I stand alone in Central Park. The lights from the Winter Wonderland festival shine too bright. Families pass me. Couples hold hands. I check my phone again.
Craig's text is still there. The same three words. "Something came up."
I type back: "Is everything okay?"
No answer.
I buy a hot chocolate from a vendor. The cup warms my fingers. I tell myself it's fine. He probably got stuck at work. Or his phone died. Or traffic. I sip the chocolate and it tastes like nothing.
Around me, people laugh. A little girl tugs her father toward the ice rink. A couple kisses under the fairy lights. I stand in the middle of it all and feel invisible.
I wander past the vendor stalls. One of them has a screen playing campus livestreams. I glance at it without thinking.
Then I stop.
On the screen, Craig sits on a bench. Right here. At this festival. His arm is draped around someone's shoulders. He's smiling. He leans in and feeds her a sip of hot chocolate. She giggles and covers her mouth with both hands.
It's Maisie.
My roommate.
The chat scrolls past on the side of the screen. Hearts. Emojis. "Couple goals!" "They're so cute together!" "Ship them so hard!"
My hot chocolate slips from my hand. The cup hits the ice and shatters. Brown liquid spreads across the white ground.
I can't breathe.
I turn and walk. My legs move on their own. I don't know where I'm going until I see them. The same bench from the livestream. Maisie sits there with her phone propped on a tripod. Craig sits beside her. His arm is still around her.
I walk up to them. My voice comes out quieter than I want. "Craig?"
He looks up. For a second, something flickers across his face. Then it's gone. He stands. "Brynlee. Hey."
"You said something came up." I look at Maisie. She's smiling at me. That same sweet smile she gives everyone. "What's going on?"
Maisie tilts her head. Her phone is still recording. The little red light blinks at me. "Oh my gosh, Brynlee! I didn't know you were coming tonight. Craig was just keeping me company. I was so lonely and he's basically like my brother, you know?"
Brother.
I look at Craig. "You canceled on me to hang out with Maisie?"
He runs a hand through his hair. "It's not like that. She texted me and said she was upset. I couldn't just leave her alone."
"You could have told me."
"I didn't want to worry you." He says it so easily. Like it makes sense.
Maisie stands. She touches my arm. Her voice is soft. Concerned. "Brynlee, are you okay? You seem really tense."
I pull my arm back. "I'm fine."
On her phone screen, I can see the chat. It's moving fast now. "Who's that girl?" "She looks so mad." "Ugh, jealous much?" "Leave them alone!"
Maisie glances at the screen. She bites her lip. "I'm sorry if this is weird. I didn't mean to cause problems. Craig was just being nice."
She's performing. I can see it now. The way she angles herself toward the camera. The way her voice goes higher and softer. The way she makes herself small.
I look at Craig. "Can we talk? Alone?"
He hesitates. "Brynlee, you're making a scene."
"I'm making a scene?" My voice cracks. "You stood me up. You lied to me. And now you're sitting here with her like—"
"Like what?" His voice is sharper now. "Maisie needed someone. I was helping a friend. Why are you being like this?"
The cold air burns my lungs. My hands are shaking. I look at Maisie. She's watching me with those wide, innocent eyes. The camera is still recording.
"Forget it." I turn and walk away.
Behind me, I hear Maisie's voice. Soft and sad. "I feel so bad. I hope she's okay."
I keep walking. My vision blurs. I don't know if it's tears or the lights or both.
Then I hear the engine.
I turn.
Maisie is climbing into a snowplow parked at the edge of the festival. She's still smiling. The phone is in her hand. The red light is still on.
She starts the engine.
I don't understand what's happening until the vehicle moves. It's coming toward me. Fast.
I try to move. My legs won't work.
The snowplow hits me.
Pain explodes through my body. I'm on the ice. I can't breathe. I can't see. Everything is white and red.
Then the engine roars again.
The vehicle reverses. The weight crushes me a second time. Something inside me breaks. I feel it snap.
The world is spinning. I hear screaming. I don't know if it's me or someone else.
Footsteps. Running.
I try to lift my head. I see Craig. He's sprinting toward me. Relief floods through the pain. He's coming. He's going to help.
He runs past me.
He goes straight to Maisie. She's climbed out of the snowplow. She's crying. Fake tears. He wraps his arms around her. He holds her tight.
I'm lying in my own blood and he's holding her.
I try to say his name. My voice won't work. I lift my hand. My fingers are broken. Everything hurts.
"Craig," I whisper.
He looks down at me. His face is blank. Cold.
"We're done," he says. His voice is flat. "I should have never been with someone like you."
Then he turns away.
The ice is cold against my cheek. The lights are too bright. I can hear sirens in the distance.
I close my eyes.
