Outsider Tag: My Footage, Their Story

The moment I revoked their permission to use the footage, a notification popped up at the top of my phone.

It was a reply from Daniel Whitmore, my girlfriend's childhood best friend, to the top comment on the video.

The comment read, "The way the narration and footage work together is incredible. You can tell whoever filmed this was shooting with love."

Daniel replied with a bashful emoji, "Thanks for liking it! I wrote the narration and filmed everything myself. I just love these guys so much."

The comments that followed were full of praise for his talent.

He wrote the narration and filmed everything myself?

I stared at those words, and suddenly, the whole thing felt absurd.

I met my girlfriend, Evelyn Hayes, during our freshman year of college. Back then, I was naive enough to believe a relationship was supposed to be between two people. It took me a while to realize that Evelyn always came with a little group of three.

For the first two years, I tried desperately to fit in. Whenever they reminisced about their favorite high school hangouts or laughed about the times they'd skipped class to play video games at an internet cafe, I'd sit quietly nearby, refilling everyone's drinks and listening because I had nothing to add.

At first, Evelyn would still take my hand and pull me into the conversation. "Stop talking about the old days all the time. You guys are leaving Evan out."

But as time went on, Daniel would sometimes fall silent, his expression turning downcast as he muttered that maybe he was getting in the way of us spending time together.

Somehow, that always seemed to make Evelyn annoyed with me. She'd frown and scold me. "Evan, why do you always have such a hard time fitting in? Maybe you should think about what you're doing wrong. Nobody's excluding you. You're just being too sensitive."

Things didn't change until our junior year, when Daniel discovered that I was good at photography. It was the first time any of them had gone out of their way to talk to me.

"Evan, can you take a picture of the four of us?"

From that day on, I finally found a way to stay in their circle. I became their personal photographer. Whenever we went out, I'd carry the heaviest gear, scout ahead for the right angles, or hang back to capture candid shots.

I never complained. If anything, I was grateful. Looking at the photos was the only time they ever praised me.

"Evan, you're seriously good at this."

The video, "The Friendship We Shared," really was filmed with love.

Just not the kind of love they thought it was. It was the one-sided love of someone desperately trying to earn his place with them.

I pulled myself out of those memories and pushed open the door to the photo studio. I immediately noticed Evelyn and Daniel sitting side by side, their heads nearly touching as they watched the viral video on the computer.

Evelyn had funded the studio during our senior year so Daniel could launch his own business. But I was the one who handled everything else, from setting up the studio and buying equipment to filming content every day and writing the scripts. Daniel's only job was to look good, stand in front of the camera, and smile.

When she heard the door open, Evelyn turned. Her brow immediately furrowed when she saw me. "What are you doing here?"

I walked over and calmly asked, "The video went viral. Aren't you going to mention where the footage came from in the description?"

Evelyn froze for a moment before her expression hardened with impatience. "Evan, can you not ruin the moment? Do we really have to put the name of someone who doesn't even appear on screen in the credits? Don't you think that's going to look weird?"

Daniel gently tugged at Evelyn's arm before turning to me with an apologetic, almost innocent expression. "Evan, you never liked being on camera anyway. I figured you wouldn't care about getting a little recognition. Besides, the video's doing great. You should be happy for me."

I stared at him, stunned by the sheer entitlement on his face. "I was the one who stayed up for three nights editing that video. I wrote the entire narration, too."

Evelyn's expression hardened. She stepped in front of Daniel as if she were shielding him from me.

"Does it really matter who filmed it? People love the story of the four of us, not the photographer behind the camera. Do you really have to make a big deal out of this right now? Do you have to embarrass Daniel?"

I stood there, staring at the woman I'd loved for four years. Apparently, in her eyes, everything I'd poured into them was worth less than a moment of discomfort for Daniel.

I nodded. "Fine. I won't make a big deal out of it."