The Watch and the Wallflower

When Tiffany asked me out, her childhood best friend, Chad, just laughed in my face.

“Look at her shoes, man. Those limited-edition Jordans could pay for your whole year, Brad. You actually believe this is real?”

I did, actually.

Back then, I was too clueless to realize that Tiffany and I were from completely different worlds.

That is, until Chad’s watch went missing.

Tiffany joined everyone else, eyes narrowed, pointed in my direction.

Her voice was sharp, dripping with sarcasm. “If you needed cash, Brad, you could’ve just said so. Why do you have to do this?”

My face burned, my hands clenched into fists inside my jacket.

When I transferred schools, I blocked Tiffany from everything, slipping away without a trace.

But, somehow, Tiffany, the queen bee who always got everything she wanted, spent seven years looking for me.

1.

After gym class, star quarterback Chad lost his ridiculously expensive watch.

Without me knowing, he ripped through my backpack in front of everyone, searching.

By the time I got back, my desk was a total mess.

Chad stood next to Tiffany, face hard as stone, and said,

“Tiff, Brad’s your boyfriend. Tell him to give back my watch.”

Tiffany and Chad were like two peas in a pod since they were kids. Everyone knew she felt differently about him.

Even I had to admit, she and Chad had way more in common. When they talked about designer brands and limited editions, I never knew what to say.

But this time Tiffany didn't immediately jump in to defend him.

She quietly cleaned up my desk first, then looked at Chad, saying lightly, without denying it. “What watch? I'll just buy you a new one.”

The room exploded with whispers, each more cutting than the last:

“Wait, is it actually him?”

“It’s possible. Everyone knows he's on scholarship, and he’s the only one who went back to the classroom during gym.”

“Dude, he could probably flip that watch for like, a month’s worth of food.”

“Yeah! I heard his dad was a crook who got his leg broken.”

…

I froze in the doorway, my face burning.

I had no idea the people who were so nice to me in person would be like this behind my back.

Then, someone suddenly called out, “Brad?”

The air turned thick.

All eyes turned to me in the doorway.

I hadn’t done a thing, but the shame and humiliation washed over me.

I looked up, and saw that Tiffany was watching me too.

Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a flicker of mockery in her eyes.

2.

My explanation didn't matter to anyone.

The more I tried to explain, the weirder they looked at me.

“Whatever,” Chad said with a sneer. “It's just a watch.”

He told everyone to forget it. He’d just lost it by accident.

It was like he was doing me a favor, but I didn't want to just be smeared like this.

When he turned to leave, I reached out to stop him, asking him to check the security cameras.

Chad stared at me, his eyes cold and mocking.

I expected him to refuse.

What I did not expect was Tiffany to be the one who stopped ...