"What?" Claire was stunned.
"He left!" Anthony said.
"What, why?"
"Jeff." All was Anthony had to say, and Claire understood.
"He's very jealous of her, Jeff is just a friend!" She said, coming to Abby's defense.
"No Claire, they're not just friends, he doesn't see her in that way, he wants to fuck her!"
"No way you're wrong, I mean..."
"I've seen the way he looks at her, and he is always calling her, taking her out and I saw him kiss her one time, believe me he doesn't want her just as a friend!"
Her mind was spinning, Claire thought of all the times she caught them alone together, but she was naive and never suspected anything. She thought of all the times Abby pushed Jeff on her and how Jeff would always look upset when he was stuck taking her out. The reality was that he was in love with Abby, not her, and Abby knew but never told her.
Angry out of her mind that her best friend was seeing Jeff behind her back and had kept secrets from her made her angry as hell. She marched out of her hotel room and walked over to Abby's room across the hall, the door was unlocked and she let herself in. Abby was still on the floor crying hysterically.
"Why did you not tell me that Jeff was in love with you, why would you keep such a secret from me, I thought I was your friend, I thought we were sisters!"
Lifting herself quickly to her feet, Abby wiped her tears. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she was frightened for the first time in her life, "I'm so sorry."
"Why didn't you tell me he loved you!" Claire screamed, "you made a fool out of me!"
"No, no Claire," Abby said desperately, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you and I also believed that if he dated you he would fall in love with you because you're a beautiful and loving girl."
Anger was written all over Claire's face and she spat, "some friend you turned out to be, I loved you like a sister!"
"Oh Claire," Abby hugged Claire and wouldn't let her go, "please listen to me, I love you so much! I swear to you there was never anything between Jeff and I, he did tell me that he was in love with me, but I always denied him and steered him your way because I knew you thought yourself in love with him and I wanted you to be happy!"
It took a moment, but Claire finally wrapped her arms around Abby too and they both cried. "Now what are you going to do Abby, Steven left!"
Pulling away from her friend, Abby sat on the bed and wiped her tears away. "I don't know Claire, I'm devastated, I don't understand how it was so easy for him to just get up and leave me."
"It probably wasn't easy for him Abby," Claire reasoned, "but he was very hurt and probably couldn't handle it anymore, would you like me to tell Anthony to cut this vacation short and go back home, I think you need to have a serious talk with Steven."
"Yes that would be a great idea, only that I would hate to cut your vacation short." Abby admitted, "I am so sorry for everything Claire, and I mean everything!"
She cried a rivulet of tears, and if it wasn't for Claire to comfort her the possibility of tormenting herself was not out of the question.
Claire set about to find Anthony and tell him it's time to pack up and leave, the entire situation was bitter sweet for Claire. She had many feelings and thoughts surrounding the entire situation.
She loved Abby like a sister, but was still mad at her for lying to her about Jeff. She still could not understand why Abby would hide the fact that Jeff loved her. There was a sting of pain around her heart, she was falling in love with Anthony, but a small part of her still hadn't gotten over Jeff.
She kept reminding herself that Anthony was a complete gentleman around her, he didn't even push her to have sex. They played around every night, and things got really hot and heavy, but Anthony would pull back last possible second and tell her that he respected her too much to take away her innocence since he knew that she wasn't ready to give it up yet.
Smiling, Claire entered her hotel room and found Anthony already packing. He smiled up at her and said, "I was thinking to leave today, but if you want to stay until tomorrow we can do that too."
He was so wonderful, Claire thought, and walked up to him and kissed his cheek, "No I think it's a smart thing to do under the circumstances, Abby needs to go home and try to fix things with Steven."
"I don't think Steven will budge," Anthony said regretfully, "I've known Steven my entire life and he will not take her back Claire."
"I thought he was crazy in love with her!"
"Be it so, he still won't be able to forget and forgive that easily, Steven will probably love her and suffer the rest of his life without her, but he would never take her back."
Her pained expression caught Anthony by surprise and he sat down next to her on the bed, "Speak to me love."
"I don't think Abby will ever be able to forget him, he was her first love, and I don't understand something, why would he give her a promise ring and then just dump her, that doesn't make sense to me!"
"He heard her tell Jeff twice that she loved him, I would have left too were it me."
"She loves Jeff as a brother and nothing more!"
"And he loves her back as in 'I want to fuck your brains out!' Why can't you see this, are all you chicks so naive?"
*************
The ride back to Illinois was in silence, except for Abby's tears and sobs in the back seat, no one talked. Anthony didn't even turn the radio on, everyone was disturbed by the turn of events and were lost in their own thoughts.
Three and a half hours later, Anthony pulled up in Abby's driveway. Abby wiped her tears and let herself out of the car. He retrieved her luggage from the trunk and then hugged her.
"I'm sorry." He told her, and meant every word. Not able to respond, Abby took her luggage and walked away.
"Abby wait!" Claire screamed from the rolled down window, and she quickly opened her car door and went chasing after Abby. "I don't want you to worry," she told Abby, and gave her a huge hug, "I'm sure everything will work out in your favor, stay positive my friend." She told her, "I will come by tomorrow and we shall talk ok?"
Abby nodded and slipped the key in the keyhole, she didn't even look back, she went straight into the house and closed the door behind her.
"Poor Abby." Claire said sadly, "can't you have a word with Steven, please, I beg of you."
Pulling out of the driveway, Anthony nodded, "I'll have a talk with him first thing in the morning, cross you fingers that they patch this up, because if I know Steven, he will suffer greatly in silence, and it will eat him up alive.
*************
All the lights were closed, and silence surrounded him. He sat on the edge of the bed and stilled his heart. A deep ache tore at him and he suffered like a wounded animal.
How had this happened, Steven wondered, how had he allowed himself to fall head over heels in love with a girl who loved another. How was he supposed to live without her after loving her so deeply for so long?
The bleeding wound ripped him to pieces and he choked back a sob. He would not shed tears for her, he had promised himself he wouldn't go down that route. He was a strong and powerful man and he would survive this, he told himself over and over again.
It was four in the morning when he finally decided he would not allow the pain to seep through his heart and destroy him. Turning his heart to stone was the only way he knew how to move on with his life. Steven slipped under the blanket and desperately tried to force himself to sleep.
It was over, he told himself, he will never think of her again.
************
Friday came and went, Abby did not leave her room except to use the bathroom. She was glad her parents hadn't even bothered with her. Claire called her a few times but she never answered and she gave up.
Jeff called many times, and again, Abby did not answer her phone. Steven never called, and she was heart broken. She lay in bed all night crying her heart out.
*************
Saturday morning the door bell rang and rang and then the pounding on the door started. Abby finally pulled herself out of bed and ran downstairs. She swung open the door and found Jeff standing outside and he looked very upset.
"What are you doing here!" She yelled and tried to slam the door in his face.
Jeff pushed the door and entered her home, "Do not close the door in my face Abby, I don't deserve that!"
"What do you want!" Abby asked and dropped her body on the couch.
Closing the door, Jeff walked through the living room and sat down next to her on the couch, "We need to talk."
"We have nothing to say to each other!"
"We have plenty to say!" Jeff told her in a firm and unwavering tone of voice, "you and I have unfinished business."
"What are you talking about!" Abby thought him to be delusional, "we seriously have absolutely nothing to say to each other, I already told you to stay away from me!" There was a hurt expression on his face and Abby felt a tinge of guilt, "what I mean Jeff is I'm in love with Steven, and right now he isn't talking to me because he thinks I'm in love with you and the fact that you kept calling me while I was in Wisconsin only made things worse for me."
"And now you blame me for the awful way your boyfriend treated you," Jeff regretfully said, "he's not your father Abby, he can't tell you who to hang around with and who to talk to. Do you want to be with a man who dictates and orders you to do this and to do that, that's not love that's obsession!"
"Don't waste your time trying to talk me out of loving Steven, because it won't work." Abby said adamantly, "I love him and that will never change!"
"What about me?"
"I love you too but in a different way!"
Taking her hands in his, Jeff said, "I'm going to stay by your side, I have a feeling that Steven will not keep you and you will need me to comfort you."
"Don't say that ." Abby cried, and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand, "I don't know how to live without him Jeff."
When Jeff lifted himself off the couch, Abby followed him out to his car, "I'll see you Monday." She told him.
Jeff pulled her into his arms, and when Abby didn't pull away, he took the opportunity to kiss her. She felt so good in his arms and her warm lips brought a tingling sensation inside his stomach .
The kiss didn't last long, Abby finally pulled herself away and said, "Please don't ever do that again."
"Your mouth says one thing, but your lips say another!" Jeff reminded her when he let her go. "I will not push you into anything Abby, but you need to know that I will not stop until you admit that I'm something more to you than just a brotherly friend!"
She watched him get into his car and was relieved when he finally pulled out of her driveway. Turning around, she returned inside the house and closed the door.
**************
The tears blurred his vision, and he swore under his breath. It was one of the hardest thing he had ever had to watch, the woman of his dreams kissing another man. He did everything he could to stay in his car and not jump out of it and go strangle the dog, but he reminded himself that he had no right now to do a single thing. She didn't belong to him anymore, by her own choice she belonged to Jeff now.
Leaning his head back, Steven closed his eyes and let go of all the tension in his body. He knew it would take a long while until he got her out of his system, and he also knew that he would suffer a tremendous amount.
It killed him that Jeff took advantage of the opportunity as soon as he stepped out of the relationship, but he would have to get used to it, Abby loved Jeff and there was nothing he could do about it.
What was he doing anyway spying on Abby, he thought, she was a free woman now to do as she pleased. Switching the gear to drive, the car sped away, he would have to retrain his heart, he thought, and the stabbing pain speared through his heart again reminding him, who are you kidding, you will never stop loving her! You will never stop spying on her and you certainly will never be able to live without her, YOU FOOL!!!!
****************
"I'm coming over wether you want me to or not!" Anthony's firm voice was loud and determined, "and Jacob is with me!"
When Steven was about to protest the line went dead, "Fuck you!" He screamed into the phone like a mad man, and opened another can of beer.
Ten minutes later Jacob and Anthony pulled up in the Colby's driveway. "Son of a gun, he's drinking again!"
"Hurry," Anthony said, as he jumped out of the car, let's get to him before he drinks himself to death!"
The music was blasting away, Anthony and Jacob looked at each other with a worried expression on their faces. Steven had his back to them and was drinking from the can when Jacob shut the blasting music off and Anthony grabbed the beer from Steven's hand.
Surprised that anyone would dare remove his beer from his hand, Steven raged with anger and lashed out, Jacob was relieved when Anthony ducked just in time to avoid Steven's fists making contact with his face.
"Get the fuck out of here!" Steven roared.
Both boys grabbed Steven by the shoulders and pushed him back to his seat. This intervention was based out of the love they had for their friend who was clearly on the road to self destruction.
"We are not leaving!" Jacob said sternly, "and we will not stand by and allow our good friend to self destruct!"
They held him down aggressively, and Steven fought like a lion to be released, but it was two against one. "Stop behaving like an animal," Jacob yelled. "Or we will beat you to death until you come to your senses!"
"Get the fuck out of here!"
"Shut up and listen," Anthony said, though gritted teeth, "we will not release you until you settled down and listen to what we have to say!"
Feeling defeated, Steven's shoulders dropped and tears of anger filled his eyes. When the boys realized that he had calmed down and wasn't lookin to fight with them, they let him go slowly and each pulled a chair in front of him and sat down.
"You need to take control of your life!" Jacob said.
"Or you'll find yourself all alone and desperate!" Anthony added.
"Pull yourself together and rearrange your thoughts to positivity, and stay focused or else you'll be the only fool in school that doesn't get into a good university!" Jacob looked at Anthony for help.
Anthony picked up where Jacob left off, "We are all moving forward except for you, and all for what, a girl?"
"She's not just a girl, she is my everything!" Steven said hoarsely.
"Yes, but it was you who made the decision to let her go, now you have to live with that decision for the rest of your life." Jacob reminded him.
Shaking his head, Steven said, "It wasn't by choice that I let her go, she is in love with Jeff and I was heartbroken."
"We all know that Abby is in love with you and not Jeff, but your insecurities are overpowering you and blind you to the truth!" Jacob clarified, "and for the record, you made your bed and now you must lay in it!"
"Or," Anthony jumped in and said, "you can have a heart to heart talk with her and clear things out!"
"Even if I do that he will still be between us!" Steven yelled, "the dog will always be there, he has a strong hold on her and I will never be rid of him!"
"Then fight like a man and not like a fool!" Jacob spat, "you are one of the toughest and smartest boy in the school, and look at you now! You have shamed the word man by your foolish actions!"
"I can't," Steven admitted, "half her heart belongs to him and I can't deal with that, it's killing me in here!" Steven fisted his hand and pounded on his chest.
"And so you will let your entire life crumble around you for her?" Anthony reasoned, "even if she came running back to you, all she would have to do is take one look at your sorry ass you have become and she would turn around and run in the opposite direction!"
************