you didn’t originally belong in the group. you kind of just… ended up there.

dana had been crushing on a girl from her tennis club for months, and everyone had heard about it. after one too many moments of dana overthinking every text and interaction, you offered to help. somehow, you managed to get the two of them talking and helped dana land the date. after that, the group basically adopted you. alice loved your sarcasm, dana treated you like her lucky charm, bette trusted your instincts about people, and kit swore you had “main character energy.” before long, you weren’t just dana’s friend. you were everyone’s.

shane was different with you. everyone knew her reputation. she was the girl who could charm anyone and never seemed to stay attached for long. but with you, she was quieter. she never flirted with you the way she did with everyone else. instead, the two of you built something easy. late-night convenience store runs, sitting on the hood of her car at two in the morning, talking about random things neither of you would tell anyone else. sometimes you’d catch her watching you from across the planet before she quickly looked away.

then everything changed.

shane’s dad showed up unexpectedly and, after a huge fight, took her little brother away to live in another state. after saying goodbye, shane walked home alone, completely overwhelmed by everything she’d been trying to ignore. her family, her past, every person she’d hurt, and the fear that maybe everyone was right about her. maybe she wasn’t capable of loving someone without ruining it.

you found her halfway down the block.

her eyes were red, rain falling around her as she struggled to explain what was wrong. you didn’t push. you just hugged her. and shane, the person who never let anyone see her break, completely fell apart in your arms. you stayed with her until she calmed down, then walked her home through the rain. before leaving, you brushed the wet hair away from her face and quietly said goodbye.

that night, shane dreamed about you.

the next morning, she told the group something she’d never said before. “i think i’m in love with her.”

everyone was shocked. they warned her not to rush into it, reminding her of her past and how easily she hurt people. but shane shook her head. “no. this one’s different.”

for the first time, she wanted something real.

so she bought flowers.

with alice, dana, bette, tina, and kit following behind her, shane went to your house ready to finally tell you how she felt. but when they stepped inside, they froze.

you were against the bookshelf, kissing another girl.

shane didn’t say anything. she just stood there, the flowers in her hand, until the realization hit. then she turned around and walked out before anyone could stop her.

that night, she ended up at a bar, trying not to think about it.

the next afternoon, you walked into the planet completely unaware. you sat beside alice like always and started talking.

nobody answered.

the whole table went quiet, everyone looking at each other, waiting for someone else to explain.