“No, no, no, no—come on, you absolutefuckingwalnut!”
The unmistakable sound of defeat follows. Some poor pixelated character bites it hard on-screen.
I call over my shoulder, “Everything okay over there, shortcake?”
“Just this stupid game,” he mutters, not looking away from the TV.
He’s half-sprawled across the couch, one sock on, one off,hoodie hood pulled halfway over his head like it’s trying to shield him from reality. I go back to the sandwich making. She is probably going to think it’s weird that I did this. Worst case, she makes fun of me. I think I’d be okay with that.
But then Ethan sighs. Not a loud one, just long. Tired.
I glance back. His face isn’t in game-mode anymore. He’s slumped, thumb just barely moving on the controller.
Something’s off.
I wipe my hands on a dish towel and turn. “Alright, dude. Talk to me. What’s actually going on?”
He shrugs. “Game sucks.”
I walk over and nudge his foot with mine. “You suckat lying, man.”
His jaw tightens, and after a beat, he sets the controller down, eyes still locked on the paused screen.
“I think Paige is cheating on me.”
Oh shit.
“What?”
He rubs the back of his neck like he’s still trying to work out how he got here. “Someone posted a story last night. Some house party downtown. I wasn’t even following the person—one of my course mates saw it and sent it to me. Paige is in the background, and she’s…”
He trails off. Doesn’t say it. Doesn’t need to.
“With someone else?”
He nods once. Swallows hard.
“You sure it’s her?”
“Yeah.” He sounds wrecked. “She told me she wasn’t goingout-out. Said it was a girls night in at her place. Told me not to come.”
That alone hits a nerve. Paige always rolled through parties with Ethan like they came as a set. Lately, she’d started drifting. I’d noticed. We all had. But Ethan’sEthan. His loyalty and optimism are never-ending. He sees the best in people even after they’ve handed him proof they don’t deserve it.
“Did you talk to her?”
“No. I don’t even know how to start.”
He finally looks at me. Eyes red-rimmed but dry. Waiting. Hoping for something solid he can hold onto. But what do you say to that?
Yeah, she’s definitely cheating. That’sfucked.
You deserve better, bro. You’ll be ok.
It all feels thin. Not enough. God I’m so bad at this stuff. This is what matters.
Before I can press for an answer, I hear footsteps on the stairs. Alex appears.
She clocks Ethan immediately.
