‘You really don’t have to play,’ I tell him.
I don’t know if he’s doing this because he sees Beau as some kind of rival or if he just thinks it looks fun but, either way, Beau is clearly very good, and Ethan has never tried it before. It’s a disaster waiting to happen.
‘It’s cool,’ Ethan reassures me. ‘I’d love to have a stab.’
‘Hilarious, EPJ,’ Chester tells him as he hands him his mask. ‘Solid joke.’
Beau twirls his sword in Ethan’s direction with a menacing flare.
‘All right, Ethan,’ Beau says. ‘Let’s see what you’re made of.’
I don’t know whether I can’t look or I can’t look away. It’s a confusing mixture of both. The only thing more surprising than the fact this is happening is that Ethan actually seems to be quite good at it.
‘EPJ, if you’ve never fenced before, how are you so good?’ Chester calls out.
‘It’s not too different to a lightsaber,’ Ethan calls back as he puts Beau through his paces.
‘Lightsaber?’ Chester replies. ‘LikeStar Wars?’
‘Yeah, I’m a huge fan,’ Ethan tells him.
‘A sword is nothing like a lightsaber,’ Beau replies, clearly annoyed. ‘It’s real, for one.’
‘Well, they are real,’ Ethan replies. ‘At least, the ones at the conventions are. We dress up, re-enact the battles – people take it really seriously.’
‘There is nothing serious about what you just said,’ Seph tells him with a snort.
Ethan remains unbothered though and, I’m no expert, but it does sort of seem like he has the upper hand right now.
‘Star Wars,’ Beau says with a scoff. ‘You sound like a bit of a loser, friend.’
‘If that’s true, friend, then why does it feel like I’m winning?’ Ethan claps back.
I notice Beau’s body language change all at once. For a moment it’s almost like he loses focus, but then his back straightens, his shoulders stiffen, and he charges at Ethan. He almost seems to force him in a particular direction, forcingEthan to fall backwards into a garden table. It crumples under his weight, breaking his fall but, you know, breaking itself too.
‘Ethan,’ I blurt, running over to help him.
He rolls onto his side, keeping one of his elbows elevated as he cradles it with his other hand. As soon as he’s sitting upright he pulls off his mask and you can see the pain on his face.
‘That was a bit of a dirty play, old boy,’ Chester teases Beau.
Beau removes his mask. His expression is blank as he looks over at Ethan.
‘Ethan, are you okay?’ I ask as I crouch down next to him.
‘Yeah, I’m okay,’ he reassures me. ‘I smacked my elbow on something. It smarts, but I can move it.’
‘We should put some ice on it,’ I insist. ‘Come on.’
I offer Ethan my arm so that he can pull himself up. He keeps hold of it as we head towards the house.
There is an ice dispenser in the bar in the dining room so I place a bunch inside a napkin and twist it shut.
‘Sit there,’ I tell Ethan.
He does as he’s told, taking a seat on a dining chair, while I kneel down in front of him, holding out the ice for him to gently rest his elbow on it.
‘I’m okay, really,’ he tells him. ‘I think it’s just bruised.’
