After studying abroad, I returned to find my childhood friend Wyatt Vance had a new girlfriend who instantly hated me. No gift? I was clique-ish. Keeping distance? I was playing games. Wearing a gown? I was seducing him. Exhausted, I cut ties with Wyatt. He snapped: "Willow, our families do business! This is just a threat to make me break up with Ellie! She's just insecure because she loves me too much! Why corner her?" I was speechless. Stupidity, it seemed, was contagious. Later, when I took over the family corporation and Wyatt's family fortune crumbled, he crawled back. "Help me this once, and I'll dump Ellie. Her possessiveness scared away all our partners." I smiled wearily. "Oh, I couldn't. My back isn't built for that baggage. You two deserve each other." Leaning in, I added sweetly, "Besides, as you said, that's just how she loves you." 1 I’d spent the last semester overseas, helping my parents manage a branch of the family business. The moment I got back, I set up a reunion with my childhood crew. That's when I learned that Wyatt, the third in our quartet, was officially off the market. I was just about to tease him when the private room door swung open. A girl stood there, a vision in a flowing white dress, her long, dark hair framing a face that was the very picture of innocence. She stood frozen, biting her lower lip, her eyes fixed on me with a wounded expression. "Ellie? I thought you were resting. What are you doing here?" Wyatt was the first to react, jogging over to wrap an arm around her. He grinned at us, introducing his girlfriend, Ellie Reed. "I missed you," Ellie murmured into his chest, her voice a soft, breathy whisper. "I just... I don't feel safe when you're not around." The rest of us just chuckled, ribbing Wyatt about his good fortune. "My girl's the sweet, quiet type," he boasted, "not like Willow here. She's one of the guys, hahaha..." I shot him a playful glare, and the lively atmosphere returned. The four of us had been inseparable since we were in diapers. Our parents were all business partners, and our bond had stayed strong through the years. They knew I was easy-going and saw me as a sister, one of the crew. I played along, but I always knew where the lines were. I was in the middle of complaining about how bland the food was abroad when Ellie, who had been silent until now, spoke up. Her voice, thick with emotion, cut through the chatter as she stared at the gifts I’d laid out on the table. "Were you trying to leave me out on purpose, Willow?" Her voice was quiet, but the sob catching in her throat silenced the room. "You brought something back for everyone in your little group. Everyone but me." "And you keep going on and on about how glamorous your life is overseas. I've never even been on a plane. Are you trying to mock me?" Her shoulders started to tremble, as if she were carrying the weight of some immense injustice. "Do you think I'm not good enough for Wyatt, Willow? Is that why you couldn't even be bothered to get me a gift?" Wyatt’s face softened with pity. He immediately pulled her closer, wiping at her tears and cooing reassurances. I exchanged a glance with the other two guys. The air had turned thick with awkwardness. I set down my chopsticks and looked at Ellie, keeping my voice as even as I could. "You've misunderstood. You and Wyatt weren't together when I left, so I hadn't planned for an extra gift. It was an oversight on my part." "If you don't mind," I continued, "I can have something sent to you tomorrow. Just let me know what kind of jewelry or perfume you like." I thought that would smooth things over, but it only made her cry harder. She clutched at Wyatt’s shirt, burying her face in his chest. Her voice came out muffled, a portrait of misery. "Are you trying to buy me off? What kind of person do you think I am? Do you think a bottle of perfume will just shut me up? It's not about the things. It's just... I feel so excluded." Mason, sitting next to me, frowned. As the oldest and most level-headed of our group, his words carried weight. "Ellie, Willow's not like that," he said calmly. "We've known her our whole lives. She's straightforward. There are no hidden meanings. She just didn't know about you ahead of time. It wasn't personal." Leo, the second oldest, jumped in, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, exactly! Willow asked us what we wanted before she left, and we all told her to just grab whatever. She went out of her way to pick this stuff out for us. She's a good friend. It's Wyatt's fault for not telling her. Don't overthink it, really. It's not about you." But it seemed to make Ellie feel even more victimized. She lifted her tear-streaked face to Wyatt. "Wyatt, you see? They're all ganging up on me to defend her. Maybe I shouldn't have come today. Am I just... in the way? Do you also think I'm just being crazy?" Wyatt’s expression soured instantly. He shot me a glare, his eyes dripping with blame, as if I’d committed some heinous crime. "Willow, can you just drop it? Ellie's already sensitive and insecure. Did you have to come back and immediately start cornering her?" "It's just a damn gift! You could have just offered to get her one and left it at that. Why did you have to explain everything and make her feel even worse?" 2 "Wyatt, man, cool it," Leo cut in, nudging him lightly. "You know what Willow is like. Why are you losing your temper?" He shot me a reassuring look. Seeing Ellie’s tear-stained face, a knot formed in my stomach. She was my friend’s girlfriend, after all, and I didn't want our first meeting to be a complete disaster. I decided to just keep my mouth shut. We probably wouldn't see much of each other anyway. But after a tense silence, Ellie suddenly sprang to her feet, pointing a trembling finger at me as the tears flowed freely. "Why are you all comforting her? I'm the one who was left out! I'm the one who's hurt! But you're all gathered around her like I'm the villain, the outsider who doesn't belong!" Her sudden outburst stunned me into silence. Mason and Leo froze. "I know how close you all are with Wyatt, so I swallowed my pride to come here and try to fit in. But I don't understand, Willow! This is the first time we've ever met, and you're already making things so difficult for me! What did I ever do to you?" "My roommate even warned me before I came," she sobbed. "She said the 'girl' in these kinds of tight-knit groups always causes trouble. I trusted you, but you and your friends just treated me like a fool for your own amusement!" As her tirade reached its climax, her eyes rolled back into her head and she collapsed backward. Wyatt lunged, catching her just in time. "Ellie! Ellie, look at you! You're so fragile, and you've been crying so hard. You're going to break my heart!" he cried, cradling her. "Wyatt... I'm scared," she whispered weakly. "I'm scared of Willow..." With that, she went limp in his arms, a perfect damsel in distress. The next second, Wyatt exploded. "Are you happy now, Willow?!" he roared. "What the hell did you learn overseas? How to be a vicious bully? You're a pampered princess, you have everything! We let you boss us around, and that's fine!" "I told you to leave Ellie alone! She loves me! Do you think she'd even be at your stupid party if it wasn't to see me?" "You just had to push her until she passed out! I'm warning you, she is the woman I love, and if anything happens to her, I swear to God I'll make you pay!" Without another word, he scooped Ellie into his arms, shoved past Mason and Leo, and slammed into me on his way out the door. If Mason hadn't caught me, I would have crashed into the corner of the table. I steadied myself, my head spinning. It took me a moment to process what had just happened. Is that really how he saw me all these years? A bossy princess? He was the one throwing his weight around. Once the shock subsided, a cold anger settled in. I’d never had someone scream at me like that in my entire life, let alone one of my oldest friends. "Willow, you okay?" Mason asked, his voice laced with concern. He ruffled my hair, just like he used to when we were kids. "Don't worry, I'll have a serious talk with him. He's clearly been blinded by a pretty face, saying things he shouldn't." "Seriously!" Leo chimed in, his own anger flaring. "His girlfriend is a textbook manipulator, straight out of one of those online novels. For all we know, she faked that faint! And Wyatt... 'the woman I love'? Puh-lease. I'm pretty sure he said the same thing about the last one. Hmph. They both owe you a huge apology." Leo had always been the most fiercely protective of us all. Listening to his rant against Wyatt actually made me feel a little better. I've always been decisive. Once I calmed down, I figured I’d just avoid Ellie from now on. Problem solved. As for Wyatt… we had history. And besides, he had saved my life once, a long time ago. I could let this one slide. The semester was starting anyway. We were all busy with classes and our family businesses, and the incident quickly faded into the background. I hadn't spoken to Wyatt since that night, though I still hung out with Mason and Leo whenever we had time. After a while, Wyatt must have noticed the distance between us. He actually reached out, for the first time in weeks, trying to get the group together and sending me apologetic memes to smooth things over. But I had a business meeting that day and couldn't make it. Wyatt posted a picture with Mason and Leo on his social media feed. "Amazing steak dinner, courtesy of the big man @MasonThorne! You missed out, @WillowHayes! You owe us next time!" Leo tagged me in a comment too, and I just replied with a laughing emoji. I never expected that, later that night, I’d get a phone call from Ellie. 3 I was surprised to see Ellie’s name on my screen; I’d never given her my number. But I was even more surprised by the venom in her voice. "Well played, Willow. You've really mastered the art of playing hard to get." I froze, caught off guard. This was a far cry from the fragile, wilting flower I’d met. "You've been deliberately avoiding Wyatt for the past few weeks, haven't you? All so he'd be the one to tag you on social media today." My fingers tightened around my phone, my patience wearing thin. "You're just using his guilt over your 'friendship' to your advantage. You pretend to be too 'busy' to see him, then drop a casual emoji on his post. It makes you look gracious while keeping him wrapped around your little finger. You're just waiting for him to come crawling back to you, aren't you?" I took a deep breath, trying to smother the fire rising in my chest. "Ellie, this is the second time you've come at me like this. I'm letting it go because of Wyatt, but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover." "Wyatt and I have known each other for over a decade. I don't need to 'play hard to get' to maintain our friendship. To me, he's just a friend I grew up with. So take your bizarre accusations and shove them. I'm busy, and I don't have time for your psycho-drama." "Don't play innocent!" she shrieked, her voice so sharp it made my ear ache. "I know your type! You girls in these little cliques are always secretly in love with one of the guys. You can't stand to see him happy with someone else. You just want them all to yourself!" "You can't stand seeing me and Wyatt together! You're playing hard to get to drive a wedge between us! What do you have that I don't? A little more money? You're just another spoiled trust-fund baby! Without your family's cash, you're nothing..." I rubbed my temples. Listening to her unhinged rant was almost... funny. Was this a personality disorder or just an overactive imagination? "Willow," her voice suddenly cracked, shifting into a pathetic whimper, "you know how insecure I am. You know I'm scared I won't fit in. You're trying to isolate me, to turn everyone against me, aren't you? Why are you doing this to me? I tried to apologize, and you won't even accept it..." That sudden, dramatic shift in tone sent a chill down my spine. I knew what was coming. Sure enough, I heard the sound of footsteps, then Wyatt’s roar as he presumably snatched the phone. "What the hell, Willow?! Ellie went out of her way to get your number from me so she could apologize! She was worried there was a misunderstanding between us. She's bending over backward, and you're still bullying her?!" Hearing Wyatt instantly take her side, without a moment of hesitation, just exhausted me. His parents were self-made millionaires; you'd think they would've raised a son with a mind of his own. "Wyatt," Ellie’s theatrical, tragic voice piped up from the background, "does Willow just look down on me? Is she trying to break us up? Why else would she keep targeting me? Why won't she just leave me alone?" Before Wyatt could fall for it again, I cut her off. "Oh, shut up. Your entire world revolves around imaginary rivals, doesn't it? You just live for the drama. I've given you a pass time and again for Wyatt's sake, but you just don't quit." "And you, Wyatt," I snapped, my voice dripping with contempt, "is that a tumor on your neck, or just your head? A zombie has more brains than you. You believe every word she says. You really think I have nothing better to do than entertain you two and your little freak show?" The frustration from the past few weeks finally boiled over. I was done. I was juggling my studies and the family company, running myself ragged, and these two were my biggest headache. "Since you're so convinced I'm the villain trying to break you up, then fine. We're done. You can have a wonderful life with your precious, fragile girlfriend." "Let's just delete each other's numbers. Out of sight, out of mind." I spat the words out and hung up, my temples throbbing. I knew it was impulsive, but I couldn't take it anymore. For years, I’d put up with Wyatt's moods. My parents had helped the Vance family make a few small fortunes over the years, more than repaying the debt for him saving my life as a kid. Just as I was vowing to never speak to Wyatt again, a frantic pounding echoed from my front door.
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