When My Boyfriend Kissed His Childhood Friend

Dating the charming, drop-dead gorgeous heartthrob of the university was never as dreamy as it sounded. For three whole years, I tried everything to thaw the ice between us, but he stayed distant—completely out of reach.

One night, during a game of Truth or Dare, Rodrigo got dared to kiss a girl for three minutes. Every single person turned to me, teasing me with playful smirks. My cheeks burned with anticipation—I couldn't help it.

Just as I closed my eyes and leaned in, Monica, his so-called childhood friend, burst in and kissed him instead. Their kiss was deep and dragged on, like no one else even existed. Like they forgot we were all standing right there.

When they finally pulled apart, Monica let out a laugh. "Rodrigo hates it when strangers invade his personal space!"

That's when I knew I was done. When I told him it was over, Rodrigo's eyes went red-rimmed, and he practically begged, "Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It's not like I was the one who started it!"

But he hadn't pushed her away either.

That kiss was so intense, so full of heat, it felt like watching two long-lost lovers finally reunited. Everyone froze—especially me. When they broke apart, Monica was a little breathless, but she grinned and explained, "Rodrigo's a total germophobe, you know? Strangers freak him out."

An awkward silence swallowed the room. I was stuck between laughing and crying as I looked to Rodrigo for some kind of explanation. His cheeks were still flushed, and his eyes were glued to Monica—like I wasn't even standing there.

Noticing everyone's stares, Monica said boldly, "Rodrigo, you owe me big time for that!"

His whole demeanor dimmed, a flicker of sadness bleeding through, but he still asked her warmly what she wanted—with this weird intimacy I'd never seen from him before. Not with me.

"Well, I heard you're top of the class," she batted those innocent doe-eyes at me. "So, how about you take my calculus exam for me?"

Even as my heart felt like it was being sliced wide open, she clung to my arm, pleading like a little girl. "Just help me pass it, please?"

I was about to say no, but Rodrigo answered for me, all casual like. "It's no big deal. She can handle it."

No big deal?!

Ignoring him completely, I answered in an icy tone, "I don't have the time."

Monica's face crumpled instantly, tears pooling in her eyes as she whimpered out an apology. Her little act was flawless, and the air in the room turned thick with tension.

Everyone there was in Rodrigo and Monica's inner circle. And as those tears threatened to spill, they rushed to comfort her.

"Come on, what's the big deal? Just help her out!"

"Exactly, it's just one exam. Jade can ace that in her sleep!"

"Yeah, with great power comes great responsibility. We're all friends here, right?"

They were all trying to gaslight me.

"Jade, what the hell is your problem?" Rodrigo suddenly snapped at me. "Monica can't afford to fail if she wants into the grad program. Why can't you just do this one thing?"

I let out a bitter scoff. My problem?

The boyfriend I'd given three years of my life to had just humiliated me in front of everyone—and he had the nerve to ask what my problem was.

Three years of being all in, and it had all been a freaking joke.

"Did you even know I'm applying for the grad program too?" I asked.

Monica and I were in the same department. We were basically rivals.

Rodrigo's face froze, his smile faltering. "Wait—you're applying? Why didn't you tell me? You know there's only one spot, right?"

The energy in the room shifted so fast you could almost hear it. Since I'd kept the top rank for as long as anyone could remember, everyone knew I was the obvious pick—and that just made things a hundred times more awkward for them.

Monica's expression twisted into a wry little smile. "Oh, it's just a spot! I can totally let you have it," she chirped.

Rodrigo tried to smooth things over. "Jade, you've got the grades to get into literally any school, but Monica has fought tooth and nail to get where she is. Can't you just let her have this one thing?"

I turned away. I couldn't stand to look at his face for another second.

Seeing I wasn't budging, Rodrigo's eyes went ice-cold. "If Monica doesn't get into grad school, then maybe you and I shouldn't stay together."

"Think it over."

And just like that, he walked off—didn't even give me a chance to respond. This was a scene I knew all too well. Every single fight ended with him walking away.

Monica hurried after him, but paused just long enough to "reassure" me. "Don't be upset, Jade. Rodrigo's loyal to people, not rules. I'll talk to him later, okay?"

Once they were gone, the rest of them just stared at me, waiting for me to chase after him like I always did.

But I stayed right where I was.

The party slowly fizzled out. People started leaving.

When I finally got home, exhaustion hit me like a truck, and my chest ached with this raw, hollow pain. That's when my phone lit up with a message from Rodrigo.

"You've got three days to think it over."

Another message popped up a second later. Monica. "Jade, Rodrigo's really upset. Just go along with it for now, and I'll smooth things over later!"