Breaking Point

Crushed and Moved

After a bit of small talk coming from the teens, and the table had gotten relatively quiet, Selena started talking again.

"So, Jen, I hear there's a special guy in your life right now." She said, and Jennifer looked up from her barely-touched food at her in confusion.

"No there's not, where'd you hear that from?" Jennifer asked, and Maribelle looked at Selena, wondering what she was talking about.

"Yeah, I heard that you guys are in a relationship?" Selena said, making her statement sound like a question.

"No, I'm not in a relationship with anybody, who would I be in a relationship with?" Jennifer asked, and the whole table was quiet, listening to the two girls' conversation.

"So it's not true?" Selena asked, Jennifer shook her head in confusion.

"What's not true?" she asked, getting frustrated.

"It's not true you're in a relationship with a guy named Jeremy? Or did you guys end?" Selena asked, and Scooter, Maribelle, and Pattie looked at Jennifer, who was frozen in shock, staring at Selena's innocent expression. "What happened? I was hearing such good things about you guys? Did you end it with him, or did he end it with you?"

"That's enough, Selena." Scooter snapped, and Selena fell silent. Once again, all eyes were on Jennifer, who had collected herself and stood up.

"E-e-excuse m-me." Jennifer stammered, her voice catching at the end of her sentence and the tears already collecting in her eyes. She stood up, and practically ran to the nearby bathroom. Everyone except for Pattie, Scooter, and Maribelle looked after Jennifer's retreating figure in shock, each thinking the same thing: What the hell just happened??

When Jennifer was gone, all hell broke loose between Selena and Maribelle.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Maribelle demanded angrily.

"What?" Selena asked innocently, and Maribelle stood up.

"Don't play stupid with me! Who the hell told you??" Maribelle yelled, and Celeste put a hand on Maribelle's arm, in an attempt to calm her down.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Selena retorted. Maribelle looked at Anna, who was looking down at her plate in shame.

"Anna I can't believe you would tell her. I can't believe you! We were supposed to be protecting her from this crap, and now look at you! You are so far past forgivable I don't even know where to start!" Maribelle yelled, and threw a piece of lettuce at Anna. Pattie and Scooter then stood up.

"Well, it's time she got over it, Maribelle! It's been almost a year already!" Anna cried, and by then the people around the restaurant had started staring. Maribelle nearly jumped across the table at Anna, but restrained herself. Instead, Celeste stood up with her and pulled her by the arm to the bathroom.

"I'll deal with your bitch ass later." Maribelle promised, and her and Celeste made a bee line to the bathroom, accompanied by Justin, Austin, Alex, Scooter, Pattie, and some of the adults.

Back in the bathroom, Jennifer had barely made it inside the door before she collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh my God." She muttered to herself, holding her hand to her heart. "Oh my God." She closed her eyes and wished she could disappear, or die.

She heard screaming coming from the other side of the door, and knew Maribelle must be on a bloodthirsty rampage. She brought her knees to her chest and covered her face. She let the sobs flow freely, not caring who heard her. Everyone knew her secret, the one she wanted to keep from everybody, she didn't want them feeling sorry for her. Jennifer leaned against the tile wall and cried. She cried for Jeremy, who she missed dearly, who would know exactly what to say to her in that moment, she cried for Scooter, who she felt that she was the reason he was always stressed, she cried for herself, for not being able to just drop dead, but most of all, she cried for Jeremy.