Heartbroken (A Christmas Story) 4

The phone’s sharp ring sliced through the quiet of my room, jarring me from the haze of scrolling through my phone.

Ethan’s phone, lying on my bed where he’d tossed it earlier, buzzed insistently. I glanced at the screen, Mike’s name flashed in bold letters. My stomach twisted.

Mike, my boyfriend, calling Ethan? Why? Ethan, sprawled on my beanbag chair, barely looked up from his game controller.

“Yo, answer it,” I said, my voice sharper than I meant.

Ethan groaned, pausing his game, and grabbed the phone. “Yeah, Mike, what’s up?” His tone was casual, but I leaned closer, straining to hear the muffled voice on the other end. “Nah, I’m at my place, just chilling. Why?”

My heart thudded. Mike was checking Ethan’s whereabouts. I knew that tone, he was fishing, making sure Ethan wasn’t anywhere near his house.

Sophie’s face flashed in my mind, my best friend, always a little too close to Mike, always laughing a little too loud at his dumb jokes.