Page 107 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
But it doesn’t matter anymore why. “The only thing I regret," I say quietly, "is ever thinking you cared about me."
She stares at me for a long moment, mascara starting to run, then turns and storms down the walkway, her perfect posture rigid with fury.
"Well," Gavin says into the silence that follows, "that was dramatic."
Caleb shifts uncomfortably. "She's going to make trouble. She and Ryan both."
"Let them try," Drew says. "We have the truth on our side now."
I look at Caleb, who seems smaller somehow without his earlier defiance. "Thank you," I say sincerely. "For standing up to her."
He shrugs, but there's a hint of pride in his expression. "Yeah, well. It felt good to tell off someone like her finally."
"Someone like her?" Gavin asks.
"Rich, entitled people who think they can buy whatever they want," Caleb explains with unexpected bitterness. "Including people."
Coming from someone who introduced himself as "the Third," it's an interesting perspective. Maybe Drew was right about Caleb fitting in better than expected.
Two hours later, I'm sitting with James, Gavin, and Caleb in the living room, surrounded by printouts and laptop screens. Caleb has proven surprisingly helpful once committed to the cause, providing the source images and explaining in detail how the manipulations were done.
"See here?" he points to one of the photos. "This is actually Cher with her ex from last year. I just replaced his face with Tyler's. And this one—" he points to another, "—is froma completely different party. Look at the lighting difference when you know what to look for."
James nods, impressed. "You did a good job with the editing. Too good."
"Thanks, I guess?" Caleb replies dryly.
A knock at the door interrupts our session. Drew goes to answer it and returns with Mia, the Theta Pi Nu VP I remember from the night Cher tried to force herself on me.
"Mia," I say, standing. "What brings you here?"
She looks deeply uncomfortable. "I came to apologize. To all of you, but especially to you, Tyler." She glances at the evidence spread across the living room. "I see you've figured it out."
"That Cher set me up? Yeah, we're putting the pieces together."
Mia nods grimly. "The sorority had an emergency meeting this afternoon after Cher returned to the house... upset. One of our sophomores confessed that she'd seen Cher meeting with a guy in the digital design building and overheard them discussing photo manipulation."
"Caleb," I supply.
"I don't know his name," Mia continues. "But when confronted, Cher... didn't deny it. She actually tried to justify it." She looks genuinely distressed. "I want you to know that we took immediate action. The vote to expel her from the sorority was unanimous. She's packing her things as we speak."
"Expelled?" The word comes out with clear surprise. "Isn't that extreme?"
"What she did went against everything our sisterhood believes in," Mia says firmly. "We don't put up with that kind of behaviour. And honestly, this wasn't her first offence.It was just the worst one."
Drew steps forward, extending his hand. "We appreciate you coming to tell us this in person."
Mia shakes his hand, looking relieved. "I was afraid you'd think we were all like her. We're not." She turns to me. "I hope you and Ethan can work things out. What Cher did was inexcusable."
After she leaves, there's a moment of stunned silence.
"Didn't see that coming," Gavin finally says.
"Me neither," I admit. "But it's good to know not everyone was on board with Cher's crap."
Caleb looks thoughtful. "So the sorority kicked her out? That's a big deal."
"It means the campus community isn't going to rally behind her," James observes. "Which is good for us when we take this to the dean."
