Destroying Ethan's Future

Synopsis

I clutched my phone so tightly my knuckles turned white, weaving through the crowded cafeteria with my heart hammering against my ribs. The SAT scores had just been released online, and while I'd seen my perfect 1600 flash across my screen, I couldn't bring myself to feel anything about it. Not until I knew how Ethan had done. He sat at his usual table, golden hair catching the light, laughing at something Madison had whispered in his ear. His arm was draped casually around her shoulders, fingers playing with the ends of her glossy blonde hair. The sight still sent a pang through my chest, even after all these years of watching them together. "Ethan," I said, my voice coming out softer than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Ethan, what did you get?" He glanced up, those blue eyes barely registering my presence before sliding away dismissively. "It's fine, Parker. Mind your own business." Madison smirked, leaning into him. "Not everyone wants to broadcast their scores like it's some kind of competition, Chloe." I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose, a nervous habit I couldn't seem to break. "I just thought—I mean, UCLA has that minimum threshold and—" "I said it's fine," Ethan snapped, cutting me off. "Don't you have some calculus to solve or something?" Jake Miller, sitting across from them, snickered. "Yeah, Parker. Don't you have a life to get?" I backed away, mumbling an apology, feeling the familiar burn of humiliation creep up my neck. But beneath the embarrassment, worry gnawed at me. Ethan never avoided talking about his accomplishments. Something was wrong. * * * The library was quiet that afternoon, sunlight filtering through tall windows and casting long shadows across