you’ve done. and that’s only one of the many things that i could possibly list,” she let out a laugh. “i don’t know, maybe self destructiveness is the only way that i cope. also, i’ve never met a guy that puts me before his ego, so good luck with that,” she sighed, raising an eyebrow. there was truth to the statement, since grace had always had super bad luck with relationships, but she tried not to let it bother her. “see, it all makes sense now! honestly, for that kind of money i would have done it too. sounds like a great deal.”

“the promposal was a work of art, true beauty,” he defended. “and it got her to say yes, didn’t it? so really, you’re the one being ridiculous. you’re just jealous you didn’t get equally as elaborate a promposal.” ethan rolled his eyes. “i’m glad to hear that you don’t regard me as a guy. to what ego of mine are you referring to?” he gestured at himself. “you’re just full of insults tonight, hey?” he laughed at the notion, grace was a lot of things but he could never see her having trouble making friends, or rather he couldn’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to be friend with her. “how do you know how much i’m getting paid? could be like two dollars a day for all you know.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

itsmiabtch‌:

mia raised an eyebrow when he said that about climbing him and laughed. “oh don’t worry, i’m not that desperate please.” she giggled watching him blush. “wow so you’d let me die in their hands? I guess I’d just have to kick them, it would be a defense mechanism” she laughed. “but sure, let’s do it. let’s see if i can survive those little beasts”

“i wasn’t trying to say that,” the words stumbled out of ethan’s mouth. “i said i’d let them bite you, i never said you were going to die. if you’re going to be taken down by a bunch of five year olds, i think we have bigger problems,” he laughed. ethan’s eyebrows shot up, “really?”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“that’s fair,” grace shrugged, finishing off the drink in her hands. part of it was just to get rid of the drink, knowing that she wasn’t a fan, but there was still a piece of her that felt like she’d need that drink tonight. “but if you use it for something dumb or something that i’ll regret being this kind to you for, i’ll disown you,” she teased. “they weren’t all that bad. wait, were they?” she thought back to her previous relationships, and how messy each individual one got. “maybe my type is self-destructive. or maybe that’s just what i was needing at the time, i don’t know. if you’re such an expert on the type of guy that i should be with, enlighten me,” she laughed, rolling her eyes in a playful manner. “don’t make it sound like such a chore.”

he placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her towards the bar. “order your drink and put it on my tab,” he said with a roll of his eyes at the face she made. “adding insult to the injury are we, gracie? when do i ever ask for dumb things? i’m like the smartest guy you hang out with.” he shook his head, “i don’t think anyone ever needs to be self-destructive. you just tell yourself that to justify your behaviour. he suggested, “how about you pick a guy who would actually put your needs before his own ego for once.” he bumped her shoulder with his, “don’t you know? your mother pays me to hang out with you so you’ll have some friends.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

itsmiabtch‌:

Mia couldn’t help but coo at the idea of the kids using Ethan has a climbing frame, knowing the little ones always loves to be tall even if it was for just a second. “Well I wouldn’t blame me, as a tiny girl myself I see the joy in that.” she giggled and nodded slowly, actually liking the idea of spending time with him…and the kids of course, that’s what she meant. “do you promise to protect me if they try to bite me?” she laughed.

ethan took a step back and held his hands up in defence. “don’t you start trying to climb all over me now.” the words left his mouth before he realise how they sounded and a blush crept up to his cheeks. “i promise you that we feed them enough that they won’t start using you as a snack. but in the off chance it does happen, no way am i getting between one of those kids and his teeth, you’re on your own there, bud.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“okay, deal. i will make it up to you for bruising your heart and your ego, you just need to tell me how i can possibly gain your forgiveness,” she raised an eyebrow, trying her hardest to suppress her laughter that was currently bubbling. “then you’d know that i have the absolute worst taste in men, as all of my previous prospects, both here and in high school, would easily show. maybe i just need to branch out of my usual type, maybe i’ll actually have better chance of finding someone that’s not absolute garbage. if a sugar daddy is what’s in my future, so be it,” she chuckled. grace was thankful for her friendship with ethan. he knew her like no one else did, and she trusted him with just about anything, things that she would have never told her family before. “hey, i actually do like my job, i just don’t like hanging out with people i work with when i clock out. work conversation is the worst and you know it.”

his eyebrows furrowed in thought. “i’m gonna get a raincheck on that, to cash in at a future date.” ethan took another sip from the glass he’d been nursing since seeing grace, if her plan was to get wasted, one of them needed to remain responsible. he screwed up his features at the mention of her exes, he never had been a fan of any of them. and despite what anyone said or teased, it was because they were dicks, not because he was jealous or anything. “you do have an unusually self-destructive streak when it comes to choosing your partners. maybe you should let me do the deciding for you from now on. i have an exemplary record.” he shrugged in response. “fine, fine. i will hang out with you tonight, you can stop begging now.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

itsmiabtch‌:

“Yeah so please don’t think I’m a big ass idiot, i’m trying my best.” mia laughed softly but then her eyes widened. “Oh my God…I don’t know…kids are scary.” she muttered. “are you sure?”

ethan shook his head and waved his hands in front of him. “i would never think that of you. kids aren’t everyone’s thing. between you and me, i’m pretty sure they only like me because i’m so tall they can use me as a climbing frame.” he grinned, “i mean, if you want to spend your day off hanging out with me and a bunch of screaming kids, i’m not going to say no to your company.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“i didn’t say you were anything like her, but that sounded like something she’d say. the big difference between you and her is that i actually LIKE you, and only one of the two has said that you’re proud of me, so clearly you’re better than my mother.” there was a playful tone to her voice, but anyone that knew the inner workings of grace and her mind knew that the dig she made at herself and her past stung a lot more than she showed on the surface, and she strategically covered up any negative emotions with jokes. “it’s not awful but it’s not great. love is too much for me. trust me, he’s not running late, he’s flat out not coming,” she raised a brow, shaking her head quickly at his question. “what makes you think you know my type so well? besides, he may not be, but he had money. that’s what i was going for, my naive friend,” she chuckled, glancing in the direction he pointed before letting out a quick hum. “i stand by my statement, i’m definitely more fun than they are, no doubt in my mind. me being here tonight has saved you from bad drinks and boring work conversation. you’re welcome.”

“still, my poor heart has been wounded. i think you need to make it up to me,” he gave her a look. he knew her family was always an iffy subject, so he tried to steer away from it as much as possible. unless, of course, she wanted to talk about it, but the bar was hardly the ideal location for such a talk. “his loss,” ethan shrugged. “i have known you pretty much since you were born, how would i not know your type?” he scrutinised the guy across the room again. “i’m pretty sure you don’t need to go for a rich guy to have drinks bought for you all night. unless you were looking for a sugar daddy?” ethan glanced back at his coworkers. he honestly didn’t mind hanging out with them, the only reason he usually didn’t was just because this wasn’t typically his scene. “i’d be getting drinks from the same place regardless of who i’m hanging out with, so really, you’re just saving me from ‘boring work conversation’ -- which actually isn’t that boring. some of us like our jobs, y’know?”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

itsmiabtch‌:

“I guess I keep looking on the bad side, that’s why I thought working here would be a good experience for me to…calm down a little and deal with different people more often” mia hummed and let out a small laugh. “i’m honestly so glad i didn’t though” she laughed.

“i guess i can’t really fault you if you’re already trying to push yourself to do something to better yourself.” his eyes brightened, “maybe you should come with me one day, get over your frustration with kids.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“finding pleasure in my discomfort? god, you sound just like my mother,” the small girl rolled her eyes, tensing up slightly even at her own mention of her family. grace didn’t like to dwell to long on her past for fear of revealing too much, even with the only person that truly knew about everything that grace endured growing up. “you and i both know that i have not been on an actual date in over a year, no more of those. i’d call this more of a potential tinder hookup situation? so you could imagine why i’m opting to just drink instead since he decided to back out,” she gave an almost indifferent shrug. “no, i was definitely not flirting with him. i was trying to flirt with that guy across the bar but then his girlfriend showed up so i had to bail,” she nodded across the bar at a rich looking couple. “bullshit, i would have known you were coming. did you have a date tonight that i’m pulling you from? i mean, obviously i’m more fun, no matter who it is, but still.”

“how dare you, i am nothing like your mother.” ethan was more than aware of grace’s situation at home growing up, and it’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t at least a little offended by the comparison. he hated to think that she ever thought he wasn’t proud to be her friend. “dating isn’t so awful...” his eyebrows raised as she continued talking. "he might just be late,” ethan offered knowing that it likely wasn’t the case. he not-so-subtly shifted his position so he could look at the people she was referring to before screwing up his face. “since when is that your type?” he gave her an incredulous look. “just meeting coworkers for some drinks,” he pointed at the corner booth where a couple of them were sat and waved.

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

“that was not nearly as funny as you seem to think it is. if you had seen how he was acting five minutes before you got here, you would have played along. i’m just hoping that whoever he talks to next has a better friend that will actually help her out,” she raised a challenging eyebrow, crossing her arms as she looked up at him, pouting back at him slightly to match his pout. of course she wasn’t fully serious, but she was still a little pissed at him, for obvious reasons. she couldn’t stay mad at him for too long, they had been through way too much together for her to hold a grudge. she sighed and lifted the drink to her lips, finishing it off in one chug, despite the pure disgust that she felt by the taste of what was in her hands. “these are awful, dear god,” she muttered, setting the cup on the bar again. “my plans fell through. i was supposed to meet someone here but they bailed, so i figured maybe i’d flirt with someone to buy me drinks or just drown my sorrows in booze, that’s always a good time,” she joked, letting out dry laugh. “what are YOU doing here? and with someone? who was the other drink supposed to be for?”

ethan could keep the laughter from bubbling up, especially as she folded her arms and tried to look mad at him. “c’mon, gracie, you know that i would have stepped in if he tried anything. besides, isn’t it my job as your best friend to take pleasure in your discomfort?” he draped his arm across her shoulders, mostly to ensure they didn’t get separated in the ever filling bar. “meet someone? like a date?” ethan cocked his head as he tried to remember if she mentioned anything like that earlier. he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as she spoke, “you can hardly complain about that guy earlier if you were the one who started the flirting.” he shrugged at her question and played it off with a wave his hand, suddenly trying a lot harder to get the attention of the bartender, “the drink was for you. just because you’re getting free drinks, doesn’t mean you have to enjoy it.” 

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

itsmiabtch‌:

mia couldn’t help but laugh at the idea and shook her head fondly. “you know what? that is something I didn’t think about, so the kid was just being helpful and i’m here wanting to kick his ass. I’m a terrible human” she joked.

“you really are,” he shook his head in disappointment at her. “sometimes you gotta realise these kids see the world from a whole other perspective. i guess we can be really glad you didn’t end up with my job.”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

if looks could kill, grace was sure she would have been able to murder ethan in that moment that she was pushed towards the other man standing in front of them. she would absolutely find a way to get back at him for this. a collection of stuttering sounds escaped her lips as she tried to come up with a way to come back after he had almost completely blown her full cover. “oh, i–” she paused, setting the drink down on the bar as she carefully thought over her next move. letting out a quick sigh, she looked back up towards the stranger. “i’m sorry, he’s still mad at me over something from last week, which i was sure he’d be over by tonight, but i guess not,” she turned back to ethan, an eyebrow raised in his direction. “but i’m not interested either way. i’m sure that girl at that table over there would LOVE your company, though. maybe try her out,” she pointed over his shoulder at a table across the bar, holding her breath as the stranger ducked out of the situation. when he was out of earshot, she turned back to her friend, hitting his arm. “you’re an ass, maddox. truly,” she huffed.

ethan bit his lower lip to keep the laughter from escaping as his best friend threw him a look of pure betrayal. he brought his drink to his lips to further hide his smirk as he watched grace flounder for a second before setting the stranger off on another poor girl. he frowned and rubbed his arm where she hit him, despite it not actually hurting that much. “c’mon, you have to admit it was a little funny.” he pouted a little at her in hopes that she would forgive him. it wasn’t like he would actually have left her with someone who made her so obviously uncomfortable, more like, watched from a distance for amusement and step in before things went too far. “down that drink and i’ll buy you something you actually like,” he nodded at her drink. “what are you even doing here by yourself? i would’ve thought you knew better than to do that.”

[outofthewood]

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

grxcelee‌:

to say that grace was thankful for the people in her life was an understatement, especially when it came to ethan. he had always been her go-to person, and this was a perfect example for moments when he would come through when she needed him the most. she took notice that he was probably out with someone or meeting someone and for a quick second felt guilty that she was pulling him away from that, but the feeling faded soon after. she’d make it up to him later. she took the drink from his hand and examined it, trying her best to mask the quick look of disgust that she gave as she was able to figure out what the drink was. she glanced back up and let out a small sigh. “well, he was being very friendly and invited me to come home with him tonight. and of course, i appreciate his offer, but i told him how my boyfriend wouldn’t like that, and i’m TOO loyal to do that to you,” she gave a sickeningly sweet grin, keeping the smirk to herself as she noticed the stranger in front of them now looking especially flustered and embarrassed. 

ethan did feel a slight guilt over the fact that he didn’t think to ask grace to come along with them that night, but just because they were best friends didn’t mean they had to do everything together. besides, she was here regardless, so it didn’t really matter anyway. he had played fake boyfriend numerous times for his friends trying to get away from guys who just didn’t now what the words ‘not interested’ meant -- he knew the drill all too well. a sly smile spread across his face before he dropped his arm from around her. “well, if i’m the only thing that’s stopping you, i’m gonna say that’s cool with me,” he shrugged, his expression morphing into indifference. “you two go have fun,” he turned to the man, “just be nice to her.” ethan nudged her in towards him. 

[golddvstfm]

@ethanxmaddox

grace enjoyed bars, usually. when she found time to leave the main areas of the resort, she was always finding any sort of outlet to do something fun and exciting with the people in her life that she genuinely enjoy spending time with. in that evening’s case, a bar right outside of the resort was the perfect place for that. as the night went on, she found herself in various conversations, including one with someone that she wouldn’t make a habit of talking to. she did everything she could to derail the conversation and eventually deny his flirtations and advances, but nothing seemed to stop the stranger. “as much as i appreciate your offer, i’m actually… taken. and i mean, if it weren’t for that, maybe things would be different, but i’m very loyal, and i just couldn’t do that to him,” she nodded quickly in a way to be as convincing as possible, eyes darting around the bar to find someone who could help. she let out a silent sigh of relief when she saw her best friend very close by, and quickly reached out, grabbing his arm. “there you are! i’ve been waiting for you, babe,” she laid the act on thick, quickly raising her eyebrows towards ethan in a subtle manner to beg him to play along. “you’re late, i thought we were meeting fifteen minutes ago?”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

the best part about his job was that he hardly had to work after sundown, which meant that when his coworkers invited him to come out to the bar with them, he could always say yes -- but that didn’t mean that he did often. today was different, the girl he’d been partnered with that day had spent all day wearing him down until he had agreed to at least show face and hang out with the rest of them for a couple hours. he had just gotten them drinks from the bar and was on his way back to the table when a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed him, nearly causing him to spill the drinks all over himself and whoever was unfortunate enough to be stood in his proximity. his eyebrow raised slightly at his best friend, before he noticed that less than wanted presence next to her. he put on a smile and put an arm around her shoulders, “my bad, the bar was really busy,” he handed her one of the drinks in his hand, despite knowing it was something she hated. he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he tugged her into his side. “i’m sorry, i don’t think we’ve met?” he turned to the second presence.

[kalehiggins-blog]

“Okay, so when i said I knew how to play pool … that might have been a bold faced fib.” Kale grinned, one hand gripping a cue stick and his other arm splayed outward in a quizzical manner. “But I ask you … does anyone really know how to play pool? Is pool a game one must know in order to enjoy?”

[ethanxmaddox-blog]

ethan twirled the cue in his hands and cocked an eyebrow at the other. “i kind of figured that one out after your first shot,” he laughed. “one most definitely does not need to be an expert in pool to enjoy it. there’s a reason they’re pretty much in any bar you walk into. the layperson has to be able to enjoy it somewhat.”