Five years. That’s how long I spent chasing my best friend. Tonight was our senior grad party. And we were finally crossing the line. Liam booked a lakeside cabin just for us. My face burned. Then I heard him in the next room. Bragging to his football buddies. “I’m heading out, boys. Got a busy night ahead.” Cheers and whistles erupted. I turned to leave. Then my name dropped. “What about Ava? You just gonna leave her hanging at the cabin?” I froze. A lazy, arrogant laugh cut through the noise. “Sophie hates the noise. I gotta take her home first.” “Ava is a sure thing. I’m just getting some practice. She’ll thank me later.” The room was packed and sweaty. I felt like I was freezing to death. The guys went crazy. “Classic QB move. Banging the head cheerleader while using Ava as a decoy.” “Her folks are in Europe. She’s crashing at your place. Aren’t you worried?” “My parents are in Cabo. We’re eighteen now. I deserve some fun.” The room broke into nasty laughter. “Damn man. She gave up Yale to follow you to State. You don’t feel bad at all?” “For real though. Ava is drop-dead gorgeous. Total good girl vibe. You’re really putting her on ice?” More dirty laughs. “You guys don’t get it. You save the best for last.” “I’m actually doing her a favor. If we hook up now, I’ll get bored. What’s left for the honeymoon?” “It’s a win-win. I get my reps in. She gets the perfect guy in the end.” It was the middle of July. Cold sweat soaked through my dress.
I looked across the crowded room. Sophie. My best friend since freshman year. The only person I trusted as much as Liam. She caught me looking and flashed an innocent smile. My vision blurred. I bolted for the bathroom. The door was paper-thin. I clamped my hand over my mouth. Choked back a sob. Footsteps. “Ava? Babe, you in there?” A soft knock. That same gentle voice I fell for. I stared at my tear-streaked face in the mirror. Swallowed hard. “I’m fine.” He didn’t walk away. He sounded relaxed. Not a clue. “Cool. Head to the cabin without me. I gotta drop Sophie off.” “You know how it is. She lives alone. Just wanna make sure she’s safe.” “Don’t wait up if I’m late.” “We’ve got all the time in the world.” His deep voice echoed in the tiny bathroom. Ten days ago. Sitting on his back porch. He leaned in and kissed me out of nowhere. The smell of fresh-cut grass and summer heat. I could barely breathe. I asked him what that was for. He smiled like a predator. “Because you finally grew up. And I’m making my move.” I really thought my five-year crush was paying off. Now? I was wide awake. Were all those kisses just a game? “Liam.” I whispered to the wood. “Do you love me?”
Dead silence. He hesitated. “Don’t be crazy, babe. Would I be doing all this if I didn’t care?” What about Sophie? Is that love too? I swallowed the words. I asked something else. “Are we official?” A heavy sigh through the wood. I could picture his face. Brows knit. Patience running out. “Does it really matter, Ava? We have so much history. Why do we need to put a label on it?” Classic Liam. Never making promises. Never owning up to his shit. Just deflecting. Gaslighting me with that soft voice. Making me the crazy one. The boy I grew up with. The center of my universe. Rotten to the goddamn core. I wiped my eyes. Matched his soft tone. “Okay. I get it.” He mumbled a few sweet nothings. Walked away. His footsteps faded down the hall. I pulled up my dad’s text thread. My hands shook. “Dad. I made a mistake.” “I’m doing the Paris program. I’ll send the application tomorrow.” “Right after my birthday party, I’m out of here.”
The bass thumped through the floorboards. I stepped out of the bathroom. Liam was already playing hero. Some guy was pushing a shot on Sophie. Liam snatched the red Solo cup. Knocked it back in one smooth motion. The crowd cheered. Sophie blushed. Biting her lip like a lovesick puppy. “I could’ve handled that.” Liam slumped onto the couch. His knee brushing her bare thigh. “You’re a total lightweight. Can’t have you getting trashed on my watch.” He actually tracked her drinking habits. The sexual tension was suffocating. A few guys smirked. Then they noticed me standing in the hall. The room went dead silent. Liam shifted. Pulled his knee away. Sophie played it off with a smile. Scooted over and patted the empty cushion between them. “Ava! Come sit.” She leaned forward. Something caught the light. A silver chain around her throat. I stopped breathing. The infinity pendant. I saw it in Liam’s Amazon cart right before Prom. The listing literally said, For Your True Love. It was cheap jewelry. But I spent weeks praying it was for me. Prom came and went. He kissed me. I forgot all about it. Now it was resting right on her collarbone. Bile rose in my throat. Heartbreak mixed with raw humiliation. I fought to keep my face blank. But my voice betrayed me. “Have fun. I’m out.”
Liam shot up from the couch. “Why are you leaving?” I didn’t answer. Just turned and walked away. Halfway down the hall, a hand clamped around my arm. Liam pulled me close. His voice was a low, angry hiss. “Are you seriously throwing a fit right now? Because I took a shot for Sophie?” “If I don’t look out for her, these guys will get her trashed. You know how they are.” I looked him dead in the eye. “And what about you?” He blinked. “What exactly do you want with her?” A split second of blank panic flashed across his face. My mind raced back to Freshman year. Everyone knew Sophie’s deal. Drop-dead gorgeous. Scholarship kid from the wrong side of the tracks. Fresh meat. She drew all the creeps. Some sketchy townies cornered her after school once. I was the one who grabbed security and saved her. After that, I made sure she always had a ride. My car. Liam’s car. I sat in the back with her every single day. Talked her ear off so she wouldn’t feel like a charity case. Liam just smiled. Barely said a word. I thought they weren’t even close. Until Valentine’s Day. I walked into an empty hallway. Saw Liam toss a heart-shaped box right into the trash. Some guy had bought it for Sophie. “Back off. She doesn’t need your garbage.” Liam barked. The guy’s face turned bright red. “You’re not even her boyfriend, man. Back off.” Liam stepped right into his space. “Who says I’m not? As of today, she’s mine.”
My water bottle hit the floor. Plastic clattered against the tiles. They both snapped their heads toward me. Liam rushed over. Panic in his eyes. A massive lie spilled right out of his mouth. He claimed he was just playing the fake boyfriend to scare off the creeps. He only did it because she was my best friend. I bought every single word. I even helped cover for them. Months later, Sophie actually got a “boyfriend.” She claimed some out-of-town college guy was sweeping her off her feet. The perks started rolling in immediately. Ubers magically appeared whenever it rained. Daily DoorDash deliveries kept her fed. Her closet filled up with designer clothes. Someone even footed the bill for her expensive SAT prep. She lived like absolute royalty. Sometimes I would spot red marks on her neck. I always teased her about those nasty mosquito bites. She always forced an awkward smile. I thought she was just being shy. Now I see the truth. She was drowning in guilt. I stared at the liar standing in front of me. “When did it start?” I asked softly. “When did you two start hooking up?” “Was it Valentine’s Day? That ski trip sophomore year? Or—” “Ava, stop.” Liam’s voice dropped. Total ice. “This right here is exactly why I didn’t want a label on us.” He glared at me like I was the villain. He twisted the knife with every word. “Sophie doesn’t have your safety net. She has to fight just to survive.” “What is so wrong with me helping her out?” “You used to be so chill. Now you’re just suffocating.”
Tears spilled over. I hated myself for it. Hated how much I still needed him. My chest heaved. The ice in his voice melted. “Lose the spoiled princess act.” “Do it for our future.” “We leave for college in a few weeks.” “I don’t want petty drama ruining freshman year.” “Are we good?” I forced my lungs to steady. Wiped my face dry. “No, Liam.” “I’m not going down South with you.” A loud scoff. Total dismissal. “Deposits are already paid, Ava.” “Don’t wreck your future over a stupid tantrum.” The joke was on him. My parents’ company just expanded to Europe. They’d been begging me to study in Paris. I turned them down just to stay close to a liar. Yale was off the table now. But snagging a spot at a top school in Paris? One phone call from my dad, and I was in. My face stayed blank. A heavy sigh broke the silence. “Look. You were browsing off-campus housing, right?” “I found a sick penthouse. Let’s just sign the lease.” “It’ll be our first real place.” “You can decorate it however you want. Deal?”
He smiled at me. Like he was doing me a massive favor. It made my stomach turn. I wanted my own apartment. Not a love nest. But in his head? I was just a desperate groupie. A sure thing. He aimed for my lips. I turned my head. He kissed empty air. He froze. The nice-guy mask vanished. His patience was gone. “Go to the cabin. Cool off.” He spun on his heel. Walked right back into the party. Didn’t even look back. My chest felt entirely hollow. I didn’t go to the cabin. I called an Uber and went straight home. The house was dark and empty. Sleep was a joke. I tore my bedroom apart. Dragged out every single memory of him. His old varsity jacket. He wrapped me in it when I caught the flu. The giant carnival bear. He spent fifty bucks winning it for me. The limited-edition Jordans. He camped out all night to buy them. A pile of garbage in the middle of my floor. My throat tightened. It wasn’t just a five-year crush dying tonight. It was my entire childhood. Gone. I shoved it all into heavy black trash bags. The sun crept through the blinds. I collapsed onto my bare mattress. Total blackout. My phone buzzed at noon. Dad. We didn’t need a long talk. He read right between the lines. “So, how do we feel about Paris for your birthday?”
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