The night before the school's coming-of-age gala, Brenda showed up with our class's scholarship student in tow and demanded I hand over my designer suit to him.
"Vivian's family can't afford a suit," she said, "and it's not like you'd miss one outfit. Oh, and your shoes too. And the watch. You're giving him those as well."
I laughed in disbelief. "The suit isn't enough? Now you want the watch and shoes too? What, just because he's broke I'm supposed to bankroll his entire life? Should I pay for his wedding and kids while I'm at it?"
Vivian Donaldson's expression darkened.
Brenda lost it. She told me I'd better have the suit, watch, and shoes ready by tomorrow morning, or she was calling off the engagement.
I went quiet. I looked at her the way you look at someone you're seeing clearly for the first time, then turned and called my grandfather.
The engagement was ending, all right. But I'd be the one to end it.
……
"You want to dissolve the engagement? Why?" Grandpa asked.
"Because it doesn't work anymore. I grew up with her. I thought I knew her inside and out. Turns out I barely knew her at all."
Silence on the other end. Then Ezra Dickerson spoke. "Fine. Find a time for both families to sit down for dinner. We'll settle it properly."
I agreed, walked back into the classroom, and buried myself in my books.
When evening study hall let out, half the class was hollering about how tomorrow they'd officially be adults, and tonight called for a blowout at the karaoke bar.
Even the teacher didn't stop them.
"You guys go ahead. Vivian's not feeling great. I'll stay with him."
One sentence from Brenda Pruitt and the room went dead. Every pair of eyes turned to me, including the teacher's.
They all knew. Everyone knew Brenda and I had grown up together, childhood sweethearts with an engagement to match.
I looked at her, and my eyes stung before I could stop them.
Twenty years. She'd been woven into every corner of my life, left marks so deep I couldn't tell where she ended and I began. Yet in her heart, I didn't even rank above a guy she'd known for three.
"Come on, Brenda, don't kill the vibe," one of our classmates said. "Besides, Tony Dickerson—"
"Don't." Brenda's face went cold. "If he hadn't gone out of his way to humiliate Vivian just now, Vivian would be fine."
The few classmates who'd been about to speak up swallowed their words.
Vivian shot me a look, slow and deliberate, then patted Brenda's hand. "Go have fun, Brenda. I'll be okay."
He put on a perfectly crafted mask of loneliness as he said it.
Brenda's face crumpled with sympathy. She wrapped both hands around his arm.
"Stop. I'm staying with you tonight."
The blood drained from my face.
Staying with Vivian. The whole night.
Pain and rage twisted together in my chest. I wanted to grab her by the shoulders and demand she remember who I was. Her fiancé. The man she'd been promised to since before either of us could walk.
The classmates around me saw my expression and scrambled to smooth things over.
"She's just joking, man. No way she'd actually spend the whole night with Vivian."
"Exactly. The whole school knows you two are childhood sweethearts with an engagement and everything. We're all waiting for the wedding invite."
"Ha, I've already got a fat gift envelope with your names on it."
Brenda's voice was flat. "Save your money. There might not be a wedding to celebrate."
She tightened her grip on Vivian's arm and walked out. Two steps past the door, she stopped and looked back at me.
"I gave you a chance. Whether you take it is up to you."
I smiled. Nodded. "Don't worry. I've already made my decision."
Twenty years of growing up side by side, and this was where the road split.
"That's messed up."
Classmates muttered around me, indignant on my behalf.
"Seriously. Forget the childhood-sweetheart thing for a second. She's literally engaged to you. How could she say she's spending the whole night with another guy?"
