I had been dating Trevor for about five years, and during that time, his best friend Nate started seeing a girl named Shay. Over their two-year relationship, the four of us became inseparable, often going to bars and clubs as a group. My close friendship with Shay developed as we navigated the ups and downs of early-twenties relationships. In those days, we were the epitome of youthful immaturity - endlessly breaking up, getting back together, sleeping with other people during our separations, only to argue about it when we got back together.
During the times when Trevor and I were separated, as well as Shay and Nate, Shay and I would frequent clubs and bars together while the guys pursued their own interests. Shay confided in me that she was bisexual, even though I had known her to be heterosexual. I didn't dwell on it much, eventually letting it slip from my mind.
One fateful evening, our group - Shay, Nate, Trevor, and myself - went out for a night on the town. The atmosphere was familiar and fun as we danced and drank. However, the night took a turn when Shay witnessed Nate talking with an ex-girlfriend, and then sharing a hug. This sparked a heated argument between Shay and Nate, altering the course of our entire evening.
They took their disagreement to the parking lot. I was immediately behind her because I'm such a great friend and Trevor followed suit. Their heated exchange lasted a few minutes before Nate, the prick he was, stepped forward and pulled Shay's hair. Instinctively, I intervened by hitting him to protect Shay. This upset Trevor, who believed I should have stayed out of it so then we started arguing. Eventually, the guys took off in Nate's car, and Shay and I took off in mine.
Overwhelmed by tears, she cried uncontrollably, prompting me to pull over. I parked the car to comfort her. I empathized with my friend's humiliation and as I embraced her, I reassured her that she deserved far better than Nate and said he was a loser. I advised her to stop wasting time on people like him and even considered ending things with Trevor since they shared the same traits.