1

488words2026-01-27 09:13

I'm born a people-pleaser.
I can't say no.
When the golden boy of the Capitol Circle confessed to me, I felt too awkward to refuse and said yes.

When his older brother confessed to me, I also said yes.
When his sworn enemy confessed to me, I said yes too.
Until one day, I was simply exhausted. I couldn't keep up anymore.
So I made a group chat and told them straight up:
[I cheated. Let's break up — all four of us.]
Ethan Aldridge

(the golden boy)
[No, please! I'll even be the side guy if I have to!]
Nathaniel Aldridge
(his brother)

[Look at you — absolutely spineless!]
Lucas Reed
(his enemy)
[Baby please delete the group. I'll pretend I never saw it.]
I've been a people-pleaser since I was little.
As a kid, I tried to please my parents.
When my little brother refused to eat, my dad got furious and snapped: "If you don't eat, you'll eat shit."
So, at a very young age, I used a mop-head to scoop up actual—yeah—shit and chased my brother around trying to force-feed him.
Later I got into Ashford's top university.
Not because I loved school—because I wanted praise from relatives and neighbors.
I wanted to hear them say, "Good job."
On the first day of junior year, I walked onto campus and found roses everywhere, crowding around a pretty classmate.
Oh—someone was getting proposed to.
But the guy doing the proposing looked sulky as hell.
It was obvious he'd been turned down.
When he stormed toward me, I tried to get out of the way, but there was nowhere left to step.
Without thinking, I dove into the little lake beside the path, planning to wait for him to leave before climbing out.
Everyone laughed.
I couldn't tell whether they were laughing at him for being rejected or at me for jumping into a lake with no escape.
Of course he heard the laughter and turned back.
He stood on the shore and waited for me to get out.
When I crawled up and stood dripping, he asked, "You saw me confess, so you jumped in the lake. Who are you? Why have I never seen you before?"
I opened my mouth to explain but he cut me off.
"Oh—you like me. That's why you jumped."
Boom. Verdict delivered.
I shivered. "Huh?"
With a grim expression, he handed me the roses he hadn't managed to give away, and draped his jacket over my shoulders.
"Since you like me that much, I'll reluctantly agree to date you."
Me: ???
The word "no" was stuck in my throat. He'd just been rejected...
Maybe he was trying to save face, snapping up anybody in sight to show he still had pull.
As a people-pleaser, I couldn't let him lose face. I stared at my feet and whispered, "Okay."
If you know people-pleasers, you know we're awful at saying no.