The Fall Guy? Not This Time

While I was eating, I came across a post on X.

[Found out my girlfriend has a nasty disease and is pregnant. I want my buddy to be the one left holding the bag. What should I do?]

I was just about to comment that the poster was out of his mind when I scrolled down and realized people were actually giving him advice.

[That's easy! If you two are close, just invite him on a trip.]

[Get your girlfriend and your buddy drunk in the middle of the night, then have them stay in your buddy's room. When the time comes, catch them in the act. You can break up and push the kid onto your buddy to take responsibility…]

Reading that comment, I couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

I was about to show my friend this mind-blowing post so we could rant about it together when he suddenly looked up at me and asked, "Tyler, are you free this weekend? How about we go on a trip?"

I froze for a moment.

Then I asked, "What made you suddenly want to go on a trip? Isn't it a bit rushed to squeeze it into just the weekend?"

I'd met Simon Huck back in college. He was the only close friend I still kept in touch with after starting work. We used to travel together during long holidays.

But this time, the suggestion came out of nowhere. With only two days over the weekend, a trip felt a little too tight.

Hearing my concern, Simon waved it off and explained, "Come on, I just saw a post saying there's an EDM festival in Payne City this weekend. We haven't hung out in ages. We've been working like machines every day—might as well take this weekend to relax together."

I hesitated. "I'm free this weekend, sure. But going to an EDM festival with you… won't your girlfriend mind? It's usually couples who go to those. It'd feel kind of awkward bringing me along."

At the mention of his girlfriend, something flickered in Simon's eyes.

He broke into a grin. "What's the problem? I'll just invite her too. The three of us can go together! Don't overthink it. Just treat it as a chance to unwind."

With that, he lowered his head and immediately opened a ticket-booking app.

But by then, something already felt off.

A trip? The three of us? Wasn't this exactly like the post I'd just seen?

I shot Simon a probing look as he busied himself with the tickets. A thought crept into my mind.

Could he be the one who wrote that post?

The idea flashed through my head, then quickly vanished. I scoffed at myself—there was no way something that coincidental could happen.

Besides, I'd known Simon for five years. I knew exactly what kind of person he was. There was no way he'd do something like that.

I hurriedly reassured myself, letting out a quiet breath of relief, and let him go ahead and book my ticket.

Until, suddenly, he said he needed to use the restroom.

As he stood up, a waiter approached with a dish. Simon didn't notice in time, and they collided.

His phone slipped from his hand and skidded across the floor, stopping right by my feet.

In the next second, I went completely rigid.

Because a notification popped up on his screen: [Did your buddy agree to the trip? I'm waiting for an update.]

A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps prickled across my skin.

Could it be… Simon really was the one who made that post?