Chapter 4

Zach and I had met on Valorant.

Back then, I was a high school senior and weighed 220 pounds.

The guys in my class nicknamed me "the linebacker."

The girls didn't join in on the name-calling, but they would lower their voices and giggle whenever I walked past.

Once, during gym class, we had to run the 800 meters.

I finished last, panting so hard I almost fainted.

The boy I had a crush on stood at the finish line, taking two steps back in disgust.

"Don't fall on me."

"It'll feel like an earthquake. Who's gonna catch you?"

The whole class burst into laughter.

That night, I hid in the game, not wanting to say a word.

Zach was the one who added me.

After hearing my voice, he kept asking.

"Your voice is so sweet. Are you sure you're not a voice actress?"

After that, we became regular gaming partners.

He would turn on his mic and defend me when random teammates flamed me.

"It's just a game. Why are you screaming at a girl?"

He would also talk to me when I was feeling down.

"Who says being chubby isn't cute? I think it's adorable."

"Chloe, I don't care what you look like. I like you."

I believed him.

Because of his words, for the very first time, I felt like I was worthy of being loved.

Until six months ago, when he accidentally found my old Instagram account linked to my gaming profile.

It had my high school name and my real face.

From that day on, he became visibly cold.

We went from dozens of texts a day to just a dry "good morning" and "good night."

I asked him what was wrong.

He said he was stressed about college applications.

Looking back, it wasn't stress at all.

He had just seen my photos.

But he didn't break up with me right away.

Because I could carry him in games, help him with notes, and comfort him whenever he had an emotional breakdown.

He just didn't want to lose a convenient emotional trash can.

So he dragged it out until the day before college started, using a stupid drinking game to casually throw me to someone else.

My phone rang again.

This time, I picked up.

Zach's voice was filled with annoyance.

"What are you doing, playing good cop with Ethan in the group chat?"

"He stood up for me. How is that playing good cop?"

"Would a guy like Ethan stand up for a girl for no reason?" Zach sneered. "Don't think just because you have a cute voice, you can actually hook him. Ethan's standards are way higher than mine. You'll just humiliate yourself if you go."

I stayed quiet for two seconds.

"So, you think I'm not good enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Then why did you bet a thousand dollars that I wouldn't dare to show up?"

He choked on his words.

After a brief pause, he spoke in a frustrated tone.

"Fine, you want the truth? Here it is."

"Chloe, I already know what you look like."

"We were fine online, but we're not a match in real life."

"And don't blame me. It's just human nature for guys to like pretty girls."

"I haven't blocked you yet, which is already me being nice."

I gripped my phone, the lingering pain in my chest finally turning entirely cold.

"Well, thank you then. You're so polite."

Zach didn't catch the sarcasm in my voice, and his tone softened slightly.

"Just don't come tomorrow. I'll Venmo you the five hundred dollars back."

"Serena is going to be there. Standing next to her will only make you look more pathetic."

I asked slowly, "Are you guys close?"

The other end of the line went dead silent.

"Don't overthink it. We're just friends."

I smiled.

It looked like tomorrow's party was going to be even more interesting than I thought.