- 9.
That night, Ethan dragged me out to a fancy dinner. “Come on, Liv,” he’d pleaded, “you’ve been ignoring me for three days! Don’t be mad.” I explained, “I’m not mad. You have a girlfriend, and we should keep some distance. It’s better for everyone.” “But I only dated her
because I thought you two were friends! If you like someone, I like them. If you don’t, I don’t.”
He said it with such conviction. After that, he
avoided dating anyone I knew and never
brought his girlfriends around. But our social
circle was small. Word always got back to me.
At holiday gatherings, people would tease him,
“Ethan, when are you going to bring a girl
<
44
around for us to meet?” He’d put a peeled
shrimp in my bowl, answering casually, “Not yet.” A few of his girlfriends had even
contacted me, begging or berating me to stay away from him. It became clear: even if I did nothing, my mere existence was a problem. So when Ethan asked me to cut ties with him for Summer, I respected his decision. But why kick me out of the group chat? It wasn’t just him; my closest friends were there too. My phone buzzed with calls. I declined them all, texting back that I was fine, telling them not to worry. Kindness was too much to bear when I was on the verge of tears.
- 10.
