Mom blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, I thought you wanted to stay with your friends—ride out the rest of the summer. I even wondered if there was someone special keeping you here. If you're not ready to leave, we can stay. You can always visit over breaks."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "No, Mom. Better to leave now."

She looked into my watery eyes, didn't push, and just pulled me into a warm hug.

That night, I tossed and turned, sleep refusing to come. I woke up with a pounding headache.

When I finally checked my phone, the class group chat was blowing up with hundreds of notifications. Someone had shared a video of Phoenix and Lia kissing from the night before.

The chat was buzzing with excitement:

"The two smartest kids in school dating? This is gonna be iconic!"

"I always knew they were perfect for each other. So adorable!"

Then, in the middle of the chaos, Phoenix sent a voice message from Lia's account: "Yeah, we're together."

The chat went insane. "Whoa, Phoenix, announcing it on your girlfriend's account? Bold move."

I wasn't surprised, but the news still carved a hollow ache in my chest.

Scrolling further, I saw someone had screenshotted the exact frame of the video—my face, right on display. "What's with Emmeline's expression? Lol. Did she honestly think she had a chance?"

"As if. Lia's always been nice to her, and she's trying to steal her man? I'd call her out first."

"Give it a rest. You seriously think Phoenix would choose her?"

No one ever believed Phoenix could like me. After all, he was this blinding, untouchable star, and I was just... ordinary.

The day after Phoenix went public, he acted like a total stranger at school. People noticed something was off, but they all assumed I was just a lovesick girl pining after him. For four years, I wore the label of "delusional ugly duckling."

Whenever Phoenix overheard the taunts, he'd chase the bullies off—but he never once defended me out loud. Instead, it was always Lia who'd step in, snapping, "Emmeline doesn't like him! Keep running your mouths, and I'll shut them for you!"

In a way, having her around made it bearable.

Phoenix would reassure me in private. "I don't step up because if I do, they'll get jealous and say even worse things. Once we're in college, everything will be fine. We can be open then."

And I believed him.

For the hope of staying by Phoenix's side, I threw myself into my studies. Late nights buried in textbooks, waking up before dawn to drill vocabulary, watching my scores climb inch by inch.

Then one day, after Lia bombed an AP calculus exam, I brought her a milkshake to cheer her up. When I arrived, Phoenix was already there. Lia was teasing him: "Who asked for your help? Feeling all smug, are you? Next time, I'll beat you!"

When she saw me, Lia waved, grinning. "Emmeline! Since Phoenix stole my number one rank, he owes me. He's going to tutor both of us—for free!"

Phoenix had seen me work my ass off, but he'd only ever given me silent encouragement in private. He'd never offered to tutor me. Yet Lia managed to convince him in a heartbeat.

Phoenix explained, "I agreed because she's your friend. Tutoring you alone would spark gossip. With her there, it's different. It gives me a reason to see you more."

Lia chimed in, "Emmeline, if it weren't for tutoring you, I wouldn't even bother with him!"

They both swore it was all for my sake.

But all I ever saw was Phoenix and Lia hanging out freely, bantering like they'd known each other forever. Me? I mostly sat silent, the third wheel who couldn't find a way in.

Our classmates noticed how close they'd grown. They praised their pairing, laughed at me for being the third wheel.

So many times, I wanted to tell Lia about Phoenix and me. But Phoenix would always stop me. "Lia can't keep a secret. If my parents find out, it'll be a mess. Just wait a little longer—once we graduate, we'll make it official."

One was the boy I loved most. The other, my closest friend.

So I hesitated, and I waited. Over and over again.

In the end, I found out about their relationship the same way everyone else did—after graduation.

From start to finish, I was merely their excuse to get closer. A disposable pawn.

I set my phone down, and only then did I realize I was crying. I made myself a promise: this would be the last time I ever cried over Phoenix.

After crying my eyes out, I wiped away my tears and switched my phone to silent mode, desperate to shut out every notification. Before long, Phoenix and Lia showed up at my doorstep.

The second Lia saw me, she rushed over. "Emmeline, why didn't you reply to any of my texts last night? I was worried sick!"

"Don't pay attention to that group chat post, okay? We were just messing around with a stupid game of Truth or Dare after that. It was all nonsense. I already gave everyone who talked shit about you a piece of my mind. So don't be upset, alright?"

Then she shot a glare at Phoenix. "This is all your fault! Who suggested playing that silly game? Now Emmeline's upset. Are you happy?"

Phoenix leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, totally unbothered. "Not like I told them to say those things."

"Stop with the excuses! Apologize!" Lia insisted.

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry," he finally said, shooting me a glance that held zero remorse before turning back to Lia with a faint smile. "How about I make it up to you both by taking you out to dinner?"

Lia's face lit up with approval. She turned to me. "Emmeline, come on. Let's make him pay."

I tried to say it really wasn't necessary, but Lia was already dragging me out the door.

At the restaurant, Phoenix handed the menu straight to Lia. She flipped through it, gushing over how amazing one dish looked and how ridiculously pricey another was. Phoenix traded jokes with her, but he ordered everything she mentioned—including a mango smoothie, completely forgetting that I'm allergic to mango.

Nobody asked what I wanted. Once again, I was the outsider. Invisible. I couldn't take the atmosphere anymore. I was about to leave when I heard someone call out Phoenix's name.

"Phoenix? Is that you?"

It was his parents.

The moment his mom laid eyes on Lia, her eyes sparkled. "Oh, is this the girl you're always talking about? She's beautiful! I knew my son had excellent taste."

Phoenix hesitated, but said nothing. Lia blushed and didn't deny it either.

His mom assumed they were both shy and patted Lia's hand warmly. "Don't be nervous, sweetheart. I'm not one of those strict parents. Dating at your age is completely normal."

His dad chuckled. "Alright, we'll let you two enjoy your evening. Phoenix, treat her well. If you need extra money, just ask. Don't hold back."

They left, cheerful and approving, without a single hint of disapproval.

And right then, everything became crystal clear. Phoenix wasn't worried about his parents being strict about high school dating—he was just embarrassed to be seen with me in public. I wasn't as pretty as Lia. Not as accomplished. Not anyone's idea of the perfect girlfriend.

The atmosphere grew awkward. Lia broke the silence. "So Emmeline, have you decided which college you're going to? Phoenix and I are probably heading to New York."

"If you want to come with us, you could always take a gap year to boost your scores and reapply, but it's okay. We'll be waiting for you there."

Her words sounded caring, but they were just another reminder of how far beneath her I was. Maybe she'd gotten so used to looking down on me that it was second nature.

I shook my head. "No. I won't be going to the same college as you."

Phoenix paused, his eyes fixed on me, a shadow flickering across his face.

Not long after, he texted me: "Don't let your anger make decisions for you. Is this because I didn't introduce you to my parents?"

"They assumed Lia was my girlfriend. If I suddenly denied it, it would've been awkward. Be reasonable and wait until school starts."

Once again, he asked me to wait. But I no longer wanted to play a supporting role in their story. Without replying, I simply stood and said, "I've had enough. I'm leaving."

Lia called after me as I walked away, but I didn't look back.

That afternoon, Lia suddenly sent me a flood of messages.

"Emmeline, on the way home, Phoenix basically confessed to me. He said he's finally glad we can be together openly."

"I actually knew you were secretly seeing him before, but you can't force feelings."

"So, Emmeline... I'm sorry."

So she'd known all along. She knew I liked Phoenix. She knew about us. Yet she still used me as a stepping stone to get closer to him.

Right then, I truly felt like a fool. Why would the two people I cared about most do this to me?

Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. After all, I was leaving soon. Nothing left to hold me back.

In the days that followed, I kept my distance from everyone. The class group stayed active—someone posted a photo of Phoenix and Lia sharing a milkshake. The comments were all about how "adorable" and "perfect" they looked together.

I scrolled past, feeling nothing.

The day the SAT scores came out, I was at home packing up my things. I'd done remarkably well—scoring in the 99th percentile, landing me in the top five of our graduating class rankings. Even though I'd already gotten an early acceptance, I still felt a rush of pride.

That's when Phoenix showed up at my door holding a bouquet of white lilies, smiling as he offered them to me. "Emmeline, congratulations. So all those harsh words were just that, right? You did so well—it proves you want to be with me, doesn't it?"

I couldn't stand his condescending tone. I refused the flowers. "Phoenix, we're nothing to each other now. Aren't you worried Lia might get the wrong idea if you come looking for me?"

His expression darkened. "Quit talking nonsense. There's nothing between me and Lia. It's all fake. Emmeline, since when did you become so difficult?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "You said you were glad to finally be with her openly. Didn't you feel ecstatic to get what you wanted?"

A shocked look crossed Phoenix's face. "How do you know about that? No, I can explain—"

"No need!" I cut him off, shouting with every ounce of strength I had left. "I'm done being part of your games!"