My Second Chance, His Last

University felt heavy in my hand, a

't unsee. I had pushed Ethan, my high school boyfriend, to g

l, his forever crush, died. Muggers, they said.

e saved Tiffany. His grief twisted into a monstrous blame, and one n

wasn't his, the reason she was gon

my parents a distant buzz. I was standing in our living room, Ethan

beaming, made her announcement,

of disappointment in her voice. "So, I'm goin

exact moment. M

well. "Ethan, why don't you come work at the plant with me? It'll be f

he said, a strange light in his eyes. He dropped his Northwood letter onto th

I realized with a

He was making the exact choice he thought would have save

n unreadable. "You wouldn't understand,

rand, heroic narrative with Tiffany. He was rejecting the path we'd shared, the

he knew how this was all supposed to play out. He was operating

be like talking to a brick wall, a bric

beg him to come to Northwood with me like I did the first ti

s. "Hey, Sarah," he said, his tone dripping with condescension. "M

plant? After what I knew? "No, Ethan," I