Page 108 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
"It's good for Ethan, too," I add. "Less chance of backlash when the truth comes out." I check my watch. "Speaking of Ethan, I need to find him. We have everything we need now to prove what happened."
"Let's go," Gavin says, already getting to his feet. "I'll drive."
Ethan liveswith Sylas in a tiny two-bedroom apartment in a building complex about a mile from school. I've only visited a few times. Ethan liked coming to my room at the frat house instead, but I still remember how to get there.
Gavin parks his oversized pickup truck in a visitor space, and we head up to the second-floor unit. I knock confidently at first, then more hesitantly when there's noanswer.
"Maybe they're not home," Gavin suggests after my third attempt.
"Or they're ignoring us," the possibility sends a chill down my spine. "Let me try calling again."
Dialing Ethan's number, but like all my other attempts, it goes straight to voicemail. The same is true for Sylas's number.
"They've either turned off their phones or blocked our numbers," I say, pocketing my phone in frustration.
"Let's check the nursing building," Gavin suggests. "Ethan might be in class."
We spend the next two hours searching every place I can think of: the nursing building, the library, the student center, even Beans & Books—no sign of Ethan or Sylas anywhere.
"Where else could they be?" Gavin asks as we stand outside the Health Sciences Building, my last hope exhausted.
"I don't know," I admit, defeat settling over me. "Maybe they went home for the weekend? Ethan's family lives about three hours away."
"On a Tuesday?"
"I don't know, Gavin!" it snaps out, then I immediately regret it. "Shit, I'm sorry. I'm just... I need to talk to him."
"We'll find him," Gavin promises. "He has to come back for classes eventually."
But that's the problem. "Eventually" feels too far away. Every hour that passes is another hour Ethan believes I betrayed him, another hour for the hurt to harden into something permanent.
"Let's head back to the house," I suggest, my energy flagging. "Maybe someone else has had an idea."
When we get back to the frat house, the mood is weirdlycheerful. A bunch of the guys are hanging out in the living room, talking about some plans with way more excitement than usual.
"What's going on?" I ask, dropping onto the couch.
"Final planning for Saturday's car wash," Ian explains. "It's the last one of the year, and we need to make it count."
I'd completely forgotten about the charity car wash. With everything that's happened, fundraising for the vet clinic had slipped my mind.
"Count me out," is said with zero enthusiasm. "I'm not in the mood for shirtless fraternity bonding right now."
Drew gives me a disapproving look. "This isn't about bonding. It's about finishing what we started. We promised the clinic a certain amount, and we're not going to let them down because of personal drama."
"Besides," Gavin adds with his unbreakable cheerfulness, "you and Ethan will have worked everything out by Saturday. You can bring him along!"
The optimism in his voice only makes me feel worse. "We couldn't find him, Gavin. He's nowhere on campus. His phone goes straight to voicemail."
"He'll turn up," Cam says confidently. "No one can avoid an entire fraternity forever."
"And when he does," James adds, "we have everything we need to prove you were set up. He'll have to listen."
Their certainty should be comforting, but all I feel is a deepening despair.What if Ethan doesn't want the proof? What if he's decided he's better off without me, regardless of whether I cheated or not?
"Tyler," Drew says, his voice gentler now, "I know you're hurting. But sitting here spiralling isn't helping. The car wash is in two days. Focus on that for now. By then, I guarantee things with Ethan will be clearer."
Nodding requires less effort than debate, especially when exhaustion has settled into every cell. "Fine. I'll be there."
