Jake and I spent our childhood locked in an endless rivalry—who could run the fastest, climb the highest, take the biggest risk. But when I won our final bet, there was no rush of victory. Just an ache I never expected.
We had been inseparable since before we could walk. Our moms loved to tell the story—two toddlers in diapers, both gripping the same toy truck at daycare, neither willing to let go. From that moment on, we were more than just friends—we were family.
Growing up just a few houses apart, we were always at each other’s place. If Jake wasn’t home, his mom knew to check mine, and vice versa. We were brothers in everything but blood. But what truly defined us? The bets.
“Bet you can’t beat me to the end of the block,” Jake would challenge, already sprinting.
“Bet you I can,” I’d fire back, legs pushing as hard as they could.
We bet on everything—who could hold their breath the longest, who could eat more pizza, who would ace the next test. Winning didn’t matter. What mattered was the challenge. The drive. The silent promise that we’d always push each other to be stronger, bolder.
And most of all, that we’d always have each other’s backs.
Then, one night, everything changed.
We were sixteen, stretched out on my roof, staring at the endless night sky. The kind of silence that wasn’t awkward, but comfortable.
“Paul,” Jake murmured, his voice quieter than usual. “Let’s make the ultimate bet.”
I turned my head to look at him. “Yeah? What kind of bet?”
He smirked. “Who lives longer.”
I let out a short laugh. “That’s dumb. How would we even know who won?”
“Easy,” Jake said. “Whoever goes first owes the other a beer.”
I shook my head, grinning. “Fine. But don’t lose.”
His grin widened. “I never lose.”
For years, I believed him.
Then Laura came into the picture.
I never meant to fall for her. It just happened.
She wasn’t like the other girls at school—she had this realness, this spark. She was kind, sharp-witted, and when she laughed, the world just seemed lighter. I tried to ignore it, but one day, Jake caught me staring at her in the hallway.
“You like her, don’t you?” he asked, smirking.
I hesitated before nodding. “Yeah. I do.”
His smirk turned into a challenge. “Then let’s make it interesting. First one to ask her out wins.”
I blinked. “What?”
“A bet,” he repeated. “Whoever takes her out first gets her.”
For the first time, I didn’t want to compete.
“She’s not a game, Jake,” I said, my voice firm. “She’s a person.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Paul. We’ve bet on everything. What’s the difference?”
“The difference,” I said, “is that this actually matters.”
Something shifted in his expression. “You’re acting like you’re in love with her or something.”
I swallowed. “Maybe I am.”
That was the moment the cracks began to form.
I didn’t know Laura had overheard. I didn’t know she’d walk up to me after school, smile, and take my hand like she had already made her choice.
Jake was furious.
At first, he laughed it off, joking that I had “cheated.” But then the rumors started. He told people I had stabbed him in the back. That I had always been jealous of him. That I had picked a girl over my best friend.
I tried to fix it. “Jake, this isn’t about you and me. It’s about her.”
“She was supposed to be a bet,” he snapped. “Not the reason you turned on me.”
“I never turned on you,” I said. “You made this a fight, not me.”
But he wouldn’t listen.
By the time we graduated, Jake was gone. Packed up and left town without a word.
Just like that, my best friend—the person I trusted more than anyone—was a stranger.
Life moved on.
Laura and I built a life together, filled with love and laughter. We got married, bought a house near where we grew up, and eventually welcomed our daughter, Emily. She had Laura’s eyes and my stubborn streak. Every time she giggled, the world felt right.
And yet, some nights, when the house was quiet, my thoughts drifted.
I wondered where Jake was. If he ever thought about me. If he regretted how things ended.
Then, one afternoon, a letter arrived. The handwriting on the envelope made my breath hitch.
Jake.
It was short.
“I’m back in town. It’s been too long. Meet me at O’Malley’s tomorrow at seven. Let’s talk.”
No explanation. No apology. Just an invitation.
Laura noticed my expression. “Are you going?”
I hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah.”
The next evening, I arrived at O’Malley’s early. I expected to see Jake at a corner booth, grinning like nothing had changed.
But he wasn’t there.
Instead, a waitress approached, holding a folded piece of paper. “He asked me to give this to you.”
Confused, I opened it.
“Paul, if you’re reading this, I didn’t make it. My last wish was to be buried in my hometown.”
My stomach twisted. I forced myself to keep reading.
“I got sick after graduation. Skin cancer. Thought I beat it, but it came back worse. I didn’t want to tell you. Didn’t want you to see me like that. But I couldn’t leave without fixing what I broke.”
“I was a damn fool, Paul. I let my pride ruin our friendship. You were my brother, and I threw it away over a stupid bet. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I just hope you know I never stopped missing you.”
“And as for that last bet… well, looks like you won, my friend. The beer’s on me.”
Tears blurred my vision. I stared at the pint in front of me. Slowly, I lifted it, voice barely above a whisper.
“You idiot.”
The beer tasted bitter. Or maybe that was just the grief.
A week later, I stood at his grave.
“Guess you really went through with it, huh?” My voice cracked. “You still owe me a rematch.”
I set a pint of beer beside his headstone.
“I forgive you, Jake. I forgave you a long time ago.”
As I walked away, Laura squeezed my hand. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
And for the first time in years, I didn’t feel like I had lost my best friend.
I felt like I had finally said goodbye.