Page 16 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
His slight body feels surprisingly solid against me as I steady us both. Did his date seriously just throw him at me and run? The guy's already disappeared down the dark corridor, leaving Ethan looking lost and adorably furious.
Something clicks in my brain. "Wait a sec!" I sputter, grabbing Ethan's shoulder before he can bolt after his coward of a date. "I have an idea."
Acting quickly, I pull off my ripped-up hoodie and mask, feeling the cool air hit my skin. The fabric catches slightly on my watch as I wrestle it off my shoulders. I toss the costume at him, and he catches it with a confused look.
"Put this on," quickly helping him slide his arms into the oversized hoodie. The fabric practically swallows his head. His slender frame disappears inside my costume, giving him a perfect horror movie villain silhouette.
He blinks up at me, green eyes questioning beneath the hood's shadow. His gaze drops momentarily to my chest, lingering just a heartbeat too long to be casual.
His cheeks turn pink in a way that's not from being jump-scared. When he gulps hard enough that I can see his throat move, something warm spreads through my belly.
"Here, take this too," My voice dropping conspiratorially as I hand him the fake bat, its kind of sticky from the fake blood I smeared on it earlier. "We can still make this night fun, even if your date bailed."
His eyes widen, and I can see understanding crash over his face like a wave.
"Wait, you mean...?"
I point back toward where his date sprinted off. "Revenge is always sweeter with a prop weapon."
His change is fantastic; he goes from confused to totally into it. There's something thrilling about how quickly we've jumped into this scheme without even discussing it. My smile matches the playful sparkle now dancing in his eyes.
"Let's get him!" he yells, raising the bat high. A crazy howl bursts from deep inside him.
Without another word, he bolts down the hallway, and I have to follow.
Grabbing a mask off one of the dummies hanging eerily from the wall, I slip it over my face. I can't wait to catch up to that piece of shit. Seriously, who throws their dates and runs?
As we chase after the guy, our voices bounce through the fun house. All my awkwardness from the last time I tried to talk to Ethan melts away with every excited whoop he lets out.
I’m just a few feet behind Ethan as we run through the twisting paths, adrenaline fueling our pursuit. I can see the guy up ahead, his silhouette darting through the fake smoke.
"This way!" Ethan shouts, taking a quick right turn. Ifollow him, adrenaline pumping through my veins, a grin plastered across my face.
Holy shit. I'm actually running through the horror house with Ethan.
Ethan, the guy I've been too nervous to talk to for weeks. His maniacal laugh bounces off the walls as we chase his date, and instead of freezing up or saying something stupid, we're partners in this ridiculous revenge mission. How the hell did I get this lucky? One minute I'm scaring people in a dark tent, the next I'm chasing down some asshole with the most gorgeous nursing student on campus.
As we burst through the scare house's exit, we're still howling and laughing like crazy people. I can see his date still running away across the carnival grounds. The rush from all this starts to fade, but I'm feeling happy. For once, I'm not nervous when I talk to Ethan.
"Did you see the look on his face?" I shout to Ethan over the screams and laughs of others at the carnival. He's still beaming, practically glowing with vindication. I raise my hand for a high-five, and he slaps it with surprising enthusiasm, grinning at me with flushed cheeks. I'm mesmerized by the sparks in his eyes. He looks different from the confused guy who was thrown into my arms minutes ago.
"I realize in all the chaos, I never actually introduced myself. 'I'm Tyler, by the way. Tyler Landis.'
Other guys from the frat, lounging nearby, notice us right away. Most are used to how goofy I can be, but this is a surprise. I don't usually run out shirtless chasing a guy they don't know.
The guys aren't shy about making their presence known; a couple of wolf whistles and comments fly across the area. When Ethan peels off my hoodie and tries to handit back, it's immediately apparent he doesn't look like our usual frat crowd.
He's covered in more glitter than I've seen on anyone outside of a parade float.He looks fantastic.Something about those flushed cheeks and that genuine smile has me completely hooked, like I've discovered a whole new species among the usual college wildlife.
"Hey, man, that was epic!" Kai calls out, raising a red Solo cup at Ethan in a toast. His vampire costume makes the gesture look oddly formal. "You can work the tent next year if you wanna."
Ethan flashes a smile, looking a little overwhelmed by the attention. "Thank you!" he stammers while his eyes dart around, trying to look at everyone at once.
Noah laughs from his spot on a hay bale, the ridiculous banana costume making everything he does seem funnier. "Bro, what are you doing? You're not supposed to chase people out of the front of the tent."
"I've never seen someone run out of there so fast," Taj adds, the zombie makeup on his face cracking as he grins. He gives me a fist bump and Ethan a head nod. "What did you two do to him?"
"We... umm..." Ethan's eyes flicker to my torso again, his cheeks turning pinker. "Well, Tyler scared him, and he threw me and ran away... So we chased him."
