- 2 days ago
Chasing The Girl He Hid Siode
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00The summer I turned 18, Asher made me cross a line I could never take back.
00:04I bit my lip through the ache, glowing secretly all night,
00:07convinced that six long years of loving him from a distance had finally, finally paid off.
00:12Then the next morning, I heard his friend laughing outside the classroom door.
00:16Okay, okay. Got the nerd to give it up, huh?
00:20My face burned, and I turned to slip away before anyone saw me.
00:23I'm trying to get with Chloe, but she'd think I was too inexperienced.
00:27So I'll use Stella to get some practice in first.
00:29I didn't say a single word.
00:31I just quietly changed my college application from NYU to a school thousand miles away in California.
00:37His words hit me like a thunderclap out of a cloudless summer sky.
00:40No warning at all. My mind went completely blank.
00:43It was a scorching July afternoon, but I felt like ice was spreading through every inch of my body.
00:49The guys inside kept talking, pausing only for a half second before someone else piped up.
00:55Classic Ashen, even Stella was just a warm-up for him.
00:57Everyone knows how hard it is to get into her pants.
01:03So what does that make her? Like, a practice dully?
01:07Asher just laughed it off.
01:10Relax. She got something out of it, too.
01:13I mean, Stella's cute and all, but compared to Chloe, yeah, no contest.
01:16Right.
01:18Asher threw a textbook at him to shut him up.
01:21It was just a vibe, okay? The moment happened, and honestly, she seemed like she was enjoying herself.
01:26The guys all exchanged knowing looks and started roasting him.
01:30Who knew the Bookberg was that freaky under all those cardigans?
01:34Bro, Asher's just built different. Why leave free food on the table, right?
01:38She's been chasing him for years. Technically, she got what she wanted.
01:42The laughter inside the room got noticeably louder.
01:45I pressed my teeth into my lower lips so hard I tasted copper.
01:48Both hands balled into white-knuckled fists.
01:51It took every single ounce of willpower I had to stay upright,
01:54to not just crumple right there in the doorway.
01:56Footsteps echoed down the hall toward me.
01:58I snapped back to reality and bolted, shoving my way blindly through the corridor.
02:03In my panic, I threw myself into the nearest bathroom stall and locked the door behind me.
02:11The tears came like a dam breaking, grief and humiliation pouring out all at once.
02:17Asher's words played on a loop inside my head.
02:19Every single syllable.
02:21They shredded what little self-worth I had left.
02:23If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I never could have believed that the guy talking in there
02:28was the same one who had held me like I was something precious just last night.
02:32Turns out, you don't actually need to love someone to do that with them.
02:35Turns out, you can look a girl dead in the eyes, make her feel everything,
02:39and still be lying through every single second of it.
02:42The thing I thought was my happily ever after was just a punchline someone else got to laugh at.
02:48The more I cried, the worse it got.
02:50I couldn't make a sound.
02:51My whole body was shaking so hard I could barely breathe.
02:55A long time passed.
02:56My phone buzzed.
02:57It was Asher.
02:58Just grab an Uber back.
03:00My crew's got a party tonight and it'd be awkward to bring you.
03:03I didn't reply.
03:04He sent a follow-up.
03:05Also, pick up a morning after pill yourself.
03:08I'm busy today.
03:09Don't forget to take it.
03:10Good girl.
03:10I stared at those two texts for a very, very long time without looking.
03:14From dusk until nearly sunrise, Asher had been relentless, like he had a point to believe.
03:20By the end, we were both completely wrecked.
03:22Right before he drifted off with his arms wrapping, he murmured the same thing twice.
03:27We weren't really prepared for the first time.
03:32Get you the pill first thing before morning.
03:35He'd even given me this little lecture about how girls are able to take care of themselves.
03:39Said the morning after pill was really important and that skipping it could mess up my body.
03:44And I had actually thought, this is it.
03:46He's the one.
03:47He's being so responsible.
03:49I finally got my person.
03:51And now, the clarity hit me like a slap.
03:54I dug my nails into my own palm until the pain forced the tears to stop.
03:58I wiped my face, straightened my glasses, and walked out of that bathroom like nothing had happened.
04:04I was too embarrassed to go to a real pharmacy, so I ordered the pill online instead.
04:08When the delivery guy left my package at my door, I waited another long stretch before I could even bring
04:14myself to go get it.
04:15I swallowed it with a mouth full of my own tears.
04:18And then I just sat down on the floor, staring at nothing completely empty.
04:29I had genuinely never stopped to think about what a world without him would even look like.
04:37I couldn't picture it, but starting right now, I was going to have to figure it out alone.
04:41Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the neighborhood lights blinked on, one by one, and then off again.
04:47At some point, I really didn't know how long I'd been sitting there.
04:50Mia called me on FaceTime.
04:56Stella, why didn't you come to the party tonight with Ashler?
04:59That girl Chloe from the AP track is here, by the way.
05:02She has been all over him since you didn't show. It's actually disgusting.
05:05In the dark corner of the VIP booth, Asher and Chloe were sitting so close together, their thighs were touching.
05:11Chloe had worn a crop top and a curve-hugging miniskirt.
05:14Long, tan legs, tiny waist.
05:16Even the way they were talking looked more like whispering secrets than having a conversation.
05:22I could feel the charged energy between them through the screen.
05:25Something in my chest locked up.
05:27He'd only said he wanted to chase her this afternoon, and apparently, tonight was all the time he needed.
05:33The game switched to truth or dare, and Chloe drew a card that said...
05:38Do a push-up challenge with a guy hovering over me.
05:44Predictably, Asher volunteered before anyone else could open their mouth.
05:47Chloe blushed bright pink and lay back against the couch cushions.
05:51Asher planted his hands on either side of her.
05:54He was controlled the whole time, deliberately keeping his body from making contact with hers.
05:59Until the very last one, his arms gave out, and his entire weight came down directly on top of her.
06:05The room erupted.
06:07Everyone screaming so loud, the walls practically shook.
06:10Asher's and Chloe's faces went even redder.
06:13With the whole crowd going absolutely feral around them, Asher just tilted his head down and kissed her.
06:18Not a quick peck.
06:19A full, deep, for the whole room to see kiss.
06:23Three full minutes before they finally pulled apart.
06:25For all three of those minutes, I sat completely frozen, eyes locked on the screen, barely remembering to breathe.
06:32I wanted to cry so badly.
06:34Oh my god, Stella, did you see that?
06:37He literally kissed her in front of everyone.
06:40He is so into her.
06:42Mia shook her head and stepped out of the booth, turning the camera as she went.
06:46Don't be mad at me.
06:47If I hadn't shown you, you never would have let yourself move on.
06:50I'm not mad at you.
06:52I'm only mad at myself for wasting so many years.
06:56I had always assumed that the spot beside Asher was mine, that it would always be mine.
07:00I am so done with him, Stella.
07:02Who does he think he is, watching you love him for years, acting all innocent like he had no idea,
07:06just letting you fall deeper and deeper?
07:08You saw what I showed you.
07:10I'm not giving myself the chance.
07:12Mia, I've already decided I'm going to California with you.
07:16But you have to promise me you'll keep it quiet for now.
07:19Right after I said it, I flipped open my laptop right in front of her.
07:22Without a single second of hesitation, I changed my first choice school to the one in California, one minute before
07:28the deadline.
07:30Mia basically levitated off the ground.
07:32She'd been begging me for months to apply to the same school as her.
07:35But back when we started high school, Asher and I had made this pact.
07:39We'd work hard together and go to his dream school up in Boston after graduation.
07:44It had his aerospace engineering program, the one he'd been obsessed with since we were kids.
07:48So even though I didn't particularly love the idea of brutal winters, and even though that school was a technical
07:54institute that didn't even have my major,
07:56I'd spent three years treating it like my only option.
08:00Our families had lived next door to each other for so long that both sets of parents thought it was
08:04basically a done deal we'd end up at the same school.
08:07Everyone, including me, assumed Asher and I would just naturally become official once we got to college.
08:13But right now, I couldn't think of a single reason to still go to Boston.
08:16Because honestly, after today, if I kept following Asher around the way I always had, I would never be able
08:23to look myself in the mirror again.
08:25I just needed to go somewhere far away.
08:27It didn't even matter where, as long as he wasn't there.
08:30He was going east, so I was going west.
08:32Before bed, I filled the entire bathtub.
08:35I needed to scrub every inch of myself clean.
08:38But when I took off my clothes, the bruises on my skin were still so vivid, it made me flinch.
08:44The memories from last night rushed back before I could stop them.
08:48The burning heat of his skin pressed against mine.
08:51The sound of his breath ragged and warm against my ear.
08:54The ghost of it all still seemed to linger in the air around me.
08:58I shook my head hard, physically trying to shake myself free of it.
09:01Then, I grabbed the roughest loofah I owned and scrubbed myself raw, over and over, until my whole body was
09:09flushed pink and singing.
09:10I was trying, clumsily, desperately, to erase what was officially the worst night of my entire life.
09:18The result was that the pain kept me awake the whole night anyway.
09:21Asher didn't text.
09:23For the first time in six years, ever since we both got phones, we didn't say goodnight to each other.
09:28That was fine.
09:29It was going to happen eventually anyway.
09:31Tonight was as good a time as any to start letting go.
09:34I didn't fall asleep until just before sunrise, drifting in and out of exhaustion.
09:39Early the next morning, while I was still buried in sleep, I felt, in that foggy space between dream and
09:45awake, the soft press of lips against my forehead.
09:49I jolted awake.
09:50The first thing my eyes landed on was a jaw I knew too well, and the soft dip of a
09:55throat right above me.
09:56The scent hit me next.
09:57Cedarwood.
09:58That cologne he always wore.
09:59And underneath it, the faintest trace of something new.
10:03Something citrusy that wasn't his.
10:05Right.
10:06I'd completely forgotten that Asher still knew my front door code.
10:09Seeing me awake, he shifted lower and tilted his face down toward my lips.
10:14I shoved him back with both hands and scrambled to the far edge of the bed.
10:17He blinked, then let out a short laugh like I'd surprised him.
10:23Since when are you shy?
10:24I didn't answer.
10:25I just yanked the blanket over my head and disappeared under it.
10:28Asher started talking.
10:32Stella, seriously.
10:34You didn't say goodnight, you turned your phone off, and now you're hiding under a blanket?
10:38Still avoiding me?
10:39Then he just lifted the blanket and slid himself right in.
10:45Hey, how many times have I told you you can't skip breakfast?
10:49I ran half a mile to get you those croissants from your favorite place, and I stood in line forever.
10:54Want to get up and eat now, or get eaten?
11:01Reality crashed back in, and I fought like my life depended on it.
11:05But I'm 5'2 in sneakers, and Asher is literally 6'2 of solid muscle.
11:09I honestly could not figure out what game he was playing.
11:12He had Chloe now, so what was he even doing in my bed?
11:15I tried to push him away, only to be held even tighter.
11:19Let go of me!
11:20After what felt like forever of thrashing around, I was panting and had accomplished nothing except being held even tighter.
11:27What's the tantrum about?
11:30You're mad because I didn't bring you to the party last night?
11:33Over something that small?
11:34I said nothing.
11:35He buried his face in the curve of my neck and actually laughed.
11:39Let me guess.
11:40Mia told you something?
11:41It was a party game, Stella.
11:43Is it really worth getting jealous over?
11:46You're doing that thing you always do.
11:48I get slightly close to another girl, and you go all silent and sulky.
11:53I was so furious, I couldn't even form a sentence.
11:56I dredged up something from a self-defense unit in gym class, snapped my knee up hard between us,
12:01and the second he doubled over, I launched myself out of that bed.
12:04Stella.
12:05Asher's jaw went tight, his whole face going red.
12:08I grabbed a hoodie off the floor and yanked it on over my pajamas.
12:12I did not want to be in any room with him, and especially not my bedroom.
12:27Hey, you took that pill yesterday, right?
12:29Because I really don't need that kind of drama,
12:31and I definitely don't want to have that conversation with your parents.
12:41Come on, be reasonable.
12:43Eat something before you pick a fight.
12:48You know your stomach's sensitive.
12:58What is actually going on?
13:00Stella, even a tantrum needs a reason.
13:03There have to be some limits here.
13:04I kept my voice ice cold and set it flat.
13:08I don't deserve to have any say.
13:11Asher snapped.
13:12He slammed the cup down on the coffee table so hard it cracked.
13:15The plastic split and the smoothie spilled out in a wave, soaking into the rug.
13:19What is that supposed to mean?
13:23Who do you think you are, Stella?
13:26Who do you think you are?
13:29We slept together once, it was consensual, and now you think you own me?
13:35Do you know how suffocating that is?
13:37His voice had a viciousness to it I had never heard before.
13:41The second he finished speaking, my eyes flooded.
13:43No warning, no buildup, just instant tears.
13:47Yesterday's humiliation came crashing back, hitting me all over again like a fresh wound.
13:52Asher clearly hadn't expected me to cry this hard this fast.
13:55He looked genuinely thrown, scrambling for what to do.
13:59He crouched down and said he was sorry.
14:01I'm sorry.
14:02I drank too much last night and I was out of line just now.
14:05He reached out to wipe my face, but I twisted away, putting distance between us.
14:09His hand froze in midair, hovering there.
14:12He opened his mouth to keep trying, but his phone buzzed.
14:15He glanced at the screen once, and his entire expression shifted, and he stood up and moved
14:20toward the door.
14:20I've got something urgent.
14:22Take a minute to calm down.
14:23We're going to college soon.
14:25You can't keep throwing fits like a little kid who's going to put up with that.
14:35He hadn't been gone 30 minutes when Mia sent me a screenshot.
14:39Chloe's Instagram story just said,
14:41I'm hungry, and breakfast appeared like magic.
14:44Pretty sure this is mutual now, with a little heart.
14:46The photo was of the exact same croissants that were sitting on my kitchen counter.
14:51I didn't respond.
14:52I just quietly wiped my eyes, got on my hands and knees, and started cleaning up the smoothie
14:57Asher had spilled.
14:58I scrubbed for a long time before I accepted, with a hollow feeling in my chest, that the
15:03stain had soaked all the way through the wool rug and wasn't coming out.
15:07So, I just threw the whole rug in the trash.
15:09It didn't matter anyway.
15:11That rug was something Asher and his parents had spent an entire afternoon picking out on
15:15a family trip, and he'd lugged it home in his carry-on himself.
15:19Then, I went through everything else.
15:21Every single thing Asher had ever left at my place.
15:24Every gift he'd given me over the years.
15:26Every photo of the two of us.
15:28Every small souvenir and keepsake.
15:30It took the rest of the day, but I packed every last bit of it up, and threw it all
15:34out.
15:38I doubted he'd want any of it back, anyway.
15:40After he left that day, the silence stretched.
15:43Days went by, and he didn't reach out at all.
15:45Things with Chloe were probably going great, or maybe he was waiting for me to be the one
15:49who caved first.
15:51In every fight we'd ever had, I was always the one who broke first.
15:54Every single time.
15:56No exceptions.
15:57But this time, I didn't go looking for him, and I didn't have any reason to.
16:01I blocked him on everything.
16:02Texts, all social media, changed my front door code, and deleted every account he might
16:07use to find me.
16:08After that, I called my parents, who were both traveling, for work.
16:11I told them I wanted to spend the summer visiting my aunt on the other side of the country.
16:16My plan was to stay there until school started, then head straight to California with Mia instead
16:20of coming home.
16:21Other than Mia, no one else knew yet that I'd changed my application.
16:26This plan should work perfectly.
16:27There was basically zero chance I'd run into Asher if I pulled this off right.
16:31My mom actually laughed over the phone.
16:35Ooh, so you and Ashler are taking a vacation together?
16:39I made up a quick excuse and didn't go into detail.
16:41I just told her I wanted to visit my aunt and grandma.
16:44I begged my dad to book me the first available flight, and I was ready to leave that same night.
16:49Of course, because the universe has no chill, I ran into Asher's mom right at our front door
16:55on my way out.
16:56She grabbed my arm warmly and started chattering.
16:59Stella, honey, where's Asher?
17:01He's not going to pick you up?
17:02Didn't he say he was taking you on that ski trip?
17:06Go have fun.
17:08I am 100% behind you two.
17:11I was confused.
17:13I had mentioned once during senior year that I'd always wanted to try skiing in Colorado,
17:18just offhand.
17:19But given everything that had happened between us, the idea of going on a trip together seemed
17:24completely impossible.
17:25I was running out of time, though, so I said something vague and noncommittal and slipped
17:29away.
17:30What I never expected was that at the airport, I would come face to face with Asher.
17:37He was with a group of friends.
17:39Chloe was there, too.
17:40Asher had her designer bag in one hand and his other arm slung around her shoulder.
17:44They were trailing at the back of the group.
17:46Every so often, Chloe would lean her head toward him to say something, and every single time,
17:52without any hesitation, he would bend down to listen.
17:55He never did that with me.
17:56Asher had always been taller than me, and the gap had only gotten bigger over the years.
18:01When it was the two of us, I was always the one bouncing on my toes, craning my neck up
18:05just to catch his eyes.
18:07Turns out, for the right person, he would be the one who bends.
18:11I breathed in slowly.
18:12I told myself I needed to have some dignity about this.
18:15Whatever he did was none of my business.
18:17If I let myself overthink it, I deserved to be slapped.
18:20But there seemed to be only one path to the gate.
18:24All I could do was stay far enough behind that he wouldn't notice me.
18:27By some miracle, we eventually reached a fork in the terminal where the path split.
18:32Asher seemed to get distracted around that.
18:34He made a bunch of calls, none of which seemed to go through,
18:37and then spent a long time staring at his phone.
18:40Eventually, he borrowed someone else's phone, his face dark and unreadable,
18:44and disappeared into a nearby bathroom.
18:46A moment later, my phone rang.
18:48Unknown number.
18:50So you've got a real attitude on you this time.
18:53You're just not going to come to me first?
18:55You actually blocked me?
18:58Fine, keep it up.
18:59See how great you do when we're both in Boston,
19:02and you don't know anyone, and there's no one to look out for you.
19:04Asher came out swinging, rattling off complaints in one long, irritated breath.
19:09I had absolutely nothing to say to any of that,
19:12but Asher seemed to get angrier at my silence.
19:15I'm done talking about this. Just unblock me.
19:18I'm heading out of the country for a couple days with some friends.
19:21Probably won't have great reception.
19:25Don't get all weepy about it.
19:27I couldn't even be bothered to say a single word back.
19:30I hung up and turned my phone off.
19:32From across the terminal, I watched Asher stalk back to his group, his expression stormy.
19:37He grabbed Chloe's hand, didn't hesitate for a second, and walked toward the left gate.
19:42I let out a long breath, turned around, and headed right.
19:46With my family, I performed happiness, and honestly, I got pretty good at it.
19:51I deliberately kept myself slammed with plans, filling every gap in the day so I had no room to spiral.
19:57I definitely didn't add Asher back the way he'd demanded,
20:01but Mia and some others kept me updated on his life anyway.
20:04Asher and his friends had apparently been swimming in Colorado for days.
20:08For some reason, he was suddenly posting on social media every single day,
20:12which was completely unlike the version of him who used to go months without posting anything.
20:17Sometimes it was slow motion clips of him carving down the slopes.
20:21Sometimes it was food and late night parties.
20:23But mostly it was big group shots of everyone clowning around in the snow.
20:27Even though I genuinely didn't want to see it.
20:29Somehow people kept sending it to me unprompted.
20:32Everyone was very casually curious about why I hadn't gone with Asher.
20:36I didn't know what to say, so I just told people I had family stuff going on.
20:40Mia was the only one who openly called him a trash human.
20:44Everyone else around me seemed to be constantly stopping themselves from saying something.
20:48I knew, they'd probably figured out something was wrong.
20:52In every single group photo Asher posted, he and Chloe were glued together, inseparable.
20:57But that spot beside him had been mine for years, just mine.
21:01Every time I saw one of those photos, my face stayed completely neutral.
21:04But something deep in my chest would clench.
21:07He was the first person I ever fell for.
21:09Someone I had genuinely, completely, embarrassingly loved for such a long time.
21:14In the middle of the night, alone, I would fall apart a little.
21:17And sometimes I felt this stubborn, stupid feeling that I wasn't ready to let go.
21:21But every time that feeling started rising, I'd replay his words and give myself a mental slap.
21:27I'd repeat it to myself over and over.
21:29Stella, don't be pathetic.
21:31That's the fastest way to make yourself even less worth respecting.
21:35Just hold on a little longer.
21:36Once the detox period was over, everything would be fine.
21:39We went a full month without any contact.
21:42The longest we'd ever gone since the day we met.
21:44Distance and time turned out to be the best medicine.
21:47I ground through the worst of it and came out the other side.
21:50Just when I'd reached the point where I didn't think about him every hour of every day,
21:54he switched to a new number and called me from across the country.
22:00So you're just that bold, running off without me and staying this long?
22:05Summer's almost over, Stella.
22:08Did you forget you promised to go on a trip with me?
22:11Maybe it was because we'd gone so long without talking.
22:14But underneath all the complaints, his voice had this edge to it.
22:17Almost careful.
22:18I still didn't want to talk to him.
22:20I was about to hang up when his mom snatched the phone.
22:23Stella, sweetheart, are you having fun out there?
22:27This boy won't tell me anything.
22:28I only just found out you two had a fight.
22:32Don't be too hard on him, honey.
22:34When you come back, I'll make him apologize to your face.
22:38Oh, and Ashler just got his acceptance letter today.
22:41Yours should come soon, too.
22:43Have you thought about when you'll come home for your going away party?
22:46I've got a little surprise planned.
22:49Asher's mom had been like a second family to me since I was little.
22:52I couldn't bring myself to hang up on her, so I stayed on and let her talk.
22:56I'm not really planning to have a party.
22:58My parents are always traveling, and honestly, we can just do a video call thing with family.
23:03I probably won't be back before school starts anyway.
23:06I'll just come home right before move in.
23:08I didn't even finish the sentence before Asher took the phone back.
23:11His breathing was heavy.
23:12I could feel the anger coming through from 3,000 miles away.
23:18Stella, I'm literally the one reaching out first here.
23:21How much longer are you going to keep this up?
23:24If you don't come back, don't expect me to wait for you.
23:27I'll head to Boston without you.
23:29He delivered the threat in this cold, flat voice.
23:32Waited and waited, without getting the answer he wanted.
23:35My acceptance letter had already arrived at home.
23:38When they saw the school name on the letter,
23:40my parents finally found out I'd changed my application.
23:43My mom video called me.
23:45Hi, baby.
23:46Why didn't you talk to us before changing your application?
23:50Does Asher know?
23:51His mom called this morning, asking if your letter had come yet.
23:55I had no words.
24:00Baby, how are we supposed to feel okay about you going all the way to California alone?
24:03Aren't you the kid who's terrified of bugs and can't handle heat?
24:07You really think you can manage?
24:09Don't call me to come deal with it for you.
24:12That school has a lot to offer,
24:13and Mia will be going there too.
24:16You don't have to worry.
24:17Is this about a fight with Asher?
24:20Because that's not a reason to switch schools across the country.
24:25What if you change your mind in a week and want him back?
24:28Then what?
24:29It's heart your caption.
24:31I just decided to say it straight.
24:34Asher has a girlfriend.
24:35Mom, dad, I have my own life, and I don't want to just orbit around his forever.
24:42So please support my choice, and please keep it between us for now.
24:47My parents looked at each other for a long time without speaking.
24:52The only thing they asked was that I come home sooner rather than later.
24:56School was starting soon, and they wanted time with me.
24:59My mom mentioned that Asher had gone off on another trip with friends the very next day
25:03after getting his acceptance letter.
25:04He'd been gone for days.
25:06His mom was apparently calling my mom regularly, asking when I was flying back.
25:10On the day I landed, my parents showed up at the airport, dressed like they were going somewhere formal.
25:16I woke up from my nap on the drive, and realized they'd pulled up to a five-star hotel.
25:21I was still half asleep when my mom grabbed my arm and steered me through the lobby.
25:26And right there, standing in the middle of it, was Asher, who I hadn't seen in months.
25:31My feet stopped moving on their own.
25:34Asher was in a perfectly fitted black suit, leaning casually beside the lobby fountain,
25:38like something out of a magazine spread.
25:41Just one summer was all it took.
25:43The boyish edge had faded, and he looked exactly like the version of him I used to imagine
25:47when I tried to picture him grown up.
25:49Something complicated twisted in my chest.
25:52I'd avoided this moment for months, and now here it was, sprung on me with no warning.
25:57Stella, it's Asher's going away party.
26:00We figured we'd pick you up and bring you straight here.
26:03You said you didn't want a party of your own, right?
26:05Asher seemed to sense something, because right then, he casually glanced over, and his gaze
26:16landed directly on mine.
26:18My heart lurched sideways, still felt like the floor dropped out.
26:22But Asher moved first.
26:23He took one step toward us, and then Chloe appeared out of nowhere and slipped her arm
26:28through his.
26:29She pulled him along with her, smiling wide, and walked right over to us.
26:33Oh my gosh, Stella, you're back!
26:36I've been wanting to properly meet you forever.
26:40I always saw you around with Asher.
26:43I'm from the AP track, so we never officially met, and I'm genuinely sad about that.
26:50Yeah.
26:51Asher looked vaguely uncomfortable.
26:53Why would you want to get to know her?
26:55She's just a drama queen who throws fits.
26:59I honestly thought she'd stayed in her aunt's state forever.
27:02The world will keep on turning, and your name will be forgotten.
27:05I had nothing to say to that.
27:07There was genuinely no response.
27:09Chloe's silver bodycon dress was covered in tiny crystals that caught every bit of light
27:14in the room.
27:14I glanced down at myself.
27:16White tea, jeans, sneakers, hair that still had a slight slept-on wave from the plane.
27:20I looked like I'd made a wrong turn on the way to a convenience store.
27:24I brought a dress for you, baby.
27:25You can go change in the powder room.
27:27I nodded, then shook my head.
27:29There was no point.
27:30This wasn't my party.
27:31Asher kept staring at me with this unreadable expression.
27:34Chloe's eyes kept flicking back and forth between the two of us.
27:38Luckily, a few more guests arrived just then, and Chloe immediately pulled Asher over to
27:42greet them.
27:43Like she was already the hostess.
27:45Mom, let's go in.
27:45I'm a little hungry.
27:49It was a small gathering.
27:50Asher had only invited close family and a handful of friends.
27:54Every single person I knew looked visibly shocked when they saw me walk in.
27:58I just smiled and said hello and acted like I didn't notice, but nobody was subtle about
28:02their curiosity.
28:04The people watching energy was off the charts.
28:08I slipped out to the terrace for some air and could immediately hear a small group in
28:12the hallway cornering Asher for the gossip.
28:17Wait, didn't Stella fall out with you over the Chloe thing?
28:20Why is she here?
28:20Did she come crawling back?
28:23She's just quick-tempered and in a mood.
28:25She always comes around after a couple of days.
28:26We've known each other our whole lives.
28:28She's not actually going to cut me off.
28:29I mean, Stella's genuinely great.
28:31She's been ride or died for you for years.
28:32All of us are low-key jealous of how she treats you.
28:34But like, one is your childhood best friend.
28:37And honestly, Stella's amazing.
28:39But it also feels kind of limiting.
28:42I'm young.
28:42I don't want to only ever have one person.
28:44That's too predictable.
28:46I need to see what else is out there.
28:48But that doesn't mean anything has to end.
28:49As long as I know there's always a light on at home for me.
28:53You're such a player.
28:54I'd heard enough.
28:55I backed away as quietly as I could.
28:57The evening breeze hit my face and I felt my eyes go hot.
29:01I just hated myself for spending so many years being blind to who he actually was.
29:07I was in absolutely the worst mood of the entire summer.
29:11But Asher's mom was thrilled to see me and spent most of dinner doting on me, refusing to let go
29:17of my hand.
29:18Stella, Boston can get really dry in winter.
29:20Let Asher take you shopping tomorrow and stock up on some good moisturizers.
29:24Oh, it's fine.
29:26There are plenty of shops out there and online shopping is so easy.
29:29She nodded warmly and turned to my mom.
29:31I already picked out all the bedding for the dorms, got a set for Asher and one for Stella at
29:36the same time, all four seasons covered.
29:38Boston winters are brutal.
29:39I went with really thick comforters and got a few winter coats for Stella, too.
29:44Don't you worry about a thing.
29:45My mom made a face like she'd swallowed something.
29:48All of that would be completely useless in California.
29:51But she didn't want to embarrass anyone, so she thanked her graciously.
29:54Chloe, sitting nearby, looked like she was biting through her own cheek.
29:58Asher's mom didn't seem to notice.
30:00She kept right on talking, addressing both of us.
30:03Once you're both in Boston, you'll be each other's family.
30:07Asher, you better take good care of Stella and stop making her upset.
30:11You hear me?
30:11Asher threw a glance my way with zero expression.
30:15She doesn't need anyone to look after her.
30:17She's perfectly capable of flying on her own.
30:19The table got a little stiff, and that's when Chloe smoothly cut in.
30:23Oh, don't worry.
30:24My school is in Boston, too.
30:25I'll be there to look after Asher.
30:27And Stella will be all the way in California anyway, so...
30:30It's not really practical.
30:32Before she even finished the sentence, Asher and his parents' faces changed.
30:36California?
30:38Every single one of them looked at me and asked it at the same time.
30:43Asher, you didn't know?
30:45It's been on the school's honor board.
30:47Oh, wait.
30:48You haven't been back to campus.
30:49Every pair of eyes at the table swiveled to me.
30:52Under the weight of all that attention, I quietly nodded.
30:55My mom stepped in to explain.
30:57Stella made a last-minute decision to change her application.
31:01She's going to a great school in California, and it's actually the perfect program for her.
31:07Asher didn't believe it.
31:08He grabbed my hand and made me look at him.
31:11Stella, I literally watched you fill out that application.
31:15We were going to the same school.
31:17His grip was tight enough to actually hurt, and it pushed me over the edge.
31:22Yeah, I changed it.
31:23What does it have to do with you?
31:25Asher looked stunned for a second, then started laughing like I'd said something ridiculous.
31:29You're joking.
31:30You're literally the girl who jumps onto my back at the sight of a bug.
31:38I pulled out my phone, found the crystal clear photo of my acceptance letter, and held it
31:43up in his face.
31:44Asher took the phone, zoomed in, zoomed out, read it over and over, and finally let out
31:50a laugh that had no humor in it at all.
31:53In the middle of everyone's gasps, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the dining room.
31:59He pulled me into a side room and locked the door behind us.
32:02Asher planted himself against it, cutting off any escape, and came at me hard.
32:07Stella, I cannot believe you.
32:09You're so mad that you just forget our whole plan, go behind my back, and commitment to
32:13a school across the country.
32:14I lifted my head.
32:15I took a breath and made myself look him straight in the eye.
32:18I have my own plans.
32:21Since when do I have to build my entire future around what you want?
32:24Asher, be honest with yourself.
32:26Are you actually upset about the plan?
32:29Or are you upset because I'm not available to be your fallback girl anymore?
32:33The color drained from his face.
32:35What is that supposed to mean?
32:36Could you not phrase things like that?
32:38We're adults.
32:40That night was completely mutual.
32:41Are you seriously still bringing that up?
32:43I was embarrassed, but I held his gaze anyway.
32:46Asher, if you like someone else, you could have just said so.
32:48I'm not so shameless that I would have kept throwing myself at you.
32:52But you knew you didn't like me back, and you just watched me walk straight into the flame.
32:55That was fun for you, wasn't it?
32:56Even now, he still didn't get it.
32:58People don't say goodbye until they've completely run out of hope.
33:02He flushed.
33:02Something in what I said hit.
33:04His face went from white to red, and he visibly swayed.
33:07What do you even listen to what you're saying?
33:10He couldn't finish the sentence.
33:14Stella, we've known each other since we were eight years old, and we're 18 now.
33:18If you're choosing to walk away from what we have, then we don't have to be friends either.
33:22And with just that, he turned and walked out of the hotel.
33:26That was because of the time someone else.
33:28And with just that,
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