Forward, Without Him Chapter 08

Forward, Without Him Chapter 08

My summer had been genuinely great.
MIT enrollment went smoothly.
I even flew to Hawaii with some friends for a week.
Move-in day, my parents helped me carry everything up to my room.
I’d barely set foot on campus when my phone rang.
Unknown number. New York area code.
I answered.
“Hello? Who’s this?”
Three seconds of silence. Then Ethan’s voice, pulled a little tight.
“Taylor, it’s me.”
“It’s move-in day. I said I’d come get you.”
“Where are you? Did you make it to campus?”
Listening to him still trying to cover his tracks, I smiled without any warmth.
“I made it.”
“But I don’t need a ride.”
He was starting to say something else when a volunteer in an MIT Physics hoodie came through with a megaphone.
“Welcome to MIT Physics! All incoming students, check in over here!!”
The tone on the other end changed completely.
“MIT?? Taylor, where are you–”
I hung up.
The call ended.
MIT.
Ethan sat on the edge of the bed holding the receiver. His mind was blank.
Lexi crept closer.
“What — what happened? What did she say?”
He seemed to come back to himself. No time for her.
He pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, grabbed his keys, and drove to Columbia.
He got to campus and practically ran into the admissions welcome center.
Found an excuse to look at the new student roster.
Nothing.
No Taylor Sullivan. Not anywhere on the list.
Lexi came jogging up behind him, out of breath.
“Ethan, what is going on?”
He turned around slowly. The look on his face was not good.
“She didn’t come to Columbia. She went to MIT.”
“What?”
Something flashed in Lexi’s eyes. She tried to keep her voice measured.
“How could she just do that? If it were me, even if I got into MIT, I’d stay in New York for you.”
“But since she’s not coming… does that mean we can finally make this official–”
She reached for his arm.
He pulled away hard and walked.
“Where are you going?” Lexi’s voice went sharp.
“MIT.”
“Ethan–”
She grabbed for him again.
He stepped out of reach.
“Lexi. We’re done.”
“You better pray she doesn’t know about us.”
“Because if she does, I will not let that go.”