All Chapters of No Seat, No Boyfriend, No Problem: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Serena's POVThe 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 h

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 wa

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 pani

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 abro

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVCody felt that Serena could be completely unreasonable at times. A little everyday jealousy was one thing, but how could she drop something as major as the exchange program on a whim?Was it really over that cheating incident? It wasn't like it had any real impact on her anyway.Besides, he had told her countless times that he only saw Irene as a friend. Yet she kept making a mountain out of a molehill, trusting neither him nor Irene.Despite those thoughts, Cody's hands trembled as he kept dialing Serena's number.She had blocked him completely.Could she really be skipping the exchange program? What was he supposed to do then?Irritated, he turned to Irene. "Serena's throwing a fit and blocked me. I'm going to coax her back. You go ahead to Falvera first. We'll catch up with you in a couple of days."Irene started to panic as well. She tried texting Serena, only to realize she'd been blocked too.When she opened Instagram, her eyes caught the post she'd shar

Chapter 6

Serena's POVWhen Irene lunged toward me, my first reaction was pure confusion.Then I spotted Cody behind her, clutching a giant bouquet.They were supposed to be on a plane to Falvera right now, living a whole world away from me.I ducked out of the way on pure instinct. I didn't even know why I did it.Maybe my body was just smarter than my mind. It knew I needed to pull back from the people who hurt me.When Irene tumbled into empty air, a flicker of hurt crossed her eyes. "Serena… I'm so sorry. Did you drop out of the exchange program because of that cheating mess? If it bothers you, I can go to the professor and clear everything up…"A faint smile touched my lips. "There's no need. Consider it my final way of repaying the kindness you showed me back when I was struggling."I picked up a lettuce leaf and wrapped a slice of grilled meat inside. "Aren't you going to the airport? Classes start in two days.""Serena, you're still mad at us, aren't you?" Irene glanced back and

Chapter 7

Cody's pupils dilated instantly."Right. You only ever remember hers," I said.Irene remained uncharacteristically silent, head down as she picked at her food.When she heard me bring her up, she looked up. "No, Cody didn't mean it! He was just so desperate to see you that he didn't have time to buy something you actually like, so he just grabbed whatever flowers he saw!"Don't be mad, Serena. He'll go buy those roasted chestnuts you love right now."Cody immediately shoved the bouquet under the table.Watching them carry on like this, I let out a long sigh. "Save it. You don't need to buy a thing. You want to know why I was angry? You two probably think it was just over that cheating incident.""The truth is, I started pulling away all the way back on Valentine's Day, the night you two ditched me for dinner."Cody's hands balled into fists. He was probably remembering my confrontation at the dorm entrance that night."I told you I was hurt back then, but what did you do, Cody

Chapter 8

My body froze at those words.Theo gave a soft, sarcastic laugh. "Is that so? Too bad I only answer to Serena. Who the hell do you think you are?"Frowning, Cody clenched his fists.Theo continued, "Besides, if you really are Serena's boyfriend, then you're really a complete loser."The insult hit a nerve. Cody's temper flared, the veins bulging in his hands. "What did you just say? Say that again."Irene chimed in with her own barrage. "Who do you think you're insulting? We are Serena's boyfriend and best friend!"I was completely thrown off. I had no idea why Theo was suddenly going off on them like this.Just as I was about to cut the video feed, he spoke up again. "Best friend? Is that what people call mistresses nowadays?"Irene snapped, losing her temper completely. "Who are you calling a mistress? You piece of trash!"Theo just chuckled. "We ran into each other on August 19th at that bar. Right after I walked Serena back to campus, I went back to hang out with my friend

Chapter 9

Cody begged, "Serena, don't leave with him. Just give me one more chance. Let's go to Falvera together. I'll take you to see the lavender fields in Portavia, and—"Theo cut him off coldly. "As her boyfriend, you didn't even know she is allergic to pollen? She would much rather go to an award-winning restaurant or a street food stall, not some field of flowers."My eyes welled up with tears out of nowhere. Having someone pay attention and remember every little detail about me touched something deep inside.I looked at Cody. He used to be like that, too. But times had changed.I pulled my wrist out of his frozen grip and offered a genuine smile to him, to Irene, and to my past self. "Have a safe flight. I hope you two have a great time in Falvera."I turned around, took Theo's hand, and walked out without looking back once.When we reached my dorm building, he handed me the bag of chestnuts he'd been holding."Thank you, Theo," I said.…After that day, I never saw Cody or Ire

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