I Was Cut Out of the Video About My Boyfriend's Youth

Graduation season arrived, and my boyfriend's childhood friend, an influencer, posted a video titled "The Four of Us Through the Years." It went viral overnight. Viewers envied the friendship the four of them had maintained for ten years, and many began shipping her with my boyfriend as childhood sweethearts. What no one knew was that I had filmed every piece of footage and written every word. The video was twenty minutes long, yet my name never appeared, and neither did my face. When I asked my boyfriend why, he replied flatly, "You didn't come along until college. You weren't part of those years." Later, I found a folder on his childhood friend's computer. Every clip that included me had been cut out and placed inside. The folder was labeled: [Outsider in Frame.] My boyfriend had even reminded them in their private group chat: [Make sure you get every last bit. Don't spoil the whole 'four of us' thing.] I didn't argue. I simply revoked their permission to use any of my footage. If there was no room for me in their memories, then they could stop using my footage to relive them. Chapter 1 Xenia's POV The moment I withdrew permission to use my footage, a notification banner appeared at the top of my phone. Nora Quinn had replied to a comment. The top comment read: [The script and the footage work perfectly together. You can tell whoever filmed this did it with love.] Nora responded with a shy emoji. [Thank you! I wrote the script and filmed everything myself because I love them all so much.] The replies were filled with people praising her talent. I stared at the words "filmed everything myself" and found the whole thing almost laughable. I met Xavier Zimmerman during our freshman year of college. Back then, I had believed with all my heart that a relationship was between two people, but I eventually realized that Xavier came with a tight-knit trio no one else could break into. For the first two years, I tried hard to become part of their group. They reminisced about the street behind their high school and the times they had skipped class to go to gaming cafes. I had nothing to contribute, so all I could do was listen quietly and keep everyone's glasses filled. At first, Xavier would take my hand and try to rescue me from the awkwardness. "Can we stop talking about the old days all the time? Xenia has no idea what any of you are talking about." After a while, however, Nora would tear up and ask whether she was intruding on our relationship. Xavier began letting go of my hand. "If you always feel left out, Xenia, maybe you need to ask yourself why," he told me with a frown. "No one here is excluding you. You're just too sensitive." It wasn't until our junior year, when Nora realized I had a talent for photography, that they finally came to me with smiles on their faces. "Xenia, could you take a picture of us?" From that day on, I finally found a way to belong in their group. I became their personal photographer. Whenever we went anywhere, I carried the heaviest equipment. I either hurried ahead to find the best angle or hung back to capture candid shots. I never complained. I was even grateful because looking through the photos was the only time they ever praised me. "Xenia, you're amazing." The video "The Four of Us Through the Years" really had been filmed with love. It was simply my one-sided love, poured into trying to win them over. The memory faded as I pushed open the door to the photography studio. Xavier and Nora were sitting with their heads together, watching the viral video on the computer. Xavier had paid to open the studio for Nora during our senior year. Yet I had handled everything, from setting up the space and purchasing the equipment to filming their daily content and planning the scripts. All Nora had to do was put on her makeup and smile for the camera. At the sound of the door opening, Xavier turned around and immediately frowned. "What are you doing here?" I walked over to them and spoke calmly. "The video's gone viral. Aren't you going to add a note to the description crediting me for the footage?" Xavier paused, then responded impatiently. "Do you have to ruin the mood right now, Xenia? Wouldn't it be strange to add the name of someone who never even appears in the video?" Beside him, Nora tugged gently at his sleeve before turning to me, her voice soft and innocent. "You've never liked being on camera, Xenia. I assumed you wouldn't care about something as superficial as getting credit. Besides, the video's a hit. You should be happy for me." I looked at the entitlement written across her face. "I stayed up for three nights editing that video, and I wrote the entire script." Xavier's expression hardened as he stepped in front of Nora. "Does it really matter who filmed it? People care about the story of the four of us, not the photographer behind the camera. Do you have to fight over this now and embarrass Nora?" I stood there, looking at the boyfriend I had loved for four years. In his eyes, all my hard work and everything I had done for them mattered less than Nora feeling slighted. I nodded. "Fine. I won't fight you over it anymore." Chapter 2 Within a week, Nora landed a flood of brand deals. One well-known jewelry brand specializing in matching couples' rings specifically invited her and Xavier to star in an ad together. When I saw the campaign proposal, I made it clear to Xavier that I was uncomfortable with it. "You don't have to give me credit, but you could at least make it clear on the account that you have a girlfriend." Xavier was straightening his shirt collar. His hands paused, and when he spoke, his voice was reproachful. "It's just work. You know Nora and I have been friends for ten years, so why are you getting jealous over nothing?" Nora happened to walk in just then. The moment she heard me, her eyes filled with tears. "If we clarify things now, Xenia, the brand will think we deliberately started those rumors for publicity. The deal will fall through." She looked at me with a wounded expression. "My career is finally beginning to take off. Do you have to ruin it for me now?" Xavier immediately went over and patted her shoulder reassuringly before turning a cold look on me. "We'll deal with it once the attention dies down. We've been together for four years. Do you really need some meaningless online declaration to prove that you're my girlfriend?" I watched him defend Nora and said nothing more. Did I still need proof? Perhaps not. He had already made it perfectly clear whose side he was on. On the day of the shoot, Nora specifically asked for me to remain behind the camera. "Xenia knows us better than anyone. She's the only one who can capture the right feeling," she told the brand representatives with a smile. The ad followed the two of them through their school years, depicting a couple's journey from school uniforms to wedding attire. Through the camera, I watched Xavier lower his head and gently fix Nora's hair. The tenderness in his eyes was almost unbearable. The crew began cheering them on. "They're so sweet! Nothing beats watching a real couple together." I held the camera steady and stared at the two people embracing in the viewfinder, a dull ache spreading through my chest. Halfway through the shoot, I lowered the camera. "This isn't being presented as an ordinary friendship anymore. It's crossing a line," I told Xavier. His expression darkened in front of everyone, and his voice turned severe. "Xenia, the entire client team is waiting on you. Stop bringing your personal feelings into work!" Nora hurried over and pretended to smooth things over. "Maybe we should just call it off. I don't want the two of you fighting because of me. I can pay the penalty for breaking the contract." The moment she spoke, every member of the crew looked at me accusingly, as though I were the one being unreasonable. Xavier stared coldly at me. "Are you going to keep shooting, or are you leaving?" I didn't want to delay the shoot or cause trouble for crew members who had done nothing wrong, so I had no choice but to raise the camera again. Just as the shoot ended, rain began pouring down. Without hesitation, Xavier took off his jacket and draped it over Nora's shoulders, pulling her close to shield her from the rain. Then he turned to me. "The back seat is packed with equipment, so there isn't room for you. Take a cab back. Try not to get soaked lest you catch a cold." I stood beneath the awning and watched their car speed away. Suddenly, I remembered the winter of our sophomore year, when my fever had reached 102 degrees. Xavier had told me over the phone, "You're an adult. You need to learn to take care of yourself. Drink plenty of fluids." Yet Nora only had to so much as sneeze for him to forget all about how adults were supposed to take care of themselves. Back at the dorm, I contacted the platform's support team and submitted complete proof of copyright ownership along with the original project files. I formally withdrew permission for them to use any of my footage or writing in "The Four of Us Through the Years." Once I had finished, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Xavier. [Nora is hosting a livestream tomorrow night to celebrate the video's success.] [Get there early and set up the lighting. Don't keep everyone waiting.] I stared at the messages for a moment. I didn't confront him or start an argument. I sent back only one word. [Okay.] Chapter 3 At eight the next evening, Nora's celebration livestream began. The backdrop behind her displayed a slogan in bold lettering: [Four Friends. Ten Years. One Story That Never Ends.] On-screen, Xavier, Nora, Yates Cole, and Jordan Stone sat side by side in front of the camera. I was the only one missing. At first, Xavier glanced off-camera, assuming I was merely sulking and had arrived late. Once the audience passed one hundred thousand viewers, however, he quickly forgot all about me. One of the sponsors dropped a small fortune in virtual gifts during the livestream, then announced that it would fund a custom short film celebrating the four friends' years together. The live chat raced across the screen. Someone asked: [The video looks incredible! Who was the photographer? I'd love to book a shoot!] Nora gave the camera a sweet smile. "We didn't have a dedicated photographer. We casually filmed most of it ourselves. The moments that define your youth don't need to be carefully staged." The moment she finished speaking, the live chat seemed to freeze. Then a flood of alarming comments poured across the screen. [Wait. What happened to the video on your profile?] [The platform says it was removed because of a serious copyright dispute!] [Go look it up! The original creator just released a statement. Nora didn't film it at all!] The atmosphere in the livestream instantly turned icy. At the same time, I posted proof of authorship on my personal account: [Xenia Xander filmed ninety percent of the footage in "The Four of Us Through the Years" and wrote the entire voice-over script.] I included dated timestamps for every day of filming, along with dozens of revised drafts of the script. After seeing my statement, the sponsor immediately posted in the live chat: [Due to potential copyright risks, we are suspending all further collaboration.] Nora's face went white, and the livestream was abruptly cut short. My phone was soon flooded with calls from all four of them. When I finally answered Xavier's call, his voice was tight with suppressed anger. "Xenia, have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea what you've done? You're going to destroy Nora's career!" I could hear Nora crying quietly in the background. Yates was also there, shouting at me. "You just can't stand to see us succeed, can you? All this because we left your name out? Did you really have to make such a scene?" Listening to their self-righteous accusations, I suddenly laughed. "Why should her career be built on my work?" Xavier's breath caught. Then he spoke through clenched teeth. "This is all because people were shipping Nora and me, isn't it? You're jealous. Xenia, can you stop being so unreasonable?" For the first and last time, I made myself perfectly clear. "You've got it wrong, Xavier. I never cared that people were shipping the two of you. "What I care about is that you treated me like an outsider and erased me from the story, all while shamelessly profiting from my work." Then I hung up. Afterward, the four of them decided to reshoot all the footage in hopes of winning back the sponsor. They wanted to prove to everyone online that they could still create the perfect tribute to their youth without me. There was only one problem. None of them knew how to adjust the white balance on a DSLR, work with depth of field, or plan a storyboard. They were used to posing in front of the camera and waiting for me to count to three. The replacement video was rushed online with poor lighting and clumsy transitions. Viewers immediately noticed the difference, and the comments were filled with ridicule. [Could this look any more staged? It's nowhere near the quality of the last video.] Worse still, Nora decided to cut corners by directly copying an unreleased storyboard I had once shared in our group chat. When viewers uncovered what she had done, she found herself at the center of another plagiarism scandal. Chapter 4 Before the controversy had even died down, I received notice of the department's graduation project review. Every graduating student was required to submit an original film project, which would directly affect both our final grades and our eligibility for direct admission to the graduate program. I had submitted "Blind Spot," an original documentary proposal I had spent six months developing. The day before the review, however, my faculty advisor suddenly called me into his office. "Xenia Xander, what is going on between you and Nora Quinn?" He tossed two printed proposals onto the desk, his brows tightly furrowed. "The two of you submitted identical graduation projects. The concept, the storyboards, even the narration are exactly the same!" I froze and immediately flipped open Nora's proposal. She had even copied the two deliberate typos I had planted as proof that the work was mine. I had only ever sent the proposal to one person. Xavier. I had asked him to help me choose the music. I rushed out of the office and called him. "Did you send Nora my graduation project proposal?" My voice trembled with anger. Xavier was silent for two seconds before answering without the slightest trace of guilt. "Nora has lost a lot of followers because of the copyright controversy. If her graduation project doesn't earn a good grade, she won't graduate on time. "Your grades are already excellent, Xenia. You could switch to any other proposal and still get a high score. Why can't you help her?" I gripped my phone so tightly that my nails dug into my palm. "That is my graduation project! What gives you the right to hand it over to someone else?" Xavier sighed. "Xenia, we're going to get married someday. Your talent is something we both benefit from. Nora is our friend, so what's wrong with helping her graduate? "Once we're married, there'll be no need to draw such a hard line between what's yours and mine." At that moment, I finally gave up on him completely. His favoritism wasn't temporary. Somewhere deep down, he saw me as an endless resource he could drain to keep his childhood friend afloat. My work, my future, and even my dignity could all be sacrificed whenever Nora needed them. I hung up, opened our chat, and typed two messages. [Xavier, we're done.] [I will not withdraw my proposal. At tomorrow's review, I will show the panel every original draft.] After sending the last two messages, I blocked him. Elsewhere, Xavier was about to open my messages when Nora called him first. She was sobbing on the phone. "Xavier, what am I going to do? Our advisor says my proposal is identical to Xenia's. "Is she still angry with me? She knows how important this project is to me, so why did she have to submit hers now? She's deliberately trying to make our advisor think I copied her." Xavier's heart ached as he listened to her cry. He switched back to our chat and angrily typed: [Xenia, haven't you caused enough trouble already?] [Withdraw your graduation project now! You have plenty of other drafts, so let Nora use this one. Don't back her into a corner!] He tapped Send, but a red exclamation mark appeared beside the message. [Message not delivered.] That was when he realized I had blocked him. Xavier's ears began ringing, and his mind went completely blank.