THE THINGS WE LEFT BETWEEN US

The first betrayal of senior year happened over a waffle. Avery Collins stood in her kitchen, staring at the empty plate in front of her. “Brielle.” Her best friend sat at the kitchen island, chewing happily. “What?” “Where is my waffle?” Brielle swallowed. “That's an interesting question.” “You ate it.” “Allegedly.” “Brielle Dawson, that was my last waffle!” “And now it's a beautiful memory.” Avery threw a dish towel at her. Brielle ducked, laughing so hard she nearly fell off her stool. From the living room, Miles Bennett appeared with a bowl of cereal. He took one look at Avery's expression and immediately turned around. “Nope. I cannot afford to witness a murder before breakfast.” “Get back here!” Avery shouted. “I'm too young to die!” “You're eighteen!” Brielle called. “Exactly! My life is just beginning!” The front door opened, and Camden Reed walked in without knocking. He had been doing that for three years, and Avery's mother had long accepted that he considered their house his second home. He glanced at the towel on the floor and Brielle's guilty expression. “What happened?” “Brielle stole my breakfast,” Avery explained. Camden nodded solemnly. “Terrible. Somebody call the waffle authorities.” “Thank you!” Avery exclaimed. “Actually, I think she's innocent. She's too pretty to be guilty.” Brielle grinned. “Finally, someone with sense.” “Don't encourage him,” Avery warned. Their laughter filled the kitchen. This was what their friendship looked like: playful insults, stolen food, and the kind of comfort that came from knowing someone would answer your calls even at three in the morning. They had been inseparable since middle school. Four friends who had survived embarrassing haircuts, terrible group projects, awkward first crushes, and enough arguments to fill several diaries. They had promised each other that senior year would be their best year yet. None of them had considered that growing up might mean wanting different things. --- By lunchtime, Avery had checked her email eleven times. The message was still there. CONGRATULATIONS, AVERY COLLINS! She had been accepted into a prestigious college program several states away, with financial support that could make attending possible. It was the opportunity she had dreamed about for years. So why couldn't she bring herself to tell her friends? Because accepting meant leaving. And leaving meant changing the one thing she had always believed would stay the same. Her friends. “Avery, are you listening?” She blinked as Brielle waved a fry in front of her face. “You've been staring at your phone like it's about to propose to you.” “Maybe it is,” Miles said. “Phones are becoming very advanced.” Camden leaned across the table. “If it proposes, make sure it has a job. We don't support unemployed husbands.” Avery snorted. Brielle pointed at Camden. “This is why I don't trust you around serious conversations.” “You don't trust me around your fries either.” “Because you steal them!” “Borrow. I always intend to return them.” “When?” “When I'm financially stable.” Miles nearly choked on his drink. Avery laughed along with them, but her phone felt heavy in her hand. She could tell them now. They would probably scream, hug her, and celebrate. Then Brielle might go quiet. Miles might make a joke to hide that he was upset. And Camden would probably tell her she deserved the opportunity, smile that annoyingly attractive smile, and make leaving feel even harder. Avery glanced at him. He was busy stealing another fry from Brielle's plate. She locked her phone. Not today. --- That afternoon, Brielle announced that she had created a senior-year bucket list. She presented it in Avery's bedroom as if she were delivering an important speech. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have planned our entire future.” Miles lay upside down across Avery's bed. “Does the future include snacks?” “Obviously.” “I'm listening.” Brielle opened her notebook. “Number one: attend every major school event. Number two: have at least three unforgettable parties. Number three: take a road trip after graduation. Number four: movie nights every Friday.” Camden leaned against the doorway. “Number five: Brielle learns to share food.” “That's not a realistic goal.” “Number six,” Miles added, “Camden develops a personality.” Camden looked offended. “I have a personality.” “Name three qualities.” “Handsome, intelligent, humble.” Avery laughed so hard her stomach hurt. Brielle waited for them to settle down before continuing. “Number seven: nobody lets a relationship destroy this friendship.” Her voice was playful, but she underlined the sentence twice. Avery noticed. “Why are you looking at us?” Camden asked. “I'm a delight to date.” “You once forgot your girlfriend's birthday,” Miles reminded him. “That was a misunderstanding.” “You bought her a card two days late.” “It was on sale!” Brielle shook her head. “Men are a social experiment that went terribly wrong.” “Yet you keep entertaining them,” Avery teased. Brielle threw a pillow at her. For a moment, Avery forgot about the email. She forgot about college and distance and the frightening possibility that the people she loved most might eventually become strangers. She simply enjoyed being with them. --- Three days later, Avery visited Brielle's house to borrow a dress for an upcoming school event. She was heading upstairs when she heard Brielle talking on the phone. “I know, okay? I'm trying to figure it out.” Avery stopped. “No, I haven't talked to her about it yet. I just don't want everything to change.” There was a pause. Then Brielle spoke more quietly. “If she leaves, what happens to us? We've been planning everything together for years.” Avery's stomach tightened. She stepped into the hallway. Brielle turned and froze when she saw her. “Avery! How long have you been standing there?” “Long enough to hear you talking about someone leaving.” Brielle ended the call. “It's not what you think.” “Then explain it.” “It's complicated.” “That's what people say when they don't want to tell the truth.” Brielle's expression hardened. “Funny. Coming from someone who's been acting weird all week.” Avery stared at her. “What does that mean?” “It means you're distracted. You're always checking your phone, and you keep looking like you want to tell us something before changing your mind.” “Maybe I've just been busy.” “Busy doing what?” “Why are you interrogating me?” “Because you're my best friend, Avery! I'm supposed to know when something is wrong!” “And you're supposed to tell me when something is wrong with you!” Silence settled between them. For once, Brielle had no clever comeback. Avery looked at the girl who had held her hand through every awful day of middle school. She had never imagined that being best friends could suddenly feel like walking on opposite sides of a road. “Forget the dress,” Avery muttered. “Avery, wait.” But Avery was already leaving. Outside, she pulled out her phone and opened Camden's messages. Avery: Are you busy? His reply came almost immediately. Camden: Depends. Am I helping you hide a body or listening to you complain about your friends? Despite everything, Avery smiled faintly. Avery: The second one. Camden: Excellent. My emotional-support hoodie is ready. Avery: You own one hoodie. Camden: And it supports emotions. Meet me at the café? Avery agreed. For the first time that afternoon, she felt like someone might understand. She didn't know that Camden had already heard Brielle's side of the argument. And she had no idea how difficult it would become to keep her college opportunity separate from the friendship she was desperately trying to protect. All she knew was that senior year was supposed to bring them closer. Instead, little by little, they were learning how easily love, loyalty, and fear could get tangled together.