He Used Me as Practice for Her Chapter 08
At first, Ethan thought he was seeing things.
But Charlotte really did disappear into the boarding line at the opposite gate.
His eyes locked onto the destination on the screen.
VIREMONT.
That was when it hit him.
When she said they weren’t going the same way anymore…
She hadn’t been throwing a tantrum.
She meant it.
His chest tightened instantly.
Almost on instinct, he pulled out his phone and called her.
“The number you have dialed is no longer in service.”
The cold automated voice made his stomach drop.
He hurried to open their messages.
After scrolling through three or four full screens, he finally found her contact.
Only then did he realize…
He hadn’t talked to Charlotte in a really long time.
Panic started creeping into his chest.
His fingers trembled as he opened their iMessage thread and hit the FaceTime Audio button at the
top.
The screen shifted to Calling…
He pressed the phone tightly against his ear, desperate to hear her voice one more time.
But there was nothing.
No ringing.
No familiar waiting tone.
Just silence.
A horrible, dead silence.
Less than three seconds later, the screen flickered.
Call Failed.
Then came the sharp disconnect tone.
He called again.
Still silence.
Still disconnected.
That was when the panic became real.
Charlotte breaking up with him…
Was she serious?
Did she really not want him anymore?
The entire flight to Silverport, Ethan sat there’restless and irritated.
All he did was give Chloe a four-leaf clover bracelet.
And after Charlotte got upset, he immediately bought a fake replacement and swapped it back.
Sure, he also went hiking with Chloe.
And yeah, he’d deliberately let her post that Instagram story to make Charlotte jealous.
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But none of that was unforgivable… right?
Truthfully, he’d regretted it the second Chloe posted that picture.
He’d been scared Charlotte would misunderstand.
But then Charlotte sent Chloe that text:
[Hope you guys have fun.]
And suddenly all his guilt disappeared.
How could she sound so calm?
How could she not care that he was out with another girl?
If she didn’t care, then why should he feel guilty?
So he held onto his pride.
The entire summer, he never contacted her.
Never checked on her grandmother either.
He waited for Charlotte to cave first.
But she was even more stubborn than he was.
Their chat stayed completely silent.
No more random cloud pictures.
No more stray cats she found in alleyways.
No more flowers from sidewalks or funny little moments from her day.
Nothing.
Fine then.
Cold war it is, he thought bitterly.
Who cared first loses.
But at the airport today…
The moment he saw her standing alone beside those huge suitcases…
His heart softened instantly.
Whatever.
So what if he apologized first?
He was the guy.
It wasn’t that serious.
That was why he walked over naturally and reached for her luggage.
But then she said they weren’t going the same way anymore.
His jaw clenched so hard it hurt.
How could she not come to Silverport?
They’d promised each other they would.
Chloe tried talking to him several times during the flight.
Every attempt got shut down by the look on his face.
His phone kept spinning anxiously between his fingers.
Finally, a message came through.
One of their old high school teachers had replied.
[Charlotte Avery was accepted to Wycliffe University in Viremont.]
“Viremont…” Ethan repeated blankly. “Wycliffe University…”
The words echoed numbly in his head.
She really left him behind.
She really didn’t want him anymore.
