Chapter 3: Social Media Wars

I glanced at the comments. Some fans asked:

[Are you really together with Little Princess?]

Alex Brooks didn’t reply.

But a few minutes later, he liked several top comments wishing him and Little Princess a long and happy relationship.

He was slick—never answers directly, just lets the rumors swirl. The likes were all but a confirmation, though.

That basically confirmed the rumor that he and Tessa were together.

If it wasn’t true, wouldn’t he just say so?

[Brooks is already making it so obvious, and you’re still asking? Upstairs must be a hater sent by Mark Taylor’s team.]

My name always came up in these threads, whether I liked it or not.

[Just asking makes you a hater? If it’s real, what’s there to hide? I think it’s fake, just hyping.]

[Brooks must have his reasons for not admitting it directly. Don’t be sarcastic.]

[When it’s time to go public, Brooks will announce it on Instagram first thing. Trolls, get lost.]

I could feel the drama ratcheting up by the minute. Someone was about to get canceled, and it probably wasn’t going to be Brooks.

Annoyed by the attacks, the fan ran to Tessa’s comments to ask:

[President Lane, is Alex Brooks really your boyfriend?]

Even with all that chaos, Tessa had time to clap back.

Tessa quickly replied: [Who said that? Who said that? I don’t even know him.]

She played it cool, but the way she doubled down—classic move.

Brooks fans were upset: [Brooks would be so sad if he saw this.]

I could practically hear them fuming across the city.

Tessa fired back: [What’s it to me if he’s sad? And I don’t eat oatmeal, so stop calling me Oatmeal Brooks.]

Her replies were legendary. The internet ate it up—screenshots everywhere in seconds.

These comments shot to the top.

Her words were already plastered all over stan Twitter.

Fans immediately screenshotted and threw them into Alex Brooks’s comment section.

[Stop hyping. Little Princess said she doesn’t even know Alex Brooks. Stop flattering yourself.]

The next second, Brooks fans swarmed in.

They were ready for a social media war, fingers flying faster than political interns on election night.

[It’s just not convenient to go public now. Of course Little Princess has to deny it.]

[Color fans have nothing better to do, always watching our Brooks.]

[Didn’t a certain singer deny it at first too, and now after going public, she’s showing off her love every day on TikTok?]

I had to hand it to them—they were persistent.

My agent saw the trending topics and looked grim.

She set her phone down and gave me that serious look. “It’s a jungle out there.”

“You and Alex Brooks debuted at the same time, both have the ‘independent young actor’ vibe. Your fanbases have always been at odds, fighting non-stop.”

She wasn’t wrong. The tabloids always painted us as rivals, even when we were at the same charity galas.

“Now that he’s latched onto President Lane, you’ll probably get overshadowed by him in the future.”

That stung more than I wanted to admit.

I felt like my brain was about to overheat.

All I wanted was a nap, but now my career was on the line because my dog had better chemistry with Tessa Lane than I did.

Alex Brooks will do anything for hype.

Seriously, the man would sell his grandma for a trending spot.

He actually pretended to be Tessa’s boyfriend.

And no one in America could resist a messy love triangle.

My agent saw I was zoning out and tried to comfort me.

She patted my shoulder. “Don’t sweat it. I’ll make sure you don’t have to share a greenroom with Brooks ever again.”

“Don’t worry too much. From now on, I’ll try to arrange your work so you avoid Alex Brooks as much as possible. Today’s the last episode of the show, so just keep your distance and don’t get into any conflicts.”

I nodded, grabbing my jacket. The coffee was cold, but my day was just getting started.