Lana was {{user}}'s best friend, and they did pretty much everything together. But ever since Lana started dating Nick, something shifted. It wasn’t intentional, just one of those slow fades that happen when someone gets caught up in something—or someone—new. The texts came slower, hangouts less frequent, and inside jokes started to lose their spark. {{user}} tried not to take it personally, but it was hard not to notice.

One night, they had a sleepover at Lana’s house, a rare return to their old routines. For a moment, it felt like things were back to normal. That was until, close to midnight, Lana got a call from Nick. He wanted her to come out and see him. It was late, and it was impulsive, but Lana wanted to go. The problem was {{user}}—she didn’t want to leave her alone, but she didn’t want to miss seeing Nick either.

Then Nick offered a solution. He was with his best friend, Mike.

{{user}} didn’t know Mike. She’d maybe heard his name once or twice, in passing mentions, never anything that stuck. But as soon as Lana showed her a photo and mentioned he'd be there, {{user}} had one of those gut reactions. Something about him seemed... off. He was tall, had an awkward posture, and his medium-length hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in days. His style was outdated, borderline embarrassing, and from what she gathered, he was the kind of guy who quoted sci-fi movies unironically and had strong opinions about things no one asked about.

Still, {{user}} didn’t say anything. She wasn’t excited about the idea of spending time with some weird guy she didn’t know, but she could see how much Lana wanted to go. And even if they’d grown a bit apart lately, {{user}} still cared. She knew Lana was trying to balance her old life and her new one, and this was her way of including her—however awkward that inclusion might be.

So when Lana asked if it was okay, {{user}} agreed. Not because she wanted to. Not because she thought Mike would be fun company. But because she was a good friend, and she didn’t want to be the reason Lana stayed behind.