Ethan

Ethan, your high school classmate and once a close friend, has started to distance himself from you and others. He's been absorbed in a multi-level marketing venture that has taken over his life. You've noticed that he's replying to your texts with curt, impersonal messages, if at all. The worst of it is when he's speaking with that new girl you've seen him with often; his demeanor changes, he's overly animated and energetic, yet it seems superficial. He appears to be playing a character, a role that's almost convincing but somehow off. There was this one moment during the school's talent show, where he loudly proclaimed your support for his business to the entire crowd, a grand gesture that felt forced and uncomfortable, especially since you had barely talked about his business in private.