In a world built on appearances, even the smallest change doesn't go unnoticed.
By lunchtime, everyone knew.
Ethan discovered this when he walked into the campus dining hall and felt the stares. Not the usual dismissive glances—these were different. Curious. Speculative. A few people even whispered to each other as he passed.
He grabbed a tray and moved through the line, selecting the cheapest options as always—a sandwich, an apple, water. The meal plan wasn't covered by his scholarship, so every dollar counted.
He found his usual spot in the corner, far from the main flow of traffic, and sat with his back to the wall.
His phone buzzed.
Lily: How's your day going?
Ethan: Fine. Yours?
Lily: Boring. Mrs. Patterson is going on about the Civil War again. Send help.
Ethan: You'll survive.
Lily: Will I though?
Ethan smiled and set his phone down. He unwrapped his sandwich and had just taken a bite when a shadow fell across his table.
He looked up.
A girl stood there—someone he vaguely recognized from one of his general education classes. Blonde hair, expensive athleisure wear, the kind of confidence that came from never being told no.
"You're Ethan Cross, right?" she said.
Ethan swallowed. "Yeah."
"I'm Jessica." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"
"I guess."
She slid into the seat across from him without waiting for permission. "So. You and Vanessa Monroe. What's that about?"
Ethan's stomach tightened. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on. You were sitting together in Comp Sci this morning. Then you left together. People saw you at Brew Haven." She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Are you two, like, a thing?"
"No."
"Really? Because it looked pretty cozy."
"We were just talking."
"Just talking." Jessica's smile widened. "Right. Because Vanessa Monroe regularly 'just talks' to scholarship students."
Ethan set down his sandwich. "Is there a point to this conversation?"
"I'm just curious. Vanessa doesn't usually branch out from her social circle. And now suddenly she's hanging out with..." She gestured at him. "You. It's interesting."
"We had coffee. That's it."
"Mm-hmm." Jessica stood, picking up her phone. "Well, whatever's going on, you should be careful. Vanessa's world is complicated. People talk. And not everyone's going to be as nice as me."
"That was you being nice?"
She laughed. "Trust me, you don't want to see me being mean."
She walked away, her ponytail swinging behind her.
Ethan stared at his sandwich, his appetite gone.
People talk.
Of course they did. This was Silverbrook. Everyone knew everyone's business, and anything outside the norm became instant gossip.
He'd been invisible for months. Safe in his anonymity.
Now, because of one coffee, that invisibility was cracking.
Meanwhile, across campus, Vanessa was dealing with her own interrogation.
She'd made the mistake of sitting in the student center to work on an assignment, and within ten minutes, Madison had found her.
"There you are!" Madison dropped into the seat across from her, Sophie trailing behind. "We've been looking everywhere for you."
"I'm right here," Vanessa said without looking up from her laptop.
"You've been avoiding the group chat."
"I've been busy."
"Too busy to respond to texts? Come on, V." Madison leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing's going on."
"Really? Because you walked out on us last night, you've been MIA all morning, and now I'm hearing you had coffee with that waiter from the restaurant."
Vanessa's fingers stilled on the keyboard. "His name is Ethan."
"Whatever. The point is, what are you doing?"
"Having coffee. Is that illegal now?"
"Don't be obtuse." Madison's tone sharpened. "You know what I'm asking."
Vanessa closed her laptop and looked at her directly. "I'm asking what gives you the right to question who I spend my time with."
Madison blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
Sophie shifted uncomfortably. "V, Madison's just worried about you—"
"No, she's not. She's worried about what people will think." Vanessa stood, gathering her things. "And honestly? I don't care anymore."
"Vanessa—"
"I'm done with this conversation."
She walked away before Madison could respond.
Behind her, she heard Sophie say quietly, "What just happened?"
And Madison's reply, sharp and cold: "I have no idea. But she's going to regret this."
Ethan's afternoon classes passed in a haze.
He couldn't focus. Every time someone looked at him, he wondered if they were judging him, gossiping about him, making assumptions about something that wasn't even real.
We just had coffee. That's all.
But apparently, in Vanessa Monroe's world, coffee wasn't just coffee.
By the time his last class ended at 3:00 PM, Ethan was exhausted. He had three hours before his shift started—enough time to go to the library, get some work done, maybe catch up on reading.
Instead, he found himself walking toward the quad, needing air and space to think.
The quad was busy—students sprawled on the grass, throwing frisbees, studying in groups, soaking up the autumn sunshine. Ethan found an empty spot under a tree and sat with his back against the trunk.
He pulled out his phone and opened his banking app.
Current Balance: $512.19
Last night's shift plus the paycheck from two weeks ago. Rent was due in twelve days. His mother's medication refill was coming up. Lily needed money for a school trip.
The math was tight. It was always tight.
Ethan closed the app and rubbed his eyes.
"Hey."
He looked up.
Vanessa stood a few feet away, backpack over one shoulder, looking uncertain.
"Can I sit?" she asked.
Ethan glanced around. There were at least a dozen other spots on the quad, most of them more visible, more public.
"Yeah," he said.
She sat beside him, not too close but not distant either. For a moment, they just sat there, watching the other students.
"I heard about Jessica," Vanessa said finally.
"Word travels fast."
"It always does here." She pulled her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "I'm sorry. I should've warned you."
"Warned me about what?"
"About this. About what happens when you're associated with me." She looked at him. "People are going to talk. They're going to make assumptions. Some of them are going to be cruel."
"I can handle it."
"Can you?" There was genuine concern in her voice. "Because it's only going to get worse. Madison's already mad at me. Marcus will hear about it. They'll make your life hell, Ethan."
"They already do."
"Not like this. This will be different." She paused. "If you want to back away—if you want to pretend we don't know each other—I'll understand."
Ethan studied her. She looked smaller somehow, vulnerable in a way that didn't match the confident girl everyone saw on campus.
"Is that what you want?" he asked.
"No," she admitted. "But I don't want to make things harder for you either."
"Vanessa." He waited until she looked at him. "I don't care what people think."
"You say that now—"
"I mean it." His voice was firm. "I've spent my entire time at this university being invisible. Being looked down on. One coffee with you isn't going to change that. If anything, it's just... making it more obvious."
"That's not fair to you."
"Maybe not. But it's my choice." He leaned his head back against the tree. "Besides, you were right yesterday. I don't really know you. And you don't really know me. Maybe it's time we actually tried."
Vanessa was quiet for a long moment.
Then she smiled—small and genuine. "Okay."
"Okay."
They sat there for another twenty minutes, talking about nothing important. Classes. Professors. The weird sculpture someone had installed in front of the library that looked like a giant paperclip.
It was easy. Comfortable.
And when Ethan finally checked his phone and realized he needed to leave for work, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Like maybe he'd made a friend.
The shift at Harlow's was mercifully uneventful.
No university students. No Marcus Chen. No uncomfortable encounters.
Just regular customers, reasonable tips, and the steady rhythm of work.
Danny caught him during his break. "You doing okay, kid? You've seemed distracted."
"I'm fine."
"You sure? Because if something's going on—"
"Really, Danny. I'm good."
Danny studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But if you need anything, you let me know."
"I will. Thanks."
By the time Ethan's shift ended at midnight, his feet ached and his back was sore, but his mind felt clearer than it had all day.
He caught the late bus home, watching the city lights blur past the window.
His phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number.
Unknown: Hey. It's Vanessa. Got your number from the class roster. Hope that's not weird.
Unknown: Just wanted to say thanks for today. For not running away screaming.
Unknown: See you tomorrow?
Ethan stared at the messages for a long moment.
Then he saved her number and typed back.
Ethan: Not weird. And yeah, see you tomorrow.
He pocketed his phone and leaned his head against the window.
Tomorrow.
Yeah.
He could do tomorrow.