Betrayed by Childhood Friend

Stepping out of the hotel, my mind was in turmoil. Zamir and I had been together for years. After high school, fate took us on different paths; I stayed in Austin while he went to New York City. Still, he returned to visit me every month.

When we started job hunting, I heard he turned down an offer from a major corporation just to join the local branch of Cambridge Industries after I signed with them. I thought our efforts were reciprocal, that I was the only girl in his life.

I used to jokingly ask him what kind of girl he liked. He’d laugh and point to a picture online, saying, "Someone like this—fair, petite, a bit quirky." I always assumed he was just humoring me—until Keilani appeared. That's when I realized I had lost.

It seemed that when he truly loved someone, he'd quickly introduce her to his friends, openly claiming her as his girlfriend. His reluctance to make our relationship official was a clear sign of his lack of interest. My heart ached with a dull pain, like a knife slowly cutting through it.

I wandered aimlessly through the streets all day, terrified of running into someone I knew, dreading the whispers and gossip. When I finally returned to the apartment, it was already eleven at night.

Turning on my phone, I saw that Rodrigo had booted me from the group chat. He briefly explained why and then warned me: [Don't contact Zamir for a while. It took him a long time to win over the girl of his dreams—don’t ruin it for him.]

Once again, I felt an indescribable powerlessness and rage. Everyone used to admire him, and I respected him for his fairness and leadership. Now, I wanted to ask, why?! My chest was tight with frustration, words bottled up inside me that I wished to scream at them.

I picked up my phone, typed and deleted long messages repeatedly. In the end, I erased them all. Forget it.