Alex and Cole Are Brothers, But Their Ongoing Rivalry Makes Them Seem More Like Enemies

Spoiler alert: This article contains major spoilers for My Life With the Walter Boys

The Gist:

• Alex and Cole have this ongoing feud because Alex thinks Cole "stole" his first girlfriend, Paige.
• Turns out, Paige came onto Cole, making it look like he was the one who initiated the unexpected hookup.
• The feud continues after Alex starts dating Jackie because he thinks Cole is going to try and steal her too.

If you have siblings, then you’re probably familiar with the unspoken rule that says it goes against all things moral to date your sibling’s current or former partner. This rule is also etched in the friend code. The feud between Alex (Ashby Gentry) and Cole Walter (Noah LaLonde) in the new Netflix teen drama series My Life With the Walter Boys seems to stem from this very rule being broken. We should point out, however, that the operative word is seems.

While there’s a lot of drama in the series that centers around love, loss, and heartache, Cole and Alex’s rivalry serves as a major plot point worth exploring. So, let’s dig into why the tension between Alex and Cole is so thick throughout the show we could cut it with a knife.

Despite how smitten Alex is with Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez), she isn’t his first “love.” In fact, Alex previously dated Paige, a blondish-brunette beauty with a whole lotta attitude! We learn in Episode 6 that Alex and Paige were an item, that is, until Cole came back into the picture.

Apparently, during Paige’s farewell-to-summer party (which was thrown before Jackie arrived in Colorado), Alex stepped away from Paige to go play pool (the two were dating at the time). Upon his return, he was unpleasantly surprised to find his girlfriend making out with Cole. It’s worth noting that the party was a major hit and practically the entire school was in attendance. Not a good look for Alex!

It was after the hookup that Alex and Cole’s rivalry really started.

While Cole played the ultimate bad boy really well at the beginning of the series, he mellows out toward the end, and that’s when we learn the truth behind his and Paige’s hookup. During one of their heart-to-heart moments, Cole admits to Jackie that he had been away (he was rehabbing his leg in Colorado Springs) before Paige’s party and didn’t know she and Alex were dating.

After he arrived at the party, he said Paige came onto him and obviously, he didn’t stop her. That’s because he didn’t know he was violating the sibling code. He also admits to Jackie that he would have never broken his brother’s heart intentionally. What further leads us to believe that Paige is the instigator behind Cole and Alex’s feud is when she mentions to her friend that nobody turns down Cole and that Alex should know this.

When Jackie arrives at the Walters’ house, it’s clear Alex and Cole are interested in her. Fortunately, for Alex, he makes the first move and wins her over. But that doesn’t mean Cole is completely cut out of the picture. Being the type of guy that he is, Cole manages to find multiple opportunities to spend time with Jackie, and it makes Alex jealous (and a bit nervous).

Because Cole is known for his good looks and ability to “steal” girlfriends, Alex can’t stand when he and Jackie are around each other, or forced to spend time together (we’re referencing the time they were grounded and when they broke down in the middle of nowhere after Jackie’s interview).

While Alex and Cole’s rivalry pretty much lasts the entire show, they make amends towards the end and seem to be in a much better place. However, we aren’t sure the repairing of their brother bonds will last once Alex learns Jackie kissed Cole in the final episode. Unless there is a Season 2, the world may never know.