Ethan's POV
"Calm down," she said, "It's dark. If I just call, he'll be suspicious. Tomorrow I'll try to get something out of him, okay? I promise—please, just calm down."
"Calm down? You're asking me to calm down?" I yelled into the phone, barely able to keep my voice steady.
"Please, just give me time," she pleaded.
"It doesn't pass tomorrow afternoon, or there'll be consequences. You hear me?"
"Yes," she replied, her voice trembling.
"Good girl. Now please get off my phone and let me sleep. And don't get mouthy with me, bitch. I own you, you got that? When I say jump, you say—" I paused, waiting for her response, letting the silence stretch.
"How high," she finally whispered.
"Tomorrow afternoon," I said firmly.
"Yes," she replied again, barely audible.
"Good girl." I hung up, then stared at the ceiling, seething, my mind spinning with anger and dread. I felt like I was slowly losing myself. Calm down, I told myself. We'll know soon. Part of me wanted to press her to get it done before morning, but she was right about one thing: Henry gets deeply suspicious when things seem off. I couldn't risk him asking her questions—she might crumble and spill everything.
Taking a deep breath, I tried to focus. There was no use panicking right now. I'd learn everything by tomorrow afternoon. I turned back to my computer. I needed to finish up here as fast as I could. Sam's father had agreed to the deal. The old fool wouldn't know what hit him—or his dumb daughter. They both pissed me off. I was glad I'd soon be done with this; then I could go to Henry. What no one knew was that I'd already applied for a transfer to NYU so I could be closer to Henry. Once this was over, I'd be with you, my little lamb. The thought made me smile and my mood improved considerably. Whoever was pestering my Henry better be ready—I was coming.
Andrew's POV
I left the room not long after Henry. I needed fresh air; it was suffocating in there, especially with Julian's judgy gaze burning into me. Sitting on a bench just outside our dorm, I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. The memory of Henry's shattered expression played over and over in my mind. I buried my face in my hands and let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Fuck…"
"I thought you'd be turning the whole campus upside down looking for him," a voice said behind me.
I turned to see Julian trying to fake a smile.
"What do you mean?" I asked, wary.
"I might be an airhead sometimes, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid, okay?" Julian said, his tone more serious than usual. "Since the first day Henry came, I noticed the way you lit up whenever he was around."
I tried to play dumb. "What do you mean? I don't—"
"Oh, don't bullshit me," he cut in. "The others might be slow to notice, but I've known you longer than they have. I've always been giving you a subtle push to admit who you are, but you always ignore me. It seems the fear of your father has so clouded your mind that, even though you're here, far away from him, his shadow still hovers over every decision you make."
"I don't understand," I said, though deep down I knew exactly what he meant. How could he see right through me?
"I saw you, you know, during the party," Julian continued. "Just before I came to call you that Ryan had gotten into a fight—I saw you two together."
I stared at him, mouth open so wide you could stuff an egg in it. He let out a chuckle.
"Or was it the tiny little glances you guys shared when you thought no one was looking? The private smiles? I always made an effort to drag the guys away so you could have a little moment with him. And I'm sure you did, because the look on your face when we got back was pure joy—mixed with a little mischief. I'll admit, it's been a long time since I've seen you look like that. That's why I pushed you to admit it."
He paused, waiting for me to say something, but I sat in silence. He sighed.
"Look, I'll be honest with you," he said. "Everything your father ever said to you—forget it. Every single word. You aren't him. He's lived, what, half his life already? You're just starting yours. I might seem like an airhead, but I know how to live. I know how to have fun. Something you clearly don't let yourself do, even though you have every resource. You know what I fear most? It's not death—it's dying with regrets. That's why I made up my mind to live fully. You should too, because you never know when your time's up. Get your sorry ass up and go. He's waiting for you."
I tried to speak, but my throat felt tight, choked with emotion. Sobs threatened to escape. Julian reached out and pulled me into a hug. I clung to him, the tears finally breaking free.
"Thank you," I said, voice cracking. "I desperately needed someone to see me. Funny, I always thought only Henry understood me. But it turns out, this blockhead did. He always did."
He laughed, then made a face. "Is that tears? Are you really crying right now? Eww, get off me!" He tried to push me away, but I held on tighter, needing the comfort.
He finally hugged me back, patting my back. "Good. Stop crying now, you big baby."
I pushed him off, wiping my eyes and trying to glare. "If you ever tell anyone I cried here, I'll fight you to the death. I mean it. Even if it's the last thing I do, I will find you—no matter where you hide."
"Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'd like to see all this seriousness when you come face to face with Henry."
He smirked at me, and it felt like he'd just poured cold water over my head. "Shit," I muttered. "I don't know what to do."
"Just be honest," he said, shrugging. "He'll understand—hopefully. Show him you're willing to commit."
"You think?" I asked, searching his face.
He shrugged again, grinning. "It's not my fault you fucked this up. This is your mess, so go fix it—and leave me out of it."
"He's back," I said mockingly, finally managing a weak smile. "The wise sage Julian is gone, the airhead is back."
"Fuck you," he shot back, flipping me off with both hands as he got up to leave. "Bring our Disney prince back safely or don't bother coming back."
"I know," I called after him.
Now, if I were Henry and needed to blow off steam, where would I go? I asked the night air. No answer. Oh well—even if I have to scour the entire campus, I'll find him. I stood and started searching, determined not to give up until I did.