Lena had expected Ethan to explode again later that morning. Instead, he did something much worse.
He ignored her.
As they rode to school, the silence was thick. Ethan didn't look at her, didn't acknowledge her, didn't even react when she muttered a cautious, "E, are we gonna talk about this?"
Nothing. Just the quiet hum of the car engine and his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
Jaxon, seated in the back, leaned forward. "Wow, the silent treatment? Harsh."
Ethan's jaw tightened, but still, he said nothing.
Lena turned in her seat to glare at Jaxon. "Not. Helping."
He held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm just saying, at least yell at us. This feels kinda depressing."
Ethan pulled into the school parking lot and got out without a word.
Lena sighed, rubbing her temples. "This is bad."
Jaxon nudged her shoulder. "Relax, he'll come around."
Lena wasn't so sure.
And school didn't make things any easier.
The second they walked in, she could feel itâeyes on them. People were staring, whispering, watching the way Jaxon hovered near her, the way Ethan purposefully kept his distance.
It didn't help that Madison, the head cheerleader and Jaxon's so-called "date," approached with a knowing smirk. "Wow, you two are suddenly looking very close. Should I be concerned, Carter?"
Lena forced a tight smile. "Nope. Not at all."
Madison glanced between them, clearly unconvinced, but before she could press further, Jaxon threw an arm over Lena's shoulders. "Why, Mads? Jealous?"
Madison scoffed. "Please. You're not that special, Walker."
Jaxon grinned. "That's not what you said last week."
Madison rolled her eyes and walked away, but Lena could still feel her watching them.
She sighed, shoving Jaxon's arm off her. "Are you trying to make it worse?"
Jaxon smirked. "A little."
Lena groaned, resisting the urge to smack him.
But she had bigger problemsâbecause across the hall, Ethan was watching them.
And he did not look happy.
Lena did her best to get through the day, but the weight of Ethan's silence followed her like a shadow.
At lunch, she hesitated before sitting at their usual table. Ethan was already there, focused on his food like she wasn't even there.
Lena slid into the seat next to him. "Ethan...?"
No response. Not even a glance.
Jaxon plopped down across from them, unbothered as ever, taking a loud bite of his sandwich. "So, E, you planning on giving us the silent treatment forever, or is there a scheduled expiration date?"
Ethan's jaw flexed, but still, he said nothing.
Lena sighed, gripping the edge of the table. "Ethan, come on. You're really not gonna talk to me?"
Ethan finally looked at her, but his eyes were cold, guarded. "Talk to you? Why? So you can keep lying to me? Pretend like nothing happened? Because clearly, you don't care about me."
Lena flinched. The sharpness in his voice cut deeper than she expected. She had hurt him.
Jaxon tensed slightly, butâfor onceâhe didn't intervene.
This was Lena's fight to handle.
She swallowed hard. "E, Iâ"
But Ethan wasn't finished. He pushed back his chair abruptly, grabbing his tray. "Forget it. I'm not hungry."
And just like that, he walked away.
Lena watched him go, a pit forming in her stomach.