Love letter

I transferred schools, and Ethan had already dated every pretty girl there. He joked with his buddies, "I'd date a dog before I'd go out with Sarah."

Sarah? That's me.

A month later, his best friend cornered me and confessed his feelings. Seeing the hickey on my neck, Ethan went ballistic. "Who the hell said you could touch her?"

1.

"Um... could you pass this to Ethan?"

I took the pale pink love letter. It was the eleventh one this month. Everyone knew I was Ethan's childhood friend, and everyone knew he'd like anyone before me. So, they felt comfortable asking me to deliver these notes.

As usual, Ethan raised an eyebrow, trying to remember who the girl was, then scoffed, "My standards are a little higher than that." He tossed the letter back into my arms. "Someone on your level? I can't afford that kind of downgrade."

His friends roared with laughter. Ethan's eyes held a glint of mockery.

Why? Because the first love letter he tore up was mine.

2.

Ethan and I grew up together. Our parents were close, so they naturally assumed we were too. At first, we were. Until... that incident.

It was a game of truth or dare. Ethan got dared to kiss me. We were young, naive, and fiercely competitive. He asked, "Do you mind?"

Before I could react, his lips were on mine. Then he pulled back. "Meh. Overrated."

From that moment on, I wasn't the untouchable class president, the straight-A student. I was just another one of Ethan's possessions.

3.

Ethan's grades weren't great. His parents hoped I could tutor him. We agreed to meet at the library, but I stood at the bus stop for almost an hour. Finally, I saw his Instagram post: ten-game winning streak at the arcade.

I took a cab to the dingy arcade. The air was thick with smoke. A girl was practically sitting on Ethan's lap. They were cheering him on. He turned, our eyes met. He gave me a wicked grin.

4.

"Sarah, are you freakin' insane?" Ethan yelled. His parents had grounded him and taken away his allowance after I told them about the arcade.

"You shouldn't go to places like that," I said firmly. Back then, hiding my feelings for him, I stubbornly, self-righteously tried to be good to him. It only fueled his growing dislike.

Ethan grabbed my chin. "Who the hell are you to tell me what to do? You think one little kiss makes you my girlfriend? What a joke!"

5.

Ethan was good-looking. That, combined with his rebellious attitude, made him popular at school. Girls flocked to him. He welcomed the attention, carefree and uncommitted. He’d casually shoot hoops, his skill drawing cheers from the crowd. Then, without warning, he’d slam the basketball at me.

"Sorry." He sounded nonchalant, watching me cradle my stinging arm. "You're not going to hold a grudge, are you? My little Sarah?"

Everyone knew then. He hated me.

6.

I slowly accepted it. I tucked away the love letter I'd carefully written, filled with teenage longing, and tried to ignore him. But we still had to pretend to be close in front of our pa...