They Said Surrender, I Said No

Just before launch, Brooke gave Austin a glance. Silently, they unbuckled and ran, leaving me frozen in the seat. Austin stood behind the yellow line, smirking. Brooke says youre too timid, Tessa. Face your fears. Have fun alone!

The machine roared, hurling me skyward. Wind whipped past as Brooke doubled over laughing, snapping photos of my terror. Austin steadied her phone, his indulgent smile saying it all: Dont tease her; shes pitiful.

Yes, I was a coward. For twenty years, this was their help. Brooke baited stray dogs, leaving me screaming as Austin lifted her to safety. In high school, she yanked the vault mat; I crashed onto concrete, knees torn, while he laughed. During a night hike, she lost me in the dark; he stalked the brush, growling, as I sobbed alone. Every time, her triumph; his empty warning: Dont do it again. His next time was always her green light.

Sixty feet up, weightlessness clawed my throat. But staring at their tiny figures, I felt no fear. When the ride ended and they reached for me, I pushed them away. I dont need either of you to build my courage anymore.

...

Austin laughed, reaching out to ruffle my hair.

"Tess, did you get scared out of your mind? Your courage didn't grow, but you definitely look a little dazed."

Brooke chimed in with her usual playful banter.

"Well, I'm more than willing to take my time and help her grow."

I pressed my lips together, looking at the two of them acting in perfect harmony.

"This isn't helping me. It's bullying."

Brooke's smile instantly froze.

"Tess, that actually hurts. I spend my free time trying to help you, and you call it bullying?" She sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine, how about I go ride the rollercoaster, the one thing I'm absolutely terrified of? That way, we're even."

She turned and began walking toward the coaster.

Austin frowned, casting a brief, annoyed glance at me before catching up to Brooke and grabbing her wrist.

"Don't force yourself. You cried on that ride last time. I'll go with you."

I stood there, watching their retreating backs.

Just minutes ago, right before the drop tower launched, Austin had looked at me and said, "You can't be this childish, Tessa. Its just a theme park ride, you don't need someone to hold your hand."

When the coaster finally came to a stop, Brooke was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Having someone next to you makes it so much better! See, Tessa? Its really not that scary at all!"

But there was never anyone next to me.

Austin looked at my expressionless face.

"If you're still throwing a tantrum, how about we go on the drop tower again? We can all do it together."

But this time, they had chosen the double-rider drop tower, often called the "couples' line."

It required the riders to sit face-to-face, holding onto each other tightly so the seats wouldn't tilt during the rapid ascent.

The metal archway of the ride bore a cheesy slogan: "Give your deepest trust to the person closest to you."

When the ride operator pointed out that they only had seats for two, Austin looked at me.

"Tess was just terrified up there anyway. Let's not push her. I'll go with Brooke this time."

They sat down, facing each other with bright, easy smiles.

It was so strange.

When they wanted entertainment, I wasn't allowed to be afraid.

But now, suddenly, my fear was a convenient excuse to leave me behind.

I stared at them as they buckled their safety harnesses.

"Austin, the engagement party in five days, let's call it off."

Austin's face paled as he registered the cold sincerity in my voice.

"Tess, stop making a scene! We'll talk about this when I get down!"

When the ride ended, they practically chased me all the way to the entrance of my apartment building.

My mother was sitting on a bench downstairs, chatting with some neighbors.

When she saw me, her brow furrowed.

"What's with that face? Didn't you have fun?"

Brooke immediately rushed over, wrapping her arm around my mother's shoulders with a pout.

"Aunt Margaret, we were just trying to help Tessa work on her anxiety, but she accused me of bullying her. Now she's even telling Austin she wants to call off the engagement."

Austin caught up, trying to smooth things over.

"Margaret, it's fine. If Tessa doesn't want to go, we won't force her. But calling off the engagement is a bit extreme."

My mother's face went completely dark.

She marched over, grabbing my ear in a vice grip.

"Calling off the wedding just like that? Who do you think you are, throwing a tantrum like this?"

With the neighbors watching and whispering, my mother raised her voice, wanting everyone to hear.

"This girl has always been a coward. Austin and Brooke are kind enough to help her, and this is how she repays them? She's completely ungrateful!"

"Do you plan on hiding in your room like a useless hermit for the rest of your life?"

Hearing the neighbors' hushed judgments, my face burned as if I had been slapped in public.

Austin stepped in, blocking me from my mother's view.

"Margaret, please, it's fine. Even if Tessa stays like this, I'll protect her."

His words only fueled my mothers rage. She dragged me upstairs by my arm, slamming the front door behind us.

The moment the door closed, my tears finally spilled over.

"Mom, why is it that even though I'm your daughter, you always take everyone else's side?"

My mother let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"I gave birth to you, do you think I don't know what kind of useless child you are?"

"Ever since you were little, you've been terrified of everything. You're nothing like Brooke. You can't get a single thing right, you're just like your spineless father!"

Her words cut deep, carving straight into my bones.

But I had wanted to be brave, too.

When I was small, money was tight. My mother was proud and ambitious, and she viewed my father's gentle, quiet nature as cowardice.

She screamed at him constantly, blaming his lack of backbone for our poverty.

So, she decided to "train" the fear out of me from a young age.

When I was three and afraid of the dark, she locked me in the dark utility closet. I cried until my voice went completely hoarse, and when she finally let me out, she beat me.

When I was afraid of water, she shoved my face into a basin full of it, and if I struggled, another beating followed.

She called it exposure therapy.

But it didn't cure me. It only made me more terrified.

Because making a mistake meant punishment, and punishment was proof of my worthlessness.

When I was eight, my father chose to divorce my mother, leaving everything behind, even me, just to escape her.

From that day on, I didn't dare to do anything.

I was terrified that if I made another mistake, my mother would abandon me too.

But Brooke, who grew up alongside me, was graceful, sweet-talking, and effortlessly adored by adults.

My mother used to say constantly, "If only Brooke were my daughter."

Eventually, she even took Brooke in as her goddaughter.

My mother pointed toward my bedroom.

"Get in your room and think about what you've done. If you leave Austin, tell me, who else would be charitable enough to take you in?"

She then dialed Brooke and Austin, her voice instantly shifting into a warm, gentle tone I had never received.

"Brooke, sweetie, I'm going to make Tessa apologize to you both. Come over for dinner tonight, okay?"

I leaned against my bedroom door, wiping away my tears. I unlocked my phone and dialed a friend's number.

"Skyler, that volunteer teaching program heading into the mountain communities in five days, do you still have an open slot?"

Skyler sounded surprised.

"Are you sure, Tess? There's no signal up there, no internet, and the woods are full of snakes. Aren't you terrified of all of that?"

"I'm not afraid anymore."

"But what about your engagement? How are you going to explain this to your mother? She'll tear you apart."

I gripped the phone tightly.

"Skyler, I need to run away. Just once, I want to be brave for myself."

...

Brooke and Austin arrived early, carrying heavy bags of groceries.

Austin was the first to approach my door, offering an apology.

"Tess, we bought all your favorite foods. Don't be mad anymore, okay?"

I didn't answer.

At the dinner table, the dishes spread before Brooke were all of her favorites: sweet glazed pork chops, garlic butter shrimp, and peach cobbler.

Brooke gasped happily.

"These are all my favorites! Thank you, Austin, for going out of your way to buy them, and thank you, Aunt Margaret, for cooking them exactly how I like!"

But placed directly in front of me was a single, white porcelain bowl.

I lifted the lid. Inside was a fully intact, stewed bullfrog.

I nearly knocked the bowl off the table.

In elementary school, some boys had stuffed a live toad into my backpack.

When I reached in to grab my notebook, my fingers closed around its cold, slimy skin.

My terrified screams became the joke of the school, and they nicknamed me "Frog-girl."

Ever since, frogs and toads had been my worst phobia.

But when my mother found out, she started forcing me to eat bullfrog.

"You're only afraid because you haven't eaten enough of it. Eat more, and you'll get over it."

Once, she forced a spoonful down my throat, and I threw up so violently I ended up in the emergency room.

Austin had snuck into the hospital that night, quietly slipping a roasted chicken leg into my hand.

"Tessa, when we grow up, you can come live with me. I promise I will never force you to eat anything you're afraid of."

"It's okay to be a little scared."

The absolute sincerity in his eyes back then was the reason I had fallen in love with him.

But now, Austin picked up his chopsticks, plucked a piece of the frog meat, and dropped it into my bowl.

"It looks a bit intimidating, but it's actually highly nutritious. Eat up."

I stared at the pale meat in my bowl, then picked it up and placed it into Brookes bowl.

"If it's so good, she should have it."

Austin immediately blocked her bowl with his chopsticks.

"No, Tess, Brooke thinks frogs are disgusting. Just looking at them gives her goosebumps."

My mother slapped her chopsticks down against my knuckles.

"Stop playing with your food. Who are you putting on this miserable face for?"

I looked down at the table for a long, silent moment. Then, I picked up the piece of meat and put it in my mouth.

My stomach churned, and I felt the urge to gag.

But I forced myself to swallow.

And in that moment, I realized: it really wasn't that terrifying after all.

They looked at me with smug satisfaction, like scientists admiring a successful experiment.

The chatter at the table resumed.

Austin carefully picked the bones out of the fish for Brooke, while my mother ladled soup into her bowl. I sat there like an invisible, decorative piece of furniture.

Halfway through the meal, Austin suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, Tess, about your team's project presentation tomorrow, why don't we let Brooke handle the pitch?"

"You get so nervous in front of crowds, you might start stuttering."

For once in my life, I saw right through him.

He claimed he was worried about my anxiety, but he knew exactly how important this project was. He wanted to hand the career-defining opportunity to Brooke on a silver platter.

But I had stayed up for three consecutive nights working on those slides.

I didn't care about the spotlight, but I wanted to try. Just once, I wanted to stand at the front.

"I want to do the presentation myself."

The table fell dead silent.

Austin's brow furrowed.

"Are you sure? There will be a lot of executives there tomorrow. Don't freeze up on stage."

My mother glared at me with deep disappointment.

"You can't even speak properly in front of your own relatives. What are you going to do up there?"

"It's fine if you want to embarrass yourself, but don't drag Austin's reputation down with you."

I looked at them both, my voice quiet but steady.

"Haven't you both always wanted me to be bolder?"

Brooke quickly stepped in to play the peacemaker.

"I think it's wonderful that Tessa wants to take this step. I support you, Tess."

That night, I stayed up until two in the morning, practicing my delivery in front of the slides over and over again.

But the next morning, when I stood on the stage, I realized several key data slides had been completely wiped clean.

I froze, staring at the blank screen.

Austin sat in the very front row, watching me with a calm, detached expression.

"Having the courage to stand on stage is only the first step," he spoke up from the crowd, his voice carrying across the room. "But professional capability is about mastering your data and handling unexpected situations."

At the same time, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Brooke.

"Austin and I deleted those two slides on purpose! In the real world, clients will throw all kinds of curveballs at you. Once you learn how to think on your feet, you won't be scared anymore!"

Dozens of eyes stared up at me from the audience.

My hands began to tremble.

There were no slides, no data charts.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, steady breath.

I began to speak. It was rocky, and I stumbled over my words three times. It wasn't a flawless performance, but I didn't run. I finished the pitch.

When I concluded, the smug smiles on Austin and Brooke's faces completely vanished.

As I walked off the stage, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Skyler.

"We leave for the mountains tomorrow. Have you made up your mind?"

"Yes. I already bought my ticket."

At the celebratory dinner that evening, Brooke had a few drinks and began sharing my childhood embarrassments with the table.

"You guys have no idea how pathetic Tessa is," she giggled. "In middle school, someone locked her in the gym equipment room overnight. She just sat there crying until her voice went hoarse, too chicken to even knock on the door."

A colleague laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Tessa, that is seriously pathetic."

Brooke nudged Austin with her elbow.

"Austin, tell them, am I lying?"

Austin looked at my strained expression, hesitating for a fraction of a second. But when Brooke tugged on his sleeve, he spoke up anyway.

"Yeah. When the teacher finally found her, she was so terrified she just hid behind my back and wouldn't even look up."

The table erupted into laughter.

My fingernails dug deep into my palms.

I gathered every ounce of strength I had and spoke.

"Could you please stop? I don't like being the butt of your jokes."

The laughter died instantly.

A colleague leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Don't pick a fight with Brooke. She has serious connections here, the boss specifically told everyone to look after her."

She paused, looking at me in confusion. "Wait, if you and Brooke grew up together, you must know the boss too. Why are you..."

I froze.

I had worked myself to the bone to pass the interviews for this company, all because I wanted to be closer to Austin.

But when we ran into each other in the lobby on my first day, he had walked right past me without a single word of acknowledgment.

"I don't want people giving you special treatment just because of me, Tessa," he had told me later. "You need to learn to stand on your own feet."

I pulled my lips into a tight, humorless smile.

"We're just old classmates. We aren't close."

Later that evening, someone suggested going to a horror-themed escape room.

It was a hospital concept, rated five stars for terror.

It was clearly aimed at me.

When it came time to split into groups, everyone actively avoided me.

One colleague joked half-mockingly, "We don't want to get dragged down by having you in our group."

Eventually, only Austin, Brooke, and I were left.

Austin looked at me with a performative display of reluctance, then took his place next to Brooke.

"Tess, this is a great opportunity to build your character. Try going through it on your own."

The groups filed in, one by one.

Except for me.

Sitting there alone, I felt like I had been thrown back into my childhood.

My mother didn't love me, and the neighborhood kids didn't want to play with me.

Whenever we played games, I was always the one left out.

I had wanted to go home back then, but my mother would drag me back to the playground, forcing me to stand there.

"You always shrink back like a sewer rat! If you behaved more like Brooke, maybe people would actually want you around!"

I had stood alone under the shade of a tree.

Eventually, Austin had walked over and said, "I'll play with you."

But the moment Brookes partner left, he had abandoned me to run to her side.

Ten years had passed, and I was still the one left standing alone.

I used to believe Austin was the savior who would pull me out of my ocean of self-doubt.

But in reality, he had been holding Brooke's hand the entire time, casually watching me drown.

The staff member at the entrance looked at me sympathetically.

"Are you going in alone, miss?"

I clenched my fists.

"Yes. Alone."

The door pushed open, and I was plunged into total darkness.

The sterile smell of bleach filled the air, accompanied by flickering red lights and hanging white sheets covering mannequins.

At a sharp turn in the corridor, Brooke suddenly jumped out from the shadows.

Startled, my foot slipped on the slick floor, and I went crashing down, my forehead slamming hard against the metal leg of a prop gurney.

The lights in the room suddenly flooded on, and a chorus of laughter echoed through the space.

"Tess, you are way too easy to scare!"

My knee was scraped and bleeding, and a large, painful knot was already forming on my forehead.

I slowly brushed the dust off my clothes, turned around, and walked out of the building.

Austin ran out after me.

"Are you angry? Brooke only did it for your own good."

I swallowed the throbbing pain and shook my head.

"I'm not angry."

He reached out, gently touching the bruise on my forehead with a soft smile.

"Tess is always the most obedient."

When the night finally ended, Austin prepared to drive Brooke home.

"Her apartment is in a pretty secluded area, and she's terrified of being alone in the dark," he explained casually. "You can just call a cab back."

I looked directly into his eyes.

"Why is it that when it comes to Brooke, you never think her fears are something she needs to 'get over'?"

His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

Suddenly, the answers I had spent years searching for didn't matter anymore.

"Forget it. Just go."

When I got home, my mother was sitting on the sofa, eating sunflower seeds.

"Did Austin drop you off?"

"He went to drop Brooke off."

My mother tossed a handful of shells into the trash.

"Look at you, absolutely useless."

"Austin comes from a good family, has a great job, and Brooke is such a perfect match for him. He must have been blind to choose you, and yet you still aren't satisfied."

I looked at her, my gaze steady and calm.

"You're right, Mom. Brooke is a much better match for Austin than I am."

"And she'd make a much better daughter for you, too."

My mother slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

"You've learned to talk back now? Do you honestly think anyone actually likes you?"

"You have the exact same pathetic attitude as your father. You'll never hold a candle to Brooke."

I went into my room and shut the door.

She stood outside, screaming insults through the wood until past midnight.

I put on my headphones and quietly began packing my bags.

The next morning, I went out to buy supplies for the mountain village: snake repellent, bug spray, and a first-aid kit.

When I returned, the front door was slightly ajar.

The sound of laughter floated out from the living room.

First, it was Brooke's voice.

"Hey, during the engagement party, right when Tessa walks onto the stage, let's drop something on her from above to test her courage."

"What do you think? A fake snake, or maybe a dead rat?"

Austin remained silent for a long time.

Brooke's tone grew irritable.

"What's with that face? If you're going to take her side, then just stop talking to me altogether!"

Austin finally let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine... but this is the absolute last time. I don't want Tess to get too traumatized."

He spoke as if he cared, and yet, he still agreed.

My mother joined in on the laughter.

"A good scare will do her some good. She's been full of attitude lately, this will teach her a lesson."

The afternoon sun was scorching, but I felt a sudden, icy chill seep into my bones.

My own engagement party was nothing more than a stage for their cruel prank.

It was fine. It really was fine.

When the laughter inside subsided, I pushed the door open and walked in.

Austin quickly stood up, wrapping an arm around my shoulders with a nervous smile.

"Tess, we were just planning the perfect engagement party for you."

"Okay," I replied softly.

Brooke leaned in close.

"Tess, I'm throwing a little pre-wedding bachelor night for Austin tonight. You don't mind, do you?"

"I don't mind."

But at two in the morning, my phone rang. I had to go pick up the two of them, both completely wasted.

Brookes makeup was smudged with tears as she clutched Austin's sleeve.

"If you hadn't refused to go to the same college as me... if you had just confessed to me back then, I wouldn't have stubbornly told you I didn't like you."

Austin covered his eyes with his hand, his voice raspy and broken.

"I regret it too... I shouldn't have gotten drunk and kissed Tessa just to spite you. I shouldn't have stayed with her."

"But she... she just looked so pitiful when she smiled..."

I leaned against the doorframe, my knees suddenly feeling weak.

On the night of our high school graduation, we had all had our first drinks.

Austin, completely drunk, had pulled me into his arms on the street corner, kissing me as he whispered, "I love you so much."

That was the first time in my life anyone had ever told me they loved me.

I had felt like the luckiest girl in the world, my head spinning with joy.

He had fallen asleep with his head on my shoulder, and I hadn't dared to move a single inch, my heart racing through the entire night.

Ten years of my life, built entirely on a mistake.

I let out a silent, self-deprecating laugh. Of course. How could someone like me ever be truly loved?

I dragged the two of them back into the apartment.

The next morning, Austin and Brooke came to pick up my mother, saying they were heading to the hotel early to set up.

I knew they were going to set up the "surprise."

Austin smiled warmly at me from the door.

"Take your time getting ready, Tess. Don't rush."

I nodded, watching them drive away.

Skyler was already waiting for me at the train station.

By the time I arrived, Austin had sent me a text: "Don't come just yet, we aren't fully ready."

In the background of his call earlier, I had overheard Brooke shrieking, "No, this dead rat looks too fake! Go find another one!"

So that was their grand plan.

I didn't reply.

My mother sent a voice note to our family group chat.

"Our Tessa has always been timid and easily embarrassed. The engagement party will start a bit late to give her more time to prepare."

I smiled, muted my phone, and boarded the bus with Skyler.

Right before my signal cut out entirely, I received one last voice note from Austin.

"Where are you? You can come now, we're ready."

In the background, Brooke was laughing.

"Hurry up, hurry up! The surprise is waiting!"

I turned my phone off and never looked back.

Meanwhile, at the hotel banquet hall, Austin and the others waited.

The heavy doors were suddenly pushed open.

Brooke shrieked, throwing her prop forward.

But the only person standing at the entrance was the hotel manager.

"Miss Tessa asked me to inform you that she won't be coming. She wishes you all a wonderful evening."

The smile on Austin's face shattered instantly.

My mother stood frozen in place, unable to believe her ears.