My childhood best friend’s roommate was about to ask me out. My best friend, Liam, pulled him aside. “Dude, are you serious? You really want to ask her out?” His roommate, Noah, just nodded, confused. “I know she’s into you, but you’re about to get with Chloe, the campus queen. I figure if I try hard enough, I might have a shot.” Liam’s face went from red to white and back again. Finally, he burst out, “You’re such a dumbass! How could you like that tomboy? In high school, she took down three guys by herself. And you have no idea how much of a slob she was as a kid!” By the time I showed up, all that was left was a giant bouquet of roses stuffed in the trash can. Liam sauntered over, slinging an arm over my shoulder with a smug grin. “Don’t get too emotional. I know you’re still obsessed with me, so I did you a favor…” My face was a storm cloud. I lifted my hand and slapped him. Hard. 1 Liam clutched his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Ava, what the hell is wrong with you?” He stumbled back a few steps, his face flushing with anger. I guess it made sense. Liam had always been the golden boy. Spoiled by his family, praised by his teachers. Now in college, with his natural talent and a face that was just unfairly handsome, he was practically worshiped by every girl on campus. This was probably the first time in his life he’d ever been hit. I didn’t regret it. I stuck my chin out, glaring at him. “What’s wrong with *you*? Who do you think you are, making my decisions for me?” My chest heaved with fury. Liam stared at me for a second, then his eyes drifted down to my outfit. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face. “Well, well. Looks like you took Noah’s big confession pretty seriously.” He looked me up and down, making two sharp “tsk, tsk” sounds. “Was it really worth it? Changing your whole style just for some guy you barely know?” He leaned in, his face just inches from mine. A warm, woodsy scent washed over me, and his breath hitched against my cheek. My own face flushed, and I completely forgot how to breathe. “You… you…” I stammered, unable to finish the sentence. “Then again,” Liam said, his smile turning wicked. “You knew he was my roommate. You knew I’d be here. You wore this for me, didn’t you?” “But—” his tone shifted, dripping with disdain, “—you’re better off in cargo pants. Your calves are thicker than mine. A dress just puts all your flaws on display. It looks so… wrong. Like…” He snapped his fingers. “Like a dude in a dress!” I was used to his brutally honest critiques. But this time was different. My roommates had hyped me up, given me the courage to finally try something new. And in a single night, he had doused my flickering confidence with a bucket of ice water. I was done putting up with it. I drove my knee up, hard, right between his legs. In the middle of the crowded path in front of the dorms, Liam was too proud to scream. His face turned purple as he choked back the pain. “Ava,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “You break the family jewels, and your dream of marrying me is officially over!” A wave of bitterness washed over me. I stretched my lips into a smile that was all teeth. “Get lost,” I spat. “We’re done.” 2 Liam was used to being the center of attention. Tall, handsome, he always had eyes on him. Even now, people were slowing down to stare. He straightened up, trying to maintain his dignity. His voice was hoarse. “You think we’re still kids? Threatening to end our friendship? How childish can you be?” He scoffed and turned to leave. “I’m not gonna fight with a girl. I’ll let it slide. Just don’t come crying to me when you have to carry your own luggage home for break.” “I’m serious,” I said, each word a block of ice. I pulled out my phone. Right there, in front of him, I blocked his number and unfriended him on every platform. 3 I spun on my heel and marched into the dorm. “Ava!” Liam’s voice, tight with fury, followed me. “Fine! You’re really ending our friendship over some random guy? Don’t come crawling back to me!” My steps faltered. I looked down at the clean, white dress I was wearing. And then the stupid tears started to fall. He was right, of course. I had dressed up because I knew he’d be there. I wanted to surprise him. More than that, I wanted him to see that someone else could actually like me. That I, Ava, was desirable. But when I’d excitedly come downstairs, the first thing I heard was Liam trashing me to his friend. “Don’t let the long hair fool you. She only recently started looking like a girl. Her hair used to be shorter than mine. She was more of a dude than I was.” “Noah, man, come on. You’re a decent guy. How could you be so blind as to fall for *her*?” My smile froze. I ducked back around the corner, out of sight. I heard Noah’s anxious reply. “No, man, I think Ava’s really cute. And she’s so real, you know? Not fake at all. Just looking at her makes me feel happy.” Then, Noah’s voice got quieter, more serious. “Liam… you don’t want me to ask her out… It’s not because you like her, is it?” “No way!” Liam’s handsome face twisted in disgust. “I don’t have a weird thing for my bro!” As if to prove his point, he pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his photo album. “Look, this is her at ten. All the other girls are in princess dresses, and she’s got snot running down her face. This is our middle school graduation. All the girls are so delicate and pretty. And then there’s Ava. She got obsessed with shot put and shaved her head. In high school, these three jocks? She took them all down with her bare hands…” I bit my lip, my hands twisting the fabric of my dress. I didn’t have the courage to jump out and argue. Because everything he was saying was true. When I finally pulled myself together, all I found was a huge bouquet of red roses in the trash can. And a new text on my phone. [Something came up. Sorry, Ava.] 4 Back in my dorm room, my roommates all leaned out of their bunk beds, their heads popping into view. They swarmed me, all talking at once. “So? Did you blow everyone away?” “Ava, say something! Did you land Noah or Liam?” When they saw my blank expression, Maya immediately clammed up, then quickly changed the subject. “The campus confessions page is going crazy. Chloe is planning to ask Liam out. They’ve been flirting for so long, I bet they’ll be official by tomorrow.” She gently took my arm, trying to sound casual. “It’s okay, Ava. Noah is really sweet, and he’s tall. I think you should give him a chance…” The room suddenly went quiet. My sniffles had turned into full-blown sobs. I wiped my eyes. “I’m sorry, Maya,” I choked out. “I got tears on your white dress. I’ll… I’ll wash it and give it back to you tomorrow…” The three of them exchanged a look. Then they started ranting. “Ugh, those guys are so blind! We’re too good for them anyway!” “That Liam, what’s so great about him? So he’s a little handsome. He’s arrogant and loud and totally doesn’t deserve you!” “Yeah! And that Noah guy is so skinny. You could knock him over with one punch, Ava…” I looked up at them. And started crying even harder. 5 Once I calmed down, I told them everything. And I told them, with absolute conviction, that I was done with Liam for good. They were all behind me. “It’s about time you saw the light.” “You’re usually so chill, but when it comes to Liam, you just lose all common sense.” “Come on! Let’s go for a run. Get those endorphins pumping and forget those idiots!” So that’s what I did. I threw myself into my life. The second I felt a thought about Liam creeping in, I’d head to the gym. Basketball, running, even shot put. A week later, I was in the dining hall when I saw them. Liam and Chloe. Liam’s long, elegant fingers were carefully peeling a shrimp for her. The usually loud, cocky guy was being so gentle and attentive. 6 I was with my roommates, sitting far across the room. I turned my back to them, determined to ignore them. Halfway through the meal, Maya kicked me under the table. “Ava,” she whispered, “I think… I think Liam is walking over here…” “No way,” I said without even thinking. He was too proud. He would never come to me. “Ava.” That familiar voice came from right above me. My chopsticks paused in mid-air. I stiffly raised my head and saw Liam standing there, looking awkward. “Chloe wanted to meet you.” I swallowed my food and finally looked at the beautiful girl standing beside him. Long, straight black hair, pale skin, a delicate, graceful build. She had two dimples when she smiled. “Hi, I’m Chloe,” she said, giving a little bow and extending her hand. “Liam’s told me so much about you. How you two grew up together, like two peas in a pod. Best bros, right?” Maybe it was just me, but the way she emphasized “best bros” felt… pointed. Passive-aggressive. I frowned but shook her hand politely. “Hi.” I didn’t look at Liam. I quickly turned my gaze back to my food. “Nice to meet you,” I said, my voice flat. “I’m done eating. I’m gonna go.” Suddenly, Chloe let out a sharp hiss of pain and snatched her hand back. Before I could even react, Liam shoved me. My lower back slammed into the sharp corner of the table. A jolt of pain made me break out in a cold sweat. He stood in front of Chloe, his voice ringing with self-righteous anger. “What did you do?” He grabbed Chloe’s hand, his eyes full of concern. “Does it hurt?” 7 I stared at the scene in complete disbelief. Chloe, with tears welling in her eyes, just shook her head bravely. “You’re insane,” I muttered. I turned to leave with my roommates. Liam blocked my path. “Our fight is our business. Why are you taking it out on Chloe?” His eyes were cold, completely devoid of any warmth. “If you’re jealous, take it out on me! You’re strong enough to bench press a guy. What’s the point of picking on a girl who’s half your size?” My roommate was about to lunge at them, the word “bitch” already on her lips, but I stopped her. “Never argue with an idiot,” I said, picking up my tray. I forced a smile. “Let’s go.” 8 I should have understood it a long time ago. Liam didn’t like me. He just didn’t. It didn’t matter what I did or who I became, he would never like me. In his eyes, I was just… there. The little tagalong who was always trailing behind him. I don’t know if he had actually forgotten or was just pretending not to remember. The reason I fought those three guys with everything I had was to defend him. To make them stop bullying him. And when I was a kid, my mom was always away on business trips. There was no one to braid my hair, no one to teach me how to be a girl. It was Liam who brought me to his house every day. Who puffed out his chest and said, “My mom is your mom.” But I had forgotten. People change. 9 “Are you okay?” Maya watched me nervously. “If you’re not over him, you could… I mean, they’re not officially a couple yet…” “I’m really over him.” I rubbed my bruised back and gave her a bitter smile. “It’s weird. I’ve liked him for years, and then, in that one second… it just disappeared.” My roommates stared at me, unconvinced. I held up my hand to the sky. “I swear, I am so over Liam!” I was so focused on reassuring them that my voice got louder than I intended. I didn’t notice Liam, standing right behind me, his eyes turning red at my words. 10 After that disaster, I didn’t see Liam at all. I did, however, see a lot of posts from Chloe. Pictures of her and Liam walking side-by-side, her looking up at him adoringly. They looked perfect together. I didn't care. Until that weekend, when an anonymous post appeared on the campus confessions page: [This is Ava. Noah, I like you! Meet me on the track at 8 PM tonight!] No pictures. No videos. Not even a screenshot of a text. But the page exploded anyway. [Isn’t that Liam’s childhood friend? What’s going on with her and Noah?] [Is this some kind of game? She knows Liam and Chloe are about to be official, so she’s going after his roommate to make him jealous?] [OMG! This girl is a master manipulator! I’m heading to the track now to grab a front-row seat. I am not missing this drama!] My hand was shaking as I scrolled through the comments. I knew instantly who was behind it. I unblocked Liam and called him. He answered, his voice laced with lazy amusement. “Well, if it isn’t Ava. Didn’t we break up? It’s only been a few days. Couldn’t stay away, huh?” I held back my rage, my voice low and tight. “You posted that, didn’t you?” 11 “I did,” he admitted without a hint of hesitation. “What’s up? Calling to thank me?” His voice was as smooth and sexy as ever. But now, all I felt for him was disgust. “Liam, what is your problem? I’m leaving you alone. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?” He paused, then chuckled. “I don’t have a problem. You were mad at me because I ruined Noah’s big confession, right? I get it, it’s not every day someone asks you out. I figured, for old time’s sake, I’d give you a little push in the right direction.” Before I could reply, he said, “Oh, right. I forgot. Noah is coming out with us for drinks tonight. So he probably won’t be at the track. Maybe you should come find us instead?” Just then, my phone buzzed with a text from Noah. In the two seconds I was distracted, Liam’s voice dripped with false sympathy. “Oh, wait. I forgot again. You scared Noah off. Even if he wasn't busy, he wouldn't show up to meet you. But hey, how about this? Call me your big, strong hero, and I’ll take the post down.” I didn’t say anything. I was staring at the new message on my screen. It was from Noah. [Hey, I’m really sorry about the other day. I thought Liam was finally realizing he liked you… I guess I figured, between the two of us, you’d obviously choose him, so… But I’ll see you at the track at 8 PM. I’m going to make sure everyone knows that *I’m* the one who likes *you*. That *I’m* the one chasing you.]
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