Page 103 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
The stranger swallows hard. "Um, brown hair? Nice clothes. He did most of the talking. Said they needed the photos to look realistic for a surprise party or something. I didn't ask too many questions."
"Ryan," I say softly, the pieces clicking into place. "Ethan's ex."
Drew, who's been watching silently until now, steps forward. "You're telling us that Cher and this Ryan guy paid you to doctor photos to make it look like Tyler cheated?"
The man shrugs miserably. "I don't know them. I don't hang out with many people on campus. These two people had some real photos from parties to start with. They just wanted me to... combine them. Put different faces in, change the lighting to match. Basic stuff, really." He looks around at our expressions and adds quickly, "I didn't know they were going to use them to break anyone up! I thought it was a joke!"
"Well, it wasn't a joke," my voice is hard. "They used your work to destroy my relationship."
The man looks genuinely remorseful. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"But you're going to help us fix it," Gavin says firmly. It's not a question.
The man nods quickly. "Yeah, fine, whatever you want. Ican't have this on my school record, okay? It was just some quick money. I didn't think—" He runs his hands through his already messed up hair. "I'll sign something, show you the files, anything. Just don't report me to the admin, please."
For the first time since Ethan walked away, I feel a flicker of hope. "You can prove the photos are fake? That I never cheated?"
"Definitely," he confirms. "I still have the source files, the originals they gave me to work with. It's obvious when you see them side by side."
The room seems to shift around me as the realization sinks in. We have proof, actual, concrete proof that I was set up. That means we can convince Ethan of the truth, and I can get him back.
"What now?" looking at Drew questioningly. "How do we get Ethan to listen to us?"
Drew's expression is grim but determined. "First, we document everything. James, I want you to work with..." He looks at our unwitting accomplice. "What's your name?"
"Caleb," the man says.
"James, work with Caleb to gather all the evidence. Original photos, edited versions, whatever digital trail exists." He turns to me. "Then we go to Ethan with the proof. He might not want to see you right now, but he deserves to know the truth."
My head moves in agreement while hope and anxiety wage a battle in my chest. Will Ethan even give me the chance to explain? After the things he said, the way he looked at me... he might have already decided to put me firmly in his past.
"He'll listen," Gavin says confidently, as if reading mydoubts. "Once he sees the proof."
I want to believe him. I need to believe him. Because the alternative, that I've lost Ethan for good over a vicious lie, is too painful to think about.
"Let's get to work," I say, feeling a fresh burst of determination cutting through the fog that's been hanging over me since yesterday. "I want my boyfriend back."
The room falls silent for a moment. Then James, who's been quietly watching until now, steps forward with his arms crossed.
"Are you sure that's what you want, Tyler?" he asks, his voice serious. "After he broke up with you so brutally? In front of everyone?" His eyes are searching, protective. "He didn't even give you a chance to explain. Don't you think he should have trusted you more?"
The question hangs in the air. Several of my brothers exchange glances, clearly wondering the same thing. Even Gavin, still holding Caleb by the shoulder, looks at me with curiosity.
Taking a deep breath, I think hard about James's question. It hurt how Ethan dumped me in front of everyone, how he just assumed I was guilty, and how his final goodbye felt. Really hurt. But when I try to put myself in his shoes...
"Yes," The word finally comes out steady. "I wish he could have talked to me and trusted me. But you saw the photos, they're fucking terrible. I can't say I wouldn't have fallen for it too if it was done the other way around." I look around at my brothers, meeting each of their eyes. "So yeah, I want Ethan to know the truth. Whether he takes me back or not, he deserves to know he wasn't played by me."
Drew nods, clapping me on the shoulder. "That's why you're our VP."
"That," Gavin adds with a grin, "and we needed a positive guy to offset James's whole doom-and-gloomvibe."
The tension breaks, and for the first time since Ethan walked away from me, there's a genuine smile tug at my lips.
"Okay," James says, gesturing to Caleb. "Let's get to work. We've got a relationship to save."
As my brothers spring into action around me, I feel something shift in my chest, grief giving way to hope, despair to determination. Ethan Barrett walked away from me yesterday believing a lie. But I'm not letting him go without a fight.
Not when I love him.
