Halfway through the punch, Ethan regretted it. He suddenly remembered—there was someone else in the house.
His college roommate, JJ.
But momentum couldn't be undone.
Thud…
Ethan managed to shift the trajectory of his punch at the last second, redirecting it from JJ's face to his shoulder.
"Ow!" JJ yelped, stumbling back and landing on the floor.
Ethan quickly stepped forward to help him up, looking sheepish. "Uh… you didn't go to school today?"
JJ groaned, clutching his shoulder. "You're asking me? Your stupid door locks from the inside too, and there's nothing in the fridge. I'm starving… and now my shoulder's killing me."
Ethan pulled him to his feet, awkwardly opening the fridge to check. Sure enough, it was empty. Inside, he found a note:
"Ethan, I cleared everything out. Didn't know when you'd be back, didn't want stuff going bad. —Lyla"