Just Waiting for Me to Join

One in the morning, and a sobbing voice message from my best friend popped up on my phone.
Ella, his parents are forcing him to go on a blind date! Hes in so much pain. Can you please pretend to be his girlfriend and scare the other woman away?
I was in the middle of a game. Mia, seriously? I have work tomorrow. I dont have time for your melodrama.
A few minutes later, a video call came through.
Hes locked himself in his room, wont eat or drink. He says youre the only one who can talk him down. Please, you have to come.
My team was on the verge of winning. I hung up, annoyed.
An hour after that, she showed up at my door, her boyfriend in tow.
We cant do this without you, Ella! How about the three of us get together? That way his parents cant force him to do anything!
I fought the urge to slap her.
Mia, have you completely lost your mind? Im your best friend, not your romantic rival! And besides, I have a boyfriend!
I slammed the door shut, figuring theyd give up once theyd exhausted their crazy.
The next morning, I turned on my phone to find a gallery of them in bed together and over 99 messages, all variations of the same thing:
Just waiting for you to join us.

1
A wave of nausea churned in my stomach.
Worried about what these two lunatics might do next, I took a deep breath and called Mia.
She picked up instantly. Her shrieking, tear-filled voice exploded in my ear.
Ella! Why did you shut the door on me yesterday? Why didnt you answer my calls or texts this morning?
How could you be so heartless! You just want to see us break up, dont you? You want to see Nathan driven to his death!
I held the phone away from my ear, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Mia, I pulled an all-nighter gaming. Its normal for me to turn my phone off to catch up on sleep.
Normal? Nathan is on a hunger strike for me! He was in agony all night, couldnt sleep a wink, and you were just sleeping?
Nathan again.
Ever since shed started dating this guy six months ago, my life had known no peace.
Her voice turned demanding. You need to come to my place. Right now. Nathan said he only wants to see you. If you talk to him, hell eat!
I sighed, exasperated. Mia, Ive told you a million times, I have a boyfriend. It is not appropriate for me to go comfort your boyfriend who threatens to die every five minutes.
I couldnt stand the guy. Nathan always had this perpetually melancholic look on his face, and the way his eyes lingered on me was slimy. It made my skin crawl.
What damn boyfriend? Mias tone turned vicious. A project manager whos out of town all the time? How many times a year do you even see him?
What can a guy like that give you? Does he get you? Does he love you half as much as Nathan does? Im telling you, Ella, Im doing this for your own good. Dont be so ungrateful!
Have you forgotten? We used to shower together in college, we even scrubbed each others backs! Why cant we share a man?
Nathan genuinely sees you as one of us! Were facing a huge crisis, and all you have to do is join us. If the three of us are together forever, his parents will have no excuse to force him into anything!
Her logic was so outrageously warped it made my head spin.
My relationship is my business. If you keep spewing this nonsense, Im blocking you.
You wouldnt dare
I was already late for work. I hung up and rushed to the office.
Id just reached the entrance when my phone vibrated violently again.
I answered, my patience gone. Mia, I am at work. Whatever it is, it can wait until Im off!
But the voice on the other end was familiar, and laced with smug satisfaction.
Hello, Ella. Its Mark Harris, our old class president.
A few of us from college are having a reunion nearby. Mias here with us, and shes very upset. Shes telling everyone youre trying to steal her boyfriend and that youve been manipulating her, treating her like your personal servant.
You should probably get over here. Everyones waiting for an explanation.
My head was pounding. I had no choice but to take the day off and rush to the restaurant.
The door to the private room was slightly ajar. Before I even entered, I could hear Mias heart-wrenching sobs.
Sob You guys have no idea how horrible shes been to me!
I treated her like a sister, I thought of her in everything I did, but her? Shes jealous of me! She cant stand to see me happy!
She saw how good my boyfriend Nathan was to me, and she decided she had to steal him! She sends him suggestive texts every day, hotel room numbers she even said she said she wants to be with him and that I should just let them be together!
She was twisting the truth, painting me as a conniving homewrecker.
Mark Harris, the class president, was putting on a show of consoling her. Mia, dont cry. We believe you. Ella wouldnt do something like that, right? There must be some misunderstanding.
I dont care! Shes blinded by jealousy! Mia slammed her hand on the table, throwing a full-blown tantrum. If you all dont help me get justice today, if you dont make her stay away from my boyfriend, Ill Ill die right here!
The room swam before my eyes. I leaned against the cool wall to steady myself.
I pushed the door open, forcing a stiff smile onto my face.
Mia, stop it. When did I ever say I wanted to steal your boyfriend? Why dont you show everyone our group chat history, if youre so sure?
I turned to Mark and the others apologetically. Sorry to drag you all into this. Mia just loves her boyfriend a little too much and her imagination is running wild
As I was trying to explain, Mia lunged at me like a wild animal and snatched my phone.
See! Look at her! Shes guilty! Shes trying to delete the evidence!
Mia! Give that back!
I was furious, scrambling to get it back from her.
She dodged me, her fingers flying across the screenshe had tricked me into giving her all my passwords ages ago.
She opened my messaging app. Pinned to the top was my chat with my boyfriend, Liam.
All our sweet, private nicknames and intimate conversations were suddenly on display for everyone to see.
Well, well, Ella. Didnt know you had it in you, one of the guys snickered.
Ugh, so gross. No shame, a girl muttered.
The next second, Mia tapped on Liams profile picture and hit the video call button.
He answered.
Mia shoved her face up to the camera. Hey! You must be Liam, right? Stop bothering our Ella! The person she loves is Nathan! The three of us have been together for a while now! A broke-ass project manager like you doesnt deserve her!
Youre insane! I shrieked, humiliation overwhelming all reason. I lunged forward and finally, with all my strength, wrestled the phone back.
The call had already ended.
I stared at her, my entire body shaking with rage, tears streaming down my face. Why? Why would you do this to me? I thought we were best friends!
Mias eyes were red too, but her justification was bizarre.
I just love Nathan so much! I cant live without him! Ill do anything to make him happy and keep him by my side!
There it was again. That damned, selfish, twisted definition of love.
It reminded me of college.
I had saved up my scholarship money for six months to pay for a crucial certification exam. Mia came to me in tears, saying shed fallen in love with a limited-edition handbag but couldnt afford it.
Ella, youre the best, shed pleaded, clinging to my arm. Just lend me the money. Ill pay you back next month, I promise.
My heart softened, and I lent her my exam fee.
She carried the bag for less than a week before tossing it aside. She never mentioned the money again.
Later, my father got seriously ill and needed money for an emergency surgery.
Desperate, I had to swallow my pride and ask her for the money back.
She looked troubled. Geez, its just a few thousand bucks, do you have to be so pushy? Im a little tight on cash myself right now. Maybe you can figure something else out?
In the end, my father missed the optimal window for treatment and was left with permanent health complications.
His illness became a thorn in my heart that I could never remove.
My hands trembled as I tried to call Liam back to explain.
The phone rang and rang. He didn't pick up.
Looking at this unreasonable woman, so lost in her own self-righteous drama, my heart felt like a dead, empty space.
My voice was almost numb. Mia, you need to calm down. Let me let me think about it.
For days, I was a nervous wreck.
Liam never returned my call. He didnt reply to any of my texts.
Filled with a gnawing dread, I dragged myself through the work week. When I got back to my apartment building after work, I glanced up and my heart stopped.
The light in my kitchen was on.
I tiptoed up the stairs and took out my key, only to find the door was unlocked, just slightly ajar.
I pushed it open. The scene inside made me gasp.
Mia was in my kitchen, wearing my apron, bustling around my stove. And sitting at my dining table, playing the game I was halfway through on my Switch, was that gloomy bastard, Nathan.
What are you doing here? I demanded.
Mia saw me and, without a trace of guilt, beamed. Youre back! Perfect timing. Go wash up, I made your favorite sweet and sour pork ribs.
I asked you, my voice trembled, how you got a key to my apartment!
Were best friends, silly, she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I just quietly made a copy last time I was here.
I felt the blood drain from my face. Even if you wanted to come over, you should have called first!
Oh, I wanted to surprise you. Mia came out of the kitchen with a platter of food and linked her arm through mine. See? Dont the three of us look like a perfect little family?
Her face was glowing with a deranged, saintly light.
Nathan gets into his head when hes alone. I figured you have a spare room here, so I had him move in with you. You can help cheer him up.
Besides, she added, were going to be a family sooner or later anyway.
Just then, Nathan put down the game console. He turned, and his dark, predatory eyes scanned me from head to toe, like I was a prize he was about to claim.
A chill ran down my spine.
I vaguely remembered Mias family being a normal, working-class household. I couldnt fathom how they had raised a daughter so clueless, so utterly insane.
I fought back the fear and disgust.
I said Id think about it. I never agreed! Now, I want both of you out of my apartment. Immediately!
Mias face fell. What is wrong with you?
Ive already made the decision for you! Dont be so ungrateful! The three of us, together, taking care of each other. And he has a lot of energy, neither of us will ever be neglected! Why cant you just accept it? Are you still thinking about that Liam guy?
You dont get to make decisions for me! I am your best friend, not your property! My emotions finally exploded. Get your man and your stuff and get out! If you dont leave right now, Im calling the police!
You wouldnt dare! she shrieked, pointing a finger at my nose. Youd call the cops on your best friend for some guy you barely know? Ella, have you no conscience?
Thats right! I have no conscience! Im not as selfless as you! I screamed back, pulling out my phone and dialing 911 without a second of hesitation.
Mia froze, shocked that Id actually done it.
The police arrived quickly.
After getting the story, even they were speechless at the sheer insanity of this forced family unit. They gave Mia and Nathan a stern lecture.
Under the officers supervision, they grudgingly began to pack their things.
As she was leaving, Mia stood at the door and screamed at me, calling me an ungrateful, heartless snake.
And Nathan, as he passed me, paused and leaned in close, his voice a low, chilling whisper in my ear.
Youre hot when youre angry. Im getting hard.
His voice was cold and slimy, like a caterpillar crawling into my ear.
I flinched back, horrified.
He just smiled, a cruel, confident smirk that promised this wasnt over.
I collapsed to the floor after they left, drenched in a cold sweat.
I couldnt stay here.
I had to move, immediately. I had to get as far away from those two psychos as possible.
I found a new place at lightning speed, packed through the night, and was gone the next day.
For two weeks, there was silence.
Mia didnt find me. Nathan seemed to have vanished from my life.
And Liam finally called back. After I tearfully explained everything, his voice was gentle.
You silly girl, why would I ever believe that stuff? I just had something important I had to take care of, thats all.
What could be so important that he couldnt even take a call? A seed of doubt was planted, but I chose to trust him.
Friday afternoon, I was in the middle of a presentation for a VIP client.
Halfway through, the conference room door was thrown open with a loud bang.
Mia stood there, dragging Nathan behind her.
Everyone in the room stared, stunned.
The moment I saw them, my mind went blank, my blood ran cold.
Ella! Mias voice boomed, capturing everyones attention.
She pointed at me, her voice breaking with crocodile tears. Everyone, take a good look! This is my best friend!
She wishes me well to my face, but behind my back, shes seducing my boyfriend, trying to destroy our relationship! And now shes thrown us out on the street, leaving us homeless!
Nathan stood beside her, perfectly playing the part of the tragic, tormented hero caught between two women.
Homeless?
The room erupted in whispers. Everyone, including the incredibly important client sitting across from me, was staring with a mixture of shock and morbid curiosity.
I stood up, shaking with rage. Mia! What are you talking about? When did I ever make you homeless?
Im not lying! Mia milked the attention for all it was worth. She promised she would be with us! The three of us were supposed to start a new family together! But now shes latched onto someone better and wants to kick us to the curb!
I had no other choice! Im begging you all, please, help me get justice!
If a person cant even keep a simple promise, if her character is this corrupt, can you really trust her with your business?
I never imagined that the person I had called my best friend for over a decade would slander me so viciously in front of my boss and my clients.
She wasn't just trying to ruin my reputation. She was trying to ruin my entire future.
Nathan stood behind her, head bowed, the picture of misery, playing his part to perfection.
Oh my god, a threesome? Kids these days are wild.
You cant judge a book by its cover. She seemed so professional.
Yeah, I wouldnt trust someone with such a chaotic personal life. Who knows what other secrets shes keeping.
Mia turned to my boss. Sir, I came here today to ask the company to make Ella honor her promise and come back to us! If she refuses, you should fire her! We cant have our familys name dragged through the mud like this!
The room was spinning. I thought I was going to faint.
Ella, care to explain? My bosss face was as dark as thunder.
Just as I was about to be swallowed by the crushing weight of humiliation, a familiar voice cut through the chaos from the doorway.
This family youre trying to build its not going to happen.

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