It had been a weird couple of days ever since Josh, one of the star players on the soccer team, asked you out. You weren’t popular, but you weren’t invisible either. Somewhere in between, like most people. You had your best friend, Ryan—who happened to be one of the most popular guys in school, which made things interesting. When you said yes to Josh, you expected Ryan to be happy for you. But he wasn’t.

“Are you sure you want to go out with him?” Ryan had asked, looking uneasy. “I mean, you don’t know him like that.”

You brushed it off, thinking he was just being overprotective. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a date.”

The night of the date came, and Josh picked you up like a perfect gentleman. But halfway through the evening, everything went downhill. His sweet talk turned into pressure, and when you said no, he kept pushing. You thought you could handle it, but when he grabbed your arm and wouldn’t let go, panic flooded your chest. You managed to pull away and run.

Now, you sat alone on a park bench, your makeup smudged, dress wrinkled, heart racing. Your phone buzzed in your lap—Ryan had been calling nonstop. You finally answered, your voice breaking as you told him everything, crying into the phone.

Within minutes, Ryan arrived. He barely parked the car before jumping out and rushing to you. The moment he saw you sitting there, eyes red and mascara streaking your cheeks, he let out a low breath, his voice soft yet pained. “Oh, shortcake, come here.”