It was Labor Day weekend, and my childhood friend, Leo, brought his new girlfriend, Ashley, on our annual group trip. We were all out on the beach, the smell of salt and charcoal in the air from the grill. Leo pulled the first batch of perfectly charred chicken wings off the grate, walked past everyone—his girlfriend included—and handed the plate to me. That’s when Ashley’s voice cut through the relaxed vibe. “Doesn’t it get exhausting? Pulling that whole ‘one of the guys’ act?” The sizzle of the grill was suddenly the loudest sound on the beach. The air went still. I was just holding the plate, completely thrown. “I’m sorry, what?” “If you want him, just say it,” she continued, her voice sharp. “At least then I could respect you as a rival. But don't hide behind this whole ‘best bud’ thing to flirt with my boyfriend.” The atmosphere went from zero to a hundred real quick. I was just standing there with a plate of wings, totally embarrassed and confused by her sudden attack. “I think you’ve got this all wrong,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Leo jumped in, scowling at her. “Ashley, what the hell? Mia and I are just friends. Stop looking for trouble.” “Friends?” She let out a bitter little laugh. “You give her the first plate of wings instead of your own girlfriend, and now you’re yelling at me to defend her. You expect me to believe you two are just ‘buddies’?” Her glare snapped back to me. “And you, Mia. Drop the innocent act. I’ve seen girls like you a thousand times—the ‘cool girl’ who hangs around a bunch of guys, blurring the lines, acting like a bro. Have some self-respect.” I felt a headache starting to pound behind my eyes. Our little group of four—two guys, two girls—had been inseparable since we were kids. Our parents all knew each other, did business together. It was just how it was. But I’d always been careful to keep clear boundaries. The only reason Leo gave me the wings first was as a thank you. He and Ashley had been dating since sophomore year of college, and he was planning to propose this weekend. He’d asked us, his oldest friends, to help plan the whole thing. I was in charge of the venue and setup, while Sarah and Ryan handled fireworks and music. This whole beach resort? It belongs to my family. I shut it down to the public for a week just for his proposal. He could give me a million chicken wings and it wouldn't cover the favor. But the proposal was a surprise. I couldn't blow his cover. I forced myself to stay calm. “Look, he was just thanking me for helping him with something recently.” Sarah and Ryan quickly backed me up. “Ashley, seriously, we can vouch for them. There’s nothing going on between Mia and Leo,” Sarah said. Ryan added, bluntly, “Mia’s not into Leo.” But Ashley’s face was like stone. She slapped her phone down on the picnic table. The screen lit up with a screenshot of a text exchange between me and Leo. It was me, asking if his wound was healing okay and if he needed me to come take care of him. “Not into him, huh?” she sneered. “But you’re so concerned you offer to play nurse? Are you that desperate for attention you’ll just volunteer for anything?” I just stared at the screen. Those texts were from eight years ago. *** We were in high school. Puberty had hit our friend group like a truck. Leo, after learning some basic biology, turned into a total jerk. He’d snap girls’ bra straps, try to flip up skirts, and make gross jokes. It was disgusting. One day, I saw him do it and just lost it. I grabbed the nearest plastic chair and slammed it into him, screaming at him to apologize to the girl. I was young and didn't know my own strength. He ended up with two stitches in his head. My parents read me the riot act, and I realized I’d probably gone too far. So, I sent him a few texts, reluctantly checking in. That was the extent of our "caring" exchange. The good news was, he never bullied another girl again. The bad news was, it revealed his true colors. He cycled through girlfriends at an insane rate, and even bragged about cheating. If it weren’t for our parents’ history, the rest of us would have ditched him years ago. But after he started dating Ashley, he seemed to clean up his act. He deleted all the other girls’ numbers and played the part of the reformed bad boy. I never bought it. A leopard doesn't change its spots. The day Leo introduced Ashley to us, I pulled her aside and quietly gave her a heads-up. “Hey, just so you know, Leo used to be a huge player. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see you get hurt.” She looked at me with pure suspicion. “I think I can learn about my own boyfriend from him, thanks. I don’t need his ‘girl buddy’ to fill me in.” It was like she thought I was trying to sabotage them from day one. So, I dropped it. It wasn't my business. But now, all these years later, she was dragging up ancient history to paint me as the villain. “I have absolutely zero interest in Leo,” I said, enunciating every word. Before Ashley could fire back, Leo had had enough. “If you’re not going to eat, then just go back to the room! Why are you so obsessed with attacking Mia? You’re embarrassing me!” Her head snapped up, her eyes suddenly red and glassy. “Oh, so now you’re getting defensive, are you? Fine! I’m the extra one here! I’m in the way! You and your *best friends* can have a great time!” She spun around and ran off down the beach. Leo muttered a curse under his breath, then turned to me, looking mortified. “Mia, I am so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into her today. After I propose tonight, I’ll set her straight. I’ll make sure she apologizes.” I just gave him a tight, fake smile. I felt sick to my stomach and furious. If I’d known helping him out would be this much of a nightmare, I would’ve charged him for emotional damages. After that, no one felt like eating. We all just went to get the final proposal prep done. Ryan went to check on the fireworks, and Sarah started setting up candles and balloons. I was supposed to be directing the hotel staff with the field of roses we were planting in the sand. Per Leo’s request, the entire stretch of beach was supposed to be covered in red roses. But a freak heatwave had rolled in, and more than half the flowers were completely wilted and useless. I had no choice but to call Leo to ask if he was okay with using high-quality fakes instead. But it wasn't him who answered. It was Ashley. Her voice was dripping with venom. “You’ve got incredible timing, you know that? The second Leo starts to calm me down, your name pops up on his phone.” I gritted my teeth, trying to stay professional. “I’m calling him about something important.” “And what could be so important that you can’t tell me?” she scoffed. “Hasn’t anyone ever taught you basic girl code? If you need to talk to one person in a couple, you call the one you have a goddamn Y chromosome in common with.” Leo’s angry voice cut her off in the background. “Ashley, that’s enough! Aren’t you embarrassed enough already?” I heard shuffling, and then Leo was on the line. “Mia, I’m on Ashley’s floor. Just come up here and we can talk.” *Click.* He hung up. To avoid any more drama, I grabbed Sarah and brought her with me. We found Leo waiting for us in the hallway outside his room. The second he saw me about to mention the proposal, he frantically waved us into the stairwell, terrified Ashley would overhear. “What’s up?” he whispered. I told him about the rose situation. A deep frown creased his forehead. “Why didn’t you order more backups?” he snapped. “Fake flowers? Seriously? Ashley cares so much about the little details, she’s going to be so disappointed.” I almost laughed in his face. “I ordered *thousands* of roses, Leo. You think I can control the weather?” Sarah didn't hold back. “We’re busting our asses to help you, and you have the nerve to blame us?” He flinched, his tone softening. “No, you’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just stressed… Okay, fine. Use the fake ones from the hotel. It’ll be dark, maybe she won’t notice. All the damages are on me. Mia, don’t be mad. I’ll Venmo you the money right now.” Before he could finish, the stairwell door slammed open with a deafening *BANG!* And then, a sharp, stinging *CRACK!* Ashley was standing there, and she had just slapped me clear across the face. “You shameless, pathetic pick-me!” she shrieked. *** Ashley was heaving, her eyes blazing with a wild, triumphant fury. “I knew it! You create some stupid little emergency so my boyfriend has to come running to you! I caught you red-handed!” Her eyes darted down to his phone. “And you’re asking him for money? What’s wrong, isn’t your family’s money good enough for you? Or is his money just *special*?” she spat. “And you brought Sarah along as your lookout! You’re so calculating!” She lunged at me again, but this time Leo grabbed her, holding her back. “Ashley, are you insane?!” Sarah yelled. “You don’t even know what’s going on and you just hit her?” My cheek was on fire. I’d never been slapped in my entire life. All the patience I’d been holding onto evaporated in a rush of pure rage. “You think Leo is some kind of prize to be won?” I yelled back. “The only reason I’m even talking to him is because he’s about to ask you to—" “Mia!” Leo’s voice was a desperate plea. His eyes were begging me not to ruin the surprise. He turned back to Ashley, trying to wrestle her toward the door. “We were just talking about maybe taking a boat out later, that’s all! Why did you follow us? Come on, let’s go. I’m begging you, stop making a scene!” He practically dragged her out of the stairwell. A minute later, Sarah came back with an ice pack for my swelling cheek. My phone buzzed. It was a Venmo notification. Leo had sent me $10,000. The message read: *Mia, I’m so sorry. Please, please don’t ruin the proposal. I won’t let Ashley out of the room again. Don't reply.* Sarah peeked at the screen and snorted. “Wow. A match made in heaven. He’s an idiot and she’s a psycho.” Just then, Ryan came back from checking the fireworks. When he saw my face and heard what happened, he looked both furious and completely exhausted by the drama. “That’s it,” he said. “Leo crossed a line. He cares more about his image and his crazy girlfriend than a friend he’s known his whole life. After he proposes tonight, we’re done. We’re not inviting him to anything ever again.” Sarah scoffed. “I don’t know why he acts so high and mighty anyway. You know his family’s business has been struggling for years…” The Maxwells had been quietly sinking, and their company was only staying afloat because of their contracts with our three families. This whole proposal weekend was something Leo’s parents had personally asked us to help with, as a favor. Otherwise, none of us would have bothered. I was so full of rage I couldn't see straight. I was done. I handed the rest of the setup duties over to the hotel staff and called the dock to make sure our boat was ready to leave the island the second this whole charade was over. Later that night, everything went according to plan. Leo led Ashley down to the beach for a walk. He got down on one knee in the middle of the (mostly fake) sea of roses and pulled out a ring box. On cue, Ryan set off the fireworks, which exploded in glittering bursts across the sky, illuminating the tears welling in Ashley’s eyes. After a long, heartfelt speech, Leo held up the ring. “Ashley, will you marry me?” That was our signal. Sarah and I ran over, playing the part of the ecstatic audience. “Say yes! Say yes!” Ashley reached for the ring. And then she threw it. Hard. Right at me. “You sound so happy, don’t you?” she screamed, tears streaming down her face, her laugh turning into a sob. “You must be just sick with jealousy inside! Well, you know what? Fine! I’ll make it easy for you two! No more sneaking around and treating me like an idiot!” I was stunned. “Who’s treating you like an idiot?” “Oh, stop playing dumb,” she sobbed, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “You really think I don’t know? About the baby you and Leo had together?”
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