Best Friend in the Backseat
From the outside, Chloe Westwood had the life every college girl dreamed of.
Rich, beautiful, confident. The girl with the designer bag before anyone else knew it was trending. But despite the glitter and glam, Chloe was always someone who noticed what others didn't. And when she met Lena Hart on campus, she noticed her immediately.
Lena had something Chloe didn't—an effortless softness that didn't come from money or image. A girl who didn't try to stand out, but somehow always did.
The moment they became friends, Chloe decided Lena was the one person she'd protect in this world of pretty masks and expensive lies.
So when Lena got scouted by an idol agency, Chloe supported her completely. She bought every Velvet Bloom album. Sat in the front row at their first showcase. Defended Lena online when fans accused her of being too quiet, too boring, too pretty without personality.
And when the group disbanded, Chloe was the first to invite Lena back into her circle. Not as a washed-up idol. Just as Lena—her friend.
Then Ethan Cross happened.
Chloe had known Ethan for years. Their families weren't close, but they moved in the same social circles. Private schools. Charity galas. Luxury vacations. Ethan was always a bit of a mystery—too composed, too detached. A man who walked into a room and made everyone look twice, only to look away just as quickly.
She never imagined Lena would fall for him.
But she saw it happen. Slowly. Softly. Painfully.
She noticed the way Lena's eyes followed him across the room. How her smile faltered when he ignored her messages. How her hands trembled when she got dressed for a party, even if she said it didn't matter.
Lena had never been in love before. Not really. Chloe knew that.And Ethan—he wasn't someone who gave you answers. He let you wait. He let you wonder.
And Lena was waiting.
"I don't think he deserves you," Chloe said one night, gently.
Lena just smiled.
"He doesn't have to," she whispered. "I just want to feel this."
It broke Chloe a little.
Because she'd seen too many girls like Lena—good girls, honest girls—who thought loving someone meant enduring silence and hoping for scraps.
But she didn't stop her.
She even helped.
She invited Ethan to the same events, planned group outings around Lena's schedule, made excuses to pull him into conversations.
She thought maybe, just maybe, he'd change.For Lena.
The island party was the last straw.
Chloe couldn't go. A business trip pulled her away. But she had no idea that the one time she wasn't there to watch Lena's back would be the time she needed her most.
The messages came late. Then the silence. Then Lena vanished.
Chloe called. Texted. Emailed. Nothing.
And when Lena finally responded weeks later with a single "I'm okay," Chloe cried.
Not out of relief.Out of guilt.
"I could've stopped this," Chloe whispered into the night. "I should've stopped it."
But Lena came back. Slowly, bravely.
And when Chloe finally saw her again—in a vintage dress, smiling in the sunshine of her grandmother's garden—she saw something else, too.
Lena had always been beautiful.
But now?
Now she looked free.
And Chloe swore, right then and there, that if Ethan Cross ever made her cry again—no amount of wealth or charm would save him.
Because Chloe wasn't just the rich best friend.
She was the one who'd stand in the fire with Lena if she had to.
And next time, she'd be ready.