After the storm passes, what remains is the choice of how to rebuild—and with whom.
The university's decision came Thursday afternoon.
Marcus Chen was expelled, effective immediately. His transcript would reflect the disciplinary action, and he was banned from campus for the remainder of the academic year.
Madison Park and Blake Torres received year-long suspensions and were required to complete harassment awareness training before being considered for readmission.
The three students who'd vandalized Harlow's were permanently expelled and faced criminal charges.
Dean Richards issued a campus-wide email emphasizing the university's zero-tolerance policy for harassment and reaffirming their commitment to protecting all students, regardless of socioeconomic background.
It was comprehensive. Decisive. Complete.
Ethan read the email three times, sitting in the library, trying to process what it meant.
It was over.
Really, truly over.
His phone buzzed.
Lily: Mom saw the news. She's crying happy tears. Says she's proud of you.
Lily: I'm proud of you too. You're kind of a badass, big bro.
Ethan: I'm really not.
Lily: You stood up to rich bullies and won. That's literally the definition of badass.
Lily: Also when are you bringing Vanessa over again? Mom wants to teach her how to make tiramisu.
Ethan smiled despite everything.
Ethan: I'll ask her.
Lily: Good. Also I like her. Just so you know.
Lily: Don't screw this up.
Ethan: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Lily: Anytime. Love you.
Ethan: Love you too.
Ethan found Vanessa in the student center, working on her laptop.
She looked up when he approached, and her whole face lit up. "Hey. Did you see—"
"The email. Yeah."
"How are you feeling?"
Ethan sat beside her. "Like I can finally breathe."
Vanessa closed her laptop and turned to face him fully. "You did it, Ethan. You actually did it."
"We did it. I couldn't have gotten through this without you."
"Yes, you could have. But I'm glad you didn't have to." She took his hand. "So. What now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the drama's over. The threat's gone. We can actually just... be together now. Without all the chaos." She smiled. "So what do we do?"
Ethan thought about it. "I have absolutely no idea."
"Me neither." Vanessa laughed. "I've never actually had a normal relationship before."
"Define normal."
"You know—dates, studying together, meeting each other's families without crisis hanging over our heads." She paused. "Speaking of which, my father really does want to meet you. Properly this time. Not in the middle of a harassment scandal."
Ethan's stomach flipped. "Meet your father. Gregory Monroe. The CEO."
"Also known as my dad, who happens to really like what he's heard about you."
"That doesn't make this less terrifying."
"I know. But humor me?" She squeezed his hand. "He's not as scary as you think. Well, he is. But not to people he likes. And he likes you."
"He's never met me."
"He likes the idea of you. Give him a chance to like the real you too."
Ethan sighed. "When?"
"This weekend? Saturday dinner?"
"I have a shift Saturday night."
"Sunday brunch, then."
"Vanessa—"
"Please? I promise he'll be on his best behavior. And my mother will be there too. She's much nicer."
Ethan looked at her—at the hope in her eyes, the way she was trying so hard to bridge their two worlds.
"Okay," he said. "Sunday brunch."
Vanessa's smile could have powered the entire campus. "Really?"
"Really. But if he intimidates me, I'm blaming you."
"That's fair." She kissed him quickly. "Thank you."
That evening, Ethan had his shift at Harlow's.
Danny greeted him with a grin. "There's the man of the hour."
"Don't start."
"Too late. Everyone's talking about it. You're famous, Cross."
"I'm really not."
"You stood up to rich kids and won. In this city? That makes you a folk hero." Danny handed him an apron. "You've got section three tonight. And heads up—we've had a bunch of university students coming in asking for you specifically."
"Why?"
"Because you're an inspiration, apparently. Poor scholarship kid takes down the campus bullies? That's a good story."
Ethan groaned. "I just wanted to do my job."
"Well, now your job includes being a symbol of justice. Deal with it." Danny clapped him on the shoulder. "Seriously though, kid—I'm proud of you. What you did took guts."
"Thanks, Danny."
The shift was busy, but different. Students came in—not the wealthy elite, but the ones like Ethan. Scholarship kids, work-study students, people who understood what it meant to fight for every opportunity.
They left good tips. They were polite. A few even told him directly that what he'd done mattered.
By the end of the night, Ethan felt lighter than he had in months.
Friday passed in a blur of normalcy that felt almost surreal.
Classes. Studying. Lunch with Vanessa at their usual spot.
No stares. No whispers. No threats lurking around corners.
Just... life.
After his last class, Ethan went to the community center. He hadn't been in almost two weeks, and Mrs. Chen greeted him with a crushing hug.
"Ethan! We've been following everything online. We're so proud of you!"
"Thanks, Mrs. Chen."
"The kids have been asking about you nonstop. Miguel especially." She gestured toward the computer lab. "Go on. They'll be thrilled to see you."
Ethan walked into the lab and was immediately swarmed.
"Ethan! You're back!"
"We missed you!"
"Did you really get those bullies expelled?"
"Can you help me with my website?"
He spent the next two hours helping kids with coding projects, answering questions, and feeling more grounded than he had in weeks.
This was real. This mattered.
Not the drama, not the scandal, not even the victory.
This—helping kids learn, giving them tools to build better futures—this was what mattered.
As he was leaving, Miguel ran up to him.
"Ethan, wait! I have something for you."
The boy handed him a piece of paper—a drawing of Ethan sitting at a computer, surrounded by kids, with the words "Thank you for believing in us" written at the top.
Ethan felt his throat tighten. "Miguel, this is—"
"We all signed it. On the back."
Ethan turned it over. Nearly twenty signatures—all the kids from the coding club, plus a few from other programs.
"We wanted you to know you matter," Miguel said seriously. "Not because of the university stuff. But because of this. Because you come here and help us when you don't have to."
Ethan knelt down to Miguel's level. "Thank you. This means more than you know."
Miguel grinned and hugged him, then ran back to his friends.
Ethan left the community center with the drawing carefully folded in his bag and tears in his eyes.
Saturday morning, Ethan woke to a text from Vanessa.
Vanessa: Good morning. What are you doing today?
Ethan: Not much. Homework. Laundry. The glamorous life of a college student.
Vanessa: Want company?
Ethan: For laundry?
Vanessa: For whatever. I just want to spend time with you.
Ethan: You're going to be bored out of your mind.
Vanessa: Let me be the judge of that.
Two hours later, Vanessa showed up at his apartment building wearing jeans and a simple t-shirt, looking nothing like the polished campus princess and everything like a regular person.
"Hi," she said when he opened the door.
"Hi. You actually came."
"I said I would." She looked past him into the small apartment. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, of course. Sorry." He stepped aside. "Fair warning—my mom is going to embarrass me."
"I'm counting on it."
His mother did, in fact, embarrass him—showing Vanessa baby photos, telling stories about childhood Ethan, making him blush repeatedly.
But Vanessa loved every second of it.
They spent the afternoon together—Ethan doing homework while Vanessa read beside him, comfortable silence punctuated by easy conversation.
Lily taught Vanessa how to play the video game she'd been obsessed with lately. His mother showed Vanessa how to make her famous tomato sauce.
It was domestic. Normal. Perfect.
Around four PM, Ethan walked Vanessa to her car.
"Thank you for today," she said. "For letting me just... be part of your life."
"You are part of my life."
"I know. But today felt different. Like we're not just surviving drama anymore. We're actually building something."
"We are." Ethan pulled her close. "And tomorrow, I get to meet your parents."
"Nervous?"
"Terrified."
"Good. That means you care." She kissed him. "It's going to be fine. I promise."
"If your father intimidates me, I'm holding you personally responsible."
"I accept those terms."
They kissed again, longer this time, until Lily shouted from the window: "Get a room!"
Vanessa laughed against Ethan's lips. "I like your sister."
"She's the worst."
"She's the best."
Ethan couldn't argue with that.
He watched Vanessa drive away, then headed back inside, where his mother was waiting with a knowing smile.
"She's good for you," Sarah said.
"I know."
"And you're good for her."
"I hope so."
His mother hugged him. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart. Not just for standing up to those bullies. But for opening your heart. For letting someone in."
"It's scary."
"The best things usually are." She pulled back and looked at him. "But you're brave. You always have been."
Ethan hugged her again, grateful for the millionth time that she was still here, still healthy enough to give him advice and embarrass him and be his mom.
Tomorrow, he'd meet Vanessa's parents.
But today, surrounded by his own family, Ethan felt ready for whatever came next.
Because for the first time in his life, he wasn't facing it alone.