A month after starting to date my childhood sweetheart, I stumbled across a post on Reddit. [My crush's parents are obsessed with his childhood friend. Any tips on how to drive a wedge between them?] In the pinned comment, the OP justified herself: [We like each other, we just haven't made it official yet.] [He even changed his college application to follow me to the same school, settling for a random major.] [He told me he only tried dating the childhood friend to see if it would work, but they have zero chemistry.] What sent a chill down my spine was the photo attached to the post. Two pairs of feet, close together. The hand-painted dragons on their sneakers were making a heart shape. I stared at the photo, and finally, it clicked. The "Crush" the OP was talking about was my boyfriend, Lucas. 1 The comments under the post were piling up. [Parents like that are the worst. They only care about their own social circle, not their kid's happiness.] [I never date guys with female 'besties.' Who knows what kind of history they have?] [So jealous. My crush always sides with his childhood friend.] ... The OP replied to each one, sounding smug. [His parents can want whatever they want. In the end, parents always cave to their kids. As long as he loves me, that's all that matters.] [Calling her a 'childhood friend' is being generous. Frankly, she's just the third wheel interfering in our relationship.] Someone questioned her: [If your crush is 'trying it out' with the childhood friend, doesn't that mean they're dating? Technically, you're the side piece!] The OP replied with an eye-roll emoji. [No ring, no foul. Whoever gets the marriage certificate wins. Besides, he likes me more!] Finally, she posted a screenshot of a chat. StarChaser (Him): I didn't want to go. It's a dinner with the parents, I'm just there as a prop. DewCollector (Her): But my stomach hurts, and I'm sitting alone on a bench at the mall. StarChaser: Send location! Don't worry, I'm coming right now. [See? One word from me, and he drops everything.] I stared at the familiar nickname, stunned. I never knew that to others, our relationship was just him "trying it out." I zoned out for a long time until my phone vibrated. "Nina, something came up, I can't make the dinner. Make up an excuse and cover for me with the parents." I was silent for a few seconds. "What kind of excuse do you suggest?" Lucas hummed impatiently. "Just say the graduation gift I ordered for you had an issue, and I'm at the shop sorting it out." When I didn't respond, Lucas clicked his tongue. "Is lying that hard for you? I really have an emergency. Don't worry, I'll make it up to you tomorrow." He hung up. Surprisingly, I felt calm. I had crushed on him for years. After graduation, I spent two weeks planning my confession. When he said yes, I excitedly told my best friend. But she frowned, disapproving. "You even had to confess first? I don't see him treating you special at all. If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't even know you guys were dating. Not even a social media post." She opened Lucas's Instagram. "Gaming, basketball, hanging with the boys... wait?" She pointed at a photo. "See this girl? That's the transfer student, Bella. They were close in school. She's in his photos, but you aren't!" Thinking back, I laughed. "DewCollector" could only be Bella (White Dew). But Lucas... we grew up together. If you didn't like me, you could have just said so. Why play me like this? 2 I wiped my tears aggressively, trying to compose myself. But pushing open the door to the private room, facing the expectant gazes of the adults, my nose still stung. I lowered my head to hide it and sat quietly next to my mom. Lucas's mom, Auntie Lin, looked confused, glancing at the door. "Where's Lucas? Didn't he say he was coming with you?" My mom was also puzzled. "Yeah, Nina, where's Lucas? Weren't you together?" I spoke slowly. "He said he had an emergency and couldn't come. Auntie, maybe you should call him. My phone is dying." Auntie Lin didn't think twice and dialed immediately. Call after call, no answer. Finally, it went straight to voicemail. I refreshed the Reddit post under the table. The latest update: [His mom keeps calling. Bet it's the childhood friend's doing! I turned his phone off.] I felt a wave of dizziness. Auntie Lin has anxiety. She needs to confirm her husband and son are safe multiple times a day. Because of this, Lucas never dared to turn off his phone. Even in school, teachers allowed him to keep his phone on because of his mom's condition. Once, I borrowed his phone to play a game and drained the battery. Even though I charged it immediately, he yelled at me. Now, I watched Auntie Lin's hands trembling as she dialed again and again. The cold robotic voice repeated: "The subscriber you have dialed is powered off..." I smiled bitterly. Lucas really treats people differently based on who they are. 3 Unable to get through, Auntie Lin started to panic. "No one answered before, now it's off! Did something happen to Lucas?" Just then, our dads walked in with drinks. Seeing Auntie Lin's distress, Uncle Yu froze. "What's wrong?" Auntie Lin found her anchor, grabbing his hand, speaking rapidly. "Lucas isn't answering, and now his phone is off! Was he in an accident? Is he hurt? We have to find him!" Everyone knew her condition. My dad quickly comforted her. "If it was an accident, someone else would answer. Probably just ran out of battery. Or maybe it got stolen! It's fine, we were going to get him a new one for college anyway." Dad's theory calmed her down slightly. But half an hour later, still no Lucas. She couldn't take it anymore. "You guys eat. I'm going home to check." My mom lost her appetite too. "Let's pack the food. You guys go get the car, we'll go back together." 4 We split up. I went to pay the bill, debating whether to tell the truth. But Auntie Lin's mental state was fragile. In middle school, teachers assigned study partners. Auntie Lin went to the school. "Lucas and Nina are best friends. Why pair him with someone else?" Despite the teacher explaining it was about complementary subjects, Auntie Lin insisted. She told my mom, "I don't trust anyone else. His own grandmother spilled boiling water on his foot. I can't gamble on strangers." Thinking of this, I didn't dare speak. If she knew Lucas ditched us and turned off his phone for Bella... what would she do? Hesitating, we got into the car. Property management called back: Lucas wasn't home. Security footage showed him leaving two hours ago. Uncle Yu hung up with the traffic police. "They said there were six minor accidents this afternoon, but no one named Lucas Yu." I fingered the phone in my pocket, pulling it out, then pushing it back. Suddenly, Uncle Yu, who was driving, yelled "Fuck!" The car swerved violently. Auntie Lin and I were thrown to the right, crushing my mom. Then, a sickening crash. When my hearing returned, I opened my eyes to an inverted street and crowd. A stranger was shouting through the window. "Honey, don't be scared! We're getting you out!" 5 Scenes I'd seen countless times on TikTok were playing out in front of me. People rushing from all directions, shouting, trying to flip the car. But manpower vs. machine wasn't enough. Someone took charge: "Smash the windows! Get the people out! That's an EV over there, might catch fire!" My ringing ears cleared. I woke up fully and struggled with my seatbelt. Our moms were unconscious. I pushed Auntie Lin toward the rescuers first. I turned to my mom, but her seatbelt had locked tight. The more I panicked, the stucker it got. The stranger outside shouted instructions. "Slow down! Loosen the shoulder strap, then the waist. Loop it over her head and behind her back." I forced myself to calm down and followed her steps. Freed my mom. We were pulled out one by one. They dragged us to the sidewalk. A scream came from the distance. A man stumbled out of the electric vehicle we hit. Smoke billowed from his car. "Run! The cars are too close, they're gonna blow!" Minutes later, the fire jumped to Uncle Yu's car. BOOM! Two explosions, heat waves hitting our faces. The stranger handed me water. "Don't be scared. Everyone's out. Ambulance is coming." 6 At the hospital, our moms and I had minor injuries. We calmed down quickly. Only Uncle Yu, who took the brunt of the impact, was still in surgery. Auntie Lin was crying and calling. "Where is Lucas? Why isn't his phone on?" I let go of my mom's hand and took out my phone. Opened Reddit. The OP was still updating. [I confessed. He patted my head.] [I transferred here senior year and fell for him instantly. Before graduation, I felt the vibes.] [When filling out college apps, I asked if he wanted to go to Shanghai with me.] [He didn't say yes explicitly, but I know he likes me!] I replied: [Tell Lucas to turn his phone on and call home immediately. His parents were in a car accident. His dad is in surgery.] The thread exploded. [Is this... the childhood friend?] [Real? Just confessed and now his parents are in a crash?] [Sister, let it go. A man who wavers isn't worth it!] Bella posted a photo. Lucas, holding an orange, smiling at the camera. [Why play these mind games? If our parents didn't force us, he wouldn't even look at you.] [Cursing his parents? Are you trying to make him hate you?] Desperate, I took a photo and uploaded it. [It's true. We are at City Hospital No. 1. Tell Lucas to come NOW!] I hit send. An error message popped up. [Message failed to send.] Bella blocked me.
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