Joanne’s POV:
I held my phone with a grip so tight my knuckles turned white.
My gaze bore into the screen, which was displaying the latest snapshots of Arec and Ella, together, again.
This wasn’t just a simple dinner or a formal outing, I could easily brush off. No, this ti they were at an arcade, of all places, looking like two carefree kids without a single worry. Having a ti of their lives.
There was Ella, leaning over one of the machines, laughing so hard she was practically doubled over, her eyes was even sparkling. And there he was, Arec, standing right beside her, watching her with that smile I’d yearned for, desperately, hopelessly, throughout the years.
I’d give anything to see Arec smile at with those expression, like I’m the only thing he could ever see, like I’m the only thing that matters in this world. I’d even kill for that smile if he wants to, but there he was giving it all to that godforsaken Ella. As if I had never even existed.
My thumb hovered over the screen as I swiped to the next photo, each image hamring into like a stake.
Now, they were at a karaoke bar. Arec and Ella singing at a karaoke bar. My heart twisted painfully at the sight. I zood in, focusing on Arec’s face.
Arec held a microphone, singing a duet with her, his face lit up with a joy that felt like salt in a raw wound. He was even grinning. A grin that told more than words ever could.
Ella was captured mid-laugh, her head thrown back, looking blissful and free.
Arec looked alive, effortless, like I had never made him feel in all those years we were close, and I couldn’t stop staring.
Anger bubbled up, hot and thick, rising in my chest. I gripped my phone tighter, my nails digging into its back, almost daring the phone to shatter in my hand.
How could he share these monts with her, after all we’d been through? We grew up together, he was my best friend before she even entered the picture. We were supposed to be inseparable, bound by the years of friendship, by the promises we’d made, unspoken but understood.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t tear my gaze from that photo of them, voices lifted together in a song I’d never hear, because Arec, my best friend, had never once sung with .
I closed my eyes, a mory coming to life against my will, clawing its way to the surface. It was my birthday in college, college. My friends had arranged an after-party at a karaoke bar.
The air had buzzed with laughter, voices loud and vibrant. My excitent had soared as I’d tugged on Arec’s arm, pulling him toward the stage. He was my best friend; of course, he’d be up there with . I’d thought it was obvious, thought he’d see how much it would an to .
"Arec, co on, just one song! It’s my birthday!" I’d laughed, bouncing on my heels, almost pleading.
But he’d just looked at , expression unmoved, his lips set in a thin, dismissive line. "Jojo, you know I’m not into this kind of thing. I can’t sing, and you know that."
He hadn’t even tried to soften the refusal, like he couldn’t be bothered to care. I’d forced a laugh, hoping it would cover up the sting of his rejection, but the emptiness gnawed at .
Our friends had laughed, shrugging it off like it was nothing, but their amusent had felt like a punch to the gut. That hollow ache settled deep, festering, reminding that Arec would only ever let so close.
And now, here he was, standing on stage with her, singing with the sa voice he’d denied . His words back then had felt like a door slamming shut. And now, I was standing on the other side, helpless to reach through. The betrayal twisted in my gut, icy and sharp. Why was it different with Ella? What did she have that I didn’t? The question burned through , relentless.
I scrolled back to the photos of them at the arcade, seeing the laughter on his face. My mind flashed back to the last ti I’d tried to convince him to join sowhere out of his comfort zone. We were fresh out of high school, full of dreams, and I’d begged him to co with to the city’s new amusent park. I could still rember the way he’d brushed off, claiming he was too busy with college prep, too serious for "silly gas."
"Co on, Arec," I’d pleaded, forcing a smile to hide my disappointnt. "We can study later. It’ll be fun!"
But he’d barely looked up from his textbooks, his tone as dry as ever. "Jojo, you know I don’t have ti for that. I don’t see the point."
I had swallowed my hurt, convinced myself that it was just his way, that he didn’t need those little escapes like I did. But seeing him now, goofing around with her, I realized just how wrong I’d been. He wasn’t too busy. He just hadn’t wanted to go with .
The bitterness clawed its way up, tasting tallic on my tongue. I wanted to smash the phone against the wall, watch the screen shatter. I had done it before, four tis now, each phone a casualty of the resentnt I kept swallowing. But I’d learned that breaking things wouldn’t break the hold she had on him. No, this would take sothing else. Sothing careful, patient.
I took a deep breath, replaying the last conversation I’d had with Ella. She’d ntioned her plans for the weekend, her voice bright, oblivious to the tension brewing under my carefully composed mask.
"I already have a plan with Arec, he’s taking out tonight." she had said casually, as if she weren’t ripping my heart apart with each word.
It had taken everything in to keep my voice neutral, to keep the resentnt from spilling out. "Oh," I’d replied, my tone carefully cheerful. "I hope you two have a great ti."
It had taken every ounce of restraint I had not to let my true feelings spill out. I’d almost dropped the phone in that instant, gripping it so hard to keep myself composed. I had tried, oh, I’d tried so hard to bite my tongue and act like the caring friend I wanted her to see as.
That had been the mont when I’d devised my plan, to invite Ella to an exclusive social gathering, let her face the harsh reality of the people who thought she didn’t belong, and then swoop in as her savior, the only friend she could trust.
But she’d declined, opting for an outing with Arec instead. The sting of that rejection was sharp, a slap in the face I hadn’t expected. I clenched my jaw, feeling my teeth grind. She had no idea what she was walking into.
It hadn’t been enough that Arec took her on that one date; he had to keep taking her places, including places we never went to ourselves. He was showing her the side of himself he’d always kept from . It was an insult that left a bitter, tallic taste on my tongue. And now, they were doing everything we never got to do together. He was treating her like she was special, like she was the one he wanted.
I shifted on the couch, my knee bouncing with barely contained anger. My phone still displayed that photo of them singing, their faces close enough to make my stomach churn. The image of them, each shared smile, each laugh, was like a blade digging deeper.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how carefully she was tearing apart everything I had tried to build. All the little things he was sharing with her, the silly outings, the nights out, the side of him I’d never even glimpsed, it all seed designed to mock , to remind of everything I could never have.
The worst part was, Ella had no idea. She walked through it all with that sa clueless innocence, so sure of her place in his life, blissfully unaware of the damage she was causing. She didn’t know what it had been like, watching Arec brush off ti and again, seeing him refuse every little request, every mont I’d wanted to share with him. She didn’t know how many tis I’d tried to reach him, only to be t with a wall.
In the back of my mind, I heard that little voice, the one that whispered of vengeance, of taking back what was mine. I stared at the cursed image of their faces close, closer than I could bear
I anted to break it, to shatter everything she’d stolen from . But I knew better than to act on impulse now. I couldn’t afford to make mistakes.
If I wanted Ella out of the picture, I needed her to trust . I needed her to see as a friend, the only person who truly understood her. Then, when she least expected it, I’d strike. I’d take back what she’d taken from , piece by piece, until there was nothing left for her to hold onto.
I breathed in, forcing the rage down, letting it simr just beneath the surface.
This would take ti. I would have to play nice, to smile through every insult, every stolen mont. But I could do it. For Arec, I could do anything.
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