Vanessa and her best friend were in love with each other, but neither one of them had the guts to say anything. She once tried by confiding in him that she was beginning to have feelings for someone, but it only angered her best friend when he assumed she meant another. Sensing how off-put he seemed by the topic, she dropped the subject, feeling as though she was immediately rejected.
But, her best friend was heartbroken to know that she had eyes for someone else, so he did — probably — the worst violation of trust; he made a fake social media account to preoccupy Vanessa's time and steer her away from whomever she had feelings for.
So, one night, Vanessa received a message from someone by the name of Corpse. His profile was private — all she knew was that he was her age, lived in the same city, and his avatar was an animation of a guy with a mask — but, man, was he smooth. He claimed he was shy but just had to message her because he'd never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. She was flattered, and they began talking daily.
Vanessa was smitten from the beginning. Corpse was perfect for her; he liked the same music, same movies, and had the perfect sense of humor. It was like everything she loved in her best friend was right there in this mystery guy who was attracted to her as well. She was grateful for it because it helped her with the rejection.
It got to the point to where Vanessa began making excuses as to why she couldn't hang out with her best friend anymore. For months, she was either tired from her shift at work or she had to help her parents with something. She was blowing him off to unknowingly talk to him online, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of this.
On one hand, it warmed his heart to know she had feelings for him. But, on the other, it hurt that she liked everything about him because she thought he was someone else.
It'd been long enough, and Vanessa wanted to meet the man behind the screen. It was like she knew everything about him yet absolutely nothing at the same time. The flirty messages and calling each other "baby" only did so much, and she wanted something solid. They'd talk about how badly they wanted to just hug the other or hold hands, but Corpse always had a reason for why he couldn't meet up with her.
At first, Vanessa let the excuses slide but then she began to grow agitated. She'd accepted that Corpse didn't want to exchange numbers or Skype accounts because he was too shy to let her hear his voice, but she couldn't keep putting herself out there for someone who was so resistant.
She stopped messaging first, and, when she did reply, it was short and generic, and he realized she was losing interest because she wanted a real relationship. He'd made a mess of everything, and he was losing Vanessa all over again. He needed to come clean before she walked away for good. He needed her to know that it was him that she'd fallen for.
Vanessa was getting off work as her phone rang, and she was surprised to see that it was her best friend. She was actually relieved because she'd pushed him away so much that she was sure he didn't want to see her anymore. But, right now, she needed someone to talk to. She'd been swept away into this whirlwind romance with someone who just wasn't making the effort, and she longed to be assured she wasn't crazy.
She pulled up to his apartment complex, and the way he hugged her was if they'd been apart for years, and it was something she needed. She missed his company, and their conversations, and how they always ended up laughing so hard they were both crying.
They sat for an hour on his couch as they caught up with one another, but Vanessa was eager to get this weight off of her mind. She wanted to rant about how irritated she was about her online romance and maybe get a perspective from someone who was also just as shy as Corpse, so she decided to test the waters about the topic of relationships, knowing the last time she'd brought it up made him incredibly uncomfortable.
"How's the love life?" Vanessa asked lightheartedly.
His color drained at her question. He'd been so elated to finally be in her company again that he'd put his confession on the back burner. He didn't really know how to start. He'd been so nervous about calling her for the first time in a while that he didn't plan out what he was going to say when she was actually there.
"Funny you should ask," he started, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "I... met someone..."
Vanessa felt her heart sink. Things with the mystery man were falling apart, and, now, she was finding out that the guy who truly had her heart was taken. She slipped her phone out of her pocket to text Corpse, needing to know if he was serious about her. But, for now, she was ready to lie through her teeth.
"I did, too," Vanessa glanced over at him with a fake smile, acting excited that it was a coincidence that they both found someone, when she just really didn't want him to continue with how happy he'd been without her.
"Oh?" he perked up, hoping that if she started on how much she liked Corpse, he could come clean right then and everything would work itself out.
As soon as she hit send on her message to Corpse, her best friend's phone vibrated on the side table next to her.
"Oh," Vanessa reached over and squinted at the screen as she handed it to him, "You got a message from..."
Van: Hey can we talk tonight?
Vanessa's heart dropped as he slowly took the phone from her hand. Her chest tightened and tears rushed to her eyes as they trailed up to look at her best friend. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell her, but he sure as hell didn't plan on it being like this.
"I can explain," he said, hoping she'd let him talk.
"You're Corpse?" her voice trembled, seeing that he must have thought this whole thing was some sort of sick joke.
"Van-," he said desperately.
She rushed for the door, not wanting him to see her break down.
"Van, please," he went after her, grabbing her upper arm. She shrugged him off of her and spun around.
"Don't you dare touch me," she said dangerously through her tears.
He gulped, seeing how hurt she was in being deceived by him, scared that another word would set her off. But, she was beyond done; to the point where she was suddenly emotionless. With tear-stained cheeks, she looked at him with a blank face which terrified him even more that he'd broken her so badly.
"Don't ever talk to me again," she said calmly, and it was the saddest goodbye he'd ever heard.
