Page 20 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
Status update??
Sylas
Did The Two-Pump Tragedy actually show his face?
Sylas
Hello? Are you ignoring me?
Sylas
If you're riding the shame rollercoaster over him again, I WILL burn your favourite scrubs
Sylas
ETHAN. ANSWER ME.
Shit. Five text messages and two missed calls. He's freaking out.
I start typing a quick reply.
Hey, I'm fine. Ryan showed up but?—
"Hey! There you are!"
Looking up, I see Gavin barreling toward us, hiswerewolf costume minus the mask now, carrying three red cups precariously between his massive hands. My phone gets shoved back into my pocket, message unsent, as Gavin thrusts a cup at me.
"You gotta try this! Special Delta Psi Halloween punch. Don't worry, we've got alcohol-free too if you prefer, but this batch is..." he winks dramatically, "enhanced."
Tyler rolls his eyes, but takes a cup. "By 'enhanced' he means it'll make you think you can dance."
I take the drink but don't taste it. Party rule number one: Don't take a drink from a stranger. "This is... not what I expected."
"What, the party or the drink?" Tyler asks, following my gaze to where a group of frat guys are cheering someone through a keg stand.
"All of it," I admit. "I've never actually stayed long at a frat party before."
"Why's that?" he asks, genuinely curious.
Hesitating, before I decide to be honest. "Let's just say my last frat experience involved a lot of guys who thought being in the same room as a gay person might be contagious."
Tyler winces. "That's fair. We're not all like that, though."
"I'm starting to see that," I say, watching as two guys in matching superhero costumes slow dance dramatically in the middle of the room while their friends cheer them on. "I expected more toxic masculinity and less... actual fun."
Tyler laughs, guiding me toward a slightly quieter corner near the back porch, where a tall guy with a serious face mixes drinks at a makeshift bar. Even with all the Halloween craziness happening, something about how hecarries himself makes me think he must be a big deal in the frat.
"Drew, meet Ethan," Tyler says. "He's the nursing student who helped us out tonight."
The guy, Drew, gives me a friendly nod. "So you're the one who got thrown by his date? Kai told me what happened. That's seriously fucked up."
I'm surprised by his directness, but also appreciate it. "Yeah, well. Ex-date now. It's fine," I explain carefully, still not ready to use Ryan's name out loud. "We've been dating for a while, but... turns out he didn't want to be seen with me in public. He'd hook up, but heaven forbid anyone knows he was with a guy."
Bracing myself for the uncomfortable shift that usually follows, the slight step back, the change in expression, the sudden interest in literally anything else. But Drew's eyebrows just shoot up in surprise, followed quickly by what looks like genuine sympathy.
"That's messed up, man. Nobody deserves to be someone's secret."
"That's what I told him," Tyler adds from beside me, his voice carrying a protective edge that sends an unexpected warmth through my chest.
