Chapter 1
It was the middle of the night when my sweet, soft-hearted bestie, Bonny, called me up, crying her heart out.
She said, "What am I supposed to do when my boyfriend's got this so-called bro hanging around, acting all chill but clearly up to something shady?"
I said, "Dump your boyfriend."
"But I just can't let him go," Bonny whimpered, her voice all soft and pitiful.
I suggested, "Then just call out that person."
"But I don't even know how," Bonny sniffled, sounding totally helpless.
Bonny was sweet and teary, the kind who could tear into bread, perhaps, but taking down a boyfriend-poacher? That simply wasn't in her wheelhouse.
"Alright, just set up a meet with them. I'll do the calling out," I said, totally ready to step in for her.
The next day, I put on my smoky eye makeup, slipped into my fierce queen outfit, and headed straight for battle.
But when I saw the 6-foot-tall hottie standing in front of me, my jaw nearly hit the floor.
Seriously? Nobody ever told me the so-called boyfriend-poacher was actually a dude.
Yancy sat down and got straight to the point. He said, "Hi, I'm Yancy Sterling.
"Charles said you came here to confront me today."
What kind of hellish opening was this? Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine in what was supposed to be a cozy restaurant.
I quickly pulled my battle dress tighter around me and shot a look at Bonny, sitting next to me.
Seriously, this was so not what I signed up for.
*****
Bonny and I were college roommates.
I, the broke overachiever, and she, the soft, adorable rich girl: two people from completely different worlds, yet we were drawn together, forging a friendship like no other.
Our friendship stuck around even after graduation.
After graduation, I managed to stay in Riverdale and landed a job at a big public company, basically becoming a corporate drone.
Meanwhile, Bonny got together with her family's chosen match, and they were planning to date for two years before picking a lucky day to tie the knot.
During the week, Bonny and I would text and call each other nonstop, and on weekends, we'd hit the streets together, checking out all the latest food spots.
She'd gush about her sweet romance with her boyfriend, and I'd rant about my crazy boss.
My job was going pretty smoothly, but Bonny was running into trouble with her relationship.
Turns out, Charles had a childhood sweetheart who was a total "bromance girl".
During the six months they'd been dating, every time Charles and Bonny went out, his childhood sweetheart would conveniently end up with some kind of minor injury, so Charles had to drop everything and rush to his side.
Bonny, usually pretty oblivious, never thought much of it until last night.
She was out with Charles when he went to the restroom, and his phone started blowing up with messages.
Bonny glanced at the phone and saw a user named Muffin had texted: [Charles, you still not back yet? Wow, ditching me for your girlfriend? So much for bros before hoes.
[Man, the more I think about it, the more pissed I get. Unless you buy me a diamond ring, I'm not letting this go.]
With that cute name and the cat profile pic, even the usually clueless Bonny finally realized something was off. She quickly snapped a photo and sent it to me.
After analyzing the situation and a deep dive on Google, it suddenly hit me: Muffin wasn't just a childhood sweetheart: she was a classic 'bro girl'.
"A bro girl? What should I do now?" Bonny asked, sounding totally bewildered.
I said, "Break up with Charles. Or at least set some boundaries with him and make sure he keeps his distance from that Muffin."
"Is it really that serious? But I just can't let him go," Bonny sniffled, sounding all soft and miserable.
Bonny and Charles were practically inseparable, totally wrapped up in their honeymoon phase. The idea of breaking up or even laying down some ground rules? No way she could go through with it.
She was hopeless.
I suggested, "Then just call out that person."
If Charles and Bonny weren't breaking up, then I'd just have to find a way to break up Muffin and Charles.
Bonny said, "But I don't even know how."
Bonny was sweet and teary, the kind who could tear into bread, perhaps, but taking down a boyfriend-poacher? That simply wasn't in her wheelhouse.
"Alright, just set up a meet with them. I'll do the calling out," I said, totally ready to step in for her.
That night, Bonny and I cooked up our game plan. She'd set up the meet with Muffin.
And I'd be the one to do the tearing down.
But when I finally strutted in, flawless makeup on, decked out for battle, ready for the showdown, the so-called childhood sweetheart turned out to be a man.
With Yancy shooting me an amused smirk and Charles looking speechless, I seriously wished the floor would open up and swallow me whole.
I mumbled, "Is there some sort of misunderstanding here?"
When Bonny saw me getting all timid, she instantly straightened up, fierce and ready to defend.
She snapped, "Don't you dare mess with Grace.
"You two-faced bitch. Always trying to wreck other people's relationships—I'm putting an end to this today.
"And you, Charles, it's either him or me: make your choice."
Then she turned and gave me an encouraging look.
"Don't worry, I've got your back," she said, her voice full of confidence.
This was just making me more embarrassed.