For me, it’s giving jealousy,” she wrote, followed by a slew of bright yellow laughing emojis. 

It was the final few words at the end of the dreaded “paragraphs” exchange that had made its way to a second group chat in a mere matter of hours. 

The missed call only an hour before, the calculated move to involve another friend into the “drama” and the baseless accusation of being jealous from a friend I’d known for years; I knew at that moment, marked the end of the 12-year friendship I once knew.

It made me question, how did I get here? Or more broadly, how did we get here – as women?