1 A month after I started dating my childhood sweetheart, I stumbled upon a post on a relationship forum. [Title: My crush's parents are obsessed with his female best friend. How can I drive them apart?] In the top-voted comment, the original poster (OP) passionately defended her position. [OP]: We're in love, we just haven't said the words yet. [OP]: He changed his top-choice college application, just so he could go to the same school as me. [OP]: He told me he was just "giving it a try" with his best friend, but he realized they're not compatible at all. But it was the photo she attached that sent a shard of ice through my heart. It was a picture of two pairs of feet, angled toward each other. On the tops of their sneakers were hand-painted cartoon dragons, positioned to form a heart between them. I stared at the photo, my vision blurring, until the truth finally crystallized. The "crush" she was talking about… was my boyfriend, Ethan. 2 The comments section was a flurry of activity. [User1]: Ugh, I hate parents like that. They only care about maintaining their social circles, not their kids' actual happiness. [User2]: I don't even consider guys who have a "female best friend." Who knows what kind of secret feelings have been brewing between them for years? [User3]: You're so lucky. My crush is completely devoted to his childhood friend. ... The OP replied to each one, her tone dripping with smug satisfaction. [OP]: What does it matter what his parents want? In the end, parents always give in to their kids. As long as he loves me, that's all that matters. [OP]: I call her his "best friend" to be polite. But honestly? She's the other woman, trying to wreck a real relationship. Someone challenged her. [User4]: Didn't you say your crush is already "giving it a try" with her? That means they're dating, right? So technically, aren't YOU the other woman? The OP responded with a single eye-roll emoji. [OP]: There's no such thing as a homewrecker when no one's married. Whoever gets the ring in the end wins. Besides, it's not my fault he likes me more! Finally, she posted a screenshot of a text exchange. Ethan: Not my idea. The parents are having dinner. I'm just the show pony. Krista: But my stomach hurts. I'm all alone on a bench at the mall. Ethan: Send me your location. Don't move, I'm on my way. [OP]: See? All I have to do is say the word, and he'll drop everything for me. I stared at the screen, at his familiar name, a hollow feeling spreading through my chest. So, this is how he talked about me to other people. Just "giving it a try." After what felt like an eternity, I realized my phone was vibrating. It was him. "Nora," he said, his voice rushed. "Something came up, I can't make it to dinner. Can you just make an excuse to the parents for me? Cover for me." I was silent for a few seconds. "What kind of excuse do you think I should use?" Ethan sighed, a hint of impatience in his voice. "I don't know, just… tell them there was an issue with the graduation gift I ordered for you, and I'm at the store sorting it out." When I didn't respond, he clicked his tongue. "Is it that hard to tell one little lie? I'm serious, this is an emergency. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow." He hung up. And just like that, a strange calm washed over me. After years of nursing a secret crush, I had spent two weeks meticulously planning my confession to him after graduation. When he said yes, I had been ecstatic, immediately calling my best friend, Mia, to share the news. She had frowned, her disapproval clear. "You had to be the one to confess? I'm sorry, Nora, but I just don't see him treating you like you're special." "If you hadn't told me, I never would've known you two were dating. He hasn't even posted anything about you." She had pulled up his social media, sighing. "Gaming, basketball, hanging with the guys… wait a minute." Mia pointed to a group photo on his feed. "See that girl? That's Krista Sterling, the transfer student I told you about. They were always super close at school. He has pictures of her on his feed, but not a single one of you!" The memory made me laugh, a brittle, humorless sound. "Krista," I whispered. Of course. But Ethan… we grew up together. If you didn't like me, you could have just said so. Why did you have to play me like this? 3 I scrubbed the tears from my eyes, trying to compose myself before I had to face our parents. But the moment I pushed open the door to the private dining room and saw their expectant faces, the sting at the back of my nose was unbearable. I ducked my head and quietly slid into the seat next to my mom. Ethan's mother, Aunt Clara, looked past me towards the door, a puzzled expression on her face. "Where's Ethan? I thought he was coming with you." My own mom looked at me, confused. "Yeah, honey, where is he? Weren't you two together?" I spoke slowly, my voice flat. "He said something urgent came up. He can't make it." I turned to his mom. "Aunt Clara, maybe you should try calling him. My phone's about to die." She didn't suspect a thing, immediately pulling out her phone. But call after call went straight to voicemail. Finally, it wouldn't even ring. The line was dead. Under the table, I refreshed the forum post. A new update had appeared. [OP]: His mom keeps calling. It's definitely his 'best friend' putting her up to it! I turned his phone off. A wave of dizziness washed over me. Aunt Clara suffered from severe anxiety. She needed to check in on her husband and son several times a day just to feel secure. Because of this, Ethan never turned his phone off. He even had special permission from our high school teachers to keep it on him at all times. I remembered once, I'd borrowed his phone to play a game and accidentally let the battery die. Even though I plugged it in and turned it back on immediately, he had still yelled at me, his face pale with panic. And now, I watched his mother's hands tremble as she dialed his number again and again, only to be met with the cold, robotic voice: "The number you have dialed has been switched off…" I thought, with a grim, twisted sort of humor, he really does treat different people differently, doesn't he? 4 Unable to get through, Aunt Clara started to panic. "It was just ringing before, why is it off now? What if something happened to him?" Just then, our dads walked in, laughing and carrying a bottle of wine. Seeing his wife's distressed face, Ethan's father stopped short. "What's wrong?" Aunt Clara rushed to him, grabbing his hand. "I can't reach Ethan! His phone is off! What if he was in an accident? We have to go find him!" Everyone knew about her condition. My dad quickly tried to soothe her. "Clara, if it was a car crash, a bystander would have answered his phone. I bet the battery just died. Or at worst, it was stolen. It's fine, we were going to get them new phones for college anyway." His logic seemed to calm her down, but only for a moment. After another half hour with no sign of Ethan, she couldn't take it anymore. "You all eat. I'm going home to check." The mood was ruined. "Let's all go," my mom said, signaling the waiter. "We'll get everything packed up. You guys go get the car." 5 We all moved quickly. I took the credit card to the front desk to pay, my mind racing. Should I tell them the truth? But Aunt Clara was so fragile. I remembered in middle school, our teacher had assigned us study partners. Not long after, Aunt Clara had stormed into the school. "Ethan and Nora are best friends," she'd demanded of the teacher. "Why would you pair him with another girl?" No matter how much the teacher explained it was based on academic strengths, she had stubbornly insisted he be reassigned to me. "I don't trust anyone else with him," she'd told my mother later. "His own grandmother accidentally spilled boiling water on his foot when he was a baby. I can't risk someone having ill intentions." Remembering all this, I couldn't bring myself to say it. What would happen if she found out Ethan had ditched his family and turned off his phone, all for a girl she'd never even met? Lost in thought, I buckled myself into the car. A call came through from our gated community's security office. Ethan wasn't home. The cameras showed him leaving two hours ago. My dad hung up with the highway patrol. "They said there were six accidents this afternoon, but they were all minor fender-benders. No one named Ethan involved." My hand hovered over my phone in my pocket. I pulled it out, then shoved it back in. Suddenly, Ethan's dad, who was driving, yelled "Shit!" and swerved hard to the right. I was thrown against my mom, who was pressed against Aunt Clara. Then came a deafening, metallic crunch. When the ringing in my ears subsided, I opened my eyes. The world was upside down. A woman was peering at me through the shattered window. "Sweetie, don't be scared!" she yelled. "We're getting you out!" 6 The scene, which I had only ever witnessed in viral videos, was now my reality. People were rushing over from all directions, shouting as they tried to flip the car back over. But it was too heavy. "Smash the rest of the glass!" someone yelled. "We need to get them out now! That other car is electric, it could catch fire!" The ringing in my ears finally faded, and clarity returned. I struggled with my seatbelt. My mom and Aunt Clara were unconscious. I managed to unbuckle Aunt Clara first, and the strangers outside carefully pulled her from the wreckage. But my mom's seatbelt was jammed, pulled terrifyingly tight against her chest. The more I panicked, the more tangled it became. The woman outside coached me, her voice loud and clear. "Slowly! Loosen the shoulder strap first, then the one across her lap. Now, try to slip it over her head!" I forced myself to calm down and followed her instructions step by step. Finally, my mom was free. Kind strangers pulled us both out and helped us to the sidewalk just as a man stumbled out of the electric car we'd collided with. Smoke began pouring from its engine. "Get back!" someone shouted. "The cars are too close, it's gonna blow!" Sure enough, a few minutes later, flames erupted from the electric car and quickly spread to ours. Two massive, heat-filled explosions followed. The woman who had helped me ran over with a bottle of water. "Don't worry," she said, her voice gentle. "Everyone is out. The ambulance is on its way." 7 At the hospital, my mom, Aunt Clara, and I were all treated for minor injuries. We were shaken but coherent. But Ethan's dad had been at the point of impact. He was still in the emergency room. Aunt Clara was sobbing as she tried to call Ethan's phone again. "Where is he? Why is it still off?" I let go of my mom's hand and pulled out my phone. I went straight to the forum. The OP, Krista, was still posting. [OP]: I confessed to him. He stroked my hair. [OP]: I transferred here our senior year, and it was love at first sight. I always felt like he was flirting with me, even before graduation. [OP]: The day college applications were due, I asked him if he wanted to go to school in New York with me. [OP]: He didn't say it outright, but I know it. He likes me! I scrolled to the bottom and typed a reply. [Nora]: Tell Ethan to turn on his phone and call his family IMMEDIATELY. His parents were in a car accident. His dad is in surgery. The comment section exploded. [User5]: Wait… is this… the childhood friend? [User6]: Is this for real? They just confessed their love and now his parents are in a car crash? [User7]: Honey, take it from someone who's been there: a man who wavers is not a man worth keeping.
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