The Art Of Breaking A Toxic Quartet

Jax had his crew. Three guys, one girl. And that girl was the axis their whole world spun around. My roommates had warned me countless times to steer clear of that tight-knit quartet. I ignored them. It took a solid year of strategic pursuit, but I finally landed Jax. Before he brought me into their inner circle for the first time, Jax gave me a severe warning. “Stella is the cornerstone of this group, the one we all protect. If you do anything to make her feel uncomfortable, we’re done. You and me.” I nodded obediently, but on the inside, I was ecstatic. People like me thrive on subtly displacing the existing center of attention.

1 “You might be my girlfriend, Sasha, but Stella’s place in my life is the highest.” “If you want to be with me, you have to respect her. You have to love her.” My roommates nearly leaped across the room to curse him out after Jax finished his utterly ridiculous declaration. I clapped a hand over my closest roommate’s mouth, my eyes crinkling in a sweet, placating smile. “Of course. Your friends are my friends. I’m sure Stella and I will be best friends.” Seeing me act like a total doormat, my roommates sputtered with exasperation. “You’re a gorgeous girl, Sasha! An absolute catch! Why are you chasing after a guy who comes with that toxic group? You’ll regret this, I promise!” My friends left in a huff, but I paid them no mind, already linked intimately with Jax’s arm. “Come on,” I said, tugging him lightly. “We shouldn’t keep your friends waiting.” The moment the private room door swung open, my eyes zeroed in on the girl seated perfectly in the center. She wore a simple, white sundress. She was the quintessential girl-next-door archetype, the kind of pure, sweet beauty that guys universally label as ‘the goddess.’ Two handsome guys were perched on either side of her, their body language undeniably proprietary and close. I had expected this legendary “group sweetheart” to be spoiled or bratty. I was wrong. The second she saw me, she sprang up, rushing over to take my hands in hers with a rush of warmth. “You must be Jax’s new girlfriend! Wow, you’re gorgeous.” She turned, directing the other two men. “This is Kian and Spencer. Why are you two just standing there? Welcome the new member!” She introduced the other two guys in the group. Kian was the aggressive, short-haired type; Spencer was the one with glasses, the thoughtful-looking one. But beneath the surface of their polite greetings, I detected an unmistakable, vague hostility. Spencer offered a tight, forced smile, his hand leaving mine the second our palms touched. Kian, the buzzcut guy, simply crossed his arms, making zero effort to hide his disdain. I licked my lips, letting my smile deepen slightly. Stella kept chattering, holding my hands. “A beautiful girl like you—how did you fall for that jerk Jax? He’s such a handful!” Jax simply smiled, ruffling Stella’s hair with a familiar, easy affection. He then meticulously folded his jacket and placed it on her seat. “You’re on your period, Stell. Use this as a cushion. It’ll keep you a little warmer.” Stella glanced at me self-consciously. “Jax, stop. Sasha will get mad. Are you trying to stir up trouble between us?” The room went quiet for a beat. Jax’s brow immediately furrowed. I simply raised an eyebrow in faux-surprise, completely unbothered. “I would never get mad,” I chirped. “Jax already told me you’re the group’s sweetheart. Now that I’ve met you, I completely understand why. Such a pretty, sweet girl. It makes sense that the guys dote on you like a little sister.” The tension in the three guys’ faces instantly eased. Stella’s expression, however, stiffened almost imperceptibly. She quickly covered it up with a look of delighted surprise. “You’re so different from the other girls! Jax’s exes always ended up creating girl-on-girl drama with me. I always wanted to be friends with them, but they just… hated me.” She paused, looking down bashfully. “To keep me from getting hurt, the three of them actually stopped dating for a while.” 2 She gave Jax a slight, injured side-eye. “I can’t believe Jax got snagged by you. You must have some serious moves, Sasha.” I offered an ambiguous little laugh, pretending to be completely oblivious to the barbed compliment. The server began bringing out the food. I was acutely aware of Stella preparing her first move. I held my breath, waiting for the first formal confrontation. I truly hoped her game was a high-level one. I didn’t want to be disappointed. Stella’s shriek cut through the air. A plate of soup—lukewarm, thankfully—had spilled onto her dress and lap. Her face was contorted in a mask of pain. Before I could even offer a sympathetic hand to check her injury, Jax exploded, shoving me back onto the tiled floor. Kian was instantly on his feet, spitting mad. “I knew it! I knew these women were all the same. Acting so sweet and mature a minute ago, and now the mask is off, right?” Spencer adjusted his glasses, his face completely impassive as he laid out the accusation. “We promised we’d always protect Stella. No one gets to hurt her.” “You’ve been here five minutes, and your girlfriend is already hurting Stella out of jealousy. Jax, you need to give us an answer.” Jax’s face was dark with fury. “Sasha, apologize to Stella. Now!” Stella was huddled in the protective arms of the three guys, and she shot me a tiny, triumphant smirk over Jax’s shoulder. Any normal girl, faced with her boyfriend and his entire posse turning on her, would have flipped the table and walked out. But I wasn’t any normal girl. The tears came instantly, filling my eyes and hanging perfectly on the ledge of my lower lashes. My voice was thick with a calculated sob. “I’m so sorry, Stella. I didn’t notice you were trying to offer me the soup.” I turned my head slightly, presenting my most vulnerable profile. “I really love Jax, and I truly want to be your friend. You’re so kind, you’ll forgive me, won’t you?” Stella’s expression and body language froze. She managed a rigid smile. “Of course. Don’t blame Sasha, guys. It was just an accident.” I threw myself into Jax’s arms, my face tear-stained and my eyes looking up at him with a mix of pained adoration and faint accusation. For the first time, a flicker of guilt crossed Jax’s eyes. He put an arm around me, just about to speak, when Stella jumped in urgently. “Let’s go swimming! Jax, you said you’d teach me, remember? I even brought my suit.” Once Stella gave the order, no one bothered to check if I’d finished eating. The others immediately dropped their forks. “Let’s go.” The three of them surrounded Stella, ushering her out of the room like she was the single most precious object on earth. I followed behind, suddenly isolated. Jax glanced back at me, but Stella instantly leaned closer, asking him some urgent, nonsensical question about proper swimming form. Kian muttered unhappily from the side, “I’m a better swimmer than Jax. Let me teach you, Stell.” Stella chuckled sweetly. “One at a time, guys. Next time, it’s your turn.” The five of us soon arrived at the aquatic center. Stella, already in a modest, floral one-piece, held Jax’s arm without a shred of boundary. The second her toe hit the water, she let out a theatrical yelp and leaped into his arms. I emerged from the changing room, wearing the kind of bikini that demands attention, and caught the entire display. “Jax,” I called out, making sure my voice carried. “I don’t know how to swim, either. Could you teach me?” The three guys turned to look at me, and their eyes were instantly filled with undisguised appreciation. To be a successful bitchy practitioner, the right hardware is essential. I saw the lingering glances of other men in the pool area drift my way. Jax’s face darkened instantly. 3 He instinctively loosened his grip on Stella, making a move toward me. But Stella snagged his hand, smiling widely in my direction. “Sorry, Sasha. Jax is mine today.” Jax froze, rubbing his neck. “I promised to teach Stella first. Just wait your turn.” They both slid into the water. Stella immediately began flailing, clinging to Jax like a human barnacle. As I stood watching, a complete stranger walked up to me and smoothly offered a pickup line. “Hey, beautiful. I can teach you how to swim.” Jax, looking over from the water, saw the exchange and his face went instantly dark. “She’s my girlfriend. Mind your own business.” The stranger looked from Jax to the girl plastered to his chest and gave a look of pure contempt. “Got one in your arms and one on the sidelines, huh? Not a lot of respect for your girl.” Jax bristled, immediately angry. “What did you say? Stella is just my little sister.” “A ‘little sister’ you’re kissing in the water? Sure.” The stranger’s sarcasm was so spot-on that I almost burst out laughing. Seeing Jax truly losing his temper, and worried about a scene, I quickly intervened. “Thank you, but I’m fine. I’ll just chill out for a bit.” The stranger gave up reluctantly, but not before delivering a final jab. “Here’s my number. When you break up with this guy, give me a call.” Once the stranger was gone, Jax glared at me, his expression nasty. “Those guys are just looking to take advantage of you. Can you be a little more careful?” I looked at him forlornly. “But I’m so bored sitting here alone. If you’re busy teaching Stella, could Kian or Spencer teach me instead?” “You’re all such close friends. They won’t try anything, right?” Kian, sitting nearby, snapped his head up. “Who said I wanted to take advantage of you? Don’t flatter yourself.” I didn’t take offense. “So, it’s settled. You two can teach me.” Kian and Spencer were roped into the job. They reluctantly helped me into the water, carefully keeping their distance. Then, Stella’s dissatisfied voice drifted over. “Jax, can you focus, please?” I looked over and met Jax’s gaze. Ever since I got in the water, he’d been completely distracted, his eyes constantly flicking over to me, which was clearly starting to piss Stella off. I gave him a quick blink. Then, my foot seized up with a cramp. I immediately lost all strength and tumbled straight into Kian’s embrace. Kian went stock-still, paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. “My foot hurts so bad. Could you rub it for me? I forgot to stretch before getting in the water.” I whispered the request near Kian’s ear, then glanced across at Spencer with a pained expression. Spencer paused for a moment, then dove underwater to massage my calf. “Kian!” Stella’s high-pitched, almost shrill voice suddenly exploded. Kian flinched, immediately pulling away from me and swimming toward Stella. The abrupt movement sent me sinking. I choked on a gulp of water. In the sheer panic of drowning, I instinctively wrapped myself around Spencer’s body, locking my mouth onto his to suck in oxygen. Spencer’s eyes went wide with shock. Once the cramp subsided, I scrambled out of the water, looking completely distraught. Spencer’s eyes darted away, mortified, unable to meet my gaze. The second I was on deck, Stella marched over, her face indignant. “Sasha, you’re Jax’s girlfriend! How can you be so intimate with Kian?” “Kissing and hugging in front of everyone—where is Jax supposed to put his face?” 4 I put on a hurt expression, about to offer a pitiful explanation, when both Spencer and Kian’s voices rang out simultaneously. “Sasha just had a cramp; it wasn’t intentional. Stella, stop talking about her like that.” “Some body contact is normal when you’re teaching someone to swim, Stell. You and Jax were hugging the whole time, and Sasha didn’t say anything.” The air around the group instantly fell silent. Stella’s eyes went wide, hurt, and she started to tear up. “You guys are yelling at me—for her?” Kian and Spencer, having spoken before thinking, looked stunned themselves. It was clear they hadn’t meant to defend me. Seeing Stella cry, they were instantly filled with regret. Kian quickly grabbed Stella’s hand, using it to hit his own face. “I’m sorry, Stella. I wasn’t yelling. You can hit me all you want to vent your anger.” Spencer tenderly wiped the tears from her face. “Please don’t cry, Stella.” Jax’s face was green with anger. He couldn’t help but say sourly, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think Sasha was your girlfriend. You’re reacting more than I am, and I’m her actual boyfriend.” Spencer closed his mouth, looking guilty. Kian raised his voice, defensive. “Girlfriend? Are you serious? I only want Stella. I don’t need any girlfriend!” After another long session of cajoling, Stella finally managed a tearful smile. Just as I thought she might settle down, she looked right at me. Our eyes met, and my professional bitchy radar immediately started buzzing. “Sasha, I really thought we could be friends. But I see you’re just like the others. The first thing you did when you joined the group was try to sow discord between the four of us.” “But your methods are so much more effective. They’ve never been this mean to me for an outsider.” Stella’s tone was filled with genuine sadness. “Why? We’re both girls. Why can’t we just get along? Why do you have to create girl-on-girl drama with me?” As Stella spoke, I felt Spencer’s gaze on me instantly turn cold and distant. Kian reverted to the open hostility he’d displayed when we first met. Jax’s face hardened. “Sasha, were you really doing this on purpose?” Wow, I thought to myself. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Wasn’t Stella the one who had been waging an endless emotional war? No wonder this clique had such an infamous reputation. Jax, Kian, and Spencer were all good-looking guys, yet girls steered clear of them. Their ex-girlfriends must have suffered under Stella, the ever-present, faux-innocent, childhood friend. Well, she’d met her match. Time for a lesson. I blinked, letting the tears well up. “I’m sorry, Stella. I just let Kian and Spencer help me because Jax was so focused on teaching you. I was bored.” “I thought we were already friends, and you considered me part of the group. I guess I was fooling myself.” I lowered my head, my lip trembling as I bit it until it turned white. I managed to suppress my sobs as I looked at Jax. “Let’s break up.” Jax’s eyes widened in shock. A flicker of annoyance mixed with something else crossed his face. “If it was an accident, then it was an accident. It’s no big deal. Who said anything about breaking up?” “Don’t overthink this. Stella is always telling us to find good girlfriends. She truly wants to be your friend.” Kian and Spencer chimed in awkwardly. “Yeah, Stella was just venting. She loves hanging out with other girls.” Stella was trapped. She could only force a smile. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, her expression innocent and sweet. “Sasha, what are you saying? I truly want to be your friend, that’s why I was so sad.” “I’m relieved you weren’t intentionally trying to break us up.” Jax frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion touching his face at the odd phrasing of Stella’s words. But he quickly dismissed the feeling, reaching out to put his arm around my shoulder. “Didn’t you want to learn to swim? I’ll teach you personally. Kian and Spencer can help Stella today.” I stepped back, evading his embrace. My voice was choked with tears, but firm. “No. I want to break up with you.” Jax was clearly bewildered. “Why?” Stella’s eyes darted around anxiously. “Sasha, you still care that I exist, don’t you?” Her mournful gaze swept over the three men. “It’s always me who ruins your relationships. Jax, forget me. Go comfort your girlfriend.” Seeing Stella so wounded, Jax finally erupted in anger. “Sasha, is this really about Stella? I told you from the start, she holds the highest place in my heart.” I cut him off. “No, I want to break up with you because of you.” “My gut tells me that Stella hasn’t truly accepted me, and Kian and Spencer still look at me with hostility.” I looked at Kian and Spencer, and both men awkwardly shifted their eyes away. I continued, “I’m choosing to break up with you now because I like you, and I don’t want to put you in a difficult position.” “I’ll come back when Stella and the others genuinely accept me.” With that final, dramatic line, I turned and walked away. To complete the performance, I went straight back to my dorm and blocked Jax on every platform.

5 I saw the four members of the crew again a couple of weeks later at a campus mixer. The student organizer, a senior, giggled. “Since we’re all here looking to couple up, let’s play something spicy. How about a round of King’s Game?” “Rule is, no hard feelings if you get a consequence. If you don’t want to do the dare, you take a shot.” I smiled and agreed, and even though I never looked in Jax’s direction, I could feel several intense stares burning into me. I pretended not to notice. The game started. The dares, typical for a college mixer, were fairly raunchy. After several rounds, the awkwardness between the men and women had all but melted away. I was watching the fun when the ‘King’ called out, “Number 1 and Number 7, a three-minute French kiss.” The room erupted in wolf whistles. I looked down at my card: Number 7. Number 1 raised his hand. It was Jax. His eyes were dark and unreadable as he stared at me. Everyone was watching. As a campus personality, plenty of people knew about my brief, dramatic entanglement with Jax. Jax stood up and walked toward me, the crowd cheering him on. Only Stella’s face was utterly miserable.