"So-called friend."

  That’s what the voice said in the last conversation. And I ignored it.

  But today, those words came back to me like a slap in the face.

  It happened during lunch.

  I was sitting at the usual table when I heard them talking. My "friends." Laughing, joking… but something was off.

  Then I heard my name.

  "Souta? That guy's pathetic. Always acting like he’s deep or some sht."*

  I stopped eating.

  "Thinks he's smarter than everyone. It’s hilarious watching him try so hard."

  Laughter.

  "Bro, he really thinks girls like guys like him. Nah, they want confidence, not some overthinking loser."

  I felt my hands clench under the table.

  These were the same guys I’d sat with for years. The same people I trusted. And here they were… dragging my name through the dirt like I was just another joke to them.

  I swallowed hard. Maybe they were just messing around. Maybe I was overreacting.

  Then—

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  "Yeah, but let’s keep him around. Dude always pays for snacks when we 'forget' our money."

  Silence.

  Something inside me snapped.

  I stood up. The chair screeched against the floor.

  All eyes turned to me.

  I walked up to them. Calm. Expressionless.

  One of them smirked. "Yo, Souta! What’s up, bro?"

  I just stared at him.

  "Bro?"

  My voice came out cold. Too cold.

  He blinked, confused. "Yeah?"

  I leaned in slightly. Lowered my voice.

  "How much do you get paid to act like my friend?"

  Silence.

  The smirk disappeared.

  Another one of them scoffed. "Yo, chill, it was just jokes, man."

  "Oh, ‘jokes’? Damn, I must be the funniest clown in your circus then, huh?"

  I stepped back, shaking my head.

  "Nah. I get it now."

  I turned to leave.

  And just as I did, the voice in my head whispered something.

  Something that hit me harder than anything before.

  "You see now, Souta? You were never part of their group.

  You were their entertainment.

  Their backup plan.

  Their wallet.

  Their punching bag.

  But never their friend."

  I felt my stomach tighten.

  "Friendship isn’t about how long you’ve known someone.

  It’s about who still stands beside you…

  when there’s nothing left to take."

  I walked away, my mind racing.

  Had I been blind this whole time? Had I really been that desperate to fit in?

  How many times had I ignored the signs? How many times had I let them use me because I thought—no, they wouldn’t do that to me… right?

  The voice spoke again, softer this time.

  "Sometimes, losing people isn’t the real loss.

  The real loss is keeping people who were never real to begin with."

  I exhaled.

  For once, I didn’t feel angry.

  Just… free.