Page 43 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
"Let me spell it out for you," I’m trying to sound braver than I feel. "One: You cheated on me all summer. Two: You treated me like your dirty secret. Three: You only want me when someone else shows interest. Four: It's over."
His fingers dig into my arm hard enough to bruise. "No one walks away from me."
Pushing against his chest, my voice explodes out of my mouth. "Let GO!"
He grabs both my wrists, pinning them to the wall, and there’s a flash of genuine fear. This is escalating beyond anything that's happened before. His face is too close to mine, his breath hot against my cheek.
"You're mine, Ethan. You've always been mine."
"I don't think he's yours or anyone else's, actually."
The deep voice from behind him sends a wave of relief washing through me. I peek around Ryan's shoulder to see Gavin standing there, all six-foot-four of him looking like some kind of avenging angel in a DPO hoodie.
Ryan's grip tightens momentarily before he turns. "Stay out of this."
"Can't do that," Gavin says, his usual sunny smile nowhere to be seen. "See, Ethan asked you to let go. Twice. And you didn't. That's a problem."
"This isn't frat boy business," Ryan snarls, but I can see the calculation in his eyes as he takes in Gavin's size.
"It's human decency business," Gavin replies, stepping closer. "Now, how about you step away from him before this gets ugly?"
Ryan's fingers dig in one last time before he releases me. But instead of leaving, he leans in and whispers, "This isn't over."
Before I can react, Gavin moves with surprising speed for someone his size. One moment, I'm against the wall; the next, I'm upside down, staring at the back of Gavin's shirt, my world literally turned on its head.
"What are you? Put me DOWN!" Blood rushes to my face while I sputter out a protest.
"No can do, little nursing dude," Gavin says, his cheerful tone returning as he starts walking. "Tyler would have my ass if I left you with that Asshole."
Twisting to see Ryan watching us, his face is dark with rage. A chill runs through me at the promise of retribution in his eyes.
"I can walk, you know," I protest, though secretly thankful for both the rescue and the distance Gavin is putting between me and Ryan with every long stride.
"Sure, you can. But this way's faster. And funnier," he says, and though I can't see his face from my upside-down position, I can tell from his tone that he's grinning.
Ten mortifying minutes later, Gavin marches through the front door of the DPO house and into the living room, where several brothers, including Tyler, are playing video games.
Tyler jumps up, controller forgotten. "What the? Is that Ethan?"
Gavin deposits me at Tyler's feet with a theatrical bow. "You saved him on Halloween; he's yours now. Found him being harassed by some douchebag outside the science building."
Scrambling to my feet, my face burning. "Y'all have to stop carrying me around! I'm not a frickin' pillow princess."
Gavin tilts his head. "What's a pillow princess? Is that like the princess and the pea thing?"
My face goes from warm to nuclear as several brothers snicker. "That's not… I didn't… I am NOT explaining that to you or anybody here!" The guys hanging out in the living room burst out laughing.
Tyler's trying not to laugh, but his eyes are concerned as they scan my face, then drop to the redness circling my wrists.
His eyes darken with concern as he notices the redness on my wrists. "Let me get a closer look at that," he says quietly, glancing around at the guys engaged in their noisy video game battle. "Somewhere quieter?"
Nodding, I follow him through the living room where James and a few others are shouting at the screen, controllers clutched in white-knuckled grips. Tyler leads me up the stairs, each step taking us further from the inventive trash talk and into a more private space.
The hallway upstairs is lined with doors, some plastered with posters, others with whiteboards full of inside jokes and reminders. Tyler stops at one with a small whiteboard that reads "VP's Domain - Enter At Your Own Risk" in neat block letters.
"Let me see," Tyler murmurs, gently taking my wrists once we're alone in his room. His fingers are cool against my skin.
"It's nothing," I insist, but don't pull away.
