Chapter 2

But I was far out.

Skylar was closer than any ambulance. She'd just left.

Call after call, she impatiently hit decline.

When she finally answered, I had little strength left.

"Zane's having a severe allergic reaction! Can you stop being ridiculous for once?!"

My lips barely moved. "Help… me… I'm bleeding…"

"Jayden! Why is it that every time I'm alone with Zane, you pull this stunt? Sick here, hurting there… I'm tired of your games!"

"Zane is genuinely sick today! Have you no empathy?"

My breath grew fainter, until only pained groans came out. She remained unmoved.

"Stop acting! I wouldn't come see you even if you were dying today!"

She hung up. Her final tone was icy and final.

I lay on the ground in despair, waiting for the ambulance.

As darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, a figure crouched before me.

"Sir? Sir, are you okay? Stay with me! I'll get you to the hospital!"

A kind stranger saved me.

I lay in the ER for what felt like an eternity, long enough to think I'd die there.

Luckily, they got me there in time. I survived by a thread.

Skylar didn't call me once in the following days.

Zane's SnapChat, however, was very active:

"Who else has a bestie this caring? Had a little allergy scare and she insisted on staying by my side 24/7. What can I do with her?" 😊

The picture showed Skylar peeling fruit for him. His slightly flushed face wore a sweet smile.

Mutual friends flooded the comments with well-wishes.

"You two are my OTP! So perfect for each other!"

"Twenty years of this? Just get married already! I'm ready with the wedding gift! When's the date?!"

Silently sipping warm broth from the hospital, I happily added my own comment: "Wishing you a lifetime of happiness."

4

Skylar saw my comment.

Her call came with a half-hearted explanation. "They're just joking around. Don't be jealous."

"Zane was sick, I had to be there. Are you really going to make a big deal out of this?"

"Once he's better, we'll pick up the wedding planning. I'll even go with you to buy that suit. Happy now?"

I replied distractedly, "Anything else? I'm busy."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds.

I used to get furious over Zane's ambiguous posts.

When I confronted Skylar, all I got was a scolding:

"Can you stop being so sensitive? Close friends don't care about stuff like that."

"You want me to cut off my best friend for you? Look at yourself. You're being pathetic!"

But now, seeing this stuff didn't even make my heart rate spike.

Before she could say more, I ended the call.

The police wanted me to identify the muggers. I also wanted to find the person who saved me, but she was long gone.

Zane's new SnapChat story had a familiar background—my bedroom.

He was shirtless. The woman next to him, face not shown, had her arm hooked through his. The caption read: "Sweet dreams tonight."

They'd been having a great time while I was gone.

But he did remind me—I needed to go back and pack.

That place was never really my home.

Though, I'd rather not walk in on another "surprise" in my bed like last time.

Back then, Skylar had stumbled over her excuses.

"Don't get the wrong idea."

"Zane was drunk. I couldn't just leave him at the bar, so I brought him home."

Zane hadn't batted an eye. "Yeah, Skylar and I are just friends. Don't overthink it."

Right.

No wonder they always talked about how "close" they were as kids.

Looking at a half-undressed Zane and Skylar wrapped in just a towel,

I had simply smiled.

"Just a shower. No big deal."

"You're so close. Why would I mind? It's normal to help a drunk friend shower."

"I know. It's pure friendship. Rare."

Skylar had frozen, her expression faltering for a moment.

I guess I, the third wheel, had ruined the mood. She wasn't pleased.

So this time, before heading back, I texted Skylar.

Gave her time to cook up an excuse and clean up.

Spare me another unwanted sight.

The next day, the place was spotless.

I'd never seen her clean before. Must have been quite the night.

"Where have you been?"

"The hospital."

"You were sick?" She suddenly sounded concerned.

The old me would have been deeply moved.

Because whenever I was sick before, she'd say, "I'm busy. I can't take you to the hospital."

"It's just a cold. You won't die."

Yeah, busy drinking and gaming with Zane.

When I was miserable with a fever, Zane would innocently ask, "I'm a guy too, why don't I get sick so easily?"

"Men are so dramatic. Not like me, born with a strong constitution."

So now, I just got stabbed. No big deal.

No point in complaining.

"My eyes weren't great."

"Your eyes? What happened?"

"I was blind. Couldn't see people clearly." I looked at her calmly. "They're fixed now."

HHer expression relaxed, seeming genuinely happy for me. "Good. As long as you can see clearly now."

Yeah.

I could see perfectly now.