Part 2Your Crown Has Nothing to Do with Me

Madison, Tyler, and I grew up together.

From high school on, the two of them were the most popular people in any room.

Beside them, I was ordinary.

Honestly, if I hadn't always been with them, no one would have noticed me at all.

Madison was beautiful, with a figure to match. The squad she led won nearly every competition it entered, and at each one, an entire section of the stands chanted her name, louder every time.

Tyler was the football team's starting wide receiver and was known throughout the school as the party king.

His parents traveled for work most of the year. From freshman year on, his basement was where the whole school ended up on Friday nights.

Tyler always invited me, of course.

But once we got there, the crowd swallowed him and Madison within minutes, and neither of them spoke to me much.

I remember one night clearly. I was tucked into the corner of a couch with a drink when one of the guys on the team asked Tyler, "Who's that girl who's always behind you two? You've never introduced her."

Tyler shrugged. "You mean Claire? She likes peace and quiet. No need to bother her."

Just when I'd accepted that I'd spend the rest of my school years feeling that lonely, Blake showed up.

During the fall of my freshman year in college, I had a campus job at the library's circulation desk.

A tall guy pushed a stack of books across the counter, and I scanned his card.

The screen showed a hold on his account.

"Your card's frozen," I said. "You still have an overdue book checked out."

That stopped him. He put both hands on the counter and leaned down, his bright blue eyes full of amusement. "Do you know who I am?"

"I do." I handed the card back. "It's printed right here. Blake Whitmore."

His friends behind him burst out laughing.

"Blake, she has no idea who you are. Give your ego a rest."

Blake raised an eyebrow and looked at me for a couple of seconds, as if he'd found something interesting.

That was when I noticed how good-looking he was. He looked like a Greek statue, his shirt stretched tight across his solid shoulders.

He paid the fine without arguing and left with his friends, all of them laughing.

After that, he came to the library constantly, always while I was working.

He drew even more attention than Tyler.

That's how I learned he was famous on campus. For a long time, we did little more than nod to each other.

Then one night, he stayed until closing, helped me wheel the book cart behind the stacks, and said out of nowhere, "This is the only place on campus where I can just be a regular person without anyone watching me.

"Claire, there's something different about you."

I felt like I was dreaming. I thought I'd finally found someone who would see only me.

We started dating after that.

I thought I was about to move up and join a more popular crowd.

Then he and Madison got closer and closer.

They clicked so well it startled me. Even their habits and interests lined up.

At first, I was happy that the two people closest to me got along. Then there was no space left for me between them.

They even went on their own "dates" behind my back.

Back at the dorm, my roommate was scrolling through her phone when she exclaimed, "Oh my God, this shot of Blake and Madison is unreal!"

Excited, she sent me the behind-the-scenes photos the yearbook account had posted.

On the lawn, Blake had an arm around Madison's waist, and she had her head tipped back, laughing.

I opened the photo at full size.

The Greek letters at her collar caught the sun.

The caption read, "King and Queen. Well deserved."

The ache in my chest hadn't gone away.

I should've been happy for Madison. It just happened to be an award meant for couples.

And her partner in it was my boyfriend.

The comments had blown up.

Tyler's comment was at the top: [Endgame! I've already picked the wedding date for you two!]

Below it was a neat row of comments that read, "King & Queen."

Blake replied with a fire emoji.

I pulled out my phone, opened the post, and scrolled for a long time.

The farther I scrolled, the worse I felt. Everyone was congratulating them.

Not one comment mentioned that Blake's girlfriend was someone else.

I fought back my nausea, liked the post without commenting, and unpinned Blake's chat from the top of my messages.