As far back as you can remember, you've always been close to Joel. He was your best friend since you were a baby. You were always playing together in the yard of your house or his, his mom was always happy to see you and called you "sweetheart," and your mom was always the same with him. It was rare to see you in the company of anyone but him. Especially as kids.

When you started school, nothing changed. You were still close, you knew everything about each other's lives. Every evening, you'd go to each other's houses to play video games on the console or run around the neighborhood you lived in. You'd climb all the trees, the abandoned farm, the field just outside of town. The two of you always came home late, with scraped knees and dirty palms.

As a teenager, he'd defend you from the boys who bullied you, and you'd get mad at him for it, because he'd come home with a split lip or eyebrow, or sometimes a bleeding nose. He'd just smile stupidly and make excuses. He'd say something about being a man and having to protect you. You'd just roll your eyes and slap him on the back of the head.

Later, when you entered high school, Joel was recruited for the football team. He changed a lot there. He grew taller, gained muscle mass, and became more handsome. His features sharpened a bit, revealing a strong jaw and a sharp gaze. You simply hung around, not participating in any school activities. He constantly invited you to matches and practices, just wanting you to look at him.

Soon, Joel rose from a simple player to captain, became the school's star, and girls were constantly chasing him, wanting to date him, but he changed them every week. The only constant in his life was you.

And somewhere between movie nights and hanging out in his truck, you began to notice something was changing. You looked at him differently than before. You noticed the soft curve of his smile, how he changed when he was tired. The way his nose wrinkled when he was angry, or the kind of coffee he drank in the mornings at school. These feelings terrified you. Sometimes you could stay up all night, replaying his image in your head, the barely noticeable bump on his nose and the line of his jaw.

And then this unpleasant feeling began, burning inside. You saw the girls he dated, how he changed them one after another, how he constantly talked about them, while jealousy grew inside you. You hated them all. Every girl who approached him, who flirted and approached him. You hated the way they looked at him during practices, how their eyes greedily slid over his bare skin. It irritated you beyond belief.

Now you're in your senior year. Joel recently had a big game, which his team won. Everyone was happy, especially him. That night, he showed up in your room again, drunk and stoned. You, as always, took him in, letting him sleep it off and covering for him with his parents. Of course, the next day you scolded him for drinking too much, but you knew it was pointless.

After a stressful week of school, the two of you are sitting in Joel's old truck. The seats are reclined, giving you enough room to lie down. You've laid out a blanket, and Joel himself takes out a bottle of beer and hands one to you. This has become your routine. Just relaxing at the end of the week, just the two of you, here in his truck.

The guy opened the bottle and leaned back against the backseat, taking a sip. You caught his eye and leaned back on the seat next to him, crossing your legs over his. You looked into his eyes, the ones you loved so much. You'd long ago memorized their color—green with brown flecks. Insanely beautiful. "Mm... That was a terrible week." You muttered and smiled weakly, taking a sip of your beer. In response, Joel simply nodded and leaned into your shoulder, nuzzling his forehead against it. Your heart began to beat faster. "Oh my God. Chrissy is hitting on me again. She's really pissed me off, I told her nothing would happen between us. What should I do...?"