Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 136 Walk Away

"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make it any easier, though."

"True. It may never come easy. All we can focus on now is discovering what triggered this outburst from her. This is what I think the nurse is doing in there. Open communication. Not stepping away but making yourself available. To an extent, of course. If she were to become violent, then you need to protect yourself. She doesn't realize what she does in the moment." Trevor explains.

"You are very careful with your words with Cara, always making sure to think before you speak, knowing she's unpredictable. Treat Julia with that same caution." He goes on.

"Yeah, but Julia's different. We're best friends. We were more than that for a little while." I answer. "We tell each other everything and talk freely -"

"You can't talk freely to her when she is like this." He cuts me off. "When a patient is in the middle of an episode, there is no 'talking' them out of it. Nothing makes sense to them in the moment. These are the things you should be aware of. I've noticed that when Nate cares for Julia, he doesn't say much to her. He holds her and comforts her until she comes down from her manic episode. He doesn't try to reason with her."

I think about that. He's right. Nate does do that. Julia thrives off of human contact. 

We talk some more, picking apart Julia's mental illnesses for a full hour. Nate finally cools off a little thanks to Jonah and Paul, well, Paul always remains calm.  I see how Paul would be good for Julia. He can take care of her- like Nate but stays calm- like me.

 An hour later Jonah finally opens the bedroom door. We all look up at the nurse from our seats. 

"She cried herself to sleep." Jonah heads to the fridge. The rest of us look at each other with a million questions.

"Well, why did she freak out and shut down??" Nate sits next to me on the couch and throws his arms up a little, needing answers.

"Listen, Nate, I told you this would happen. Technically, Julia should be the one telling everyone this, but she's too distraught. This tug of war you all have with her - it's defeating the purpose of her being here." Jonah grabs a handful of grapes and shuts the fridge. He leans against the wall casually.

"What are you saying?" Paul stands up and crosses his arms over his chest.

"Julia needs to be single for a while."

My eyes widen hearing this, and I glance at both Paul and then Nate wondering who is going to blow up first. It'll be Nate. It's always Nate. This will be a hard pill for him to swallow.

Julia doesn't want to be in a relationship with anyone right now, which works to my advantage for my "friends with benefits" lifestyle. 

There's a moment where both men say nothing, clearly in shock and digesting this information. Then the silence is broken.

"What?!" Paul is the first one to burst, to our surprise. 

I watch it all unfold and remain quiet. This isn't my fight to have. I've been out of the picture for quite some time now. This is between Julia, Paul, and Nate.

"Julia told you that?" Trevor asks.

"That's why she's so upset. No matter what she does, someone will get hurt. I told her that maybe she should focus on herself for a little while." Jonah leisurely pops a grape into his mouth.

"WHAT?!" It's Nate's turn to jump up, making both Trevor and Jeremy stand closer to him. They know how Nate reacts sometimes. He flips out and glares at Jonah. "YOU put that thought in her head?!"

"No, Nate. Sit your ass down. Julia was already thinking about it. She's the one who said she needs to end it all. With everyone. She's in love with YOU, Nate. But she's falling in love with Paul, and she'll always love James." Jonah looks at each of us individually as he says our names. "She thinks she's being selfish and beating herself up over it."