The weight of us

And as I walked through the hallways that led to the cafeteria, everyone stared at me. At first, I thought I had something on my face or maybe I had spilled something on my clothes. But when I stepped into the cafeteria, my stomach dropped.

Jack was on the ground, panting, his fists clenched, his face twisted in pain. Danny stood over him, breathing heavily, his knuckles red.

Then it hit me—they were at it again. But this time, they had gotten physical. And I had never been this embarrassed in my life.

I’m Jenny, a high school senior who loves to dance. I wouldn’t say I’m the most popular girl in school, but people know me, mostly because of the performances I do during school events. Dancing is my escape, my way of speaking without words. It’s the one thing in my life that has always made sense. But somehow, without meaning to, I ended up being the reason two people I care about are fighting in the middle of the cafeteria.

It all started with Jack.

Jack is the guy everyone notices—the star basketball player, charming, confident, the type who walks into a room and immediately owns it. But beyond all that, he’s sweet. He makes an effort. He asks about my dance routines, watches my performances, sends me songs he thinks I’ll like. With him, everything felt easy. Natural. And before I even realized it, I had fallen for him.

Danny, on the other hand, has always been my best friend. We met in freshman year, and from that moment on, we were inseparable. He was the one person who always had my back, the one I could tell anything. He stayed up late to help me rehearse, cheered for me when no one else did, and made me feel like I could do anything. I thought we were just friends—until he told me otherwise.

That was the moment everything changed.

I remember the day so clearly. We were sitting on the bleachers after school, watching the basketball team practice. Jack was on the court, effortlessly making shot after shot, while I sat next to Danny, my legs stretched out, enjoying the cool evening breeze.

Then, out of nowhere, Danny sighed. A long, tired sigh.

“You really like him, don’t you?” His voice was quiet, but there was something in it that made me turn to him.

I hesitated before answering. “Yeah… I do.”

He nodded slowly, staring straight ahead. Then, after a long pause, he said, “I wish it was me.”

My heart stopped.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Danny looked at me then, his eyes full of something I had never seen before—something raw and real.

“I’ve been in love with you for years, Jenny.” His voice was steady, but I could see the hurt behind his words. “I just… never told you because I thought you’d see it eventually. But you didn’t.”

I didn’t know what to say.

Because he was right—I never saw it.

I sat there, stunned, unable to process what I had just heard. I wanted to say something, anything, to make it better, but what could I say? I couldn’t lie to him. I couldn’t pretend I felt the same way when I didn’t.

Danny must have seen the answer on my face because he forced a small smile and looked away.

“Never mind,” he muttered. “Forget I said anything.”

But I couldn’t. And neither could he.

After that day, things were different between us. He still acted like my best friend, still laughed at my jokes, still showed up to my performances, but there was always something in his eyes—something distant, something guarded. And when I officially started dating Jack, the tension between them grew worse.

Jack and Danny were never exactly friends, but after that, it was like they became rivals. Danny avoided him, and Jack acted like Danny didn’t exist. But I could feel the weight of their silent war every time they were in the same room.

Until today. Until now.

Now, they weren’t just avoiding each other. Now, they were fighting in the middle of the cafeteria, and everyone was watching.

I rushed forward, my heart pounding. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”

Jack wiped his bleeding lip, glaring up at Danny. “Maybe if your best friend knew his place, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Danny let out a dry laugh, shaking his head. “My place? You don’t even know how to treat her.”

Jack’s eyes darkened, and he pushed himself up from the floor, stepping toward Danny. “You think you do?”

The tension between them was suffocating. I could feel everyone in the cafeteria holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

I had to stop this.

“Enough!” I snapped, stepping between them. “You guys are acting like idiots!”

Neither of them looked at me. They just kept staring each other down, their hands still clenched into fists.

I turned to Danny first. “Why would you do this?” My voice was softer now, pleading. “You’re my best friend, Danny. Why are you making this harder?”

Something flickered in his eyes. Hurt. Regret. But then, just as quickly, it was gone.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered.

I turned to Jack. “And you? You think fighting him is going to prove something?”

Jack clenched his jaw. “I just wanted him to back off.”

I exhaled sharply, suddenly exhausted.

“This isn’t fair,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I never wanted this. I never wanted to choose between my boyfriend and my best friend.”

For the first time, they both looked at me. And for the first time, they both looked guilty.

But it was too late.

Because no matter what happened next, no matter how many apologies they gave, something between us had already broken.

And I wasn’t sure it could ever be fixed.