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It can be difficult when you work somewhere with lots of employees, and some of them have unfortunate pasts with each other.

What would you do if a new girl you were training told you that she was the ex of another employee’s boyfriend, and there was a lot of drama to be aware of?

That is what happened to the worker in this story, so she tried to keep the two from seeing each other, but when it finally happened, a physical fight broke out in the back room, and now they both got fired.

This was a very difficult situation, and while she tried her best, the conflict seems unavoidable. Read through the full story and see if you think she handled it well.

The girl I was training got in a fight with my coworker

Almost a year and a half ago I (19F), was working at Starbucks and I was training my first barista, who was a returning partner.

Well, this is awkward.

The first day we sat in the back she was doing the online training and she saw the schedule and asked if M worked there. I loved M, she was 16, we usually closed together and we just had a lot of fun together.

I told her she did and I loved her, and the girl I was training, J said, M’s boyfriend tried to hook up with me last month. I was shocked I didn’t know what to say, she explained that he was her ex and last month they hung out and caught up and he brought up sleeping together.

It is good that the conflict can be avoided.

J was not going to stay at our store, I was training her for 6 days over 2 weeks then she’d go to her new store. She said she was scared to see M because of the boyfriend situation, so I just said to keep working and I checked the schedule and they only worked together once.

It was a 30 min overlap, so it wasn’t a big deal and we could just stay in the back. I didn’t want to tell M the situation that J told me because I didn’t want to make things worse if M didn’t know her.

Good, things seem to be working out.

So, I figured I would tell her after J went to her new store. Well, the day comes around and M comes in and sees her, doesn’t say anything. M didn’t seem to know who J was at all, so everything was fine, they even joked a little and we minded our business.

Our supervisor left and put me in charge while she ran to get lunch on her 30.

Yikes, hopefully everyone can handle this professionally.

Well… M’s boyfriend came in to drop off lunch, J and I were doing dishes so we both walked out to put them away and the boyfriend made eye contact with J, she immediately walked back into the back and M looked at her boyfriend and said, “ is that why you’ve been acting weird?? Because she’s here?”

She walked away from the register and into the back and closed the back door that leads from the FOH to the BOH. There was a customer, so I was trying to get their drink quickly so I could go into the back.

That escalated quickly.

I heard something and looked through the little window on the door and saw hair and hands flying. The boyfriend saw too and ran INTO OUR BACKROOM to help break it up.

I ran in too and he literally ran in and kicked J’s chest to push her down, she fell to the ground with M’s hair in her hand bringing her down too, and I’m not joking when I say he stomped on J like a roach.

What a horrible situation.

Probably 2-3 times did he stomp on her chest when she was already on the ground and I was trying to pull M away.

Luckily the supervisor had just come back, everyone in the lobby is trying to see, I told my shift what happened and while they called the manager and talked I stayed in the front to take orders.

Is it time for round two?

They let me go back a little later to give my side of the story and figure out what was going on. Both of them were getting sent home and I went outside to change the trashes and J was sitting at the table next to one waiting for her dad to get her.

I asked how she was feeling and if she needed anything. Then as M and her boyfriend are walking to their car they start shouting at J taunting her, and J’s dad got there and started getting heated too calling them punks.

The company really can’t let these people stay there.

It seemed like there was gonna be another fight between the boyfriend and dad but my manager went and broke it up.

J did not get to keep working at Starbucks, M was terminated and she blamed me for everything. For me, that was the worst part of it, I considered her a good friend, and I had told one of the other workers that I knew they were ex’s but I didn’t want to bring it up in case it upset M, and that worker told M.

She feels betrayed.

M texted me saying If I was her friend I would’ve told her first and taken her side, when I hadn’t taken anyone’s side.

I tried explaining I didn’t do it to hurt her or to keep it from her, but I knew they’d have a shift together, so I didn’t want it to cause tension, and that I didn’t even know if it was true, so I didn’t know if she was just stirring the pot.

There is no reason that M had to react the way she did. This is on her.

I understand her point of view and maybe if I was in that position today I would’ve handled it better, but it is what it is.

What else could I have done? I didn’t want to start drama at work, but it was unavoidable.

It is not unreasonable to expect that employees will act professionally, even in difficult situations like this.

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about the story.

J tried to avoid the drama, but it blew up in her face.

These two sound very trashy.

This is assault and battery, though. He belongs in jail.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a manager who wonders why productivity dropped after he banned overtime with no exceptions.

Nothing that happened is her fault, but I can see why she feels bad.

These employees seem incredibly immature and very trashy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t keep them separated long enough to avoid a fight, but that isn’t her fault.

How people can live with this type of drama in their lives is beyond me.