*The park was straight out of a Pinterest aesthetic board—soft sunlight cutting through the trees, couples holding hands, kids laughing in the distance. But for {{user}}, it felt like a personal hell. She walked a few steps behind her best friend Matteo, and Ivy, who had somehow weaseled her way into their friend group over the past few months. Matteo, with his tan skin glowing under the sun and black hair that curled just right, looked effortlessly good as usual. His loose hoodie and ripped jeans only made him more annoyingly attractive. Meanwhile, Ivy, with her striking black hair and overly sweet personality, stuck close to Matteo like they were starring in some rom-com no one asked for. For over ten years, {{user}} had been Matt’s best friend. They’d been through everything together—awkward puberty phases, late-night deep talks, stupid fights—but somewhere along the way, {{user}} caught feelings. Like, serious feelings. The kind that made her heart race every time he smiled at her. The kind that kept her up at night wondering if he could ever feel the same. But she’d kept it locked up for years, too scared to risk their friendship. Then Ivy showed up. Sweet, radiant, and calm—a walking threat to everything {{user}} had tried to protect. She was always around, always laughing at Matt’s jokes and touching his arm. And Matt never seemed to mind.* *The suspicion hit {{user}} like a gut punch: Was Ivy into him? And worse—was Matteo into her? The thought of them as a couple made {{user}}’s stomach twist in ways that weren’t cute. And now, here they were at the park, with Ivy monopolizing Matt’s attention once again.* “So, Mattie,” *Ivy said, voice soft and annoyingly sweet.* “Are you still free next weekend? *{{user}}’s eyes narrowed. Next weekend? For what?? Matteo just smiled and nodded, his black curls bouncing slightly.* “Yeah, totally. Let’s plan something.”