No Seat, No Boyfriend, No Problem

On Valentine's Day, by the time I hurry into the seafood restaurant, my boyfriend, Cody Sharp, and my best friend, Irene Thorne, are already halfway through their meal. I reach for a chair, only to realize there isn't an extra one. Cody glances up at me and says flatly, "Staff said they only have tables for two left. A table for three means a four-hour wait. Just find a table for one. It's all the same." Irene offers an apologetic look. "Besides, Serena, aren't you allergic to seafood? Maybe grab a bite somewhere else?" I freeze. We have eaten at this exact spot 30 times. I am allergic to seafood, but since they love it, this is always the place. Just to keep them company, I take allergy medication before every single visit. So they knew all along. They just didn't care. At the table, they laugh as they plan to come back a few more times before heading overseas next month. Thanks to their top grades, both earned fully funded spots in the study abroad program. My grades are average, but because I wanted to stay with them, I was ready to pay tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket to go along. Now, the heavy seafood stench in the room suddenly turns sickeningly sharp. I turn around, walk out, and step into the barbecue joint next door. Pulling out my phone, I cancel my self-funded study abroad application. That feels good. From now on, I get to eat whatever I actually want. Chapter 1 Serena's POV The meat sizzled on the grill, dripping with fat and smelling incredible. Cody Sharp and I used to come here all the time. Then Irene Thorne came along. She was strict about her figure and refused to touch anything greasy, so Cody stopped joining me. Whenever I brought up craving it, he'd just frown and scan me up and down. "Why can't you be more like Irene and tone down the heavy stuff? You were so lean when we first met. Look at those rolls on your waist now. It's a total turn-off." I never came back after that. I snapped a quick photo of the meat and dropped it into our group chat. Half an hour passed, and no one replied. Then Irene posted an update on Instagram. "Cody and I totally crushed the Valentine's Beer Chug contest! 100-dollar cash plus sweet prizes unlocked!" The video showed them locking arms and knocking back beers. As they finished the final round, they shared a lingering smile. "Give it up for our champions, the gorgeous couple right here!" the host roared into the mic. Cody just smiled without making the slightest effort to deny it. He let Irene grab his hand and hoist it into the air, basking in their win. My hand holding the grill tongs trembled. It was Valentine's Day, and my boyfriend was out entering couples' contests with my best friend. Ironically, I found myself thinking they seemed like a better match, too. They were both into extreme sports, gaming, drinking, and clubbing. Meanwhile, I just liked food and binging TV shows. Irene had tried teaching me to game once, but after we lost a dozen matches in a row, Cody snapped and kicked me from the team. "How many times do I have to explain this? You're hopeless. Stick to your shows and stop ruining our rank." I spent weeks practicing on my own in secret, but by the time I finally reached their rank, they'd already moved on to the next big game. Once I finished eating, I headed back to the dorm alone. Irene wasn't back yet. The group chat remained dead. Nobody cared what I'd eaten or where I'd gone. Right before curfew, Cody finally texted me. "Come down and help me with Irene. She's wasted." I threw on my pajamas and went downstairs. He was holding a drunk Irene in his arms, carrying her high heels in one hand. Her arms were wrapped snugly around his neck, effortless and intimate. My mind flashed back to the time I twisted my ankle in PE class. I had asked Cody to carry me to the infirmary. He had refused, saying, "Everyone's watching. It's embarrassing. Besides, your leg's not broken. Just limp over slowly." Yet here he was, carrying Irene all the way from the seafood restaurant to our dorm building, right in front of everyone. My chest felt tight. I stepped up and reached out to take Irene from him. However, she whined and pulled him closer. "No, don't put me down! I want you to carry me." Cody chuckled, looking helpless. "We're at your dorm. How about I carry you next time?" That satisfied her. I must have looked miserable, because Cody reached over, patted my head, and softened his voice. "I'm just joking. Don't be mad. You know how bratty she gets when she's drunk. If I didn't play along, she'd never let me leave." Ignoring him, I took Irene's arm to drag her upstairs. But he frowned and grabbed my wrist. His voice was laced with annoyance as he said, "Seriously, Serena? I hate it when you give me the cold shoulder the second you're upset." I looked him straight in the eyes. "Fine, I'll say it. It's Valentine's Day. It was supposed to be our night. Instead, you went to dinner with my best friend, didn't save me a seat, ignored my messages, entered a beer-chugging contest as a couple, and carried her back in your arms. Yeah, I'm upset." Clearly taken aback by my bluntness, he froze, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me. Then, he cupped my cheeks with both hands and burst out laughing. "Serena, you look like a cute little bunny when you're jealous. It's adorable." Chapter 2 Cody continued with a smile, "I only look after Serena because of you, so stop overthinking everything. You like meat, and we like seafood. Since you're allergic to seafood, isn't it better if we just eat separately? "Seriously though, cut back on that greasy barbecue. It looks like you've gained weight again." Before leaving, he fished out a box of medicine and a bag of roasted chestnuts from his bag. "Hangover pills. Make sure she takes them, or she'll have a pounding headache tomorrow. And I got these roasted chestnuts on my way back. Eat up and get some sleep." … Early the next morning, my academic advisor, Aimee Griffith, texted me. "You put so much work into your study abroad applications. Are you sure you want to pull out now?" My fingers hovered over the screen, unable to bring myself to type "yes". Just then, Irene's voice cut through the room. "Serena, hurry up, or we're gonna be late!" By the time we got to the lecture hall, Cody had already saved us two seats. He waved at me but called out Irene's name instead, "Irene, over here!" She naturally slid into the middle seat between us. On the desk sat the breakfast he'd picked up—boiled corn, hard-boiled eggs, and soy milk. There was a set for each of us. It was the exact "stay-slim" breakfast Irene always loved. But my favorites were donuts, hash browns, and milkshakes. During class, the two of them dove right into a lively debate on the professor's lecture. One second they were arguing until their faces turned red, and the next they were finishing each other's sentences like mind readers. I couldn't follow the specialized jargon they were throwing around, so I asked them to explain it to me. Irene just smiled and patted my head. That was the exact same gesture Cody always used on me. "Silly, I told you not to take this class with us!" Cody chuckled along. "Even if we explained it, you probably wouldn't get it anyway." I stared at them and went quiet. Before class ended, the professor assigned our final group project. We had to work in pairs, and we could choose our own partners. My fingers tightened around my pen. A gut feeling warned me that I was about to get abandoned again. Sure enough, a second later, Cody said, "Irene, let's team up." My body froze, and the pen slipped right out of my hand, hitting the floor with a loud clatter. Hearing the noise, Cody turned back to look at me. "You're upset again?" He let out a tired sigh. "Look, Serena, you know how it is. Irene and I both need to protect our GPAs. You're struggling in this class and can't even follow our discussions. Whoever you pair with will just get dragged down." Irene glanced at me with a flicker of awkwardness, then leaned down to pick up my pen. "Don't take it personally, Serena, but Cody's right. "You're paying your own way to study abroad anyway, so a lower GPA doesn't really matter for you. Just find anyone and coast by with a passing grade. Cody and I can't afford to do that. Sorry if I'm being too blunt. Please don't be mad." I forced a tight smile onto my face. "You guys are right." Relieved that I hadn't made a scene, they immediately dove back into brainstorming their project strategy and dividing up the workload. I watched the slight furrow in Cody's brows as he concentrated. My mind drifted back to freshman year. Back then, he'd sign up for elective classes he hated just to be near me, and he'd always ask to be my group partner before anyone else could. When did everything start to change? Cody and I had been childhood friends for 12 years, and he was always the one pursuing me. It wasn't until college, when I became close friends with Irene, that things shifted. After her bad breakup, I felt sorry for her and invited her out for barbecue to cheer her up. From that day on, we became a trio. At first, we still went to my favorite barbecue joint. Cody used to complain about it. "Why do you have to bring her along every time we go on a date?" I'd tug on his sleeve, playing sweet. "Just this once! Next time it'll be just the two of us, I promise." Gradually, though, our hangout spots shifted entirely to her favorite seafood restaurant. I kept telling myself that since Cody had pursued me for so long and compromised so much in the past, and since Irene was going through a rough patch, I should be understanding. I even took allergy meds just so I could sit through seafood dinners with them. Now, it hit me all at once. Without even realizing it, I had gone from being at the center of our trio to being pushed to the sidelines. At that thought, I opened my phone and replied to Ms. Griffith. "Ms. Griffith, I'm sure. Please cancel my study abroad application." Chapter 3 Back at the dorm, Irene started putting on makeup, saying she was heading out later to hit a bar with a senior she'd just met. In our group chat, Irene dropped a video of herself dancing at the club. She was swaying her slim waist, oozing confidence and glamour. Cody replied, "You look beautiful. You've got a tight waist, perfect for crop tops." I stared down at my reflection in the mirror. It had been forever since he'd complimented me. All he ever did now was tell me I was putting on weight. Swallowing the sting in my chest, I texted Irene. "Are you back yet?" Three hours passed. Midnight came and went, but Irene never replied. Any later, and the dorm doors would be locked for the night. Just as I was about to call her, an emergency SOS alert flashed across my phone screen. It was Irene. She was in trouble! My heart leaped into my throat. I threw on clothes, got permission from the dorm manager, and raced to the bar pinned in her location. The entire trip was a blur of panic and dread. When I burst into the bar, my eyes searched frantically through the crowd, but there was no sign of her. I was about to dial the police when a hand grabbed my wrist from behind, accompanied by a foul wave of alcohol. "Hey cutie, out here all by yourself?" A drunken man leered at me, his eyes shamelessly roaming over my body. I shoved him back in disgust, but his grip only tightened. "How about coming with me to a private room for a movie?" The suffocating smell of tobacco and liquor made me gag. I thrashed around, trying to pull away. "Let go of me, or I'm going to scream!" He grinned wider, revealing a mouth full of stained, blackened teeth. "Go ahead and scream! Let's see if anyone actually comes to save you!" The instant his hands made contact with my skin, I screamed in absolute terror, but he immediately slammed a hand over my mouth. In that second of total hopelessness, only one face rushed into my mind—Cody's. I pictured him back in high school, dropping from the sky like a hero to protect me when local bullies cornered me at the school gates. Suddenly, someone yanked me away and pulled me behind his chest. A faint hint of mint drifted over me. I opened my eyes, desperate with hope, only to see a complete stranger. He gave the drunk guy a cold, lethal glare, and the latter cursed under his breath before scurrying off. After stepping in, the stranger walked me all the way back to the dorm gate. "Try not to come to places like that alone again. It's dangerous." I nodded gratefully, still shaken by what had happened. With trembling hands, I dialed Cody. "Where are you? Can you please come pick me up? Irene sent an emergency alert, so I ran over to the bar to look for her, and I just—" A playful giggle rang out through the receiver. It was the "missing" Irene. "I'm fine, you silly head! I only sent the alert to trick you into coming out to party! If I didn't hit the emergency button, I knew you'd never show up. I know you too well! "I sent it to Cody too, and he flew over in like ten minutes, faster than a bullet! We're in Room 208 upstairs now. Want to come sing karaoke with us?" I squeezed the phone tightly, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "Why would you play a joke like that, Irene? Do you have any idea what happened when I came to find you? I was almost—" Cody snatched the phone, cutting me off. "Alright, it was just a joke. Don't be such a buzzkill. It's ruining the mood. If you don't want to hang out, just go back and sleep." The line went dead. I staggered back to my room like a ghost. My head reeled with images of that disgusting face and the sickening memory of his hands on my skin. Over and over, I unlocked my phone and pulled up Cody's chat window. I wanted to tell him that I had been assaulted and that I was terrified. I wanted him to comfort me like he used to, pulling me into his arms and soothing me in a gentle voice. "Don't be scared. I'm right here." Instead, a new post from Irene popped up on my feed. "Studying for finals and watching the sunrise by the beach with Cody! Hope the sunshine brings good luck!" The photo showed the exact stretch of beach where he had first confessed his love to me. Cody sat by the rocks, holding a textbook, completely focused on reviewing. Irene was in short shorts, her fair legs draped intimately across his lap. When I needed him most, he was with someone else. The fragile illusion I'd been clinging to shattered completely. I typed a single question mark in the comments, then opened Cody's chat with trembling hands. "Let's end this, Cody." Chapter 4 When I woke up the next morning, Cody and Irene were both in the dorm. Noticing I was awake, he said offhandedly, "Don't go overthinking things again, Serena. We were out way too late last night, and the manager wouldn't let us back in, so we ended up staying at a hotel." A weird sense of relief suddenly washed over me. "Right. Got it." He frowned. "Alright, drop the attitude. Stop throwing around breakup threats." "I'm serious, Cody." He didn't bother answering. I glanced over and saw him and Irene already sharing a pair of earbuds, immersed in a co-op game. I opened WhatsApp and sent the breakup message again. … Just when I thought everything was finally over, catastrophe struck during our first final exam. Someone reported Irene for cheating, and the invigilator pulled a cheat sheet from her pencil case. She was instantly disqualified. Back at the dorm, her eyes were red as she sobbed into her hands. "What am I gonna do, Serena? I'm so scared I won't be able to study abroad now… "The second I opened my pencil case, I regretted it and didn't even look at the paper. I answered everything on my own! I have no idea who saw it or why they turned me in." Before she could finish, the dorm door burst open. It was Cody. He was out of breath, probably having sprinted over the moment his exam ended. The second Irene saw him, her tears spilled over even harder. After piecing together what had happened, he fell into a long, heavy silence. Then, he turned around and looked at me. "Serena, go tell the professor that you were jealous of Irene, so you planted the cheat sheet in her pencil case." I froze, unable to process what I was hearing. "Cody, what are you talking about?" He kept his eyes lowered, his expression dead serious. "It's the only way. Your grades are average anyway. You're not getting a scholarship, and your family can afford to send you abroad at your own expense, so this wouldn't really affect you. But she doesn't have that option. "If this cheating charge sticks, her study abroad trip is dead. She's your best friend. Can you stop being so selfish for once?" My chest tightened as if a hand was squeezing the life out of my heart, wringing out every last drop of blood. I stared at him in utter silence, then shifted my eyes to Irene, whose eyes were rimmed with red. She didn't say a word, but her gaze was desperate. I took a deep breath to suppress the dull ache in my chest. "Cheating is a dealbreaker. I'm not doing that for you." Yet the very next day, someone reported me for slipping a cheat sheet into Irene's pencil case out of jealousy. Whispers and judgment from clueless classmates quickly closed in on me. They instantly bought the story that jealousy had driven me to ruin Irene's future. "She's nowhere near as pretty as Irene, and her boyfriend clearly prefers Irene anyway. Of course she's jealous! Doing something that foul to her own best friend is disgusting." Someone even took ugly candid photos of me to compare with Irene online, claiming I didn't deserve Cody at all. Others went straight to Ms. Griffith, demanding she revoke my spot in the study abroad exchange. For the first time in forever, Cody texted me first. "Serena, you've always been tough and never cared about what other people think. "But Irene is different. You know how fragile she is. She was ostracized back in high school and can't handle people talking about her, especially negative gossip. "Stop being mad. When we get to Falvera next month, I'll take you to see the lavender fields in Portavia, okay?" A self-deprecating laugh escaped my lips. So he threw me under the bus to take the hit for Irene, not giving a damn if I'd be heartbroken or stripped of my exchange spot. Besides, I had never liked flowers. My skin broke out in hives around them. Irene was the one who loved lavender. I chuckled bitterly at the irony. Ten years of feelings for Cody went up in smoke at that exact moment. From then on, right up until winter break, the three of us spent a month barely speaking to each other. Whenever drama happened in the past, they would always give me the silent treatment, knowing I'd cave and apologize first. Only this time, I didn't care anymore. I stayed completely out of sight all the way up to the day of the exchange flight. Unable to hold out any longer, Cody finally texted me. "Alright, you've been dragging this out for a whole month. That's enough. "Did you oversleep again? Why are you always so slow? Hurry up and get to the airport. I bought you a neck pillow to make the flight more comfortable." Irene chimed in as well, rushing me. "Hurry, Serena! We're going to miss the flight!" They genuinely believed that a neck pillow was all it took to smooth things over with me. Smiling, I typed my reply. "Don't bother waiting. I canceled my exchange program a month ago. We don't ever need to see each other again. Have a safe flight."