Notes on a Scandal

FOURTEEN

Cate has retrieved the diary after throwing it and sits down in the rocking chair in the living room. The ground and tables are covered in random items and Barbara's possessions.

Her tears have dried, her cheeks covered in their ruminants.  She can hear Barbara's keys jingle at the door trying to unlock it with one hand, the other filled with bags.

The door opens and than closes, Barbara walks into the living room shocked at the total mess of her belongings. "What happened here?" She ask loudly.

"It was you, you taddled about my affair and ruined my life." Cate says angrily, "Elizabeth and I could have been happy and safe!"

"Cate please, she is a child, I did you a favour!" Barbara defends her self she takes a step closer the the sitting woman, "You should be thanking me!"

"Thank you?!" Cate asks standing up and getting into her face, "You tried to take away the woman I love!"

"Oh please! You don't love her! She has you wrapped around her little finger, milking you for good grade and sex!"

Cate walks closer to the older woman, she is speechless at her words, "How dare you..." she whispers. Barbara's back is pressed against the bookshelf behind her.

"I know that girl, I've seen her live her whole high-school life as a whore. Sleeping around with all the boys of the school! Selling her body! Tell me she isn't using you!" Barbara insults. A small part of Cate wants to believe what she is saying to make everything in the future easier, to still have a loyal friend but she knows Elizabeth more, she knows the truth. And she must listen to the truth, for her girl.

Cate's hand quickly hits Barbara across the cheek, "You have no right to say that about her." the woman's cheek is red from the strong hit.

"You are selfish, and evil, and egotistical!" with every insulting word Cate says she weakly hits Barbara, it doesn't hurt her much but its the painful thought that hurts most.

"Why would you do this?! Are you in love with me or something?!" Cate says with a laughing snort. Barbara's smile dies at the joke.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Cate says with a shocked face, she takes a couple steps back almost tripping on the thing on the floor. "You want me for yourself, so you tried to ruin my thing with Elizabeth!"

"I can't believe this! It's happening again!" Cate says she turns around and walks to the chair where the dairy sits. "You stalked that other teacher and now me! You are ridiculous!"

"It's not like that..." Barbara tries.

"But it is! That other woman had got a restraining order against you! I read it in your diary, Barbara!" Cate says, "I'm so done with you!"

She turns back around to face her, diary in hand. She rips the book right down the middle through the spine of the book, Barbara lets out a yell of sorrow at the sight.

"I'm so done with you, I'm leaving!" Cate drops the papers on the ground letting the mess up and crumple.

"Where will you stay? I'm all you have!" Barbara says, she grabs Cate's arm pulling her into the older woman's grasp some more.

"You need me! You have no one else!" She says with a threatening voice.

Cate rips her arm from the woman's grasp, "Don't touch me!" She storms off to the guest bedroom and grabs her packed suitcase and carries it out of the house.

Barbara rushes to the door and yells out to her, "Don't leave! You're nothing without me!"

"Fuck you, Barbara!" Cate curses behind her, as she walks down the street towards her and Andrews house. She needs to get her car.