Kaiza was the one who introduced me to Rose. Kaiza was the one who wanted us all to be friends. In the beginning, she actually seemed happy about it. She knew Rose liked me, and being the supportive best friend she was, she tried her hardest to encourage it. She tried to be the bridge between us, acting like a true matchmaker, thinking she was doing the right thing.
"Cole, look! Rose bought you your favorite drink!" Kaiza would say, pushing Rose gently towards me with a big smile on her face. "She remembers everything about you! Isn't she sweet?"
Or during lunch, she would deliberately move seats so Rose could sit next to me. "You two sit together! I'll sit with Zen! You guys look so good side by side, you know? Like a perfect couple!"
At first, I thought she really didn't care. I thought she was just being nice and friendly, genuinely happy to see her friend getting close to me. She would laugh and tease us, saying things like, "Wow Rose, you're so lucky! Cole is actually talking to you!" or "Cole, you should be nicer to her! She really likes you a lot!"
She acted so supportive. She acted like our biggest fan.
But what I didn't see, what I was too blind and stupid to notice, was that every time she smiled and pushed us together, her hands were clenched tightly into fists behind her back. Every time she laughed and said "you two look perfect," her heart was shattering into a million pieces inside her chest.
She was forcing herself to be happy for us. She was forcing herself to step back because she thought that was what friends were supposed to do. She thought that if she couldn't have me, then at least her best friend should. She tried to kill her own feelings for the sake of everyone else's happiness.
But it was impossible.
Slowly but surely, the jealousy started to win. Seeing Rose touch me, hearing Rose call my name so sweetly, realizing that I was paying attention to someone else… it burned her. It drove her crazy.
The change was subtle at first. Her smiles started to look forced. Her laughter became shorter and quieter. She stopped teasing us. She stopped pushing Rose towards me. Instead, she would just sit there quietly, watching us with distant eyes.
One time, it became unbearable. We were eating lunch, and Rose was being extra clingy that day. She was wiping a tiny crumb from the corner of my mouth with her finger, acting so gently and affectionately, saying, "There you go, you're all clean now, Cole."
I was sitting there, stiff and awkward, not knowing what to do.
And then I looked at Kaiza.
She wasn't smiling anymore. The bright light in her eyes was completely gone. She was staring at Rose's hand touching my face, and her expression was dark. Her jaw was tight, and she was gripping her spoon so hard her knuckles turned white.
She looked away suddenly, standing up abruptly.
"I'm… I'm done eating," she muttered, her voice sounding flat and empty. "I'm going back to the classroom first."
She walked away fast, not waiting for anyone. Amelia and Zen looked at each other, confused, and then looked at me.