MY BEST FRIENDS SISTER

ALEXA’S REACTION

ETHAN’S POV

The moment I walked through the door, the smell of pepper and fried chicken almost knocked me over. I had to laugh a little, even though I didn’t feel like laughing. Alexa always made too much food, always trying to make dinner look fancy so she could post it online for her followers. She loved those “Cooking for my king” pictures, and I guess she wanted everyone to think we had the perfect life.

Before I could even drop my keys on the table, I heard her running in from the kitchen. She shouted my name, all excited, and jumped on me with a big hug. I almost fell because honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for hugs or any touching right then. My head was all over the place. But Alexa squeezed me tight, her face shining like she hadn’t seen me in years.

“Baby! I made dinner. And you’re home early! That’s a miracle.”

She was smiling so wide, but I couldn’t even pretend to smile back.

She didn’t know what happened at work. She didn’t know I’d walked out of the office today with nothing but my pride left, and even that was hanging by a thread. I just wanted to sit down, breathe, and figure out what to do next. But before I could do any of that, Alexa looked at me closely, her eyebrows pulling together.

“Wait… what’s wrong? Why do you look like that?”

I dropped onto the couch and let out a long sigh.

“I lost my job, babe.”

The room went so quiet I could hear the air conditioner humming. Alexa just stared at me. She blinked once, then twice. Then her whole face changed, like I’d told her someone died.

“Wait… what?”

She took a step closer, her voice shaky. “Baby, this isn’t funny.”

“I’m serious,” I said, my voice coming out soft and tired. “They fired me today.”

She stared at me for a few seconds, and then she exploded. That’s the only way I can describe it. Her voice shot up, loud.

“What the f*ck, Ethan?! Fired as in FIRED? Like, no job? No money? Are you broke now?!”

I closed my eyes. I knew this was coming. Alexa was never good with bad news, especially not news that could mess with her own comfort.

“I… I don’t know what I’m going to do yet, but….”

“Oh my God,” she cut me off. She dropped into the armchair and put both hands on her head like she was acting in one of those dramatic Nigerian movies. “Oh my God, Jesus, why me?! Why ME?!”

I just sat there, feeling tired, watching her. I didn’t have the energy to argue or even explain.

She pointed at me, her hands shaking. “Ethan… wait. Does this mean you can’t pay for my hair on Saturday?”

I couldn’t believe that’s what she cared about right now. Out of everything, the thing on her mind was her hair appointment.

“Alexa, I just lost my job.”

“Yes! And I just lost my stress-free life!” she shouted back. “Do you know what it means to date a broke boyfriend? My friends will laugh at me. They’ll talk. Do you know what that does to a woman’s reputation?”

I rubbed my forehead. My head was pounding. “My life is falling apart and you’re worrying about what people will say?”

She jumped up and started pacing the room. She was moving so fast, I thought she was going to trip over something. “No, Ethan, you don’t get it! I can’t be with someone who can’t keep up with what he started. You drive nice cars, you buy me gifts, you pay bills, how do you expect me to go back to… to… POOR?!”

Her voice shook on that last word, like it actually hurt her to say it out loud.

“Alexa”

“No!” she snapped, cutting me off again. “Just answer me. How long before you get another job?”

“I don’t know…”

“Oh God,” she whispered, looking like she wanted to cry, but not from sadness. It was fear. She was scared of what her life would look like if I couldn’t keep providing for her. “You’re really broke.”

She dropped back into the chair, breathing hard, looking at me with wide eyes. There were tears, but not the kind you get when you’re sad for someone. It was the kind you get when you’re afraid for yourself. She was scared of being poor more than anything.

“Ethan… I can’t suffer,” she said quietly. “My worst fear is ending up with a man who turns useless halfway. I can’t do this. This is too much for me.”

I felt something inside me snap. Not my heart, just my patience. I’d been holding it together all day, but now I was done.

“You’re supposed to support me,” I said. I didn’t even want to argue, I just wanted her to understand. “At least today, Alexa. Just today.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Support? With what, Ethan? Emotional support doesn’t pay rent! And I just posted you as #SoftLifeBoyfriend on my story. Do you know how embarrassing it is to delete it now?”

I let out a long, tired breath. Today had already been the worst day, and now it was getting even worse. All I wanted was for her to hug me and say it would be okay, even if it was a lie. But instead, she was worried about her hair, her friends, and her i********:. I looked at her, sitting there with her arms folded, and I felt more alone than ever.

I thought about all the times I’d done things for her; picked her up from work, bought her gifts, paid for her nails, taken her out to nice places. It always made her happy, and I liked seeing her smile. But now, when I needed her most, there was nothing. No comfort, no support, just fear and anger.

She got up again, and started pacing the room, mumbling to herself. I just sat there, trying to breathe, trying not to lose it. I wanted to scream, but what was the point? She wasn’t listening. She was too busy thinking about herself.

I looked at the food on the table, all set out nicely for pictures, but I had no appetite. My life had changed in one day, but for Alexa, the only thing that mattered was how it would look to other people. I wondered if she’d ever really loved me, or if she just loved what I could give her.

The silence stretched out between us. The smell of fried chicken filled the room, but it didn’t feel warm or welcoming anymore. It just felt useless, like everything else.

I leaned back, closed my eyes, and tried to picture what tomorrow would look like. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I knew things were about to change, maybe for good. I just didn’t know if Alexa would be there when the dust settled.

But right now, I didn’t care. I just wanted to breathe. Just for a minute. And maybe I would wake up tomorrow and everything would just be a dream.