At my boyfriend's birthday party, his best friend suggested a game: blindfolded, he had to guess which girl was his girlfriend just by touching her hand. His childhood friend, Chloe, squeezed through the crowd and held out her hand with a mischievous grin. "Don't mess around, kid," he laughed, pushing her away. "Your hands get all dry and flaky in the winter. No way you're my girlfriend." He walked over to another girl, took her hand, and declared, "My girlfriend's hands smell amazing." The room erupted in laughter. They jeered at him for not even recognizing his own girlfriend. I was pushed to the side, watching as he tried to defend himself, his face flushed. He even grabbed Chloe, who was laughing the loudest, and pulled her into a headlock. "Tell them, you little punk! Did I recognize you or not?" Suddenly, the whole thing just felt… pointless. I turned and walked out of the room. 1. Asher’s family was ridiculously wealthy. I almost got lost trying to find my way out of the home theater. By the time I made it to the living room, Chloe was there, directing the staff on what fruit platters to prepare and which wines to bring up from the cellar. She was completely at ease, chatting and joking with them like she was the lady of the house. She saw me. Her eyes flickered over me for a second before she looked away, pretending to be busy. Right. When Asher was around, she was a completely different person, all sweet and calling me "Lily-sis" like she was my adoring little sister. I’d fought with Asher about her a few times. Their easy, natural chemistry made me feel like an outsider. The first time I tried to break up with him, he smashed his phone in a fit of rage and swore he'd never be the one to come crawling back. A day later, he was standing under my apartment window, his eyes red-rimmed, begging me not to leave him. His voice, a deep, magnetic baritone, cracked with emotion. It was impossible not to feel my resolve crumble. He explained that he and Chloe had been friends since they were kids. They were practically family. Her family had recently gone bankrupt, and his mom had specifically asked him to look out for her. He saw her as a little sister, nothing more. "If you're really, really uncomfortable with it, I'll delete her number," he'd said, his voice pleading. "Baby, you're the only one that matters to me." And right there, in front of me, he blocked her on everything. I couldn't stay mad at him. I gave in. A few days later, Chloe was kneeling outside my apartment building in the pouring rain. I don't know how long she'd been there, but I only found out when Asher showed up. "Baby, don't you think this is a little much?" he'd asked, holding his umbrella over her head, getting soaked himself. "Go home, kid," he’d said to her gently. "Don't make a scene. What if you get sick? I'll have to answer to your mom…" 2. He sighed, but he didn't unblock her. Chloe just kept crying, her shoulders shaking, drawing the attention of my nosy neighbors. "Lily-sis, I swear on my life, I only see him as a brother," she'd sobbed. "I've never crossed any lines. Please don't make him do this to me. My mom thinks I did something to hurt him, and she cries all the time…" "My family is broke, Lily-sis. My life is already so hard. Are you trying to push me over the edge?" "Don't I deserve to have friends? I was happy for you two! What did I do to deserve this?" Her words, choked with tears, echoed in my ears. I tried to pinpoint why she bothered me so much. It was the way she so effortlessly inserted herself between us. If Asher and I were sharing a drink, she'd squeeze in and tease him. She'd rummage through his bag, bring up inside jokes from their childhood that I couldn't understand, and make me feel completely left out. Whenever he brought me to his parents' house, she'd "coincidentally" drop by and act all chummy with his mom. So, was it my fault? Was I being too sensitive? I stood there in the rain, holding my own umbrella, silent. 3. After a while, my mom came down and brought us all inside. She gave Chloe a change of clothes. "My daughter can be a little stubborn," she'd said, looking from me to Asher. "If you two are making her feel uncomfortable, then there's a problem. Don't push her, Asher. Until you figure this out, you and Lily should just break up." "No!" Asher's eyes were red as he immediately rejected the idea. My mom pulled me aside. She looked at me and sighed. "Honey, I don't think blocking her is the answer. It's just a temporary fix. Why don't you give it another chance, see how things go? Or, if it's too much, just end it now." I was torn. In the end, when I walked back into the living room, Asher looked like he was about to fall apart. I couldn't do it. I couldn't break up with him. So I compromised. They went back to how they were before, except now, Chloe made a conscious effort to keep her distance when I was around. What they did when I wasn't there, I didn't want to know. But tonight's little party game was a stark reminder. The bond between childhood friends, even if you try to sever it, just comes back stronger. Whatever. I didn't care anymore. My mom had seen it from the beginning. It was my own fault for dragging it out. I should have ended it the first time. As I was leaving, Chloe was humming a cheerful tune as she went upstairs, like a victorious general. A little while later, my phone rang. It was Asher, sounding a little drunk. I thought I'd be angry, or hurt, or that I'd cry. But looking at his name on the screen, I just felt… calm. "Baby, where are you? Are you mad at me? I'm so sorry. I didn't know Joe's girlfriend used your hand cream. I just guessed wrong. You can punish me, okay?" He was drunk, and his voice had that playful, pleading tone he knew I couldn't resist. "We should break up…" 4. Before I could finish, Chloe's voice cut in. "Seriously, Asher, are you hiding in the bathroom? You're the birthday boy, what are you doing out here? Everyone's waiting for you to cut the cake." "Don't mess around, kid, I'm on the phone." "Don't 'kid' me. Stop hiding. Joe and his girlfriend are fighting because of you. You need to go fix it." I heard the rustle of clothes, the sound of a scuffle. He was probably laughing as she playfully hit him. "You wanna die, kid?" he said, still laughing. "Yes, yes, I do," she retorted. "Now get in there. Joe's girlfriend is crying." He brought the phone back to his ear, his voice clearer now, the drunken slur gone. "Baby, what did you just say? Never mind, just come back inside. We're cutting the cake." He hung up. He and his childhood friend went back to the party. I rolled down the car window, the night air feeling cool against my skin. The call had ended a while ago, but I kept turning my phone screen on and off. My wallpaper was a picture of us. His profile was ridiculously handsome, and he was sneaking a kiss on my cheek, looking at the camera like he was showing me off to the world. After a long moment, I changed the wallpaper to a picture of a cat I had saved a while ago. It was a beautiful, lazy-looking cat, one paw raised in a beckoning gesture. Its eyes were so serene, so detached. I was actually chuckling at the picture when I got a text from one of Asher's friends. 5. Asher's Friend: *Lily, your boyfriend just got into a fight with Joe. Where are you? Can you come back and explain? It's getting really awkward here.* I wasn't going to reply, but then I remembered my hand cream. It was a special blend my grandmother made for me, with rare ingredients. You couldn't buy it anywhere. I had our driver, Mr. Wilson, take me back. When I walked in, the room was a mess. Broken glass littered the floor. A lot of people had left, but a few familiar faces remained. Joe's girlfriend was sobbing in a corner, with Chloe comforting her, handing her tissues and draping a jacket over her shoulders. Asher was sitting with one foot propped up on a stool. He glanced up when I came in, looking annoyed, then looked away. He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding himself back. He'd always been the pampered golden boy. This was probably the first time he'd ever had a real fight with a friend. Joe was being held back by a couple of guys. He was drunk and angry. Normally, he was Asher's biggest hype man. He would never have laid a hand on him. I remembered he was the one who had suggested the guessing game in the first place, and the one who had cheered the loudest. "Lily, you're here," the friend who had texted me said. "You're Asher's girlfriend. Can you say something?" 6. He gave me a look, trying to get me to smooth things over. I smiled faintly. "Excuse me," I said, looking at Joe's girlfriend. "Where is my hand cream?" She stared at me, stunned. "Lily-sis," Chloe cut in. "I don't think that's the most important thing right now." I shot her a look. "You're not going to tell me? Fine. I'll just call the police and have them check the security footage. You probably don't know this, but the ingredients in that little bottle of hand cream cost over five hundred dollars. That's enough to press charges." "So, you can either give it to me now, and we can pretend I just 'misplaced' it, or we can call the police and let them find it. Your choice." Joe's girlfriend immediately stopped crying. She pulled my hand cream out of her purse. "Is this it? I'm so sorry." I took it, checked it, and put it in my bag. Asher's friend tried to play peacemaker. "See? It was all a misunderstanding! Your girlfriend just accidentally used Lily's hand cream, that's why Asher guessed wrong. You know Asher, he'd never mistake anyone for his girl! He loves her more than anything!" "Yeah, yeah, he even recognized Chloe, there's no way he wouldn't recognize his own girlfriend! It was just a mix-up!" another friend chimed in. Joe's girlfriend looked at Joe, then at Chloe. "Chloe gave me this hand cream," she said quietly. "She said if I liked it, I could have it. I didn't think anything of it, but now… maybe I should have." Chloe laughed. "Don't make it so complicated. I thought it was Asher's, and you liked it, so I gave it to you. It's just a bottle of hand cream, Asher wouldn't mind, right? Don't be so dramatic…" She looked so innocent, so helpless. Joe, enraged, slapped his girlfriend across the face. "Did I say you could take it?! Are you that pathetic? And now you're blaming Chloe for your own mistake?" Chloe gasped and rushed to pull Joe away. 7. The room descended into chaos again as everyone tried to pull them apart. But they were all comforting Joe's girlfriend, telling her he was just drunk. "I'm so sorry, Stacey," Chloe was saying, holding Joe back while trying to calm her down. "He's just had too much to drink. Tomorrow, he'll be on his knees, begging for your forgiveness." She even threw a glass of water in Joe's face to get him to calm down. And he did. Stacey just stood there, her hand on her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief. This time, she wasn't crying. I was already at the door, but I couldn't just leave. I walked back and stood in front of her. "Do you want to hit him back, or do you want me to call the police?" I said. "I'm here. I'll help you." She hadn't been crying, but at my words, tears started streaming down her face. "Lily-sis, don't you think calling the police is a bit much?" one of the guys said. "We're all friends here. Joe didn't mean it. If you let her hit him back, I promise he won't fight back." I had been bottling up my anger for so long. My hand was itching. So, while he was still talking, I slapped him. SLAP! The room went completely silent.
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