It was dinner time with her college friend group. Elaine glanced across the table at the sweet young man sitting across from her. Paul was her best friend, and though she often wished they could be something more, she hid her feelings for the sake of her friend Ella. Ella had confided in her several days before that she liked Paul. _“And that’s fine,”_ she thought to herself. _“All I really want is for them to be happy. Really.”_

She felt a gentle squeeze on her left shoulder and turned to meet her friend Marie’s kind gaze. “Is everything all right, Elaine?”

Elaine smiled back, “Yes, I’m sorry. I guess I was lost in thought. Our midterms are coming up soon.”

“Don’t worry,” Marie reassured her. “I’m sure you’ll do great. You just have to study hard like you always do. Maybe you could study for history with Paul. He’s talking the same class as you, isn’t he?”

Elaine turned to Paul again who was laughing at something Lily had said. Her heart skipped a beat as she replied, “That sounds like a good idea. I’ll ask him once we’re done eating.”

At least, that was her plan. Their group was walking back toward the dorms as Elaine stepped up beside Paul. “Hey, Paul, would you like to—“ She never got to finish her sentence. Elaine suddenly found herself being lifted into the air and being thrown into a bush. The beaches snapped under her weight, and she cried out as a broken branch stabbed her in the arm.

Ella beamed, not seeming to understand the damage she had caused. “Happy Throw-a-Short-Person day!” she said cheerfully.

With tears stinging her eyes, Elaine picked herself up and looked down at her bloody wound. “You’re bleeding!” Paul exclaimed.

Marie and Lily quickly surrounded her. “Let’s get you back to the dorm so that we can clean that up,” Marie commanded, placing a protective arm around her friend.

~

The three girls were quickly gone, leaving Paul and Ella alone. “What were you thinking?” he shouted. “There’s no such thing as Throw-a-Short-Person day, so why were you trying to hurt her?!”

Elsa shrugged nonchalantly. “It was just a harmless prank.”

“Harmless?! She cut her arm thanks to your little ‘prank!’”

“Paul,” she murmured as her eyes flashed, “do you really want to break up our little friend group over this? Elaine is my best friend. Don’t you think it would devastate her if we all split up?” Paul’s jaw and fists clenched together in defeat. Ella gleamed, “That’s what I thought.” As she skipped away, she turned and giggled, “See you tomorrow!”

Storming back to his dorm, Paul kept thinking about them both: the toxic manipulator he hated and the sweet, beautiful girl he liked.

_“If only I had the courage to change the way things are. But I can’t risk losing Elaine’s friendship, so I’ll grin and bear it—for now.”_