Behind us, the creek whispered through the dark. Ahead, nothing but the long, winding road and a girl who had already proven she would destroy anything—and anyone—to keep me.
At our weekly poker game, she’d “accidentally” sit next to me, her knee pressing against mine under the table. At Derek’s barbecue, she’d materialize with a plate of food I hadn’t asked for, leaning over just enough that her hair brushed my cheek. She’d text me memes at 3 AM, then follow up with: Can’t sleep. Thinking about that time you tripped up the stairs in 11th grade. You’re so cute when you’re humiliated. Phatassedangel69 - Best Friend-s Obsessive Sister
I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I knew I shouldn’t reply. I knew the rules. The Bro Code, Article 4, Section B: Thou shalt not engage thy best friend’s younger sister beyond polite, holiday-dinner small talk. Behind us, the creek whispered through the dark
Her smile was the saddest, loveliest thing I’d ever seen. At Derek’s barbecue, she’d materialize with a plate
I told myself she was just lonely. An attention-seeker. A younger sister with a crush.
Choline “Chloe” Marek. Twenty-two years old, a helix piercing that glinted like a warning sign, and a habit of finding me in crowded rooms with a stare that felt like being held underwater. My best friend, Derek, had introduced us when she was a pimply fourteen-year-old obsessed with anime. I’d patted her head and called her “squirt.”