Chapter 11

When I first met Lola, she was eighteen — still bright‑eyed, still hopeful, still believing Chase was the guy he pretended to be. I didn’t know her well back then. I only knew her as the girl Chase wouldn’t stop talking about, the one he claimed he cared about. I had no idea how much she’d end up meaning to me years later.

I met Chase during our freshman year of high school. We were just two random boys thrown into the same classes, awkwardly trying to act cool and figure out who we were supposed to be. We had a couple classes together, which helped. Some people get lucky and share every class with their friends; others get none. We fell somewhere in the middle.

At first, Chase was awkward — trying too hard, talking too loud, pretending he didn’t care about anything. But as the year went on, I learned how to read him. We had things in common: video games, biking, skateboarding, and wasting time after school. The usual.

The only thing that made him different was his bipolar disorder. But I never judged him for that. My little sister has bipolar disorder too, and I’ve seen the ups and downs firsthand — the days when she shuts down and doesn’t want to talk, the days when she’s sad for reasons she can’t explain. I knew how to handle it. I knew what to say and what not to say.

Chase was an only child, raised by a single mom. His dad left when he was four and never came back. I couldn’t imagine that. I have both my parents. I don’t know what it feels like to be abandoned like that. But I understood why he carried so much anger. Why he acted out. Why he clung to people the way he did.

Sophomore year, he met Evelyn. They talked for a short time, then suddenly they were dating. I introduced him to my friends Nicholas and Jacob — two guys I’ve known since middle school, two of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. The four of us became a group.

We graduated in 2017. Chase barely made it. He skipped classes constantly, fell behind, and stopped caring. But he scraped by.

Then April happened — the month everything fell apart.

Chase never broke up with Evelyn. He pretended he did. Then he matched Lola on Tinder. They met in person the same week. He didn’t tell either of them the truth. When he finally confessed to me, Nicholas, and Jacob, we were shocked. Upset. Disappointed.

We were supposed to meet Lola that day, but she canceled last minute and rescheduled. We asked Chase if he was going to tell her the truth. He said he didn’t know. I told him he should. That she deserved honesty.

He didn’t tell her.

Instead, Lola and her friends did their own digging. Her ex — the one she barely talked to — confirmed everything. She didn’t want to believe it, but the truth was right there.

When we finally met her, Chase went to the bathroom, and Lola asked us if we knew anything. If Chase had been acting strange. If something was going on.

We all felt sick. Because we knew. And she didn’t.

I wanted to tell her. Nicholas wanted to tell her. Jacob wanted to tell her. But none of us did — not then. Not until much later. And I regret that.

Things only got worse from there. Lola agreed to an open relationship to make Chase happy — something she never wanted. And he took advantage of it. He ditched her on prom night, even though it meant everything to her. She asked me to go with her instead, and I said yes. I was furious at Chase, but I didn’t show it. I just wanted her to have a good night.

And she did — or at least she tried. She was heartbroken, but she pushed through. We danced, talked, and took photos. I still have those pictures.

The final straw came when Chase invited Evelyn to what was supposed to be Lola’s day with him. She didn’t want Evelyn there, but she let it happen. And when she came out of the bathroom and saw them making out, she finally realized she deserved better.

She ended everything — the relationship, the open relationship, all of it. Chase chose Evelyn. And Lola walked away.

She hoped he’d go after her. He did — but only after hesitating, only after thinking about it, only after waiting too long. She didn’t deserve that. She tried to make things work. She owned her mistakes. She was patient. Too patient.

But she’s not that girl anymore.

She’s twenty‑one now. Stronger. Clearer. She knows her worth. She knows what she wants — and what she’ll never tolerate again.

And I know I can show her what real love looks like.

Commitment.

Honesty.

Loyalty.

Everything she never got from Chase.

She’s not the same person she was back then.

And I’m ready to show her she never has to go through that kind of pain again.