1 After clocking out, I rushed to the theater to buy three tickets. Joanna and Zack didn’t show up until two minutes before the trailers started. As usual, Joanna Venmoed me fifteen dollars. “That’s for Zack’s ticket. I just sent it over.” I froze, staring at the long list of transactions in our chat history. A knot tightened in my stomach. When Zack was sick, Joanna bought his medicine. When I grabbed takeout for him, Joanna covered his share. My throat tightened, and I opened my mouth to ask her why she was always paying my best friend’s way. Before I could speak, Zack handed me a cold brew and held up his phone, showing his Venmo QR code. “Hey Gabe, that’ll be six bucks.” I hesitated, looking at Joanna, but she kept her eyes glued to her screen, acting completely oblivious. When my silence dragged on, Zack lowered his hand, looking a bit self-conscious. Joanna instantly snapped her gaze to me, her forehead creased in irritation. “Just pay him, Gabe. Are you seriously going to pinch pennies over a coffee?” My head throbbed. I let out a dry, humorless laugh. She wasn’t oblivious at all. I was simply never on her radar. I tapped Zack’s profile and sent the money. Zack rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Honestly, Gabe, you didn’t have to. It was on me.” Before his words even registered, Joanna snatched his phone and swiped to accept the transfer. It was as if she was terrified the money would slip back into my pocket if she waited another second. “Why wouldn’t he pay? Didn’t you blow through your savings on stocks last week? Every little bit helps.” She knew the intimate details of his finances, understanding his life better than I did, and we had been friends for six years. The theater lights were dimming, and the screen flickered to life. I parted my dry lips to tell them we should get inside, but Joanna’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh, you changed your profile picture! Is that the new anime character from that Japanese show?” Zack grinned, his face lighting up. “You actually watched it?” The two of them immediately launched into an animated conversation. I stood there, my hand half-raised, completely ignored. It wasn’t the first time. Zack had barely been in our lives for six months, yet they shared an effortless chemistry that made them look like a perfect match. They always had something new to talk about. Meanwhile, I could talk until my throat went dry, and they would barely spare me a glance. I let my hand drop, turned around, and walked through the ticket gate alone. I sat in the dark theater for nearly twenty minutes before they finally slipped in, shoulder-to-shoulder. I had bought three seats in the middle of a row, sitting right in the center myself. Zack glanced toward me, whispered something in Joanna’s ear, and then pulled her toward an empty row near the front. “There are open seats down here with a better view. We’re just going to sit here,” Joanna texted me. She turned off her phone immediately, not even waiting for a reply. Soon, her quiet giggles drifted back to me. A man in the row ahead of them turned around, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Hey mate, can you tell your girlfriend to pipe down? We can barely hear the movie.” Zack let out a soft laugh. Even though I was sitting right behind them, he didn’t correct the man. “Sorry about that. I’ll get her to quiet down.” The soft curve of Joanna’s smile was clear as day, even from the shadows of the back row. My phone remained silent. No explanation, no apology. I sat through the next hour in a daze. When the lights came up, I walked out of the theater with a hollow mind. Joanna jogged to catch up with me, chatting as if nothing had happened. “Why did the main character punch that older guy?” “I don’t know.” My flat, three-word response caught her off guard. Her brows knitted, her tone shifting to annoyance. “Why are you being like this? Wasn’t this the movie you wanted to see?” “No, it wasn’t.” Yesterday, Zack and I had both pitched movies. As she had done a thousand times before, Joanna chose his. An uncomfortable silence settled over us. Joanna had changed, so gradually that she probably hadn’t even noticed. We were childhood sweethearts. We had gone to the same schools from elementary through high school. She had always been my shadow, supporting every decision I made. She had even given up a spot at a top-tier university just to follow me to Chicago State. Our friends used to joke that Joanna’s world revolved entirely around Gabe. But all of that vanished the moment Zack arrived. “It’s not like you actually follow the plot anyway, so what difference does it make?” Joanna said, her voice dripping with dismissiveness. Zack let out a sudden chuckle. “Remember that time Gabe fell asleep in the theater? We walked all the way out to the parking lot before realizing he was still inside sleeping. He didn’t even notice his phone and wallet had been swiped.” “Exactly! See, he doesn’t even like movies. Even if we picked his choice, he’d just sleep through it.” Listening to them casually tear down my dignity for a laugh made my blood run cold. That night, I had worked a thirteen-hour shift, finishing at midnight, but Zack had insisted I tag along. Exhaustion had dragged me under the moment the seat reclined. When I finally woke up, Joanna and Zack were gone. My phone was missing, and I was left stranded on a dark street corner at three in the morning. I had been furious back then, begging them never to bring it up again. Yet, they kept parading it like a cheap party trick. It felt as though my only purpose in their lives was to serve as their punchline. Joanna finally noticed the tension in my posture. She frowned, looking at me. “Why are you getting mad again? You seriously can’t take a joke.” Zack shot her a warning glance, his voice soft. “Alright, that’s enough. Gabe’s already having a rough night.” He paused, turning to me with an apologetic smile. “My bad, man. How about we go grab some of that hot pot you love?” “No way,” Joanna interjected before I could even open my mouth. “You’ve been dying to try that French bistro, and it took weeks to get a reservation.” “But Gabe…” “He’ll eat anything, don’t worry about him. You think everyone is as picky as you? You’re practically skin and bones.” Zack smirked. “I’m not that light.” “Oh, really?” Joanna challenged. Zack’s dark eyes locked onto hers, a slow, unreadable smile spreading across his face. “Want to bet? I could lift you with one hand.” “I doubt it.” Before she could react, Zack stepped close. Joanna took a step back, her cheeks flushing crimson. She glanced at me, her voice suddenly hesitant. “Gabe might mind.” But before the words fully left her mouth, she let out a squeal as Zack swept her off her feet, hoisting her up onto his shoulders. He grinned, holding her thighs to keep her skirt from riding up. “How about now? Do you yield?” Passersby paused, smiling at the spontaneous display of affection. A few teenagers even pulled out their phones to snap a photo. Joanna blushed, swatting at his shoulder. “You are so annoying!” she squealed as he finally set her down. She covered her face and ran ahead, laughing. Zack didn’t hesitate to chase after her, pulling at her jacket as they bantered like a couple in the middle of a lovers’ spat. I stood frozen on the sidewalk, the color draining from my face. Through the entire display, Joanna hadn’t looked back once. I was a ghost to them. My chest ached, but a strange, hollow sense of clarity washed over me. I turned around, raised my hand, and hailed a cab. Ten minutes later, my phone vibrated. It was Joanna. “Where did you go? We can’t find you.” “I went home.” There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by muffled whispering. Finally, Joanna let out a heavy sigh. “What is your problem now? Don’t be so old-fashioned, Gabe. He’s your best friend. Are you seriously jealous of him?” Zack’s voice drifted through the speaker, chuckling. “Come on, Gabe, you know I’m not interested in Joanna. With that temper of hers, you’re the only guy on earth who could survive her.” “Hey! Who has a temper?” “You heard me!” The two of them drifted back into their private world, bickering over the line. I had tried so many times to explain how their behavior made me feel, only to be met with Joanna’s dismissive, “You’re just being paranoid.” Eventually, I had simply stopped talking. Now, I didn’t even have the energy to argue. I hung up. Joanna didn’t call back. As the cab neared my apartment, thunder rattled the windows, followed by a sudden downpour. I ran through the rain to my building, my clothes soaked. Back in my apartment, I stripped off my wet shirt and turned on the hot water in the bathroom. While waiting for the tub to fill, I opened my phone. Zack had just posted on social media. In the photo, Joanna stood in a drenched white dress that clung to her silhouette, a heavy denim jacket draped over her shoulders. It was Zack’s jacket. Joanna was a germaphobe who refused to touch anyone else’s clothing, yet there she was, wrapped in his coat. Zack’s caption read: [Drenched like drowned rats today!] A mutual friend had commented: [Get inside before you catch a cold!] Zack had replied: [Already checked into a hotel, we’re good!] The bathwater overflowed, splashing against the tiles with a steady, heavy rhythm. I shivered, staring at the screen. Then, I turned off the tap, stepped into the tub, and let the warmth sink into my skin. Joanna didn’t come home that night. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t ask where she was. I actually slept incredibly well. The next morning, the front door clicked open. “Gabe! We brought breakfast. Coffee and bagels!” Joanna walked into the living room, heading toward me with a soft expression, as if she wanted to say something. I stood up, stepping past her to go to the bathroom. Joanna froze, but then she turned to Zack, a look of triumph on her face. “See? I told you. He’s overthinking things again. You owe me.” Zack smirked, pocketing his hands. “So, I get to keep it?” “A bet’s a bet.” Zack walked straight past me into the study and picked up the vintage camera sitting on the shelf. It was a gift from my father for my eighteenth birthday. A sharp ache throbbed behind my eyes. “What are you doing?” Zack paused, his hand hovering over the leather strap, his voice losing its confidence. “Joanna lost the bet, so the camera is mine now. Unless you mind, Gabe? If it makes you uncomfortable, I can put it back.” “Then put it back,” I said. I reached out to take it, but before my fingers could touch the leather, Joanna grabbed my wrist. “A bet is a bet, Gabe. Don’t be a sore loser.” “What do your stupid bets have to do with my things?” My voice was flat, devoid of the warmth she was used to. Joanna’s jaw tightened, an edge of irritation creeping into her eyes. “You gave that camera to me. That means I can do whatever I want with it.” The patience I had held onto for twenty-odd years evaporated. I yanked my hand back, my voice turning icy. “I gave it to you on the condition that you would take care of it! Do you even remember what you promised me?” The vintage camera was a rare Japanese import my father had bought on a business trip decades ago. It was long out of print. Joanna had loved its aesthetic, so I had parted with it to make her happy. It held my childhood, my struggles, and the memories of my late parents. Back then, her eyes had welling with tears as she cradled it. “Gabe, let me be the one to document our lives from now on. I promise to give you a perfect record of our future.” Now, she had traded it away like a cheap casino chip. Joanna rolled her eyes, letting out a sharp scoff. “Are you seriously throwing a tantrum just because I stayed out last night? It was pouring, Gabe. How was I supposed to drive home? We got two separate rooms at the hotel. Stop letting your imagination run wild. Acting jealous over nothing makes you look pathetic.” Her words cut through the room like a blade, leaving a suffocating silence in their wake. I felt a sudden, bizarre sense of detachment. I remembered when we were eighteen on a high school trip. The teacher had assigned Joanna to fetch water with a boy who had an obvious crush on her. Joanna had immediately swapped tasks with another classmate, taking on double the physical labor just to avoid making me uncomfortable. When she had walked back to my side, she had looked at me with absolute sincerity. “I don’t want you to doubt me, Gabe. Not even for a second.” It wasn’t that Joanna didn’t understand boundaries. She simply didn’t care about my feelings anymore. I let out a quiet sigh. There was no anger left in me, no desire to scream. I just looked at her. “Joanna, let’s break up.” She froze, her eyes widening in utter disbelief. But within seconds, her confident, dismissive smile returned, as if she were looking at a stubborn child. “Don’t be ridiculous, Gabe.” Zack stepped in, placing a friendly hand on my shoulder. “Come on, man, you’re just emotional right now. Once you cool down, you’ll realize you’re just making a mountain out of a molehill.” He spoke with the smooth tone of a supportive brother, yet every word subtly painted me as the unstable, unreasonable villain of the story. I had trusted him for years, and this was the result. The arguments, the tension, the constant feeling of being the third wheel in my own relationship, it all came back to him. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder. “Zack, we are no longer friends.” Zack’s eyes welled with sudden tears, and he stood there looking entirely helpless. Joanna lost her temper completely. She lunged forward, her voice rising to a screech. “Why are you being so selfish? Do you have to hurt everyone who cares about you to feel good? What did Zack ever do to you? You’re like a wild dog, biting anyone who gets close!” The screeching in my ears sounded like static. When I broke up with her, she had laughed it off. But the moment I cut ties with Zack, she defended him with her life. The front door slammed shut, and the apartment fell silent. They had walked out together, a united front, leaving me behind without a single text. I knew what they were doing. They were trying to freeze me out, waiting for me to crawl back and apologize like I always did. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was my mother. “Gabe, have you made up your mind yet? Now that you’ve passed the civil service exam back home, your father and I really think you should take the job. It’s a stable career for life. You can talk it over with Joanna. There’s no need for both of you to wear yourselves out in the city.” It was the sixth time this month she had called to persuade me, her tone carrying little hope. But this time, I gave her a different answer. “Mom, I’m coming home.” “Really?” My father’s excited voice echoed from the background. “That’s wonderful! Pack your things, son. You start next week!”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “530565”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel
Leave a Reply