The Night We Met
by Abby Jimenez
Contents
42: Larissa
Overview
Larissa leaves Mike’s for good and secretly slips out of Chris’s place, determined to regain control. At Donna’s diner, Donna unveils a new allergen-heavy menu to make the workplace unsafe for Larissa, coercing her resignation. The move severs Larissa’s financial safety net and escalates hostility from Mike’s family.
Summary
On December 26, Larissa arrives at Donna’s diner after spending the night at Chris’s, having quietly packed everything from Mike’s place and stowed it in her car. She avoids waking Chris, conflicted about their late-night intimacy and worried about how their friends might judge her staying with him.
Determined to earn money and secure housing, Larissa asks Lexi about extra shifts and heads to the office to see Donna. Donna, cold and unsympathetic, hands Larissa a newly printed menu that features multiple severe allergens—peanut butter pancakes, banana walnut French toast, and a pine nut frittata.
Larissa explains she cannot safely serve or work around these items due to her life-threatening allergies. Donna suggests Larissa will need to quit if she can’t perform the job duties, pointedly noting she won’t fire Larissa to avoid unemployment liability and declaring the diner must be safe for Mike, not Larissa.
Realizing Donna is intentionally making the workplace unsafe to force her out, Larissa is devastated. She flees before breaking down, leaving Lexi with the menu and losing her primary income just as she is trying to start over apart from Mike.
Who Appears
- LarissaProtagonist; moves out of Mike’s, seeks shifts, and is coerced out by Donna’s allergen-heavy menu.
- DonnaLarissa’s boss and Mike’s mother; weaponizes a new menu to force Larissa to quit.
- LexiCoworker who notices Larissa’s return and witnesses Donna’s punitive menu change.
- ChrisOff-page support; Larissa leaves his place early, mindful of perceptions and boundaries.
- MikeEx whose mother targets Larissa; his safety is Donna’s stated priority over Larissa’s.