Chapter 7: Diner Drama and Aftermath

When Wendy and I went out to eat, he just happened to be working as a waiter at the diner—a classic American spot, neon sign buzzing, waitress refilling our Cokes without asking.

I ordered what I liked, but he switched the order on his own.

He didn’t even ask—just scribbled out my choices, subbing in what he thought was better.

When I questioned him, Sean said, "Wendy doesn’t like cilantro, don’t you know?"

He looked at me like I was clueless. It pissed me off.

I pulled Wendy close. "Babe, if you don’t like it, can’t I eat it?"

Sean’s glare burned my back, but I held Wendy tight.

"Why does he know you so well? Am I not even as good as an outsider?"

It was half-joke, half-serious. I wanted her—and him—to know where things stood.

Wendy soothed me, then turned cold to Sean. "You’re overstepping. Whatever my boyfriend likes, I like too."

She shut him down, icy but polite. I almost felt bad for him.

Sean looked like he might cry, blinking hard, jaw tight. He retreated to the kitchen.

If I could’ve seen the comments, they’d be full of pity for him, curses for me. The classic triangle: poor boy, rich girl, the arrogant rival.

After she saw I was jealous, Wendy fired his mom and kicked Sean out of her house.

It was brutal—one text and his world flipped. Campus gossiped for weeks, but no one said anything to her face.

Sean cornered me: "Did you make her fire my mom?"

He found me outside the dining hall, voice shaking with anger.

"Just because I changed the menu, you retaliate? Do you know how much that job means to us?"

His fists were clenched, knuckles white. I felt a flicker of guilt, but buried it fast.

At the time, I just felt smug. "Your mom can find another job. If you need, I can help."

I said it like I was doing him a favor, even though I knew better.

Sean looked humiliated, pride burning.

"So what if you have money? Alex, you’re not good enough for her."

It stung, but I just shrugged and walked away.

I thought it was ridiculous, taking my kindness as malice.

But honestly, I never tried to see it from his side. Maybe I didn’t want to.

Looking back, I really was the benchwarmer in their story.

Somehow, our vibes just clashed. Maybe in another world, we could’ve been friends. But in this one, we were just rivals, orbiting the same star.