The Girlfriend: Fake It Till You Make It

Epilogue - A New Chapter

The soft buzz of Emily's phone broke the stillness of her dorm room. She reached over from her bed, where she'd been sketching out notes for her literature class, and saw Sarah's name flashing on the screen. Smiling, she answered, "Hey, Sarah. How's life?"

"Hey, Em! Things are pretty good here at campus. How's it going with you?" Sarah's voice was bright, filled with the usual cheer that Emily had come to expect from her old friend.

"Same old. You know, classes, trying to stay on top of assignments, missing Jordan," Emily replied, rolling onto her back. Her mind naturally drifted to Jordan, who was currently at art school a few states away, and the last conversation they'd had about their plans to visit each other during fall break.

"Yeah, how is Jordan? I see her art stuff all over social media—girl's killing it!" Sarah's voice chimed through.

Emily's heart warmed at the mention of Jordan. "She's amazing. Busy, of course, but we talk every night. She's got a new exhibition coming up that I'm planning to attend. Can't wait to see her."

"That's awesome! You two are still so solid," Sarah responded warmly. There was a brief pause before Sarah added, "Speaking of relationships, I wanted to tell you something about Brittany."

Emily sat up a little straighter. Even though it had been some time since the whole high school drama, the mention of Brittany still made her pulse quicken a little. Brittany's confession of her feelings for Emily before graduation had stunned everyone, herself included, but it had also cleared the air between them. After that, Brittany had backed off, and they'd maintained a distant but civil relationship.

"What about Brittany?" Emily asked, curiosity piqued.

"Well, funny thing," Sarah began with a laugh. "You know she and I are at the same college, right?"

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning that. How's that going?" Emily said, leaning forward, intrigued.

"Surprisingly... good," Sarah replied, her tone softening. "Actually, we've been hanging out a lot."

Emily raised an eyebrow, though Sarah couldn't see it. "Hanging out?"

Sarah cleared her throat before continuing, "Yeah, like, more than just hanging out. It's kind of turning into... something else."

Emily's eyes widened. "Wait, are you saying—?"

"Yeah," Sarah interrupted with a laugh, sensing where Emily's thoughts were headed. "Brittany and I have been spending a lot of time together, and well, we're kinda seeing each other."

Emily fell silent for a moment, processing the news. "I mean, wow... I wasn't expecting that. I thought Brittany was still... you know, working through her feelings for me."

"Yeah, she was," Sarah admitted. "But after she confessed to you, it seemed like she started working through a lot of things. We talked about it, and I think she's really coming to terms with her sexuality. She's bisexual, and it seems like now she's finally embracing it instead of fighting it."

Emily blinked, still absorbing the fact that Brittany—her high school bully turned complicated friend—was now dating Sarah. "I'm happy for you two. It's just...wow. I didn't see this coming."

Sarah's laugh was light and warm. "Honestly, neither did I. But Brittany's been really open about everything. She said admitting her feelings for you helped her figure out a lot about herself. She's different now, more at peace."

"Good," Emily said softly, reflecting on how much had changed since high school. Brittany had been a whirlwind of emotions back then, masking her true feelings with aggression and jealousy. It sounded like she'd finally found a sense of balance.

"Oh, and speaking of surprises," Sarah's voice took on a teasing tone, "guess who else came out?"

"Who?"

"Ryan."

"Wait, Ryan? As in 'chasing after me in high school' Ryan?"

"The very same," Sarah confirmed, her laughter bubbling over. "Apparently, he came out to his family last summer. He's dating a guy now."

Emily blinked in disbelief, and then a smile slowly crept across her face. "Well, good for him. I guess we all had a lot of figuring out to do, huh?"

"Tell me about it," Sarah said, still chuckling. "It's like, we were all so wrapped up in trying to be what we thought everyone else wanted us to be. Now, we're just... living."

"Yeah," Emily agreed softly, her thoughts drifting to Jordan. In high school, everything had felt so complicated, so fraught with tension and unspoken truths. Now, they were older, more sure of themselves, and of what they wanted. She missed Jordan, but their relationship had only grown stronger with distance. They were both pursuing their dreams, and every time they spoke, she could hear the love and determination in Jordan's voice.

"So, what about you and Jordan?" Sarah asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

"Still going strong," Emily said with a smile. "We're visiting each other soon, and she's been working on this big art project. We've talked a lot about the future... you know, after college."

"Wow, that's serious," Sarah teased. "You two planning to settle down?"

Emily chuckled. "Maybe. I don't know. We've both got so much we want to do, but yeah... we've talked about it. Jordan's the one, Sarah. I've never been so sure of anything in my life."

"That's beautiful, Em. I'm happy for you both. I always knew you two would make it," Sarah said warmly. "It's kinda crazy though, right? How much has changed in just a couple of years?"

"Yeah, it really is," Emily agreed, her mind filled with memories of high school, the drama, the confusion, and all the things that had led them to where they were now. "But I wouldn't change a thing."

"Neither would I," Sarah said, her voice softening. "Anyway, I just wanted to catch up. We'll have to all hang out sometime soon—me, you, Jordan... and Brittany."

Emily laughed. "That'll be interesting, but yeah, I'd love that."

"Take care, Em. Give Jordan my love," Sarah said.

"I will. Talk to you soon," Emily replied, hanging up the phone with a smile.

She set her phone down and leaned back, thinking about how far they'd all come. The future was still uncertain, but for the first time in her life, Emily felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be.

And she knew that, no matter what, she had Jordan by her side.