Chapter 2
When I got back to the room, Chelsea was already out of the bathroom.
She was leaning against the headboard, and when she saw me, she looked apologetic. "Maria, I was in a hurry to use the bathroom.
"I thought you were upset, so I didn't want to bother you."
She pointed at the nightstand. "Toby handed it to me through the door. Don't get the wrong idea."
Then she clasped her hands together.
"You know my period is always unpredictable. Sorry for the hassle."
Toby was sitting in a chair nearby and shot me a meaningful glance.
I opened my mouth, but my throat was all choked up.
After a long pause, I barely managed to say, "It's fine."
Chelsea let out a sigh of relief and settled back in. "That's a relief. I was really worried you'd be upset."
Toby grinned and tucked the blanket around Chelsea. "Come on, she's not upset. Stop worrying."
I stood by the bed, watching them.
One of them spoke up for me without hesitation, and the other took it in stride.
Their unspoken understanding felt like an invisible river. I was left standing alone on the shore, while they were together on the other side.
Chelsea was my bestie for more than ten years.
Her mom passed away long ago, and her dad remarried. Chelsea spent years dealing with her stepmom's moods and all the drama at home.
Back then, she crashed at my place all the time.
We'd cram together on my bed, talking until three or four in the morning, swapping worries and secrets, the kind we'd never dare spill to any grown-ups.
Toby was part of that too.
On the first day of college, I passed out from heatstroke. He carried me straight to the nurse's office.
As he piggybacked me, I caught the faint scent of soap on his shirt, and right then, I knew I had to get to know him.
When he started showing interest in me later, it felt unreal, like I was dreaming.
I realized that the guy I liked liked me too.
When Chelsea found out, she stormed into my place, clutching her pillow like she was ready to give me a hard time.
She said, "I need to check him out. How dare he steal my bestie away from me?"
The first time Toby and Chelsea met, sparks flew.
One was a top student in architecture at Axedominar University, the other a star at Nightmara University.
They were arguing fiercely over which school's architecture program was better.
I tugged on Toby's sleeve to get him to chill out, and he finally quieted down, though it was pretty obvious he was doing it reluctantly.
Looking back, I found it hilarious. I figured that was what happened when two architecture nerds crossed paths.
But somewhere along the line, Toby started treating Chelsea with a kind of care that went way past being friendly to his girlfriend's bestie.
The attention that used to be mine alone was slowly drifting away.
I was standing on the sidelines, watching it all happen. If I ever spoke up about it, Toby would say I was overthinking or being jealous.