Chapter 3

"Ah!" Sophie let out a performative cry, then slowly and deliberately collapsed onto the ground. "Help me up. My leg injury is acting up again."

Hayden immediately turned back.

Sophie insisted that he carry her. He laughed and scolded her for being dramatic, but he still obediently crouched down.

I let out a cold sneer and turned away. I found a spot where I couldn't hear their voices and sat down.

I didn't know how much time had passed until someone yelled, "The meteor shower is about to start!"

Everyone quickly gathered to wait for it. When Hayden didn't see me, he pushed through the crowd to find me.

"Are you mad?" he asked cautiously.

When I stayed silent, he smiled and tried to comfort me. "Don't think too much. Sophie and I grew up together. We're just really good friends. We're here tonight specifically to bring you to see the meteor shower. Don't you like taking pictures? Come on. I'll take pictures for you."

I liked photography. However, after Hayden and I got together, he no longer let me take freelance jobs, saying it was a waste of time.

When I saw him soften his tone like that, I pursed my lips and let him take a few photos anyway.

"Let's take a picture together and post it on Instagram," I said casually.

Hayden lowered his head, looking guilty. "You know my mom is pretty traditional. She doesn't like me posting pictures like that online."

I hadn't had much expectation anyway, so I just responded with a calm "Mmm".

Just then, someone called Hayden over to help move things. He answered, then handed me his phone before leaving.

"The bad woman posted on Instagram. Those bad people are bullying you, Mom." Daisy paced anxiously in circles, whining under her breath.

I opened Instagram. The first post I saw was Sophine's nine-photo collage. In the center was a picture of her and Hayden wearing matching outfits. The background was the same place we had just been at minutes ago.

Hayden had liked it and commented, "You're welcome for the new content."

My hand trembled as I scrolled through Sophie's Instagram account. Every single post had Hayden in them, and the comment sections were full of mutual friends teasing them.

"When are you guys finally going to step out of the friend zone and start dating?"

"You're so compatible!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Love is in the air."

Sophie replied, "Don't say that! I'll get shy."

The further I scrolled, the tighter my chest felt. There were countless posts revealing countless private meetups I hadn't known about.

I swallowed my anger and took a screenshot. I edited a post and posted it from my Twitter account with tens of thousands of followers with the caption, "Countdown to breakup".

Without checking the sudden surge of notifications on Twitter, I walked straight over to Hayden, intending to talk to him properly. However, I saw Sophie pressed tightly against his face, peering at his phone.

"Didn't your mom teach you to keep your distance from the opposite sex?" I said, rolling my eyes at Sophie.

"Come on, Maeve. I already said we're just bros. You can't expect me to stop hanging out with my bro just because he's dating you, right?" Sophie replied.

I chuckled. "You call yourself a 'bro,' but I don't see you going through a gender change."

"Maeve Sullivan, that's enough!" Hayden snapped, raising his voice. Then, he immediately softened it again. "Let's just watch the meteor shower first. You're overthinking this. If you're uncomfortable, we can talk about it later."

I shook off his hand and stepped a few feet away from him.

"Meteor shower! Everyone, make a wish!"

I closed my eyes, wishing that I could break up with Hayden peacefully. After all, we'd been together for two years. I didn't want things to end badly.

"Mom, look! The bad woman's hand is inside the scumbag's jacket!"

My heart jolted. I opened my eyes to see that Hayden's jacket was visibly bulging.

I asked in disbelief, "What are you two doing?"