Chapter 25 #2
Holding my coffee cup tight, my eyes are locked on the table. Just ignore them. Don't cause trouble. Don't make things even worse.
"Personally, I think they're both hot," a third voice joins in. "But cheating is such a dick move."
I'm considering leaving when a shadow falls across my table. I look up, half expecting more gawkers, but instead find Cher standing there, a concerned expression on her face.
"Tyler," she says softly. "I saw what happened. Are you okay?"
For a moment, I'm too surprised to respond. After weeks of her aggressive pursuit and manipulation, this sudden concern feels jarring.
"What do you want, Cher?" The question finally comes out, keeping my voice low.
"Can I sit?" She doesn't wait for permission, sliding into the chair across from me. "I just wanted to check on you. Everyone's talking about... what happened."
"I'm sure they are," I say flatly. "And I'm sure you're devastated by the rumours."
She has the grace to look slightly abashed. "I know you probably think I had something to do with this, but I didn't. I mean, yes, I was jealous, but I would never want to see you hurt like this."
Looking at her face, I try to spot if she's lying. She seems honest enough, but something doesn't feel right. Maybe it's remembering how she smiled when Ethan left, or maybe I'm finally seeing past the act she's been putting on for years.
"Those photos were fake," Each word hits with deliberate force. "I never kissed you at that party. I never took you upstairs. It didn't happen."
"I know," she says, reaching across the table to place her hand on mine. Every muscle fights the urge to pull away. "Someone's trying to cause trouble. It's awful."
Two girls from her sorority walk past our table, and one of them snorts. "Look who's crawling back," she mutters, not quite under her breath.
Cher's face flushes, but she keeps her eyes locked on me like nothing happened. Something about her reaction nags at me, but before I can think about it, she's talking again.
"Is it?" The challenge is out there, and I watch her reaction carefully. "Because you've been pretty clear about wanting to break us up."
I was wrong," she admits, her voice soft and sorry, but there's something tighter around her eyes now. "I was hurt that you moved on so fast, and to someone so... not like me. But seeing you this upset?" She shakes her head. "I never wanted that, Tyler. You have to believe me."
Part of me wants to believe her. We dated for months, and I once thought I might love her. But something in my gut is screaming that this sympathy act is just that, an act.
"You've been talking to my mother," my eyes search her face.
She hesitates, just for a millisecond. "She called me a few times. She was worried about you."
"And I bet you were very reassuring," The words come out bone dry.
The conversation around us has quieted, and I realize people are watching us, whispering behind their hands. To them, this probably looks like exactly what the rumours suggest: me running back to Cher after breaking Ethan's heart. The thought makes me sick.
"I should go," turning in my chair I start to stand.
"Wait." Cher reaches out, grabbing my wrist. "I really am sorry, Tyler. For everything. I miss how things used to be between us, before all this drama."
Something about her touch feels calculated, making me ease her hand away. "There's no going back, Cher. Even if Ethan never speaks to me again, you and I are done."
A flash of something, anger? Frustration? Crosses her face before she masks it with a sad smile. "I understand. But I'm here for you, as a friend. I care about you, Tyler."
As she says this, she gets up and comes around the table, hugging me in what looks like she's trying to comfort me. But her body pushes against mine in a way that feels on purpose, too close, and wrong for the talk we're having.
Stepping back, I firmly set her away from me. "Don't."
She blinks up at me with wide, innocent eyes. "It was just a hug."
"No, it wasn't," The words come out quiet but certain. "And I think you know that."
I can feel people watching us, probably adding this to all the campus gossip. Leaving a few bucks on the table for my coffee, which I hardly drank, I walk to the door, not listening when Cher calls after me.
The fresh air feels so good after how stuffy it was in the coffee shop.
I walk fast back to the frat house with my thoughts all jumbled up.
What Cher just did seemed planned, as if she wanted people to see it.
Her acting, all apologetic and comforting, would look perfect to anyone watching.
Just helps everyone believe that stupid story about me cheating on Ethan with her.
But why? What does she gain from this elaborate charade?
The answer seems pretty clear: she wants to get back together, but something about that just doesn't feel right. The Cher I used to date was clingy and sometimes played mind games, but this kind of planning feels different. More sinister.
By the time I reach the fraternity house, my headache has returned full force. All I want is to collapse back into bed and pull the covers over my head until this nightmare somehow resolves itself. But as I open the front door, I'm greeted by chaos.
Gavin is standing in the center of the living room; a man is dangling over his shoulder. For one wild, hopeful moment, I think it might be Ethan that Gavin has kidnapped him again to make him listen to me. But this man is larger than Ethan, with neat blonde hair instead of Ethan's reddish-blonde.
Gavin puts him down and holds him by the scruff of his neck like a disobedient puppy. The stranger, who's tall and slim, looks terrified, his eyes darting around the room, where several of my fraternity brothers have formed a loose circle.
"What's going on?" The door clicks shut behind me.
Gavin's face lights up when he sees me. "Tyler! Perfect timing. I found our proof." He gives the stranger a little shake. "Tell him what you told me."
The man looks like he might faint. "I… I didn't know what they were going to use them for. I swear. It was just a job."
"What was just a job?" I ask, stepping closer. "Who is this?"
"This," Gavin says triumphantly, "is our smoking gun. James and I spent all night analyzing those photos. The manipulation was good, but not perfect. We found evidence they were doctored, but we needed to know who did it."
"So naturally, you kidnapped someone," I say dryly.
"Let's call this aggressive recruitment," Gavin corrects. "James tracked the digital signature to a computer in the digital arts building. We staked it out this morning, and sure enough, this guy shows up looking nervous as hell."
"I do graphics design on the side," the stranger says, his voice small. "Like photo editing for extra cash. Design projects, touching up graduation photos, that kind of thing."
"And photoshopping people into compromising positions?" James asks sharply.
The man's face flushes with guilt. "They said it was for a prank. A harmless joke between friends."
A cold feeling spreads through my chest. "They? Who's they?"
The man looks down, refusing to meet my eyes. Gavin gives him another gentle shake. "Tell him."
"A girl and a guy," he mumbles. "I didn't know their names. The girl was pretty, with blonde hair. The guy was taller, kind of preppy looking."
"Cher and who?" I demand, stepping closer. "What did the guy look like?"
The stranger swallows hard. "Um, brown hair? Nice clothes. He did most of the talking. Said they needed the photos to look realistic for a surprise party or something. I didn't ask too many questions."
"Ryan," I say softly, the pieces clicking into place. "Ethan's ex."
Drew, who's been watching silently until now, steps forward. "You're telling us that Cher and this Ryan guy paid you to doctor photos to make it look like Tyler cheated?"
The man shrugs miserably. "I don't know them.
I don't hang out with many people on campus.
These two people had some real photos from parties to start with.
They just wanted me to... combine them. Put different faces in, change the lighting to match.
Basic stuff, really." He looks around at our expressions and adds quickly, "I didn't know they were going to use them to break anyone up! I thought it was a joke!"
"Well, it wasn't a joke," my voice is hard. "They used your work to destroy my relationship."
The man looks genuinely remorseful. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"But you're going to help us fix it," Gavin says firmly. It's not a question.
The man nods quickly. "Yeah, fine, whatever you want. I can't have this on my school record, okay? It was just some quick money. I didn't think—" He runs his hands through his already messed up hair. "I'll sign something, show you the files, anything. Just don't report me to the admin, please."
For the first time since Ethan walked away, I feel a flicker of hope. "You can prove the photos are fake? That I never cheated?"
"Definitely," he confirms. "I still have the source files, the originals they gave me to work with. It's obvious when you see them side by side."
The room seems to shift around me as the realization sinks in. We have proof, actual, concrete proof that I was set up. That means we can convince Ethan of the truth, and I can get him back.
"What now?" looking at Drew questioningly. "How do we get Ethan to listen to us?"
Drew's expression is grim but determined. "First, we document everything. James, I want you to work with..." He looks at our unwitting accomplice. "What's your name?"
"Caleb," the man says.
"James, work with Caleb to gather all the evidence. Original photos, edited versions, whatever digital trail exists." He turns to me. "Then we go to Ethan with the proof. He might not want to see you right now, but he deserves to know the truth."
My head moves in agreement while hope and anxiety wage a battle in my chest. Will Ethan even give me the chance to explain? After the things he said, the way he looked at me... he might have already decided to put me firmly in his past.
"He'll listen," Gavin says confidently, as if reading my doubts. "Once he sees the proof."
I want to believe him. I need to believe him. Because the alternative, that I've lost Ethan for good over a vicious lie, is too painful to think about.
"Let's get to work," I say, feeling a fresh burst of determination cutting through the fog that's been hanging over me since yesterday. "I want my boyfriend back."
The room falls silent for a moment. Then James, who's been quietly watching until now, steps forward with his arms crossed.
"Are you sure that's what you want, Tyler?" he asks, his voice serious. "After he broke up with you so brutally? In front of everyone?" His eyes are searching, protective. "He didn't even give you a chance to explain. Don't you think he should have trusted you more?"
The question hangs in the air. Several of my brothers exchange glances, clearly wondering the same thing. Even Gavin, still holding Caleb by the shoulder, looks at me with curiosity.
Taking a deep breath, I think hard about James's question. It hurt how Ethan dumped me in front of everyone, how he just assumed I was guilty, and how his final goodbye felt. Really hurt. But when I try to put myself in his shoes...
"Yes," The word finally comes out steady.
"I wish he could have talked to me and trusted me.
But you saw the photos, they're fucking terrible.
I can't say I wouldn't have fallen for it too if it was done the other way around.
" I look around at my brothers, meeting each of their eyes.
"So yeah, I want Ethan to know the truth.
Whether he takes me back or not, he deserves to know he wasn't played by me. "
Drew nods, clapping me on the shoulder. "That's why you're our VP."
"That," Gavin adds with a grin, "and we needed a positive guy to offset James's whole doom-and-gloom vibe."
The tension breaks, and for the first time since Ethan walked away from me, there's a genuine smile tug at my lips.
"Okay," James says, gesturing to Caleb. "Let's get to work. We've got a relationship to save."
As my brothers spring into action around me, I feel something shift in my chest, grief giving way to hope, despair to determination. Ethan Barrett walked away from me yesterday believing a lie. But I'm not letting him go without a fight.
Not when I love him.
The thought stops me cold. Love. It's not a word I've said out loud about Ethan, not even to myself. But there it is, clear and undeniable in the ache I feel at his absence, in my need to clear his pain away even before my own.
I love him. And I'm going to prove it.