Chapter Thirty-One

Lena was ripped from sleep by a loud bang on the door.

"Jaxon! Get up, man, we're gonna be late!" Ethan's voice called from the hallway.

She sat upright so fast that she lost her balance, and with a thud, she landed on the floor in a tangled mess of blankets.

Jaxon groaned, rubbing his face. "Carter, what the—?"

The door handle rattled.

"Why was that so loud? What's going on in there?" Ethan asked suspiciously.

Lena's eyes widened in terror. Oh no.

Before she could untangle herself from the mess of sheets, the door swung open, and there stood Ethan.

For a second, he just stared.

Jaxon was sitting up in bed, shirt slightly rumpled. Lena was sprawled out on the floor like a crime scene victim, wide-eyed and frozen in sheer panic.

Ethan's expression morphed from confusion to realization.

And then—

"Are you freaking kidding me?!"

Lena scrambled to untangle herself from the blanket, her heart racing as she searched for an explanation—any explanation—that didn't make this look as bad as it actually was.

Jaxon, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed. He stretched lazily, rubbing his eyes. "Morning, E."

"Morning?!" Ethan's voice cracked. "You—her—why—?" He gestured wildly between them, his brain clearly short-circuiting. "Lena, what the hell are you doing in his room?!"

Lena opened her mouth, then closed it. Oh, she was so dead.

"Sleeping?" Jaxon supplied unhelpfully.

Lena whipped around to glare at him. "Not helping!"

Ethan's face twisted, a mix of shock and betrayal flashing across it. His fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening as if he was physically trying to hold back from losing it. "Are you kidding me? Jaxon?!"

Jaxon sighed, standing up and stretching his arms. "Relax, dude. Nothing happened."

Ethan's glare sharpened. "Oh, and I'm just supposed to believe that?!"

Lena groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "Ethan, I—look, it's not what it looks like."

Ethan crossed his arms. "Really? Because it looks like my best friend just spent the night in my brother's room!"

Jaxon smirked. "Technically, she fell asleep in my arms."

Lena groaned again. "You're not helping!"

Ethan ran a shaky hand through his hair, his chest rising and falling in rapid breaths, his eyes darting between them like he was trying to make sense of the ultimate betrayal. He let out a sharp exhale, taking a half-step back as if the distance might help him process what he was seeing. "I made one rule! One rule! And you two—unbelievable. I can't even look at you right now."

Jaxon rolled his eyes. "Dramatic much?"

Ethan let out an exasperated noise. "I need coffee. And possibly therapy. Definitely therapy."

He turned and stormed down the hall, muttering about betrayal and caffeine.

The second he was out of earshot, Lena flopped back onto the floor with a groan. "That went so well."

Jaxon snorted, leaning over and offering her a hand. "Could've been worse."

Lena gave him a look. "How, exactly?"

Jaxon smirked. "I mean, at least we weren't making out when he walked in."

Lena threw a pillow at his face.

Jaxon just grinned, catching it with ease. "Come on, Carter. Time for round two of 'How do we survive Ethan's wrath?'"

Lena sighed, letting him pull her to her feet. Because somehow, she had a feeling this was only the beginning of the chaos.