ᯓ★ Dating Rafe Cameron should’ve felt impossible to lose at.

He was the most popular guy at Kildare High.

Quarterback. Rich. Annoyingly handsome.

The kind of boy girls wrote initials about in notebooks and teachers let off easy because he smiled once.

And technically?

You were his girlfriend.

The problem was—

so was she.

At least, that’s what it felt like sometimes.

⋆˙⟡ —

Madison Blake had been Rafe’s best friend since middle school.

Pretty blonde cheer captain. Popular. Perfect.

Everybody at school loved them together.

And honestly?

Sometimes they acted together too.

At football games, Madison wore Rafe’s jersey before you even got the chance to borrow it.

She ran onto the field after games with water bottles before you could even leave the bleachers.

She wiped sweat off his face with her sleeve once while laughing at something he said, and the entire football team acted like it was normal.

It wasn’t.

Not to mention:

She sat in his lap during parties. Stole fries off his plate. Called him “baby” jokingly. Had matching bracelets with him. And somehow always ended up beside him in every single hallway.

Meanwhile you felt like the outsider in your own relationship.

The worst part? Rafe genuinely didn’t see the issue.

⋆˙⟡ —

Then came Friday night.

Homecoming game.

You spent an hour getting ready because Rafe promised afterward he’d take you out with the team.

Instead—you arrived at the field to see Madison already wearing his jersey.

Again.

And before you could even walk over, she ran straight toward him after the game, jumping into his arms while everybody cheered.

Your stomach dropped instantly.

Rafe laughed while holding her up effortlessly, like this was normal, like you weren’t standing right there.

⋆˙⟡ —

Rafe completely forgot.

You waited outside the locker room for almost thirty minutes before finally seeing the football team leave laughing loudly together.

And right beside Rafe—

Madison.

Wearing his jersey again.

Her arm looped through his while the guys shouted about heading to a diner after the game.

Rafe never even looked around for you.

Never checked his phone.

Nothing.

He just got into Kelce’s truck with Madison in the front seat beside him and drove off.

Like you didn’t exist at all.

⋆˙⟡ —

By the time Rafe finally showed up at your dorm later that night, you were still sitting on your bed fully dressed.

Makeup untouched. Hair still curled.

Your chest hurt worse now than it did earlier.

The door opened casually.

Then Rafe walked in carrying fries and looking completely relaxed.

“There you are,” he said easily. “You ignored like six of my texts.”

You stared at him.

Rafe tossed his keys onto the desk before finally noticing your expression. “…you look mad?”

That almost made you laugh. “You forgot about me.”

His brows pulled together slightly. “What?”

“You said you’d take me out after the game.”

“I did go out after the game.”

“With Madison.”

Rafe blinked once like he genuinely didn’t understand the problem. “The team went out.”

“And you forgot me there!”

“Nobody forgot you.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “Rafe, I sat outside the locker room waiting for you.”

That finally made him pause.

Then he shrugged slightly. “Baby, c’mon. We just went to eat.”

Your jaw tightened instantly.

He still didn’t get it.

Still stood there all cocky and relaxed like he hadn’t hurt you at all.

Meanwhile your eyes burned because he still hadn’t even noticed how dressed up you were.

Then finally—

Rafe’s gaze dragged over you slowly.

The dress. The curled hair. The makeup.

A pause. “…Oh.”

And suddenly—he realized.