Chapter 2
Chapter 2 The Boy I Was Too Late For
Mia stood frozen until Ethan waved again. “Mia!” His voice carried easily across the courtyard, cutting through the noise around her, students dragging suitcases, others hugging friends they hadn’t seen since May. She forced her feet to move, one step and then another, the strap of her bag digging into her shoulder.
By the time she reached the student center, the person Ethan had been talking to was already walking away. All she caught was the back of a tall guy disappearing into the crowd, a duffel bag slung over one shoulder, gone before she could get a proper look.
“You made it.” Ethan pulled her into a quick hug, which she returned automatically, the familiar smell of his laundry detergent grounding her for half a second. “You look exhausted.”
“I’ve been helping freshmen all morning,” he said, laughing. “Orientation week is chaos.”
“I can see that.”
He stepped back and looked her over, the way he always did, like he was checking she’d arrived in one piece. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” The words came easily — that was the dangerous thing about Ethan. Nothing had ever been awkward between them, not once in eight years, and some small, stubborn part of her had always taken that as a sign.
He picked up one of her bags before she could stop him. “Come on, I’ll help you get checked in.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know. But if I don’t, your mom will blame me.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “She probably would.”
They fell into their old rhythm walking to the dorms — he asked about the drive, she complained about Lily’s music, he laughed and told her she’d survive. For a few minutes everything felt normal, the courtyard noise fading into background static, and she let herself believe, just for those few minutes, that she’d imagined the conversation she’d overheard.
Almost.
“So,” she said carefully, aiming for casual and missing by a mile, “who were you talking to?”
“Hm?”
“When I got here.”
A smile spread across Ethan’s face before he even answered, the kind of smile she’d never once seen him give a stranger. “Ryan.”
There it was again. The name. Mia kept her expression neutral, or hoped she did. “The hockey player?”
“You’ve heard of him already?”
“Just… people talking.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Half this campus talks about hockey.” He adjusted the strap of her backpack on his shoulder, unhurried, like what he was about to say next was nothing at all. “I was actually hoping you’d get here a little earlier. So I could introduce you. Ryan’s my boyfriend.”
The words landed gently, which somehow made them hurt more. Ethan didn’t hesitate, didn’t look nervous, didn’t act like he was confessing a secret he’d been sitting on. He simply smiled, easy and open, like he was handing her good news. “We’ve been together about eight months now.”
Eight months. While she’d been rewriting the same text message over and over, wondering whether today was finally the right day.
“Wow.” It was all she managed.
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. “I probably should’ve told you sooner. I kept thinking I’d say it over the phone, but it felt like something I should say in person.”
“I get it.”
“I’m sorry you just missed him coach called an extra practice. He was actually looking forward to meeting you. I’ve told him a lot about you.”
Her chest tightened. “What kind of things?”
“That you’re stubborn.”
“I am not.”
“You absolutely are. And that you’re the smartest person I know. And that you’ve been my best friend since we were kids.”
*Best friend.* She smiled because she didn’t trust herself to do anything else. “I’m happy for you, Ethan.” The words tasted strange in her mouth. But they were true, and that was somehow worse, he looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
“Thanks. I think you’ll like Ryan.”
Mia hoped so. Because hating him would’ve been easier.
⸻
By the time Ethan left, the sun had started sinking behind the dorm buildings, throwing long shadows across the courtyard. “I’ll see you around?”
“Of course.”
“Call me if you get lost.”
She laughed, the sound thinner than she meant it to be. “I probably will.” He waved and disappeared into the crowd, and Mia stood there until she couldn’t see him anymore, until the space where he’d been standing was just more strangers moving past. Then she carried her bags upstairs.
Lily was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by half-open boxes. “There she is. So?”
Mia closed the door behind her, quieter than she meant to. Lily’s smile faded before Mia said a single word.
“Oh.”
“He has a boyfriend.”
Silence. Lily stood. “When did you find out?”
“About ten minutes ago. He said they’ve been together for eight months.”
Lily crossed the room and wrapped her arms around her. Mia didn’t cry, though she thought she might — she just stood there, chin on Lily’s shoulder, staring at nothing. “I feel ridiculous. I waited all these years—”
“You waited because you hoped.”
“I waited because I assumed.”
Neither of them spoke for a while. Finally, Lily picked a folded flyer off the desk and tossed it onto Mia’s bed. It landed face up: HAWTHORNE UNIVERSITY FRESHMAN WELCOME PARTY, tomorrow night.
Mia barely glanced at it. “I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are.”
“I don’t want to spend an entire night pretending I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to pretend anything. You just have to show up, drink something with a stupid name, and let me distract you for a few hours.” Lily picked the flyer back up and pressed it into her hand. “You are absolutely going to that party.”
“Fine,” Mia muttered. “One hour. That’s it.”
Lily grinned, already victorious. “One hour is all it takes.”
She had no idea how right she was.
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