Sometimes the worst decisions are made in the name of proving something—to others, and to yourself.
Ethan stopped a few feet away from her, unsure of what to say.
Vanessa's shoulders shook with silent sobs, her face turned toward the wall. The alley was dim, lit only by a single bulb above the back entrance, and the distant sounds of the city felt impossibly far away.
"Vanessa," he said quietly.
She jumped, spinning around. Her eyes were red, mascara smudged beneath them. She wiped at her face quickly, trying to compose herself.
"Ethan. I—" Her voice cracked. "You shouldn't be out here. You're working."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You're not fine."
She laughed—a broken, bitter sound. "No. I'm not." She slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest. "I'm really, really not fine."
Ethan glanced back at the restaurant door, then made a decision. He sat down beside her, his back against the cold brick.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
"I shouldn't have come tonight," Vanessa said finally. "I knew it was a bad idea. But Sophie kept texting, and Madison called, and I just—" She exhaled shakily. "I thought maybe if I showed up, things could go back to normal. That we could all just move past the weirdness."
"But they couldn't."
"No." She wiped her eyes again. "They hate me now. Or at least Marcus does. And Madison will side with him because she always does. And everyone else will follow because that's what people do."
"Then they weren't really your friends."
"I know that. Logically, I know that. But it still hurts." She looked at him, her expression raw. "I've known these people since freshman year. We've been to each other's family events. Spent holidays together. And it all just... ended. Because I wouldn't fall in line."
"You stood up for yourself. That takes courage."
"It doesn't feel like courage. It feels like I just blew up my entire life."
Ethan didn't know what to say to that. He understood the feeling—the isolation, the sense of being adrift. But his isolation had been forced on him. Vanessa's was by choice.
Maybe that made it harder.
"You should go back inside," Vanessa said, noticing him looking toward the door. "You're going to get in trouble."
"I have a few minutes."
"Ethan—"
"I'm not leaving you alone out here."
She looked at him for a long moment, something shifting in her expression. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
"Because you were nice to me first. Remember?"
"That was different."
"How?"
"Because you deserved it. You didn't do anything wrong. You were just... existing. And they treated you like garbage for it." She shook her head. "But me? I'm the one who chose to be friends with them. I enabled their behavior for years. I'm not innocent in this."
"You're not guilty either."
"You don't know that."
"I know enough." He turned slightly to face her. "You're not like them, Vanessa. You proved that when you walked away."
"What if I made the wrong choice?"
"Did you?"
She was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head. "No. I don't think I did."
"Then that's your answer."
Vanessa smiled slightly—sad and small, but real. "You're a good person, Ethan Cross."
"I'm really not."
"You are. You just don't see it."
Before Ethan could respond, the back door burst open.
Danny stood there, looking annoyed. "Cross, I need you back on the floor. Now. We're slammed."
"Sorry. I'm coming." Ethan stood, brushing off his pants.
Vanessa stood too. "I should go anyway."
"Are you going to be okay?" Ethan asked.
"Eventually." She pulled out her phone. "I'll call a car."
"Text me when you get home?"
She looked surprised. "You want me to?"
"Yeah. Just... so I know you're safe."
Something flickered in her expression—gratitude, maybe, or something softer. "Okay. I will."
Ethan hesitated, then squeezed her shoulder briefly before heading back inside.
Behind him, Vanessa stood in the alley, watching him go.
The rest of the shift was chaos.
Marcus's group stayed for another hour, getting progressively louder and drunker. At one point, Blake knocked over a glass, shattering it on the floor. Marcus tried to order more shots, but Maria cut them off.
"You've had enough," she said firmly.
"Who are you to tell us—"
"I'm the person who decides whether you get served or not. And you're done."
Marcus looked ready to argue, but Madison pulled him back. "Come on. Let's just go upstairs."
The group stumbled back toward the stairs, leaving behind a mess of plates, spilled drinks, and broken glass.
Maria looked exhausted. "I am never serving university kids again."
Ethan helped her clean up, his mind only half on the task.
Around 10:30, his phone buzzed.
Vanessa: Home safe. Thank you for checking on me.
Ethan: Glad you made it. Get some rest.
Vanessa: You too. After your shift, I mean.
Vanessa: And Ethan?
Ethan: Yeah?
Vanessa: Thank you. For everything.
Ethan pocketed his phone, something warm settling in his chest.
But upstairs, things were taking a darker turn.
Marcus paced back and forth in the private room, his face flushed with alcohol and anger.
"I can't believe she just left," he said for the third time. "After everything we've done for her—"
"You need to let it go," Madison said from the couch, where she was scrolling through her phone.
"Let it go? She embarrassed me. In front of everyone."
"You embarrassed yourself," Sophie said quietly.
Marcus whirled on her. "What did you say?"
"I said you embarrassed yourself. You pushed her, Marcus. You kept pushing, and she finally had enough."
"Whose side are you on?"
"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm just telling you the truth."
Marcus grabbed another beer from the cooler, cracking it open aggressively. "This is all because of that guy. That server. Cross."
Blake looked up. "What about him?"
"She's been spending all her time with him. That's why she's acting like this. He's turning her against us."
"Or maybe she just realized we're assholes," Sophie muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Marcus took a long drink, his eyes dark. "You know what? If she wants to slum it with scholarship trash, fine. But she's going to regret it."
Madison finally looked up. "What are you planning?"
"Nothing. Yet." Marcus smiled—cold and calculated. "But if she wants to defend him so badly, maybe we should give her something to really defend."
Sophie stood abruptly. "Marcus, don't—"
"Relax. I'm just talking."
But the look in his eyes said otherwise.
By the time Ethan's shift ended at midnight, he was physically and emotionally drained.
The restaurant had finally quieted down. The university group had left around eleven, taking their chaos with them. Danny had even commented that it was one of the messier nights they'd had in a while.
Ethan changed out of his work clothes, clocked out, and headed for the bus stop.
The night air was cool, almost cold, and the streets were mostly empty. A few cars passed, their headlights cutting through the darkness. Somewhere in the distance, sirens wailed.
Ethan pulled out his phone and checked his messages.
Lily had sent him a picture of their mother smiling, with the caption: *Good day today!
It made him smile.
Further down, Vanessa's messages were still there. He reread them, something tightening in his chest.
Thank you. For everything.
He didn't know what they were to each other—friends, maybe, though it felt more complicated than that. But he knew one thing: he didn't regret being there for her tonight.
Even if it made his life more difficult.
Even if people talked.
She'd needed someone, and he'd been there.
That was enough.
The bus pulled up, and Ethan climbed on, finding a seat near the back. As the city rolled past the windows, he leaned his head against the glass and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow was Sunday. No classes. No work until the evening shift.
Maybe he'd actually get to sleep in for once.
But across town, in her pristine bedroom, Vanessa couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the night over and over.
Marcus's words. The looks on everyone's faces. The way Sophie had tried to defend her but ultimately stayed silent.
And Ethan.
Sitting beside her in that alley. Not judging. Not asking for explanations.
Just... being there.
She picked up her phone and opened their conversation.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long moment.
Then she typed.
Vanessa: Are you awake?
Three minutes passed. Then her phone buzzed.
Ethan: Yeah. Can't sleep. You?
Vanessa: Same.
Vanessa: Tonight was a mess.
Ethan: Yeah. It was.
Vanessa: I'm sorry you had to see all that.
Ethan: Don't apologize. Not for them.
Vanessa: I'm not apologizing for them. I'm apologizing for dragging you into my drama.
Ethan: You didn't drag me into anything. I was already there, remember?
Vanessa: Still.
Ethan: Vanessa.
Ethan: Stop apologizing.
She smiled slightly at her phone.
Vanessa: Okay.
Vanessa: Goodnight, Ethan.
Ethan: Goodnight, Vanessa.
She set her phone down and closed her eyes.
For the first time all night, she felt like maybe—just maybe—she hadn't made a mistake.