Chapter Text
After reading the final page of his book, Shane slid off his reading glasses and set them gently on the nightstand next to his bed. The house was quiet, wrapped in the cool stillness of late evening.
All year, Shane had lived by a rigid, flawless routine. There wasn't a study program, an interclass competition, or a mock exam that he hadn't attended—and won. To be completely honest, Shane loved being a good student. He loved the clean satisfaction of a perfect grade. To him, it felt exactly like what a teenager was supposed to do.
Of course, the other guys at school didn't see it that way. They mocked him, tossing out sarcastic remarks when he turned down invitations to Friday night parties or weekend hangouts. But Shane always preferred the quiet safety of his own routine: eating dinner with his family, finishing his homework ahead of schedule, watching a movie, or rereading one of his favorite books before getting a full eight hours of sleep. The cycle was simple, safe, and predictable. He lived for the way his mother and father looked at him—shoulders straight, faces glowing with pride—whenever a teacher praised Shane’s work ethic.
Yet, when the final bell of the semester rang and his history teacher called out over the rustle of packing backpacks, "Okay, so... have a great summer, guys!" a sudden, unfamiliar spark of excitement flared in Shane's chest. For the first time in his life, the idea of a blank calendar with absolutely no schoolwork felt intoxicating.
The first week of the break was pure bliss. For seven days, Shane didn't set a single alarm. He woke up only when the morning sun finally burned through his blinds, stretching into days filled with video games, movie marathons, and baking experiments. Best of all, he spent them with Hayden Pike, his one and only friend.
Until Hayden decided to go on a trip with Jackie.
Shane stared at his phone, the glowing screen illuminating his dark bedroom. The message from his best friend felt like a physical slap:
"Hi bud, sorry I know we were going to have a picnic by the lake tomorrow but Jackie's family invited me to their trip to L.A. sooo I won't be here for a while. I have to pack now, see you soon!!"
A cold knot formed in Shane's stomach. He found himself hating Jackie just a little bit more than he had yesterday.
Hayden lived in a detached house at the very front of the neighborhood. He had been Shane’s best friend since Shane’s family first moved into the area when Shane was 8 years old. They had grown up together, their friendship weathering the awkward transitions of middle school, and by some stroke of luck, they had been placed in the same class this every year. Maybe Yuna Hollander had a big role on it but Shane wanted to call it a miracle. Hayden was the only person at school who never made fun of Shane, never called him a teacher's pet, and never treated him like a social misfit. He was a constant, steady anchor, always reminding Shane that he was normal, that he belonged. With Hayden, Shane didn't even have to try. Sometimes they wouldn't talk at all; they would just lie on Hayden's sagging living room couch, watching a mind-numbing reality TV show, completely content in the shared silence.
But at the start of the last year, a new girl named Jackie had transferred into their class. She had long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She seemed pretty cool. 'Looks exactly like the describing that Hayden told me about his dream girl.' Shane said to himself.
And almost overnight, she became the center of Hayden’s universe.
Shane vividly remembered the morning the shift began. Hayden had cornered him by the lockers, his eyes wide and practically glowing. "Dude! I saw her in the corridor this morning. She actually said good morning to me! Do you think she likes me back?"
Shane had blinked, his chest tightening with a strange, sudden unease. "I mean, uh—I guess so..."
"She is definitely into me," Hayden had beamed, completely missing Shane's hesitation. He just smiled back to his bestfriend and reminded himself to be calm about it.
From that day on, Jackie was the only topic of conversation. It didn't matter if they were eating lunch in the courtyard, spreading their textbooks across Hayden's bed to study, or watching a romantic comedy they had seen a dozen times—every conversation drifted back to her. Shane had felt a bitter, burning sensation in his throat back then, but he forcefully pushed it down. Why would anyone get jealous when their best friend gets a crush? he reasoned. It’s normal. I'm just being selfish.
A few weeks later, Hayden officially asked Jackie to be his girlfriend. Shane tried to convince himself that the hollow feeling inside him was just because his friend didn't have as much free time for him anymore. That was all.
Except it wasn't. Because soon, there was never a "just the two of them" anymore. There was always Jackie. Shane became a ghost at his own best friend's side, forced to sit awkwardly at the lunch table while they shared inside jokes, fed each other fries, or leaned over for quick, casual kisses that made Shane want to look anywhere else but at them.
He had watched them grow closer day by day, a wall building between his old life and Hayden's new one. And now, Hayden was leaving for Los Angeles. Leaving Shane entirely alone here? trapped in a quiet house for what felt like it might be the entire summer?
The thoughts swirled in Shane's head, growing heavier and tighter until it felt like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. There was a deeper, hotter feeling twisting underneath the jealousy—something he couldn't quite define, something he was too terrified to even name. It suffocated him.
With trembling fingers, Shane typed a single, detached response: a thumbs-up emoji.
He locked his phone and tossed it onto the mattress. Pushing himself up, he walked unsteadily toward the bathroom. He needed a shower. He always did that when the exhaustion inside his head grew too heavy to carry.