I grabbed Ivy by the collar and threw her, luggage and all, out of my hotel room. From the hallway came the furious roar of my childhood best friend. "Clara! What the hell is wrong with you now?!" He was cradling a tear-streaked Ivy in his arms, looking at me like I was a lunatic. He seemed to have forgotten that just a few days ago, he had personally canceled my flight to Aspen, all to fulfill the dream of the girl in his arms, who had “never been on a plane before.” He’d also forgotten that this trip was supposed to be our confession tour, a promise we’d made three years ago. He thought I would do what I had always done: endure, compromise, and swallow my feelings for his sake. He was wrong. The moment he chose to leave me behind, our future ceased to exist. 1 This graduation trip to the Rocky Mountains was a promise Liam and I had made three years ago. Back then, his grades were terrible. I had been accepted into the city’s top magnet school, but Liam practically begged me to stay, to go to the same public high school as him. In a moment of weakness, I agreed. In return, he made a solemn vow: when we graduated, we’d go to Aspen, and there, on a snow-capped mountain, he would officially ask me out. We would go to the same college, and we would get married after graduation. I took that promise to heart. For three years, I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into tutoring him, dragging his grades from the bottom of the barrel until he was my academic equal. I thought our future was as clear and certain as that promise. But ever since Ivy transferred to our school, it was as if Liam’s eyes only followed her. He helped Ivy with her homework. He took her to do all the things she’d never experienced before. Our lunches for two became dinners for three. The steak and fish I ordered would always end up on Ivy’s plate. “Clara, you should watch your weight,” Liam would say. “Have some salad.” I weighed 110 pounds. The weekend movie we’d planned for weeks? He’d cancel at the last minute. “Ivy says twenty dollars for a ticket is what she makes in three hours at her part-time job. She doesn’t think it’s worth it. You should just go by yourself, Clara. My parents work hard for their money, too.” He seemed to forget his parents had just bought him a two-thousand-dollar laptop. The list of slights was endless. Then, he missed my birthday. I waited at home, stubbornly refusing to blow out my candles until he arrived. The clock ticked past eleven, past midnight, then into the early hours of the morning. Not a single text from him. I told myself he must have gotten held up by an emergency. Then I saw his Instagram story. A video of him and Ivy, drag racing on some deserted road. She was clinging to his waist, her face pressed against his back. He didn't show up until the next day, looking sheepish. He’d forgotten it was my birthday, he said. Just like that, the inseparable childhood friends became a trio, with Ivy always there, a constant shadow. And when it came to college applications, despite scoring higher than he ever had on his SATs, he still didn’t have the numbers for a top-tier university. He just assumed that I, like always, would choose to stay local with him to honor our pact. What he didn’t know was that my application was already sent, my sights set on a university in New York, a thousand miles away. To be honest, I regretted giving up the magnet school for him. After two years of being consistently abandoned and sidelined, I was no longer the girl whose world revolved around Liam. I had planned to use this trip to finally tell him. But as I was heading to the airport, I got a notification. My flight had been canceled. Confused and stranded, a few lines of bizarre, glowing text suddenly appeared in my vision. [Here we go! Classic plot point. The Male Lead feels sorry for the Female Lead because she’s never flown before, so he cancels the Second Female Lead’s ticket and gives it to her. Cue the big fight.] [Even if the SFL buys a train ticket and follows them, the ML and FL will have already had a super romantic day together. They’ll be inseparable. The ML won’t even see the SFL when she shows up!] [This is the trip that makes the ML realize how dramatic and needy the SFL is. Every fight they have just makes him appreciate the FL more. They drift apart, he ends up with the FL. I ship it!] I was still holding my phone, debating whether to text Liam, when a message from him popped up. [Clara, Ivy’s never been on a plane. I canceled your ticket and gave it to her.] [Just buy a train ticket and meet us there. We’ll wait for you in Aspen!] When I didn’t reply, a second message followed. [Are you mad? I know you’re not used to roughing it. You’re delicate.] [But Ivy can handle anything. Why is it always such a big deal with you?] I stared at the screen, my blood running cold. The text in my vision… it was all true. I pressed my lips into a thin line, opened a travel app, and bought a train ticket. But I changed the destination. Liam was the one who broke our promise first. Summer flights to Aspen were nearly impossible to get on short notice. After Liam canceled mine, there was no way I could find another. The train was sold out, too. Luckily, using a reseller app, I managed to snag a ticket to Denver in a private roomette, though I had to pay extra. I had just settled in when Liam’s text came through. [You’re taking the train, right? Ivy says even though it’s a 40-hour ride, the scenery is amazing. It’s something you’d never see from a plane. You’re lucky!] I let out a cold laugh and put my phone away without replying. After the initial shock of the canceled ticket, I’d considered just going home. But I decided to go ahead with the trip anyway. Going to the Rockies wasn’t just about Liam; it was part of my own plan for my life, and I wasn’t going to give it up for him. And starting in Denver wasn’t so bad. I’d always wanted to explore it. Still, he knew it was a grueling forty-hour train ride. And he’d canceled my flight without even asking, using my money, my time, and my peace of mind to give Ivy her “first time.” Even though I had decided to let him go, a dull ache settled in my chest, heavy and persistent. The glowing text reappeared. [Wow, this SFL is really obsessed with the ML. Dumped so many times and she’s still chasing after him. No direct train, so she goes to Denver first. Pathetic!] [Good! I was worried the plot would slow down without the SFL there as a catalyst, but she’s still following the script. A slight detour, but she’s on her way. Perfect!] [Seriously, does this girl have any self-respect? Thrown away like trash over and over, and she still sticks to him like glue. Such a desperate pick-me.] I glanced at the words and looked away, focusing on the view outside my window. The privacy of the roomette was a comfort. The price was steep, but watching the landscape shift and change, my knotted feelings slowly began to unwind. The next day, I arrived in Denver. I bought a map, circled a few spots I wanted to see, and looked up some guides online. It was getting late, so I booked a hotel near the downtown area. As I was settling in, I saw Ivy’s new Instagram post. [We gave the last room to a cute couple, so now I have to share with a certain someone! So embarrassing…] The accompanying photo was of their hotel room. She didn’t show the bed directly, but in the reflection of the window, you could clearly see Liam, leaning against the headboard, scrolling on his phone. My hand froze. My phone vibrated. A message from Liam: [Where are you? Ivy says the scenery on the way is beautiful. Send me some pics.] When I didn't answer, a single [?] followed. I scoffed, set an alarm, and turned my phone off. [Ooh, look at her, playing hard to get. Does she really think the ML will get worried if she doesn’t text back?] [Looks like she’s planning to spend a few days in Denver. What’s her deal? Doesn’t she know the ML and FL are waiting for her in Aspen? So selfish!] [Yeah, didn’t you see? The ML was barely paying attention to the FL because he wasn’t getting texts back. Can this SFL stop being so dramatic? Will she die if she doesn’t ruin their romance?] [Whatever, let her play her games. By the time she gets to Aspen, the ML and FL will have already had their big romantic moment. I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out!] [Exactly. It’s so annoying seeing her all relaxed like this. The more fun she has now, the more heartbroken she’ll be later.] I ignored the commentary and closed my eyes. I spent the next day exploring Denver to my heart's content. Only then did I turn my phone on to book the next leg of my journey. From here, there were plenty of tickets to Aspen. I didn’t buy one. Instead, I booked a bus ticket to Moab. Liam, having received no reply from me, called. I fumbled with my phone and accidentally answered. “Clara? Where are you?” Liam’s voice came through the speaker. “What’s up?” I asked, my tone flat. He must have sensed my coldness. He paused, then tried to sound cheerful. “Hey, where are you? I’ll come pick you up from the station.” “Don’t bother,” I said. “You two have fun.” As expected, he blew up. “Clara, what is that supposed to mean? What do you mean, ‘we’ have fun?” “Wasn’t coming to Aspen your dream? I ditched a trip to Florida with my friends to come to this godforsaken place with you, and now you’re giving me an attitude?” My continued silence seemed to cool his temper slightly. “Clara, are you actually mad?” he asked, uncertain. “Just because I gave your ticket to Ivy?” Before I could answer, he laughed, a cold, sharp sound. “Clara, that’s enough! How long are you going to drag this out? I already explained, I just wanted Ivy to experience flying for the first time. Are you really going to hold a grudge over that?” “Keep it up! Who else would put up with your terrible attitude but me?!” I heard the dial tone and sighed. My terrible attitude? They were the ones who abandoned me, and I hadn’t said a single harsh word. How was I the one with the bad attitude? Ignoring the floating text, I spent three days in Moab and then took a detour to see the Grand Canyon. The vast, breathtaking landscapes were something I’d never seen back home on the coast. The sheer scale of it all was humbling. It was worth the trip. I stayed for another three days before finally booking a bus to Aspen. Strangely, in those ten days, I had barely thought about Liam. It was as if the moment I decided to let go, he had truly faded from my world. He hadn’t tried to contact me since our angry phone call. But his Instagram was constantly updated. He and Ivy were inseparable, sharing a room, making heart signs in front of the Maroon Bells, visiting the sights, and even taking cheesy couple’s photos on the main street. He posted eight times a day, and nearly every picture was a selfie of the two of them. Looking at them, I felt a surprising sense of calm. They actually looked good together. The moment I arrived in Aspen, I got a text from my mom. [Clara, your acceptance letter came.] She added, [By the way, Liam’s mom just called, asking if you two wanted to have a joint graduation party. Does Liam not know you’re going to New York?] I was wondering how to reply when someone slapped me hard on the shoulder. “Clara! It really is you!” I looked up. It was Liam and Ivy. Liam’s eyes lit up when he saw me, and he started to walk toward me. I just gave them a brief glance and walked straight to the hotel’s front desk to check in. Ivy, seemingly oblivious to my cold shoulder, followed me. “Clara, what took you so long? You have no idea how fun Aspen is! Liam and I have seen almost everything. Where do you want to go next? I can have Liam take you.” I finished checking in, ignored her, and started rolling my suitcase toward the elevators. As I passed Liam, he grabbed my arm. His brow was furrowed, his expression dark. “Clara, are you done with this tantrum?” he demanded. “I’ve been ignoring you for days. Haven’t you figured out what you did wrong? What is this attitude? Didn’t you hear Ivy talking to you? Who do you think you’re too good for?” Ivy looked startled and quickly stepped in. “Liam, don’t be so loud! You’re being so mean to her!” Then she looked at me apologetically. “Clara, don’t get the wrong idea. He’s just like that. He’s only patient with me. I know you two are childhood friends, and I know I’ll never be as important to him as you are. I’m not trying to get in between you, I promise!” As she spoke, she reached for my arm. I instinctively pulled away. She used the momentum to stumble backward, collapsing onto the floor in a heap. “Ivy!” Liam roared, shoving me hard. I lost my balance and went down, my suitcase crashing to the floor with me. “Clara! What the hell? You’re going to bully her right in front of me? After she’s been worried sick about you this whole time? If I had known you were this vicious, we would have left Aspen days ago! Who cares if you ever showed up!” A sharp, stinging pain shot through my knee. I took a deep breath and pushed myself back up. I looked up to see Liam shielding Ivy in his arms, his eyes filled with profound disappointment. “Clara, apologize to Ivy,” he commanded. “Otherwise, you can forget about having our graduation party together!” I froze.
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