“It’s a good thing you came in right away,” the nurse said as she gently cleaned the raw skin of my arm. “This is a second-degree burn, and you needed stitches too.”

I didn’t respond. Just nodded. The white ceiling above me blurred. I stayed at the hospital for two more days.

Not a call. Not a single message. No “Are you okay?” No “Sorry for what happened.”

Nothing. They didn’t even care enough to pretend.

On the second evening, I found myself aimlessly scrolling through my phone. Maybe some part of me still hoped they’d reached out. But all I found were photos.

Bright, glowing snapshots of Audrey in her brand-new red dress, smiling between Jared and Jackson. Champagne glasses raised. That same smirk on her lips that she always wore when she knew she had won.

“Thank you Jared and Jackson for the best birthday ever! I’ll treasure this forever! Look at our new friendship bracelets!!!”

I zoomed in. Three matching bracelets. And then Jared and Jackson no longer wore our friendship bracelets like before.

I turned off the screen and placed the phone face down on the side table. Just silence again. My heart pounded in that silence. But it didn’t hurt anymore. It was just… empty.

Two days later, I was back at the apartment. The same place we’d all moved into after college. It was supposed to be a home for a family, only that they had betrayed me.

I stepped inside the quiet living room and headed straight to my bedroom. I opened the closet and began to pack.

I reached for my shoes and then paused. There it was—the memory box. That dumb, stupid box I had once called my "treasure chest."

I sat on the floor, dragging it out, letting the dust coat my fingers. Inside were letters. Crumpled, faded ones written by Jared and Jackson from when we were kids. Stick drawings, silly poems, “get well soon” cards when I had the flu.

And a photo. The three of us—me, Jared, and Jackson—kneeling by a treehouse, dirt on our clothes, wide grins across our faces.

I remembered that day. It was the summer I got bit by a dog. Or almost did. I was always terrified of dogs, and the neighbor’s dog had gotten loose. I froze, too scared to move. Jared and Jackson had jumped in front of me like it was instinct. Jared even got a bite on his arm just to protect me.

After that, everything changed. They became my shadows. My protectors. And somewhere along the way, I had fallen in love with Jared, while Jackson treated me like a sister.

Until Audrey ruined everything.

I sat on the floor, gripping a friendship bracelet with my name on it. I was such a fool.

My parents had warned me when I begged them to adopt Audrey. “Are you sure about this, Maureen? Not everyone wants a sister the way you do. And what if she hurts you? You can’t just trust anyone that easy.”

I hadn’t listened. I believed love would be enough.

But now?

Now I knew.

She didn’t want to be my sister. She wanted to be me.

I packed up the rest of my things. Then, I carried the memory box outside. I set the box down and lit the match in the backyard.

The flames caught quickly. The letters curled, blackening. The bracelets twisted in the heat, their gold sheen turning dull and dead. The photos dissolved into ash.

“Maureen!”

I turned at the sound of Jared’s voice. He came running from inside, panic written all over his face.

“What are you doing?!” he shouted. “Are those… are those our albums?! The bracelets?!”

“Yes,” I said simply. “I’m burning all our memories.”

He tried to move closer, but I stepped in front of the fire, blocking him. “It’s over. All of it.”

Jackson arrived seconds later, looking just as stunned.

“Is this some kind of tantrum?” he asked, arms crossed. “You’re upset, we get it. But this is dramatic, even for you.”

“This isn’t a tantrum,” I said, my voice calm, steady. “This is the end.”

“You’re really going to let one bad night ruin years of friendship?” Jared asked. “Maureen, don’t do this. We can talk—”

I met their gaze before turning to Jared. “I don't want to ever be with the both of you again."

I turned away and walked back inside the apartment, the smoke still curling behind me.

I thought they’d leave me alone after I burned everything. But they didn’t.

Days passed, and slowly, Jared started acting like nothing had happened. He began sending flowers again. He texted like a sweet boyfriend, asked about my day, and even tried to kiss me once when we crossed paths outside the building. It was as if nothing had ever gone wrong.

Jackson followed suit, playing the big brother again—bringing coffee, joking about old times. Every time they said, “Sorry about what happened, let’s fix things,” it sounded more like they were apologizing for a stubbed toe than years of neglect and betrayal.

Then they surprised me with dinner.

“Our treat,” Jared said. “At our old spot.”

Part of me wanted to delete the message and never look back. But another part of me—the tired, heartbroken part—wondered if maybe, just maybe, we could end this all without bitterness. Without hating each other.

So I went. The restaurant hadn’t changed. Dim lighting, warm wooden booths, soft jazz playing overhead. It smelled like rosemary and nostalgia. I sat down, watching them laugh, trying to recapture something that had long since died. For a few moments, it almost felt okay.

Then Jared’s phone rang.

He glanced at it and froze. “It’s Audrey.”

He answered, frowning. “What? Slow down… You were robbed? What? Stabbed?! Where are you—”

In seconds, both he and Jackson were on their feet.

“She’s crying,” Jared explained breathlessly. “She was attacked. We’ve got to go.”

They didn’t say goodbye. They didn’t even look at me again.

They just ran. Ran like their world depended on her.

I sat there in silence, staring at the half-eaten food. The candle on the table flickered until it burned out completely.

I paid the bill myself.

When I stepped outside, the sky had opened up. Thunder cracked across the heavens as rain poured relentlessly. The streets were nearly empty—no taxis, no buses. The restaurant manager offered me an umbrella, but they were already closed. I couldn’t stay.

So I walked. Each step was heavy. My bandaged arms ached. My body screamed for rest. But the worst part?

The thunder. It echoed in my chest, triggering a deep fear I’d carried since childhood. I always froze during storms. The lightning, the cracks—it made me feel like the world was about to split in two.

I wrapped my coat tighter and kept going, the city turning into a blur of light and shadows.

Then—a sharp light. A horn.

A car.

I didn’t even have time to move.

Then: darkness.

When I woke up, everything felt… soft. Too soft. I was in a room I didn’t recognize. Clean, white walls. Dim lighting. My body hurt, but it was dull, distant. I blinked hard, turning toward the sound of someone shifting nearby.

“Jared…?” I whispered.

But it wasn’t him.

A man sat in the corner, tall, dressed in black, his eyes unreadable. He didn’t move until I tried to sit up.

“You’re awake,” he said. His voice was deep, steady. “Don’t move too much.”

“Who… are you?”

“Roscoe,” he said. “I found you after the accident. Took you to the hospital. You were unconscious.”

I wanted to ask more. But everything spun—and I blacked out again.

When I opened my eyes again, Roscoe was gone.

No note. No contact. Just… gone. There were no missed calls. No messages. No check-ins.

Except for my mother.

Mom: Call me when you’re on your way here now. Everything’s ready now. Come home.

I didn’t tell her what happened. I didn’t want her to worry.

The nurse told me I’d been lucky. The car had hit me from the side, but nothing was broken—still, I needed a few more days to heal.

So I stayed. Alone.

Until discharge.

Back at the apartment, I stepped inside just to grab the last of my things before I booked my flight home.

That’s when Jared appeared at the door.

“Oh, good. You’re back.” He smiled like nothing had happened. “So, listen… we had to sell your car. And some of your things too. Audrey needed emergency funds, and—”

“What?” I asked, stunned. “You sold my things?”

“Relax,” Jackson said, walking in. “We’ll pay you back. But Audrey’s been through a lot after the robbery. She needs someone to take care of her—can you cook for her? She’s not eating well.”

I blinked, stunned. “Are you serious?”

Jackson’s brows furrowed. “Where’ve you been anyway? Audrey said you went to some party after the dinner. Don’t you think that’s not a good behavior when Audrey was in danger? You shouldn’t have been here with us! I think you’re being selfish.”

I felt like I’d been punched. I laughed. It came out hollow, broken. “Right. A party.”

Then I threw the hospital discharge file straight at them.

“There. That’s where I was. The hospital. You left me in the rain. I walked home through a thunderstorm. I got hit by a car.”

“What…?” Jared asked, staring. “You were in the hospital?”

“I thought you were with friends…” Jackson mumbled, confused. “Audrey said—”

“Of course she did,” I snapped. “It’s always Audrey, isn’t it?”

Before they could say more, a high-pitched scream came from the hallway.

“Help! Jared, Jackson—it hurts! Please!”

Audrey. Of course.

Always Audrey.

I didn’t wait to hear their response. I turned, stepped over the threshold, and walked away.

My entire body still ached. So instead of leaving as planned, I stayed in my room, letting the dull pain anchor me to the bed.

I didn’t cry. There were no tears left.

When I opened my eyes again, sunlight streamed through the curtains, warm against my skin. And right there, at the foot of my bed, stood Jared and Jackson.

“Good morning,” Jared said with a sheepish smile, holding a tray. “We brought you breakfast.”

Jackson placed the tray gently on my lap. Toast, scrambled eggs, some fruit, and a glass of orange juice. Bland and almost cold.

“Thought you could use something to start the day,” Jackson added, sitting at the edge of the bed.

I looked at them. They looked casual. Relaxed. Almost happy. Like the last few days hadn’t happened.

“Look,” Jared said, scratching the back of his neck. “We’re sorry. Audrey told us she saw an Instagram story of you at a party that night… and she was just hurt, you know? She got robbed and stabbed while thinking you were out dancing. She… she thought you were ignoring her on purpose.”

Jackson chimed in. “She really believed it. So… maybe you should apologize to her. Just to clear things up.”

I stared at them in disbelief, then scoffed.

“Maybe you should apologize to me.”

That made them blink.

Jared frowned. “Why would we? It’s not like we did anything wrong. You didn’t tell us what happened. If you had, we could’ve been there for you.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Do I need to beg to be cared about now? I was gone for days. You didn’t even check.”

“Don’t say that,” Jackson said firmly. “Audrey got stabbed. She needs us.”

“And I didn’t?” My voice sharpened. “So if I’m not bleeding in front of you, I don’t deserve a second thought?”

Before either of them could respond, the door creaked open and in she came.

Audrey. She wore a soft, oversized sweater and limped slightly. Her face was pale, lips trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.

“Are you picking a fight with me now, Maureen?” she whispered, her voice shaking. “I’m sorry. Okay? I didn’t mean to get hurt. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

I watched her carefully. Her trembling, her pout, the subtle gaslighting laced in every word. Like she was the one being attacked.

Again. The tears slipped down her cheeks.

“I just… I don’t want us to be enemies. We were sisters once… I wish we could go back.”

And just like that, the boys snapped.

“Stop making her cry, Maureen,” Jared snapped.

“Come on, Audrey,” Jackson said softly. “You shouldn’t be walking too much. Let’s get you back to bed.”

They turned to her with such care, such concern—it stung.

“I’ll feed you,” Jared said as he took her hand. “You need to eat.”

“Yeah,” Jackson added. “You need your strength. We’ll get your favorite seafood in the other room.”

Then they turned back to me.

“You eat what we made, Maureen,” Jared said. “You’ve been discharged. Stop being so picky.”

And with that, they led Audrey out, leaving me alone again.

I looked down at the plate in front of me. The eggs were rubbery. The toast, dry. The fruit was unripe.

Across the hall, I could hear them laughing.

Audrey’s voice rang out clear: “Mmm, I love crab legs! You remembered I hate toast, right? Seafood’s my favorite!”

Of course it was. They gave me scraps and fed her a feast.

I didn’t cry. Not this time. I was just done.

My phone buzzed.

It was a message from Mom: Venue options are in. Also attached are the dresses. Let me know what you like, darling.

I tapped the call icon.

“Mom,” I said, my voice steady.

“Maureen! Did you get the pictures? What do you think of the flower arrangements?” she asked excitedly. “And also the dresses?”

“I like everything. It was actually hard to choose,” I replied. “I’ll finalize it today. But I think I like the vintage one.”

“Great! We’ll prepare it for you. How long until you come back? Your groom’s waiting, you know. He’s very eager.”

“Just a few more days. Something happened, but I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to wearing those dresses… to the wedding.”

Mom let out a soft laugh. “That’s my girl. We’ll wait for you.”

I hung up. I stared at the tray, untouched. Then I felt it—the silence shift.

I looked up. Jared and Jackson stood in the doorway. I hadn’t even heard them come back.

Their eyes locked on me, their faces unreadable.

Jackson’s voice came first. “Dress to the wedding?”

Then Jared stepped forward, his brows pulling into a frown. “Wedding? What wedding?”