Chapter 1

On the third night of our graduation road trip, we were playing Truth or Dare at our Airbnb.

Chloe got a Dare. She had to imitate someone in the room.

She rolled her eyes, sat stiffly on the couch, and started reading in a robotic, monotone voice.

The rest of our classmates burst into hysterics.

Tyler laughed so hard he cried. He slapped my shoulder and said, "Avery, oh my god, that is literally you! You’re such a robot. Why can’t you learn to loosen up like Chloe?"

I stared at their smug, knowing smiles and said nothing.

Since we were kids, they had always used me as their personal punching bag to boost their own egos.

I brushed Tyler’s hand off my shoulder and stood up.

I grabbed the cup of Coke from the table and poured it directly over Chloe’s head.

"Since you guys love setting the mood so much, enjoy the rest of the night yourselves."

I left our three-person Snapchat group and walked out of the Airbnb.

The Coke dripped down Chloe’s blonde hair, staining her expensive white dress.

The living room went dead silent. The only sound was Chloe’s sharp gasp.

"Avery, what is your problem?"

Tyler was the first to react. He leaped up, knocking over a can of beer on the table.

"Are you insane, Avery?"

"It’s just a game! Do you really have to take everything so seriously? You’re such a sore loser!"

I looked at his furious face and let out a cold laugh.

It was always like this. Like when Chloe ridiculed my style, mocking me for wearing sports bras instead of lace.

When I told her to shut up, they both accused me of "not being able to take a joke."

"Yeah, I am a sore loser. I take everything seriously."

"And I’m done playing your pathetic games."

I turned on my heel and walked out the door.

The three of us grew up next door to each other. We were supposed to be childhood friends.

In the beginning, we actually had fun. Chloe was beautiful and would pick out cute hair clips for me.

Tyler was loyal. He’d go shopping with us and stand up for me if anyone tried to bully me.

But somewhere along the way, everything changed.

In high school, Chloe and Tyler were placed in the same class.

I was in another.

Chloe gradually became the center of the social scene, and Tyler became her devoted white knight, letting her get away with anything.

And me? I became the "boring, uptight nerd who couldn’t take a joke." I was just the shadow trailing behind them.

I had even given up my dream university just to go to the same college as them.

The night air was freezing. I pulled out my phone and ordered an Uber.

"Take me to the nearest train station."

Once inside the car, I opened Snapchat.

I found our pinned group chat, "The Golden Trio," and hit leave.

The second I left, my phone vibrated.

Tyler's name flashed on the screen.

I answered it.

"Avery, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Tyler’s voice was thick with suppressed rage. "Chloe was just playing a game. Was it really necessary to pour Coke on her? She’s sobbing her eyes out in the bathroom right now!"

In the past, seeing Chloe cry would make me anxious. I would immediately start blaming myself, wondering if I had done something wrong.

Tyler knew that about me. That was why he always used guilt to control me.

But this time, I felt absolutely nothing.

"She can cry all she wants. What does that have to do with me?"

Tyler's tone shifted to disgust. "I am so disappointed in you, Avery."

"We’re supposed to be celebrating, and you have to ruin the mood. It’s bad enough that you’re usually a buzzkill, but now you’re just being malicious. Just come back, apologize to her, and we’ll forget this ever happened."

It was always the same script.

Even when Chloe "accidentally" spilled coffee on my laptop, forcing me to rewrite my entire senior thesis.

Tyler had said: "She didn't mean to. Don't be so dramatic. Just let her apologize and move on."

"I’m not coming back."

"Avery!"

Tyler raised his voice. "Where are you even going to go? You don’t know anyone around here. Stop throwing a tantrum and get back here!"

"Tyler, don't ever contact me again."

I hung up and instantly blocked his number.

Then, I blocked Chloe.

Looking at my clean contact list, I leaned back against the seat.

Outside the window, the streetlights blurred past.

The train station was practically empty.

I bought a ticket for the earliest train back to the city.

During the four-hour ride, I didn’t sleep a wink.

Instead, I deleted every single photo, video, and shared note involving them.

The suffocating, nauseating weight in my chest finally lifted.