Chapter 1 The night before the study abroad applications locked, our friend group chat exploded. [Jake]: HOLY SHIT! Liam, why'd you switch your preference to the UK? Aren't you and Mia supposed to be doing the Paris program?? Liam’s reply was so casual it made my blood run cold. [Liam]: Eh, I switched. She has my login. It's fine. He followed it up with a voice memo, his laugh echoing. [Liam (Voice Memo)]: “She’ll see I switched, and she’ll follow me. C'mon, you guys know my shadow. She can't live without me!” My phone slipped from my hand. My mind went completely blank. My suitcase, half-packed on the floor, was full of things I’d bought for him. For Paris. I left the group chat. I took the gifts and dumped them in the trash. I never looked at the application portal again. He had no idea. He could throw away our future for Chloe, but I could just as easily throw him away and choose my own. All those all-nighters, all that work... it was never just for him. Liam’s words were like glass in my stomach. The Paris program. Twelve years of dreaming, three years of AP French, and countless late-night study sessions. A goal we had set together. And he just… changed it. He didn't even have the guts to tell me to my face. Someone in the chat was still typing. [Sarah]: What if Mia doesn't see it? The portal closes tomorrow at midnight, Liam. Liam’s text was sharp, mocking. [Liam]: Are you kidding? Mia’s been checking that portal every ten minutes since it opened. She’s more on top of it than my mom. Tsk, you guys don't get it. A few guys replied with "true" and "savage." Then, someone else chimed in. [Jake]: But what if she doesn't change? That Paris design program is way better for her. Liam’s reply was slow this time, and cold. [Liam]: Bullshit. [Liam]: Mia’s got major separation anxiety. She freaked out that one time I was gone for a day and drove three hours to find me. If she doesn't come with me, she won't see me for three years. You do the math. [Liam]: She cares more about me than some stupid school. She’ll pick me. The chat went silent. Finally, Sarah typed again, slowly. [Sarah]: Liam, that's… not cool. We all saw how hard she worked for this. You should at least tell her. Liam’s response was just an emoji: ? [Liam]: Ugh. It’s annoying. I don't want to explain it. You guys know how Mia is. If she knew it was because of Chloe, she’d start crying and I don’t have the energy for that drama. This is just… less hassle for me. The chat instantly lit up again. [Guy 1]: Yeah, I get it. Mia's cool, but Chloe is… well. ? [Guy 2]: Liam, you dog! ... The joking messages piled up, each one like a boot on my chest. I wanted to call him. To scream. To demand an explanation. But my fingers wouldn't move. In the end, I just turned off my phone, pulled the covers over my head, and let the darkness swallow me. Chapter 2 I stared at the ceiling until my vision blurred. How can a person change so fast? All those times we nearly cried over French verb conjugations, we never thought about quitting. Whenever we got overwhelmed, we’d pull up pictures of the Eiffel Tower and joke about which cafe we’d hit first. The day we got our acceptance letters, we both cried, then laughed. We thought the hard part was over. Our perfect happy ending was right there. And he just... let go of my hand and ran toward someone else. I wouldn't have even been this mad if he’d just told me. But to not even say a word... In his eyes, am I really that small? And if I'm so "annoying," then what was that promise he made me under the stars last month? The one that sounded so much like a proposal? Was it just... too dark for him to see who he was talking to? I curled into a ball, pulling my knees to my chest, and finally, I let myself cry. The truth is, I don't need him to survive. I don't have separation anxiety. He does. Ever since we were kids, if we ended up in different classes or on different teams, he'd get quiet and moody, and he’d only cheer up when I was back. I’ve always been the one with the plan. He was just... the one I was bringing with me. Liam was right about one thing: I had always factored him into my future. I was willing to pay the price for a high-school sweetheart, as long as it didn’t compromise my goals. But this... this was a compromise I wasn't willing to make. I wiped my eyes, my hand hovering over the application I’d accidentally opened. I closed the tab. I didn't open the portal again. He made his choice. I’m making mine. We're even. I’d just washed my face when a video call request popped up from Liam. [Liam]: Hey, Shadow! Pick up! I wanna see you! I ignored it. It popped up again. And again. Finally, a text. [Liam]: We're at the usual spot. Everyone's waiting. Get anU uber, hurry up. I didn't want to go. [Me]: Tired. Not coming out. His reply was instant. [Liam]: You sick? I’m coming over. [Me]: No. Don’t. I'd barely hit send when a new message popped up from a number I didn’t have saved. Chloe. [Chloe]: Hey, Mia, I'm so sorry. I'm the one who dragged Liam out tonight. I had no idea you'd be upset. I'll leave right now, it's totally fine. My phone suddenly felt like it was coated in that fake, sugary "green tea" air freshener. Before I could even think of a reply, my phone blew up with notifications from a different group chat. [Girl 1]: @Mia What’s your problem? Can’t stand seeing Liam with someone else? [Girl 2]: Just 'cause you're jealous Chloe's prettier than you, you’re gonna throw a tantrum? Psycho. I just stared. I was about to type, to defend myself, when a text from Liam came through. [Liam]: Mia, I invited Chloe. Your problem is with me. Stop being a bitch to her. [Liam]: You know what, forget it. Come or don't. We're having more fun without you anyway. He followed that with a picture of their food. Someone else in the chat added: “Wow, dinner is so much better without all the drama.” A bunch of psychos. I left that group chat, too. Then I went to his contact, blocked his number, and deleted it. For years, he was my "pinned" contact. Now, he belongs in the blocklist. Chapter 3 The crazy part is, when Chloe transferred here, she was my friend first. Back then, Liam was the one who warned me. "She seems fake, Mia. Be careful." I actually tried to get them to like each other. Then came the winter formal. Chloe took off her dorky glasses, let her hair down, and showed up in this stunning red dress. After that night, Liam never told me to stay away from her again. Their "friendship" got closer. He introduced her to all his friends, our friends. Before I knew it, my circle had become her circle. He was... different with her. We had a massive fight about it once. A three-month cold war. I told him, "If you like her, just tell me. I'll back off." He cried. He actually cried. "You're the only one I care about, Mia," he said. "Chloe's just... she's got anxiety, her family life is a mess. I'm just trying to be a good guy." And I believed him. He played me for a fool. The line between "helping" and "cheating" blurred until it disappeared. And now, he’d changed his entire future for her. Leaving me looking like the biggest idiot in the world. I'd lost track of time. My mom came home, saw me staring at the wall, and smiled. "Fighting with Liam again? He texted me. Said you blocked him and to tell you to add him back." I mumbled something noncommittal and left. Our academic advisor had called a last-minute meeting to confirm our applications. When I got to the lecture hall, Liam was there. The seat next to him—my seat—was empty for a second. Then Chloe slid into it. Liam didn't say anything. He just took the bag she handed him and put it under the chair. But his eyes kept flicking toward me. He was waiting for me to break. To make a scene. He thought wrong. I turned and sat down in the empty seat next to Ethan, the school’s resident quiet-and-handsome guy. Miles away from them. "This is it, people!" the advisor said. "The portal locks at midnight tonight. This is your last chance to triple-check. No regrets!" As she droned on, Ethan glanced at my confirmation sheet. "Hey. The Paris program, right?" he said, his voice low. "Me too. Small world." Before I could answer, someone tapped my shoulder. Hard. "Mia. Don't you have something to say?" I ignored him, turning back to Ethan. Liam grabbed my arm and physically dragged me out into the hallway. "Mia, are you done?" he snapped. "Throwing a tantrum is one thing, but blocking me? Seriously?" "I'm warning you, add me back right now, or you'll never get the chance again." I just stared at him. "Oh," I said. "I wasn't planning on it." His face went pale, then dark red. "Fine. Don't come crying to me later." He turned to leave, but then spun back, his eyes suddenly intense. "It's almost the deadline," he said, his voice lower. "Just... check your application one more time, okay? Don't... don't mess it up." He wanted to say more, but Chloe walked up, interrupting. "Liam? I don't get this part of the financial aid form. Can you help me?" "Yeah, of course," he said, his attention instantly shifting. I just smiled, a small, bitter smile, and walked away. As I reached the door, I heard him call out one last time. "Mia! Remember to check it! Really check it!" Chapter 4 Check it. Like it's a royal decree. He really thinks I'm going to log on, see his "surprise" UK application, and immediately pivot my entire life to follow him. What a dream world he lives in. He's too cowardly to tell me, so I'll just pretend I don't know. He thinks explaining things to me is "drama." Well, I think explaining my choices to him is a waste of my time. Back in my seat, Ethan looked at me. "You okay? You look... pissed." "I'm fine." "Good. 'Cause I have an extra ticket to that band playing downtown tonight, and you should come. My treat." I was about to say no, but I was so sick of sitting at home. "Okay." The show was great. We were leaving the venue, laughing about the drummer, when I ran right into Liam. He was standing by the exit, his face like a thundercloud. He looked at me, then at Ethan. I knew exactly what he was thinking. I didn't care enough to explain. I just treated him like air. But I got stuck in the crowd, and I ended up in the hallway, right behind him and one of his friends. "Bro, just tell her," his friend was saying. "The UK is a long way from France. You're really gonna let her go alone?" Liam snorted. "What's it to me? Besides, she's definitely already changed it. She's just throwing a tantrum. God, she's so clingy, it's annoying." I just stood there, stunned. We rounded the corner, and he saw me. He told his friend and Ethan to go on ahead, then he backed me into an alcove. "You come to a show, and you bring him? You've got a lot of nerve, Shadow." "Trying to make me jealous?" He grabbed my hand, his voice low and cocky. "Fine. I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have yelled at you. We good now?" He squeezed my hand. "Did you check the application portal? Did you... check mine, too?" I said nothing. The silence stretched. And, right on cue... "Liam? They're all ganging up on me! You have to come help!" Chloe appeared, then did a fake little gasp. "Oh! Mia! You're here too! Did you see my IG story and follow us? That's so sweet! You have to stop doing that, I just invited Liam 'cause I know this band is my absolute favorite, and..." There it was again. That cloying, green tea smell. I was done. I didn't want to be in this play anymore. I ducked under Liam's arm as he was looking at her. As I broke free, Chloe stuck out her arm, blocking me.
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