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MidReal Story
The Truth Behind Our Friendship
Anonymous
Aug 13
Scenario:Two best friends, Xio and Zeph, grow up together since kindergarten. But in freshman year of high school Xio falls in love with Zeph but is too afraid to tell her because she fears it’ll ruin their friendship
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Xiomara "Xio" Rodriguez
best friend to Zeph, secretly in love with Zeph, average height, curly black hair, introverted yet fiercely loyal.
Josephine "Zeph" Carter
best friend to Xio, unaware of Xio's feelings, tall with straight blonde hair, outgoing and adventurous.
Lucas Greene
mutual friend to Xio and Zeph, supportive of both, medium build with glasses, intelligent and witty.
I’ve been in love with my best friend for the last four years.
I realized it when we started high school.
We were freshmen, and she was dating a sophomore from our school.
He was a nice guy, and I knew he wouldn’t hurt her.
But I couldn’t help being jealous.
I wanted to be the one who held her hand between classes, who kissed her goodnight, who made her laugh until she cried.
I wanted to be the one she loved.
I wanted to be the one she spent the rest of her life with.
But I knew that would never happen.
Zeph didn’t like girls that way.
And even if she did, she wouldn’t like me.
I was just Xio, her best friend since kindergarten.
I was the girl who sat next to her in class, who shared my lunch with her, who listened to her talk about boys and clothes and makeup.
I was the girl who watched her fall in love with other people, while I stayed on the sidelines, cheering her on.
Tonight, I sit in my bedroom, staring at a photo of us from kindergarten.
Zeph and I are grinning ear to ear, our arms wrapped around each other.
Her curly hair is wild and untamed, just like her spirit.
My heart aches as I remember the day she introduced me to her new boyfriend.
"Xio, meet Ryan," she had said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Ryan extended his hand towards me.
I forced a smile and shook it.
"Nice to meet you," I said, my voice betraying none of the turmoil inside me.
That night, I couldn't sleep.
I tossed and turned, my mind replaying the scene over and over again.
Finally, I grabbed my phone and texted Lucas.
"Can we talk?" I typed out quickly.
A few minutes later, my phone buzzed with his reply.
"Sure. What's up?"
I called him immediately.
"Hey," he answered, his voice groggy from sleep.
"Sorry for waking you," I said softly.
"It's fine. What's going on?" he asked, concern lacing his words.
"I... I need to talk about something," I began hesitantly.
"Okay. I'm listening," he said patiently.
"It's Zeph," I admitted.
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
"What about her?" Lucas finally asked.
"I think I'm in love with her," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.
Lucas was silent for a moment before he spoke again.
"I had a feeling," he said gently.
"You did?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah. The way you look at her... it's different," he explained.
I sighed heavily.
"What am I supposed to do? She's dating someone else. And even if she wasn't, she doesn't like girls."
Lucas took a deep breath.
"I think you should be honest with her," he suggested.
"But what if it ruins our friendship?" I asked anxiously.
"Xio, keeping this inside is tearing you apart. You deserve to be happy too," Lucas said firmly.
"I don't know if I can do it," I admitted.
"You can. And I'll be here for you no matter what happens," Lucas promised.
His words brought some comfort, but they didn't erase the fear gnawing at my heart.
After we hung up, I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.
My mind was a whirlwind of emotions—love, fear, jealousy, and confusion all tangled together in a messy knot.
The next day at school, Zeph bounded up to me in the hallway.
"Hey Xio! Guess what? Ryan's taking me to that new Italian restaurant tonight!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"That's great!" I replied with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
She didn't seem to notice anything was wrong.
As we walked to class together, she chattered on about her plans for the evening.
I nodded along, but my mind was elsewhere—replaying Lucas's advice over and over again.
Should I tell her?
Could I really risk everything?
We reached our classroom and took our seats next to each other as usual.
Zeph continued talking about Ryan while I tried to focus on anything else but the ache in my chest.
Suddenly, the teacher called on me to answer a question.
I blinked in surprise and stammered out an answer that earned me a few chuckles from my classmates.
Zeph nudged me playfully.
"You okay? You seem distracted today."
"I'm fine," I lied with a forced smile.
But deep down, I knew things were far from fine.
The musty scent of old books filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of coffee from the café down the hall.
I clutched my notebook tightly, trying to steady my trembling hands.
Footsteps echoed through the quiet space, growing louder with each step.
I held my breath, hoping they would pass by.
"Xio, are you here?" Zeph's voice was soft but insistent, cutting through the silence like a knife.
I hesitated for a moment, then stepped out from behind a bookshelf.
"Hey, Zeph," I said quietly, forcing a smile.
Zeph's eyes lit up when she saw me.
"I've been looking for you! I wanted to tell you about Ryan."
My stomach churned at the mention of his name.
"Can we talk about something else?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to keep it steady.
Zeph frowned, her brows knitting together in concern.
"What's going on, Xio?"
I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my secret pressing down on me.
This was it—the moment I had been dreading and anticipating all at once.
"Zeph, there's something I need to tell you," I began, my voice barely above a whisper.
She took a step closer, her expression serious.
"What is it? You know you can tell me anything."
I swallowed hard, my throat dry as sandpaper.
"It's about... us."
Her eyes widened slightly, confusion flickering across her face.
"What do you mean?"
I glanced around the library, making sure no one else was within earshot.
The dim lighting cast long shadows across the rows of bookshelves, creating an almost eerie atmosphere.
"I've been keeping something from you," I continued, my heart racing faster with each word.
"And it's been eating me up inside."
Zeph reached out and placed a hand on my arm.
"Xio, you're scaring me. Just tell me what's going on."
I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering every ounce of courage I had left.
When I opened them again, I met her gaze head-on.
"I'm in love with you," I confessed, my voice breaking slightly.
"I have been for years."
Silence hung heavy between us as Zeph processed my words.
Her hand dropped from my arm, and she took a small step back.
"You... you're in love with me?" she repeated slowly, as if trying to make sense of it.
I nodded, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes.
"Yes. And I know this might change everything between us, but I couldn't keep it inside any longer."
Zeph's expression softened slightly, but there was still confusion and uncertainty in her eyes.
"Xio... I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything right now," I replied quickly.
"I just needed you to know how I feel."
She bit her lip, glancing down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at me.
"This is a lot to take in."
"I understand," I said softly.
"Take all the time you need."
We stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity.
The distant hum of the air conditioning and the occasional rustle of pages were the only sounds that broke the stillness.
Finally, Zeph took a deep breath and looked at me with a mixture of sadness and compassion.
"Xio... I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to make you feel this way without realizing it."
"It's not your fault," I assured her.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
She nodded slowly.
"I just... I need some time to process this."
"Of course," I said quickly.
"Take all the time you need."
Zeph gave me a small smile before turning and walking away.
As she disappeared around the corner of the bookshelf, I felt a strange mix of relief and heartbreak wash over me.
At least now she knew.
My heart pounded, a mix of relief and sorrow swirling inside me.
I sank into a chair, my mind racing with what-ifs and maybes.
The musty scent of old books seemed to close in around me, making it hard to breathe.
"Xio?" Lucas's voice broke through my thoughts.
I looked up to see him standing at the entrance, concern etched on his face.
He walked over cautiously, his eyes scanning my distressed state.
"Hey," he said softly, sitting down beside me.
I tried to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes, but it was no use.
"I told her," I whispered, my voice cracking.
Lucas reached out and took my hand, offering silent support.
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of my confession hanging heavily in the air.
"It'll be okay, Xio," Lucas finally said, squeezing my hand gently.
I nodded, trying to believe him, but the emptiness inside me felt overwhelming.
The dim lighting of the library cast long shadows across the rows of bookshelves, creating an almost eerie atmosphere.
"What did she say?" Lucas asked cautiously.
"She said she needs time to process it," I replied, wiping away a tear that had escaped down my cheek.
Lucas nodded thoughtfully. "That's understandable. It's a lot for her to take in."
"I know," I said quietly. "But it still hurts."
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as if searching for the right words.
"You did the right thing by telling her," he said after a moment. "Keeping it inside would have only made things worse."
"I guess," I muttered, feeling a fresh wave of sadness wash over me.
Lucas turned his gaze back to me, his eyes filled with empathy.
"You're stronger than you think, Xio. And no matter what happens with Zeph, you'll get through this."
I wanted to believe him, but the fear of losing Zeph's friendship gnawed at me.
"What if she never talks to me again?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"Then it wasn't meant to be," Lucas said gently. "But I don't think that'll happen. She cares about you too much."
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
The distant hum of the air conditioning and the occasional rustle of pages were the only sounds that broke the stillness around us.
"Thanks for being here," I said softly.
"Always," Lucas replied with a small smile.
We sat there for a while longer, not saying much but finding comfort in each other's presence.
The library's dim lighting seemed less oppressive with Lucas by my side.
Eventually, I stood up and grabbed my notebook from the table.
"I should probably go home," I said reluctantly.
Lucas nodded and stood up as well.
"Do you want me to walk you?"
"No, I'll be okay," I replied, managing a weak smile.
He gave me one last reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before we headed towards the exit.
As we walked out of the library and into the cool evening air, I couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope amidst the sadness.
Maybe things would be okay after all.
Or maybe they wouldn't.
But at least I had taken that first step towards honesty and self-acceptance.
As we reached the parking lot, Lucas's phone buzzed with a message.
He glanced at it quickly before looking back at me with a concerned expression.
"It's from Zeph," he said quietly.
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at him expectantly.
"What does it say?"
Before he could answer, headlights flashed across us as a car pulled into the lot.
