Chapter 33

5' 8"-5' 9"

Idiot-idiot-idiot!

You're such an idiot, Noah!

The reunion with friends was completely ruined by that stranger girl. After the kiss she pushed shocked Noah away so hard he hit himself against the wall pretty bad. The girl vanished even before Noah managed to recollect himself. Morgan understood what she had done it for. It wasn't an act of gratitude; neither was it the act of showing affection. Someone was creating another type of content for the anonymous chat that could stir people's blood. That someone wasn't afraid of doing it the dirty way. Why now, though? For the past two years, everything they had been doing was using some offensive phrases and blurred photos. Or even Photoshop. However, these staged photos were another level of humiliation, since now Noah wasn't only made to watch the rumors spread; he was now forced to take part in them. It was a nightmare that came to life. First it was a kiss; what would happen next? Was it just a matter of time until Morgan ended up locked in a room with a camera and a couple of drunk guys, who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer? Even the slightest thought about something like that made Morgan feel sick, so he needed a minute to keep it down and catch his breath again. The sense of terror, which he had forgotten about recently, was rising again from his subconsciousness, reminding Noah of other situations where he was almost on the point of no return. People had hooked him at the parties before. And those knaves of hearts (clients) of Noah's weren't gentlemen at all. 

Idiot-idiot-idiot!

I hate myself.

Noah wiped his mouth nervously, recollecting himself. After someone had touched his lips, he wanted to burst into tears like a baby for some reason, though what was so special about it? Should someone get that upset because of a stupid kiss? Even though it was from a total stranger, who, by the way, did it in their own favor? Noah just couldn't find words to explain his feelings at that moment. He felt really bad. He was disgusted. It hurt so much he wanted to cry. He thought nothing could ruin his mood, and yet something did. 

"I'm such a fool," he continued bewailing, heading towards the cafeteria. Why the hell did he come up to that girl and give her a hand? How did the person, who had set this up, know that Noah would definitely step in? An unpleasant answer was already on the tip of his tongue. It was that answer, which Ethan didn't feel shy to say out loud. The guilty had to be someone who knew Morgan well. Damn well. They didn't need to be friends, but, at least, they had to be good acquaintances. It was only at university where everybody was trying to keep away from Noah, like he had a plague or something. In school, however, he was known as a nice, talkative guy who could meet new people easily. An old buddy? Or a big blast from the past? Who were they, though, and why did they do it? Noah had never done any harm to anyone, so he still couldn't get why it was happening to him?!

Morgan shook his head as if he was shaking away the thoughts that had already made him dive into them. As soon as you would go down these thoughts, it was more and more difficult to get back up. Noah couldn't let himself feel miserable, at least because now he had Ethan—his true support. He was his anchor that could hold Morgan in the same place even through the hardest storms. However, it also made Noah vulnerable. He didn't get used to having others treat him normally, except his close friends, so whenever their relationship with Thomson began, he thought that the problem was gone and everything was finally nice. Noah finally felt that he was treated equally, understood who he was, and no one was trying to accuse him of anything. Noah felt way too safe when Thomson was around. This sense of fake safety played a nasty joke on Morgan. He used to always be on guard and examine the situation carefully before getting into it. Today, though, he made a mistake. Again. As if that story with a paper cup didn't teach him anything. His 'Devil's Eye' failed him again, since Noah thought there was no need for that sort of defense any longer because he had Ethan. What a dumb thought. Thomson couldn't be the only person to rely on. Putting this type of responsibility on him was simply unfair. Enough. Noah wouldn't let something like that happen again. It was his problem, and he had to be the one to solve it. 

Morgan entered the cafeteria and spotted his friends immediately. Andrea looked as blossoming as she usually did. Like nothing had happened and there were no tangled hair, dirty pajamas, or the haunted eyes full of tears. Though now Noah knew what was hiding behind that white, sparkling smile. Scott was sitting next to her, nodding and smiling in response to Andrea's chirping, without moving his eyes away from her. Did they finally manage to talk their relationship through? 

"Noah!" Andrea called Morgan happily as soon as she spotted him from a distance. Noah forced a smile and headed towards the table. All the eyes that Morgan hadn't noticed for some time already, suddenly felt like sharp spikes again. That photo hasn't even been posted yet. It was important to tell Ethan about everything as soon as he came. 

"I've never thought I'd miss this place!" Andrea rattled immediately. "I clearly needed all that! That college rush!" 

Scott frowned at her words. He wasn't inspired by the college rush, considering the fact that he had to catch up with all the classes he had missed as soon as possible. Andrea's situation was way worse, but she didn't hang her head down, unlike Scott.

"I'm glad to see you," Noah said, trying to distract himself from his worries. And that stupid kiss, still burning his lips. 

"Me, too!" the friend flung her hands up and then lovingly touched a paper cup with a horrible drink that someone proudly called coffee. 

"How…" Noah stopped short and thought for a second about what the best way to ask a question so that it wouldn't sound offensive was. "How are…things?" 

"Much better!" Andrea said without missing a beat. "Can you believe it, my mom used to suffer from the same problem and she had also consulted a specialist! She understood me so well! I was surprised!" the girl ran her hand through her hair and messed up the curls a little. "I've already gone there once," she said in a quieter voice, smiling shyly. "I…I do appreciate the fact that you came to my house and rescued me… out of it," now her smile seemed apologetic.

"That's what friends are for," Noah said reassuringly. 

"Right…" Andrea nodded. "Though, we weren't as good to you as you were to us," she suddenly said. 

"That's not true," Noah shook his head, confused. Why would Andrea suddenly say something like this? 

"I mean it," the girlfriend insisted. "I've had some time to think while I was…at home. Besides, Scott told me about what you guys have been up to while I was gone. And then I asked myself: Why didn't we try to find your bully ourselves? We had two freaking years! TWO! And we didn't even bother to try! Why?!"

"Because it seemed impossible?" Noah supposed carefully. 

"It doesn't matter what it seemed like! Thomson just entered your life and spun it up immediately. He wasn't afraid to become a part of those rumors. He wasn't afraid to defend you. And I also understood that all this time I've been extremely worried that this aggression might've affected me as well. I was horrified! Despite that I've never thought about ending our relationship because… You're my friend. And I love you. Like a friend," she emphasized. "This whole time I've been trying to save our friendship while trying to stay away from that shit surrounding you. I trapped myself with my own hands because I was a chicken." 

"That's not true, Andrea. There's nothing bad about living peacefully and knowing that people like you," Noah assured her. 

"You can't sit on both chairs. Not making a choice is also a choice," she said, frowning. "I behaved like a bitch. Though, now I want to say that NOAH MORGAN IS MY BEST FRIEND! AND I LOVE HIM DEARLY!" Andrea suddenly screamed so loud that the whole cafeteria heard it, and Noah jumped on his chair together with Scott. 

"One of the best," Noah added quickly, glancing at Scott. 

"Scott and I are not friends," Andrea pronounced clearly. And Scott, instead of getting angry, which he usually did whenever he would hear other provocative phrases of his friend, suddenly turned red and switched his attention to the cup of nasty coffee in his hand. Noah laughed, feeling truly happy for his friends, though happiness didn't last long. His phone vibrated. Morgan was waiting for it, but he didn't expect it to happen so fast. The message hurt his eyes. The picture made his hands shake. Noah didn't even have the opportunity to tell everything to Ethan! 

"Perfect timing to yell that you love him dearly," Scott darkened while Noah was trying to type a message to Ethan with his shaking fingers. 

Noah Morgan: "It's not true! I didn't kiss her! She kissed me! Unexpectedly! I know what it looks like... But I'm telling the truth!"

Noah swallowed a lump in his throat after sending the message and noticing that Ethan was already typing a reply. 

For a second, pictures of his life falling completely apart flashed all at once in front of Morgan's eyes.

Ethan Thomson: "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

Noah's heart skipped a beat. No. No! NO!!! Believe me, Ethan! 

Ethan Thomson: "Of course, it's not true." 

Noah stared at a message, thinking that he misunderstood something. 

Ethan Thomson: "I'm not an idiot to believe a word that was posted in this shitty chat." 

Noah felt a lump in his throat again; tears were burning his eyes. 

"Oh my God, Noah, please, don't get so upset! We'll find the bastard!" Andrea said fightingly. 

"I'm... I'm not upset at all," Morgan smiled, wiping the tears away quickly. 

Ethan Thomson: "Are you okay?"

Noah Morgan: "Yeah." 

Now he was okay.

Ethan Thomson: "See you in the cafeteria." 

Noah put the phone in front of him, still looking at the chat with Ethan. He wanted Thomson to answer that exact same way, but he couldn't believe that he would indeed react to the message from the anonymous chat so adequately. This move affected his emotions way more than another nasty joke from him. 

"Hey, Morgan, a regular dick isn't enough for you anymore?" the voice coming from the basketball team said. Then there was a horselaugh after that phrase. "Did you decide to switch to dildos now? And how about Thomson? Well, I suppose the dwarf like him wouldn't have a normal dick, instead…" Noah had no idea who exactly was trying to talk to him exactly, because he was still on his phone. He turned around only when the phrase ended unexpectedly. He turned around, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Hughes was standing above one of the basketball team members with his fists clenched. The guy was holding his bloody nose and mumbling curses. Everyone became silent. 

"Shut your mouth," Hughes said, then grabbed his tray and headed towards the table where Noah, Andrea, and Scott were sitting. The whole trio was looking at him with their mouths wide open. Rufus smashed his tray on the edge of the table and flopped down on the chair. He looked darker than a cloud.

"What's up with you?" Scott was the first one to break the silence. 

"Nothing," Hughes grunted, picking at the food on his plate with no appetite. Noah knew well that Rufus was extremely cautious about his reputation, so this statement was an unusual gesture for him. 

"Thomson's not here. You won't get any extra credit," Scott mentioned acidly. Why did Noah even think that he could become nicer if his feelings for Andrea were mutual? How could Morgan even possibly think about it?!

Before answering, Hughes was silent for a moment.

"I feel like shit," Rufus confessed, throwing his fork aside. "I…I actually believed in everything!" he pointed at his phone. "I didn't believe that you were the one sending those messages, but I thought that someone had probably busted you before! There's no smoke without fire, right?" Rufus made a helpless gesture and stared at the guys like he waited for at least some support from them. Instead, Scott was the one to do the last shot:

"Did you really think Noah was a prostitute? Oh my God, he's still a virgin!" 

"Scott!" Noah hissed indignantly. Rufus choked on air, then glanced at Morgan in astonishment, made sure that Scott was saying the truth, and then exhaled 'fuck!' soundly. 

"But I saw the photo where you were making out with some senior student last year," Rufus tried to catch at a straw. 

"Oh, you mean that party…" Noah frowned. It wasn't one of the most pleasant memories. "That guy had too much alcohol and tried to hit on me. When I asked him to back off, he said that I was too picky for a whore and tried to start a fight. I was lucky I ran away." 

"Do a little sketch of that bastard. I'll find him," he heard someone roar right near Noah's ear. Rufus touched his chest to check if his heart was fine, and Morgan just smiled: 

"Ethan!" 

Today Thomson was one clot of anger, ready to attack anyone. Anyone, but Noah, of course. He pulled away the chair noisily and sat down between Morgan and Hughes. 

"Why would you want to find him?" Noah continued with laughter, while everyone else looked frozen, and it seemed like they were trying not to breathe. God help if they were to disturb that nest of wasps. 

"I'm in a mood to kill," Ethan said in a sepulchral voice. It sounded persuasive. 

Noah laughed again. But no one else wanted to share his joy. 

"Will you wait for me?" Ethan asked in a businesslike manner. 

"From where?" Noah couldn't understand right away. 

"From jail." 

"I will." 

"Hey, guys, how about you don't kill anybody?" Andrea suggested in a perfectly calm voice. 

"You're right. We can injure them instead. We can find the bastard from the past later. Now I'm far more interested in that bitch from the photograph. Can you recognize her face?" Ethan asked with an unreadable face (or, to be fair, with the unreadable part of the face that hadn't been hidden by the mask). "The hair is covering her ugly mug in the picture," he explained. 

"How do you know she's ugly?" Noah was still smiling, feeling indescribably happy because Ethan was right next to him.

"She's either ugly or I'll make her ugly," Ethan said coldly, looking at Noah straight in the eye, waiting for his reaction to his words. He seemed to be ready to answer anything Noah could say. But he said nothing.

"Just draw it mild," Morgan mumbled, trying to calm the storm of versatile emotions. He was torn between the idea that it was forbidden to hit a girl, which had been with him since he was a child, and a pure rage because of what that girl had done to him. His answer became a sort of internal compromise. Thomson didn't even want to hide the surprise, which he emphasized by raising his eyebrows. 

"Do you really want to beat the girl?" Hughes couldn't believe his ears, expressing Noah's confusion out loud. 

Yes, I do. Is there a problem, Hughes?" Ethan slowly turned towards Rufus. "Oh, please, don't start whining that I'm a guy, so I'm stronger. I'm a fucking dwarf who weighs only 121 pounds. The majority of girls are taller and stronger than me. I'm out of their weight category. I'm just generally out of their league. And since I don't have a head start, I can do what I need to do." 

"But muscles…" Rufus decided not to continue the conversation under Thomson's look. Ethan was definitely not in the right emotional condition to react normally to anything, even though his words could be argued easily. The perfect example was the fight at Hughes' party. Three basketball players, around six feet each, could barely deal with Ethan. So Thomson was using his height and weight only as a cover. 

"That bitch needed to think about what she thought she was doing! Fuck, it was supposed to be me! Me, God damn it! I haven't kissed my own boyfriend yet! And here some rabble dared to kiss him?! My boyfriend?! MY?! I'm going to choke her with my bare hands!!!" Thomson was getting angrier and angrier. "So what did that bitch look like?" Ethan looked at Morgan again and made himself look calm immediately. He didn't want to yell at him, like he did at Hughes. 

"I was so lost that everything mixed up in my head," Noah mumbled with a guilty look. "I don't know how something like that could happen to me." 

"I guess, the same way it had happened before?" Scott gave him a hint. 

"There were no staged situations before," Noah objected, while Andrea, Scott, and Rufus opened the picture on their phones and tried to examine every single detail for some leads. 

"Yeah, as well as there used to be no jealous girls before," Scott added. 

"What is he talking about?" the clot of anger looked at Noah with two dark-gray, bottomless pits. 

"Well…" Morgan got confused, 'thanking' Scott for his long tongue. Of course, he definitely wanted to tell Ethan about it. Though, he wanted to do it later. And on his own! 

"Well?" the clot of anger was drumming his fingers against the table patiently. The two bottomless pits were soon to send Noah to the bottom. 

"Hey, Morgan! Are you into girls now because you don't have money for condoms?" said one of the boys holding a tray, who was passing their table a couple of feet away. Ethan's reaction developed instantly. The guy didn't even finish the last word when Scott's empty tray was already flying towards him. Thomson threw it directly into the poor guy's neck. He didn't expect it at all, so he dropped all the food he bought, grabbed his neck, choked on air, and started coughing. 

"Are you fucking nuts?!" the careless victim spoke hoarsely and pathetically. Instead of saying something in response, Ethan stood up on the table and observed everything around him with those dark eyes of his. 

"Does anybody else want to share their fucking opinion about my boyfriend?" he didn't sound loud, but Noah could swear every person in the cafeteria heard him well. "If you like eating shit that has been flowing from that chat, bon appétit. Just don't share your preferences with every single one of you, because you're just demonstrating your own ignorance and narrow-mindedness. Don't embarrass yourselves," Ethan jumped off the table and sat down on his chair again. The guy, who had said a nasty comment to Noah, swore something, picked up all the food he dropped, and went away. The whisper started spreading. 

"Boyfriend? Did he say 'boyfriend'? Are they really dating? Nah, it can't be true; he paid Noah. Then why would he…"

It was dumb to hope that everyone would immediately listen to Ethan. However, at least, they started to be more cautious.

After hearing Ethan's performance, Noah cheered up so much that he just couldn't resist. So he leaned forward towards the clot of anger and whispered in its ear: 

"It was freaking awesome. If I could, I would give myself over to you right here on this table." 

Ethan, who had borrowed a coffee stirrer from Hughes to calm down, suddenly broke it in half, continuing to stare into space in front of him. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Ethan said through his teeth. 

"You don't need to keep that in mind; you need to make it happen," Noah said slowly, truly surprised at his own boldness. Thomson looked at him with the bottomless pits, where anger was still visible. But that anger didn't mean to be for Noah. 

"Then don't start whining when I come at you." 

"Oh, I promise you I will only moan." 

"Excuse me?" Rufus said, his face scarlet red. "I'm sitting right here and can hear every word you're saying!" 

"Should I buy you some earplugs?" Ethan asked innocently, switching his glance. Ethan was ready to attack Rufus at any moment; he was looking daggers at him. 

"Thanks, I'm good," Rufus mumbled. 

"If you want to charm my sister, basic compliments are not enough," Ethan said suddenly. "She likes guys who are confident. You, on the other hand, start mumbling every time you see her. Not to mention that the party at your house was organized for her to show up in the first place. You like her, you invite her, and she's just making out with some dick while you were busy doing what? Oh yeah, right… You were bullying Noah. And when I punched that idiot in the face a couple of times, you stood up for him. Do you still have any questions about why I think your hopes for Audrey's attention are pathetic?" 

"No," Hughes darkened. 

"Do you understand your mistakes?" 

"Yes." 

"Then stop acting like a victim. Get your shit together and go." 

Rufus just stared at Noah, amused. 

"It's…It's the first time you've given me any advice about your sister." 

"Yeah… Don't blow it," Ethan said, turning his attention back to Noah. "So what were you…" 

"Oh! Right! I knew it!" Andrea suddenly exclaimed, still examining the picture. "Unfortunately, my eyes are not as big as Noah's. But now I do know the girl who gives him no peace!" 

Morgan, Thomson, Rufus, and Scott leaned towards Andrea all at once. 

"Who is she?" Hughes shifted in his chair impatiently. 

"She's from Ethan's fans," Andrea said. 

"How about being more serious?" Thomson asked in a melancholic voice. 

"I am serious. It's your fan club." 

"My fan WHAT?"

"Haven't you known about them?" Andrea was truly surprised. "Oh, goodness!" She made a helpless gesture. "Here, do you see the pin on her bag?" the girlfriend zoomed in on the picture. In the upper corner of the photos, there was a little square-shaped pin. The quality wasn't the best, but if you looked up closely, you could see a familiar photo on it. Ethan recognized it as well. 

"This is…the picture from my Instagram, right?" he asked as if he didn't believe the word he was saying. 

"That's right," Andrea confirmed. "That was how I found your Instagram back in the day, through these girls. When Noah got interested in you, I wanted to find out what kind of person you are. However, you don't do a lot of social media. Though, I found a group called 'Ethan Thomson is a Crush.' Hold on one sec," Andrea started looking through her phone, while Ethan, his face white as chalk, grabbed onto the table. "Oh, the group is private now," the girl said, showing them the avatar of the group, where everybody could see another Ethan's picture. It was the one with a pigeon in the sunrise beams. And there was also the name. Indeed, it was called 'Ethan Thomson is a Crush.' "I was sure you knew about it!" Andrea assured him. Ethan held a long pause. 

"How many people are there?" he forced himself to ask after some time. 

"I don't remember for sure. It's not big. There are around fifty people," Andrea shrugged her shoulders. 

"Fifty fucked-up stalkers? Wonderful. And what kind of information was there?" Ethan's voice sounded unnaturally still. 

"Same stuff they have in other fan communities: your pictures from Instagram with romantic captions like 'Ethan's so strict on the outside and so soft on the inside!' or 'Girls, have you seen it?! Ethan wore a green hoodie today, instead of a black one, as he usually does! What if our boy's finally feeling better?'"

"Better after what?" Ethan hissed; his face changed again after hearing 'our boy'.

"Oh…"Andrea got confused for a second. "Apparently, they're sure that you're clinically depressed and suffer from mysophobia." 

"Fucking hell! Those pathetic psychotherapists!" Ethan was about to lose his temper, getting angrier and angrier. 

"They're also art critics. I wish you could see their debates under every picture you post, trying to find the hidden sense," Andrea laughed. "Look at that; Ethan took a picture of a maple leaf. He's probably trying to show how lonely he feels, even when being surrounded by people!" 

"Anything else?" Ethan demanded more details. The girlfriend rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 

"Fanfiction." 

The table, which Thomson was holding on, started making weird crackling sounds, so Noah quickly put his hand over Ethan's. The sound stopped. 

"About what?" 

"I've never seen it myself, but, judging from abstracts, the girls just write stories about how they would go on a date with you, or they describe the possible scene of their first kiss with you." 

"And that's all?" 

"Well…and sex." 

"I want to wash myself in acid," Ethan said with tension in his voice. "What else is there besides fanfiction? My address? Or a phone number? Maybe some stolen dirty underwear that they're selling for a huge price?" 

"I don't remember anything like that," Andrea tried to calm him down. "There were a couple of quizzes. In the first one they were trying to guess which eye color you actually have, because in different light, apparently, the color can vary from dark gray to blue. In the other one they were questioning who you prefer, according to subscribers' opinion, blondes or brunettes." 

"I prefer guys," Thomson grunted. 

"This piece of news will definitely surprise them," Scott couldn't hide his triumph. 

"So, does it mean that Ethan's fans found out about our relationship and decided to separate us this way?" Noah gasped. 

"More likely they decided that you're hitting on Ethan and ruining his reputation. I doubt that they know anything about your relationship status," Rufus stepped in.

"Oh, now I understand why that girl, who bumped into me on the street, said, 'Leave him alone!' I thought she meant Chad, but…" Morgan stopped short, feeling the burning gaze of the clot of anger looking at him. 

"Repeat what you've just said," Thomson said with pressure in his voice. 

"I…Um…That the girl…" Noah started mumbling. 

"That was the thing Scot mentioned?" 

"Yes."

"When did you want to tell me about that?!" 

"Hm…" Noah shivered, being perfectly aware of why Ethan was getting mad. "I'm sorry, I'm just… I felt uncomfortable knowing that other people were trying to solve my problems. I should've dealt with everything myself a long time ago. However, for some reason I pounded into my head that I can't do anything myself. Probably, the role of victim seemed the easiest one to me. Now I understand that I'm the one who's responsible for everything that has ever happened to me. That's why I need to deal with the problems on my own and not wait for you to do it for me." 

"Your problems are now my problems!" Ethan grunted, punching the table with his fist, so that empty coffee cups fell over. "God, why are you such an idiot!" Thomson exhaled, covering his face with his hands. 

"Yes, I am an idiot," Noah agreed insinuatingly. "However, I'll make it up to you," he promised with a serious face. 

"How?" Ethan took the hands away from his face immediately and gave Noah another furious glance. 

"Well…somehow," Morgan answered, scratching the tip of his nose embarrassedly. A couple of words were on the tip of his tongue, which he didn't want to announce in front of everyone else. Noah hoped that Ethan would understand, and, judging from the way he was looking at him, he did understand it, however… 

"This is not an answer. Can you be more specific?" he asked curiously, which was clearly a revenge on Noah. 

"Well…I could do something for you." 

"What?" 

"Anything." 

"No matter what I'd ask?" 

"Y-yes," Noah asked, stuttering. It would be nice if he didn't regret that later. Thomson's vivid imagination knew no boundaries. 

"Then I wish that you turn off your principles and turn on some self-respect. Can you do that?" Ethan asked suddenly. 

Noah swallowed and nodded subtly. 

"Yes, I can try." 

"You won't try it; you'll do what I asked," Thomson continued.

"Sure," Noah said more confidently. Actually, Ethan was right. If Morgan wanted to break that vicious circle of bullying, he needed to start showing his teeth. Patience and his desire to understand the motivation of people around him would be a great strategy only if it gave at least some kind of result. Unfortunately, Noah's principles didn't pay off. And the unpleasant kiss, on the contrary, was still burning on his lips and ruining his mood. 

"Why are you guys so sad on this wonderful day?!" Nicole, late as usual, approached the table and smiled widely. Noah didn't see her looking that happy very often. 

"Oh, Nicole, hey! How's your project?" 

"A perfect score!" she squealed happily, throwing her huge talmud with notes, which she probably needed during her defense. "The perfect score, God damn it! I'm a genius!!!" 

Noah started smiling again unconsciously. He liked this Nicole a lot more than the one who was always busy, tired, and stuck somewhere between reality and constant studying. Ninety-nine percent of the time she was overwhelmed with countless deadlines, being certain that she was without a spark of talent. However, there was that one percent when his friend would get the perfect score for the task that other students would hardly be able to get a C on, and not from the first try. Then she could finally get a different self-perception, even for a short period of time. Today Nicole finally believed in her genius, despite the fact that tomorrow she would dive back into her endless anxiety. 

"So why do you guys look so gloomy?" she repeated her question, sitting down next to Scott. 

"Are you ignoring the chat again?" her friend asked to make sure. 

"What chat?" Nicole was completely taken away by the thought about her perfect score, so nothing seemed to be bothering her at the moment. 

"That Chat," Andrea answered meaningfully. 

"Huh? Ugh…Oh!!! I turned my phone off yesterday so that it wouldn't disturb me from studying, and I forgot to turn it back on!" the friend suddenly realized, emptying her bag and throwing everything on the table, trying to fish her phone out of all the junk. A minute later Nicole was looking at the photo from the chat with a long face.

"It's definitely over the line," she said. 

"Exactly!" Ethan confirmed. "This is fucking sexual assault!" 

"Oh, don't over-exaggerate it," Noah tried saying carelessly. 

"This is not an exaggeration," Nicole objected. "It's indeed an episode of sexual assault!" 

"What did I tell you about self-respect?" Ethan asked. Noah looked embarrassed. 

"If this is the work of Ethan's fans, then, I guess, they could become another instrument in the hands of my bully. I've known Ethan for a short period of time…" 

"Yes, somebody probably gave that an idea, and those idiots just took it," Nicole nodded, tapping her chin with the finger. "Interesting, are these girls from our university?" 

"I think I saw its name in a group description," Andrea confirmed. "What about it?" 

"I think I got an idea," Nicole still looked a bit lost in her thoughts. "You can open any club here. You just have to have a certain number of participants, a name, and a theme. After you do that, you get your own room for your meetings on certain days and hours, where you can express your love to the object of your desires all you want." 

"No one would ever agree to open a club with the name 'Ethan Thomson is a Crush,'" Ethan smirked. 

"Do you really think they're so stupid to say it out loud?" Nicole gasped. "They probably came up with some abbreviation and wrote something vague in the description. You can look up the whole timetable of classes, as well as all the clubs that are open, with the time and the room number. Shall we try to look it up?"

"Or we can take the easier way. You can try and subscribe to the group. There will probably be all the information needed," Ethan noticed. "I didn't want to ask Andrea because she's been seen around Noah too often. They could recognize her. You, on the other hand, are a whole different thing. 

"That's true!" Nicole found a group with Andrea's help and hit a subscription button. Everybody was staring at her phone screen, waiting for when she could get accepted to be a member of the group. Instead, they saw a quiz called: 

'Do you love Ethan Thomson as much as we do?'

"Damn…" Ethna said through his teeth. 

"I think it's funny," Nicole looked through the questions. 

"What is your favorite color?"

"Black."

"What is your favorite food?"

"Hm…I don't know. Pizza?" 

"You come from a rich family, and your favorite dish is pizza?" Scott asked cynically. 

"And what? I've never thought it was that important." 

"There's no 'pizza' option here," Nicole sighed. 

"Then what are they?"

"Marbled beef, lobsters, truffles, and sturgeon caviar," she listed. 

"Oh, God," Ethan smirked. "Let there be lobsters then. At least I've tried them before."

"How was it? Did you like it?" 

"I hate seafood," Thomson confessed. "Continue." 

"Your favorite drink?" 

"Salted coffee." 

"There's no such option, either. There is a coconut milk latte, a chocolate espresso, a mint bubble tea, and a strawberry smoothie." 

Ethan grunted through his teeth. The more Nicole was reading, the angrier he was getting. When the girl had finally sent the quiz, she received the answer almost immediately. 

'Unfortunately, it might be too early for you to join us, since the only right answer you got was the one about Ethan's food preferences!'

"Fuck, I'm about to explode!" Ethan got even angrier than before. "Open the damn list of these fucking clubs!"

Nicole, looking as chill as earlier, got the list and forwarded the link to Andrea, Scott, and Noah. Noah sent it to Ethan. Ethan sent it to Rufus. Everybody was staring at their phones. 

"I doubt they're from the chess club," Scott mumbled. "Chess players are usually smart." 

"I don't think it's an art club, either. Only if it's some art of dumbness," Ethan reacted. "We need something non-showy." 

"A culinary club? Non-showy enough," Rufus mentioned. 

"Oh…" Noah stared at another name of the club, and the thought in his head hit him: 'That's it.' "Crete – Anthropology Club. CRush. EThan. Crete."

"Sounds a bit farfetched," Rufus said suspiciously. 

"'Devil's Eye' has never let us down so far!" Andrea stated. 

"'Devil's Eye'? What's that?" 

"It's something that spotted how much you're afraid of your father," Ethan answered quickly. Rufus stared at him shocked but didn't have the guts to say anything against his words. "What room number is it?" 

"304, it's a building of the law department. They have only an hour during the lunch break, though they get to go there every day!" 

"We can still be in time," Ethan said, looking at the time. "Let's go ri—

"Ethan," Noah interrupted Thomson, looking at his face carefully. "Is it blood?" 

Ethan touched his black mask, which already looked shiny because of the bloody nose. 

"Fuck," he swore. "Again. It's that stupid lobster!" 

"What does it have to do with lobster?" Rufus didn't understand. 

"I need to go to the restroom," Ethan said, ignoring Hughes' question.

"Do you need help?" Noah was about to go after him, but Thomson just shook his head. 

"No. Wait for me here." 

Ethan left the cafeteria, and the whisper that was spreading across the room became louder. It seemed that today the crowd had enough bread and games. A hot new post in the chat, then Thomson's tantrums. It couldn't be better. 

Noah was rocking on his chair, thinking about what he wanted to do when they would go to that club meeting. What should he say? How should he behave? 

Turn on some self-respect.

Morgan sighed heavily. He could wring his hands a hundred times a day, thinking about which things Thomson was right and wrong about, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Ethan's methods worked, whereas Noah's methods just helped bury himself in all the shit he had to deal with. It couldn't last any longer. After all, he needed to fight back. If it threatened to go against his own principles, well… Noah didn't see any other options. 

"What's taking him so long? We'll miss the girls for sure," Rufus noticed, playing with his phone. Noah looked at the watch. Ethan was gone for fifteen minutes already. Then an immediate thought made Morgan jump from the table. 

"Damn!" he rattled. "He decided to go there alone!"