Playing for Keeps

1 My boyfriend, Julian, kissed his childhood best friend at my birthday party.

He turned to me, Chloe’s lipstick smeared at the corner of his mouth, his expression annoyed. "Can you not be like this?" "It's just a game. Why do you always have to be such a buzzkill?"

Everyone was staring. I was frozen, the humiliation washing over me. Julian always got weird whenever Chloe was around. But normally, he wouldn't even say a harsh word to me.

I tugged on his sleeve, trying to pull him aside. His friend, Chloe, just rolled her eyes. "This is so lame. I shouldn't have even come." She tossed her hair. "If she’s this upset over a little kiss, what would she do if she knew we used to sleep in the same bed?"

I went rigid. That familiar, icy feeling of being the outsider crept up my spine. I balled my fists, but instead of running off in tears like I usually did, I looked right at Julian. "Since it’s just a game, that means I can play, too... right?"