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92 12 6
                                    


2015

"Seriously? Again?" Riley looks up. "Why oh why do you do this to me God?"

"Hand it over," I say while reaching my hand out.

Riley shuffles through her money and fishes out fourteen-hundred dollars for the second time in the past ten minutes.

It's now my turn so I roll the dice and advance to Marvin Gardens.

Riley looks down at her cards in glee. "Three houses . . . So you owe me eight-fifty." She reaches her hand out and mimicks me, "Hand it over."

We continue playing until Riley speaks up. "Mike said he doesn't want me spending so much time with you."

Mike is Riley's boyfriend. He asked her out for formal at the beginning of the last school year and they've been dating ever since.

"Why?" I ask in confusion and hurt.

"He thinks there's something going on between us." She laughs. "Like that would ever happen."

"Yeah," I mumble, realizing for the fiftieth time that my feelings are not reciprocated.

"I told him that nothing would ever happen between us, that we're just friends, but he didn't believe me." Riley trails off. "He gave me an ultimatum."

I look at her and the pain is evident in my eyes. "Seriously? We've been best friends for eleven years and you're contemplating choosing a guy you've only been going out with for a year over me?"

Riley doesn't answer and somehow I know that she's already made her choice.

I walk away and don't look back. Riley doesn't call out after me.

<3 ash | 7.22.16

:'(

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