Molly was cheerful, driven, and surprisingly grounded despite the attention she got. Being her friend felt like a gift—even if my feelings were quietly, endlessly one-sided.

Eventually she started dating Tanner, the team captain. He wasn’t the stereotypical arrogant jock, but even then, a part of me believed she deserved better.

A few months later, everything changed.

One evening, Molly showed up at my house in tears. Tanner had dumped her and immediately moved on to another girl. I tried to comfort her, but she was shattered—she had truly loved him.

And then, a month later, came the moment that altered both our lives.

“Mark, I’m pregnant,” she blurted out one afternoon.