She's Just A Friend, Right"

Warm fluid. Coppery scent. Thick.

It snakes down Bennetts temple.

Drip. Drip.

Smashing against my cheek. My vision swims in red.

Screeching rubber. Piercing screams. Chaos.

Irony. Bitter. Cold.

Minutes ago, I threw a one point two million dollar bill in his face.

I ended us. Brutal. Final.

Now.

The man I discarded.

Hes a dead weight crushing my chest. Shielding me.

I recalled the sickening, hollow crack of his skull hitting the curb a split second before.

Thud.

Sickening. Hollow.

Jordan.

The "best friend." The reason he changed my lock code to "protect my privacy."

She stands ten feet away. Pale. Trembling. Useless.

Chapter 1

I stepped off the elevator, clutching the takeout bag from Din Tai Fung.

My mind replayed yesterday. Bennetts face lighting up.

Hes a gamer. Buried in work lately, climbing the corporate ladder.

But with his annual leave starting, I splurged.

A PS5. The new Assassin's Creed. The whole setup.

He looked like a kid on Christmas.

I wanted to be the perfect girlfriend. So I braved the rain to get his favorite breakfast.

I punched the code into his smart lock.

Beep. Error.

Weird. Its my birthday. I never get that wrong.

I typed it again. Harder.

Error.

The door swung open before I could try a third time.

A girl stood there. Messy hair. Annoyed.

"Keep it down! It's too early for this noise."

I blinked. Wrong apartment?

Then it hit me.

Jordan.

The only girl in Bennetts "bro" circle. The ultimate pick-me.

She was wearing an oversized men's tank top. His tank top.

Bare legs.

And on her feet? My pink fuzzy slides.

She recognized me. A smirk tugged at her lips. "Oh, Reese. Thought it was the neighbor making a racket. Sorry for yelling."

Behind her, Bennett shuffled out of the bedroom, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

The air left the hallway.

My lungs collapsed.

I didn't just see them. I felt the betrayal strike my chest like a physical blow.

Cold. Numbing.

My blood didn't freeze; it turned to lead.

"What" My voice cracked. "What are you two doing?"

Bennett blinked. Disoriented. "What do you mean?"

"Chill, Reese." Jordan hiked up the tank top, flashing denim. "I'm wearing shorts, see? We just crashed. Nothing happened."

She reached out and slapped Bennetts shoulder. Hard. Playful. "Idiot. Reese is spiraling. Explain it to her."

I forced air into my lungs. Stared him down. "Why is she sleeping here?"

Bennett frowned. He looked annoyed. At me. "We pulled an all-nighter on the game. She just woke up. She's one of the boys, Reese. Don't start with the crazy jealousy."

"Exactly," Jordan chirped. "Bennett posted that screenshot in the group chat. My laptop sucks, so I came over to watch. That raid took forever."

She laughed, turning to Bennett. "You suck at it, by the way. Embarrassing."

Bennett rolled his eyes. "Says the one who got motion sickness and puked on herself. Had to steal my clothes."

I watched them.

The banter. The rhythm. The exclusion.

A toxic heat surged in my chest. Suffocating. Explosive.

Chapter 2

Bennett finally seemed to process that I was still standing in the hallway.

He reached for me. Casual. Like nothing was wrong. "Why are you standing there? Is that the soup dumpling place I like? Perfect timing. I'm starving."

I sidestepped.

His hand grabbed empty air.

A flicker of annoyance crossed his face. The mask slipped. "Reese. Don't start a scene this early in the morning. Just come inside."

I stared at him. "How? I walked here in the rain. My sneakers are soaked. Unless you want me tracking mud all over your hardwood?"

Jordan let out a theatrical gasp. "Oh my god! Totally my bad!"

She kicked my pink slides off her feet. They skidded across the floor, landing upside down. "Here! Take them back. I can go barefoot. I'm not delicate."

She grabbed the hem of the tank top. "And I'll take Bennett's shirt off right now. Seriously, Reese, don't be weird about it!"

I looked at the slides. The soles were gray with dust.

Then I looked at her.

"Keep them."

My voice was ice.

"I don't touch dirty things. If you like wearing my leftovers so much, take them home. And the shirt? Throw it in the trash when you're done. It's contaminated."

"Reese!" Bennetts voice boomed. Defensive. Angry. "I told her to wear them. I lent her the shirt. We were just gaming, okay? We are innocent. Why do you have to be so nasty to another girl?"

Behind him, Jordan blinked. Innocent doe eyes.

But her mouth curled into a smirk that Bennett couldn't see.

I fought the tremor in my voice. "Innocent? Is that why you changed the door code? To keep your innocent little sleepover private?"

Bennett frowned. "I didn't change the code."

He whipped his head toward Jordan. "Did you touch the lock? I told you not to."

Jordan pouted. She shrugged, unbothered. "The guys can never remember the code when it's your birthday. So I changed it to Bennett's birthday. It's just easier for the group. What's the big deal? I used to change it all the time."

"The code was Reese's birthday," Bennett snapped. "Why would you mess with it?"

He turned back to me. The anger softened into guilt. "Reese, look. Jordan doesn't think before she acts. Don't hold it against her. I'll change it back right now."

"Don't bother."

I took a step back.

"There's no reason for your friends to memorize my birthday anyway. You two should go back to bed. Sorry I interrupted."

I turned on my heel.

Bennett lunged. "Reese, wait"

He grabbed my arm.

I ripped it away.

The momentum sent the bag of dumplings flying from my hand.

It hit the entryway cabinet.

Splat.

The container burst open. Hot broth splattered everywhere.

Jordan let out a sharp, high-pitched shriek.

Bennett spun around. His eyes went straight to her. Checking if she was startled.

I didn't wait.

While his back was turned, I bolted.

I ran down four flights of stairs, my wet sneakers squeaking on the linoleum.

I stopped at the building's entrance.

I stood there, chest heaving, waiting for the sound of footsteps. Waiting for him to chase me.

Silence.

Then

SLAM.

The heavy metal door upstairs crashed shut. The vibration rattled the glass in the lobby.

He didn't come.

The humiliation hit me then. Hot salt water leaked from my eyes.

I wiped it away angrily and pushed out into the rain.

As I passed the courtyard, I looked up.

Fourth floor.

Jordan was standing at the floor-to-ceiling window. Looking down at me.

She was holding a dumpling.

She took a slow, deliberate bite.

Her expression wasn't apologetic.

It was a challenge.

Chapter 3

Seven hours.

Thats how long it took for my phone to ring.

"Reese. Are you done being mad?"

Bennetts voice was smooth. Rested. The rasp of sleep was gone, replaced by that clean, magnetic timbre I used to love.

I stared at the wall, gripping the phone. "What about you two? Get enough beauty sleep?"

A pause on the line. Then a sigh. "Reese, stop. You know how Jordan is. Shes chill. She didnt even care that you made a scene this morning. Shes the one who told me to call and smooth things over."

I let out a dry, sharp laugh. "Wow. So I should be thanking her? Should I send a fruit basket?"

The temperature of Bennetts voice dropped ten degrees. "Reese. Ive explained this to you. Don't push it."

I went silent.

In the two years we've been together, that tone was the warning shot.

It meant stop, or else.

Usually, this is the part where I cave. Where I apologize. Where I find a way to de-escalate the situation so he doesn't have to.

Because Bennett didnt chase me. I chased him.

For a whole year.

I flashed back to senior year of college.

I was waitressing at a greasy dive bar to pay tuition.

A drunk patron cornered me. Slurring filth, hands grabbing at my apron strings.

The room was full of people, but everyone looked away.

Everyone except Bennett.

He stood up from a corner booth.

He was two years out of college then. Crisp white button-down. Wire-rimmed glasses. Clean-cut.

He looked like a Wall Street analyst lost in a biker bar.

But he shouted the guy down. His voice didn't shake.

To a terrified twenty-two-year-old, he wasn't just a guy.

He was a savior. A knight in a pressed shirt.

I fell hard. Fast.

Ive always been someone who coasts through life. Average grades, average ambition.

But love? I wanted the fireworks. The movie script.

So I threw away my pride.

I became the girl who waited in the rain. The girl who brought him soup when he was sick. The girl who learned football stats just to sit next to him at the bar.

The girl who cursed at the TV with him when his team lost and called it support.

Eventually, he let me in.

He started caring. Or acting like it.

Then came the initiation. Meeting "The Boys."

Thats when I met Jordan.

It was a private karaoke room.

The air smelled of stale beer and expensive cologne.

Jordan was the only girl in a sea of five dudes.

She was lounging on the leather sofa, a beer in one hand, laughing at something one of the guys said. Shoulders relaxed. Total command of the room.

She had this effortless, magnetic vibe that screamed I belong here.

When Bennett walked me in, her eyebrows shot up. A flicker of surprise.

The guys started hooting.

"Bennett! Finally surrendered?"

"Thought you were switching teams for a second there, buddy."

Jordan stood up. She had that confident swagger that made you want to be her friend.

She walked right up to me, smiling. Big, open, disarming.

"I'm Jordan. Let me clear the air right nowI know I'm a girl, but I'm basically a dude with long hair. Seriously. Bennett and I are strictly platonic. Bros for life. So you can relax. No jealous girlfriend drama needed, okay?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

Shes so cool, I thought. So secure. I need to be cool too.

I told myself I wouldn't be the petty, jealous girlfriend.

But the future would prove me wrong.

Jordan didn't have boundaries.

She had territory.

Chapter 4

She had zero boundaries.

Shed drape her arm around his neck right in front of me. Whisper in his ear. Burst into manic laughter.

When I asked what was so funny? Shed just smile. A secret code I wasn't allowed to crack.

Date nights were hijacked. Shed call him, and hed stay on the line for an hour while my pasta went cold.

The worst was the texts. Screenshots of lingerie from online stores. Lace. Silk. Sheer.

1 or 2? Which one makes my boobs look better?

She sent that to my boyfriend.

When I exploded, Bennett looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.

"Reese, we do everything right in front of you. She's not flirting. She treats all the guys like that. Jordan is just Jordan. Stop thinking of her as a girl."

I knew Bennett wasn't emotionally sharp.

But on paper? He was perfect.

Tall. Handsome. Good family. Clean habits. Hard worker.

In bed? He knew exactly what he was doing.

He even trusted me with his finances.

Aside from the Jordan-shaped tumor attached to his side, he was an incredible boyfriend.

We were talking marriage. I didn't want to nuke our future over one person.

So, I tried to play the cool girl. I tried to "educate" him. I lowered my guard. I played the "I'm only jealous because I love you" card.

He listened. Or pretended to. Hed ruffle my hair with a helpless smile, like I was a cute, paranoid child.

Luckily, work got crazy for him this past year. He didn't have time for the "bros." Jordan faded into the background.

But last night changed the math.

This wasn't a thorn I could swallow anymore. It was a dealbreaker.

I couldn't retreat. Not this time.

"Bennett."

My voice was steady. Too steady.

"I've told you a thousand times. Jordan makes me uncomfortable. You keep saying she's 'one of the guys,' but she has distinct female anatomy, doesn't she? I trust you. I do not trust her. For the sake of our relationship, I can let last night go. But you and Jordan? No more private hangouts."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I gritted my teeth. "It means you choose. Her or me."

"You're doing this over that?" Bennetts voice dropped. Heavy. Dark.

"Yes. Over that."

Silence stretched on the line. Thick. Suffocating.

Then, his voice cut through the static. Cold. Detached.

"You really don't need to be paranoid. I've known Jordan for over ten years. If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened a long time ago."

He paused.

Then he delivered the kill shot.

"And if I wanted her, it wouldn't be your turn."

The words didn't just hurt. They physically struck me.

It wouldn't be your turn.

Implying I was the backup plan. The consolation prize. The placeholder.

A roar of white noise exploded in my ears. My vision tunneled.

His cold voice continued through the buzzing. "If this relationship means so little to you that you'd throw ultimatums around, maybe we both need to cool off."

Click.

He hung up.

The dam broke.

I didn't just cry. I gasped for air, clutching my chest, my body rejecting the reality of the last thirty seconds.

Seven hours of psychological prepgone.

I curled into a ball on the sofa, sobbing into a pillow until my throat was raw.

Panic set in.

The pathetic, conditioned part of my brain took over. The part that wanted to fix it. The part that wanted to beg.

Maybe I pushed too hard. Maybe I was wrong.

I grabbed my phone. My thumb hovered over his contact, ready to type an apology.

Just like every time before.

Then I saw it.

A notification.

Jordan had just posted a new photo.

Chapter 5

Instagram > Feed > Jordan's Post

Caption: POV: You try to help a bro out with a game and somehow become the villain in someone else's drama. I'm literally just existing. Make it make sense. ??

Comments:

Logan: Who's messing with you? Just say the name, we'll handle it.

Tyler: Ignore the drama queens. They're just noise.

Hunter: Come over for drinks. We'll roast them together.

Bennett: Same time tonight?

Jordan (Reply): Bet. You're on. ??

I stared at the screen.

The heat in my chest didn't explode.

It just evaporated.

I sat in the dark living room, the phone screen the only light.

The silence was heavy.

I asked myself three questions.

Do I love Bennett more than I love myself?

If the Jordan situation never changes, can I actually stay?

Am I one of those girls? The ones who confuse toxicity for passion?

Two hours later, I called Chloe.

I need to borrow your brother.

Which one?

The one who came out.

Monday.

I didn't contact Bennett all day.

On the subway ride home, my phone buzzed. A tag in the group chat.

I debated ignoring it.

Then I opened it.

Jordan had turned the chat into a live blog of her night with Bennett.

Jordan: Boys, get the beers ready. We're crushing this boss tonight.

Jordan: Bennett is cracked! He made that boss cry.

Jordan: RIP Big Head. Bennett is a god.

Jordan: Good thing I was there to carry him emotionally. Hard work being a support main! ?????

She posted photos.

They were calculated.

A hand with bright red nails resting "casually" on Bennett's forearm.

A shot of her holding a beer to Bennett's lips while his hands were busy on the controller.

And the kicker.

Her bare legs, propped up high on a cushion.

Wearing my pink slides.

And the cushion?

It was the custom one I gave Bennett for Valentine's Day. The one printed with my face.

Her legs were literally resting on my face.

She tagged me.

Jordan: @Reese Don't be weird about this, okay? You don't game, so you don't get it. We only beat the second boss in two nights. That proves we had literally zero time for anything else. LOL!

The boys chimed in immediately.

Logan: Obviously. Who's dumb enough to think you two would hook up?

Tyler: Queen Jordan. Why are you explaining yourself? You didn't do anything wrong.

Hunter: Go again tonight. I'll watch the stream.

Bennett didn't say a word in the group.

I closed my eyes. The subway rattled around me. The smell of sweat and metal filled the air.

I typed a reply.

Reese: No worries. Hope you two meet your final boss soon.

One minute later