Chapter 1: The Third Seat
Evelyn learned quickly that there was always a third seat.
Not the first seat — that belonged to the girl everyone noticed when she walked into a room.
Not the second — that went to the girl who somehow made the first one shine brighter.
The third seat was quieter. Polite. Replaceable.
And that was where Evelyn had always been.
She sat in the campus café now, fingers curled around an iced coffee she hadn’t touched, watching Angelica laugh across the table like she had never known a bad day in her life. Sunlight poured through the tall windows and caught in Angelica’s honey-brown curls, making them glow. People looked when she laughed. They always did.
Angelica was the kind of pretty that didn’t need effort. Clear skin. Bright smile. Effortlessly kind. The type professors remembered and classmates gravitated toward. Within two weeks of the semester starting, she had somehow become one of the most recognizable girls on campus — not because she tried, but because she didn’t.
Across from her sat Roxanne.
Roxanne wasn’t as immediately striking, but she had a warmth that pulled people in. Dark hair always tied up in a loose bun, glossy lips, big expressive eyes. She talked with her hands, leaning forward when she spoke like everything mattered deeply to her. People trusted Roxanne within minutes of meeting her.
And then there was Evelyn.
Sitting between them.
Smiling at the right times. Nodding when expected. Listening more than speaking. Watching everything.
“…and then he literally spilled his drink on himself,” Angelica was saying, laughing into her hand. “I felt so bad, but it was kind of funny.”
Roxanne groaned. “Angelica, you always attract the most awkward men.”
“I do not!”
“You do,” Roxanne insisted. “But it’s okay. It’s part of your charm.”
They both laughed again. Easy. Natural. Like they had known each other their whole lives instead of just a few weeks.
Evelyn smiled along with them, tilting her head slightly so her hair fell perfectly over her shoulder. She had practiced that in the mirror — the subtle movements that made people look twice. Not too obvious. Just enough.
“You’ll find someone,” Angelica said suddenly, turning to her. “Both of us will. College is basically a dating pool.”
Roxanne snorted. “A messy one.”
Evelyn gave a soft laugh. “Maybe.”
Inside, something twisted.
They spoke like it was guaranteed. Like happiness was waiting for them just around the corner. Like love, attention, and excitement were things that simply happened if you existed long enough.
For them, maybe that was true.
Angelica’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced down and groaned dramatically. “Group project chat. I swear they think I’m the leader just because I answer fast.”
“Because you are the leader,” Roxanne said. “You have that energy.”
Angelica rolled her eyes but smiled anyway, already typing back.
Roxanne turned to Evelyn. “You going to that party Friday?”
Evelyn hesitated just enough to seem shy. “Maybe. I don’t really know anyone there.”
“You know us,” Roxanne said immediately. “We’ll go together. It’ll be fun.”
Angelica nodded. “Yes. You have to come. College parties are a requirement at least once.”
Evelyn looked between them, letting a small, grateful smile form.
“Okay,” she said softly. “I’ll go.”
But inside, her thoughts were sharp and precise.
Parties were opportunities.
Rooms full of people meant chances.
And chances meant change.
She watched as Angelica finished texting and set her phone down again, immediately pulled into another conversation by someone passing their table. A girl from their psychology class stopped to say hi. Then a guy waved from across the café. Angelica greeted them both like it was effortless.
Roxanne checked her own phone, her expression shifting suddenly.
“What?” Angelica asked.
Roxanne bit her lip, then smiled — a different kind of smile. Softer. Almost shy.
“Nothing,” she said. “Just… someone I met last weekend texted me.”
Angelica’s eyes widened. “Oh my god. Who?”
Roxanne laughed. “Just some guy from a party. Mateo.”
The name settled into Evelyn’s mind instantly.
Mateo.
Angelica leaned forward eagerly. “Is he cute?”
“Very,” Roxanne admitted, trying to sound casual and failing. “He’s funny too. And actually nice, which is rare.”
Evelyn’s fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
“Are you going to see him again?” Angelica asked.
“Maybe Friday,” Roxanne said. “He might come to that party.”
Angelica squealed softly. “Yes. We love that. Roxanne finally gets a hot, nice man.”
They dissolved into laughter again.
Evelyn laughed too. Perfectly timed. Perfectly soft.
But in her mind, a quiet shift had already begun.
Friday’s party was no longer just a party.
It was a beginning.
Because as Roxanne spoke about Mateo — the way she smiled when she said his name, the way her eyes lit up — Evelyn felt something familiar and unwelcome rise in her chest.
Not attraction.
Not curiosity.
Something colder.
She watched Roxanne carefully, memorizing every detail of the expression on her face. The excitement. The hope. The assumption that this happiness belonged to her.
Evelyn lowered her gaze to her untouched drink, staring into the melting ice.
And for the first time in a long while, Evelyn felt something close to anticipation.
