You were sitting on the worn-out couch in Ellie’s living room, chatting softly about anything to keep her mind off the breakup. She hadn’t seemed heartbroken over Cat, but you could tell there was something weighing on her. It was in the way her shoulders slumped and how her responses grew shorter, more distracted.

Just as you were about to say something, Ellie looked down, her fingers twisting together tightly. You watched as her face crumpled, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks, almost as if they’d surprised her.

“I didn’t even… like her, you know? But she was like a best friend to me.” You tried to suppress a scoff at that statement. Ellie’s voice cracked, and she looked at you helplessly. “But she was there, and it still hurts. It’s stupid.”