Neutral Means Betrayal,He Chose Neutral,So I Chose to Leave

For the six years Rodney Butler and I were together, he never once took my side over my best friend's. He stayed perfectly neutral, always.

When Sophie and I argued, Rodney told me to be the bigger person.

"These things are never one person's fault. I can't just take your side because you're my girlfriend."

On my birthday, Rodney's gift always came in two—one for me, one for Sophie.

"It's your birthday. You really want your best friend to be the only one without a present?"

When Sophie got sick, Rodney stayed up all night at her bedside.

"I looked after you the same way when you were sick. She's your best friend. Shouldn't I treat her the way I treat you?"

Then Rodney proposed to me. And even the diamond ring came in a matching pair.

I looked down at the ring he'd just slid onto my finger, and all at once I felt utterly, completely done.

"Rodney, do you know something? In a relationship, staying neutral is betrayal."

And with that, I didn't look at him again. I turned and walked out of my own proposal.

You don't get to play the fair judge in my life anymore.

Betrayal dressed up as neutrality. It made my skin crawl.

——

Seeing me leave, Rodney grabbed my wrist.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"A day like today, and you have to throw a fit? You have to make an ugly scene out of it?"

I said nothing. My eyes went instead to Sophie Fox's hand, where she stood off to the side.

A moment ago Rodney had taken out two identical engagement rings.

One for me. One for Sophie.

The delight on Sophie's face when she got hers had made my heart drop, and drop again.

I pulled my gaze back to Rodney.

"I don't want to stand on one side of the scale anymore."

"From now on you can run to her all you like. No need to wear yourself out keeping things perfectly balanced."

Before Rodney could get a word out, Sophie—glowing with joy a second ago—came hurrying over, her eyes rimmed red.

She fumbled to pull the ring off and give it back to Rodney.

"I'm sorry, Melissa, this is my fault, it's all my fault, please don't be angry."

"You and Rodney have been together so many years, and you've finally made it all the way to marriage. Don't fight over something this small."

Small?

My boyfriend put a ring on another woman on the day he proposed to me.

That's small?

Before Sophie could get the ring off, Rodney's hand clamped down over hers.

"You don't have to give it back. I gave it to you, so it's yours."

"This is Melissa's fault. She's being petty. There's no reason for you to feel bad."

Rodney's words nearly made me laugh.

"My fault? I'm being petty?"

"You give her a ring like this—what, so after we're married she can sleep between us?"

I didn't spare his feelings, and Rodney's face changed in an instant.

"Melissa Summers! I'm your boyfriend, and Sophie is your best friend!"

"Do you even hear what you're saying?"

Rodney had planned the proposal for today and invited a good number of our mutual friends to witness it.

Now, watching the two of us fight harder and harder, they came crowding forward.

"Come on, Rodney, a day like today, and a grown man like you is picking a fight with Melissa?"

"Exactly. And honestly, I don't blame Melissa for being upset. Look at you—who does this? Do you not know what an engagement ring means? How can you hand out two of them at once?"

"Any other day, fine. But today, of all days? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you—making her look like a fool?"

"All right, all right, Melissa. Rodney knows he's in the wrong now. Take a breath. We'll make him apologize."

Listening to my friends all talking over each other, all I felt was the sting rising behind my nose.