" What are YOU doing here?! " Phoebe exclaimed with her fists clenched, furious that she had run into Fiona at the park. " I'm here to go skateboarding, " Fiona replied with her hands on her hips as she glared at her. " And I'm doing it with COOP! Whether YOU like it, or NOT! "
Phoebe growled, and complained with her arms crossed, " Arrgh! Don't you have ENOUGH time with him? " Fiona said in frustration, " NO! I don't live in Bootsville, so I barely ever get to see him! So excuse me if I wanna spend a lot of time with him during my short time here! Wh-Why are you always harassing me? What do you even get out of it? Why can't you just leave me alone?! "
" Why do you THINK?! It should be ME going skateboarding with Coop all the time, not some random ' pretty girl ' who came out of nowhere to steal him from me! " Fiona exclaimed, " STEAL him from YOU?! Get OVER yourself! You never had him in the first place! And you NEVER WILL! So GET OVER IT! "
Acting offended, Phoebe gasped and exclaimed, " How DARE you! " crossed her arms and turned away from her in contempt. She was shocked that Fiona would say that to her. Fiona was so focused on her anger at Phoebe that she had no idea how much she had hurt her feelings.
" WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! What makes you think you have the right to decide who Coop gets to date? Why are you so special that you deserve him and no one else DOES?! What's so GREAT about you? You think that you're the best he could ever end up with, but you're wrong! Y-You're the WORST! Y-You're a horrible person! You're, you're nothing but a spiteful spoiled brat who thinks she's entitled to get whatever she wants! You think you deserve everything, but you DON'T. You say you love Coop, but all you care about is yourself! Otherwise you wouldn't ignore his feelings and constantly make his life worse! He wouldn't be better off with YOU, he'd be better off WITHOUT you! And you're so psychotically jealous and possessive of him that you DON'T CARE, because it doesn't matter how he feels, as long as YOU get what you want! And you wonder why Coop will NEVER love you. And you wonder why everyone HATES you! It's because all you are is a PEST! "
While she was ranting at her, Fiona was completely unaware that Phoebe had gotten so upset that tears were coming out of her eyes and running down her face. She stayed turned away from Fiona to make sure that she wouldn't find out how upset she was. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She was humiliated at being so upset in public, even though nobody was aware that she was upset and Fiona was the only person paying attention to her. Phoebe would never want Fiona to see her tears, because at best, she might think she was an oversensitive crybaby who couldn't take criticism, and at worst, she might accuse her of faking it to get sympathy and call her a spoiled brat again.
After ten seconds of silence where Fiona glared at the back of her head with her arms crossed, Fiona said with contempt, " WELL? Aren't you gonna say anything back? Aren't you gonna insult me? Aren't you gonna turn around and hit me and start a fight? Go ahead, pretty girl, I DARE YOU! "
Phoebe wanted to say something back. She desperately wanted to tell her with calm contempt that she couldn't believe she ever thought she was a nice person, and that now, she knew who she really was. But she couldn't say a word without her voice sounding choked up.
After another ten seconds, Fiona told her with no hint of regret, " FINE! Ignore me! But that doesn't make me any less right! You're a horrible person, and everybody would be happier without you! " Phoebe opened her eyes, wiped away her tears, and then walked forwards continuously with her fists clenched to make sure that Fiona thought she was just storming off in a huff.
After ten seconds of walking during which she left the park and went into the street, Phoebe took off running as fast as she could, almost blinded by tears. When she got to the street corner, she turned to the left and ran straight past her house, turned right, and didn't stop running until she reached the middle of the Bootsville Bridge.
Phoebe sat down at the edge of the bridge with her knees facing the ground, with tears flowing from her eyes, thankful that nobody was there to see her or hear her, and finally gasped sharply and broke down sobbing into her hands. She covered her eyes with her hands out of shame, trying to make as little noise as possible as she gasped and then exhaled in short sharp breaths. Several minutes passed as Phoebe sat dangerously close to the edge of the bridge crying, with her legs dangling over the edge above the river.
Phoebe was absolutely miserable. Her self-esteem had been low for a long time, but at the moment it was completely shattered. She hated Fiona for making her break down crying, and she hated herself for existing. She agreed with everything Fiona had said and hated herself for it. She was devastated to find out that Fiona really thought that about her, partially because to her, it meant that everyone felt the same way. Miserable, Phoebe thought, " I really am a nuisance! I knew it! Everyone would be better off if I stopped being selfish and just dropped dead! "
After several minutes of sobbing into her hands and hating herself, slowly getting closer and closer to the edge of the bridge, Phoebe finally opened her eyes, blinded by tears, and stared down into the river below her.
Phoebe took a deep breath in preparation, but just before she summoned the courage to do what she had planned, she heard a boy behind her say with shock and sympathy, " Phoebe?! "
Phoebe was startled and gasped before turning around. " What's wrong?! " he exclaimed. It was Chad, the boy who had gotten a crush on her, was jealous when he found out she liked Coop instead, and took it out on her with a barrage of insults. Phoebe still resented him for ranting at her, twice, about how messed up she was, and expecting each time for her to accept his heartfelt apology. She was humiliated at being seen by him in such a weak and vulnerable state.
Feeling sorry for her, he sat down in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. " No, no, PLEASE don't CRY! I'm NOT gonna leave your side until you TELL me what's the MATTER! " There was a silence as Phoebe frantically wiped away her tears, and he continued, " I know you're still mad at me, and you have every reason to be, but I promise that I won't insult you this time. All I wanna do is make you feel better, and make sure that you know that someone cares about you! I know that you're all upset and feel like you're completely hated and alone, but you're not. You're not alone. " Before she could react, he put his arms around her to hold her close to him, and Phoebe put her arms beside his neck to return the hug in confusion, and closed her eyes as tears ran down her face.
Phoebe was shocked that he was holding her close to him and comforting her. She didn't know what to think of it. On the one hand, the jerk who made her just as upset as she is now with an angry rant for liking Coop, and then did it again when she rejected him for good, was hugging her, and she couldn't make him let go of her. She was trapped.
But on the other hand, he was genuinely regretful about hurting her feelings, and he clearly did care about her a lot. She was feeling like everyone hated her until someone who loved her rushed to her side to comfort her, telling her everything she needed to hear as he held her in his warm embrace. She couldn't tell him to stop doing something so kind when she desperately needed him to. If she did that, then she'd be treating him exactly the same way Coop treated her, and that would make her feel like a hypocrite.
" What's the matter? " Phoebe wanted to tell him everything, but she was physically unable to speak without sounding choked up, and she didn't want to sound pathetic in front of him. She was still sobbing, but she tried her best to be as quiet as possible, only making noise when she breathed.
Feeling sorry for her, he said, " You can't speak, can you? " Phoebe shook her head. While gently stroking her hair with one hand and holding her close with the other, he said softly, " I understand. You're too upset to speak without sounding choked up, but I promise I won't lose any respect for you for sounding upset! Please, please tell me what's the matter... "
He put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes, and said with a serious tone,
" Who DID THIS to you? " Gaining the courage to speak, Phoebe said with her voice cracking,
" FIONA! " She practically fell into him hugging him as she broke down sobbing, and he immediately returned the hug. He was surprised and confused, because he was expecting to hear Coop's name. " Fiona? " he said in confusion, holding her close to him. " I don't know who that is... but she's got a LOT of NERVE! "
Phoebe nodded, relieved that someone was finally taking her side for once, although she was still certain that he would stop siding with her if he found out that she provoked Fiona to yell at her in the first place. Angry at Fiona, Chad said resentfully, " Phoebe, tell me EXACTLY what she said to you! "
After a brief silence, Phoebe said sadly with her voice cracking, " She called me a spiteful spoiled brat who only cares about herself! She said that I'm a horrible person! She said that everyone HATES me and would be happy if I dropped DEAD! "
Chad gasped, and Phoebe whimpered, " And she said I was gonna GROW OLD and DIE ALONE because NOBODY would ever LOVE me! " She knew that wasn't exactly what Fiona said, but she genuinely believed that it was what she meant. Phoebe broke down sobbing again, and he gave her another hug.
" You're NOT gonna die alone! I know you don't feel the same way and probably never will, but I love you, and I promise I'll always be there if you need me. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, come to me. Don't come to the bridge to be all alone, come to me, and I promise I'll be there for you... You're NOT a horrible person! An evil dictator is a horrible person. A CRIMINAL is a horrible person. You're not like that! You're beautiful and sweet and loyal, and there's so much good in you that I don't know where to start! You just don't see it, because you don't think the best of yourself. " Phoebe slowly pulled away from the hug and looked him in the eyes in shock, amazed that someone could have a positive opinion of her. " I know you think you're the worst, but in my eyes, you're perfect, " he told her with a serious expression on his face.
Phoebe wiped away her tears, and she wished that she could smile at him to show how much she appreciated what he was saying. Since she was still miserable, it was physically impossible to smile at the moment. She let him put his hands on her shoulders as he said, " And she's WRONG about everyone HATING you! If everyone HATED you they'd HUMILIATE you and INSULT you and HURT you every single day, but they DON'T! People would be DEVASTATED if anything happened to you! She doesn't know what she's TALKING about! "
He took his hands off her shoulders and said, " In FACT, I think it's this ' Fiona ' who's a horrible person, telling you that your life's worthless and hurting your feelings without regretting it at all! She's lucky you don't PUNCH HER IN THE FACE! NO WONDER YOU HATE HER! "
As Phoebe listened to him rant about Fiona and stand up for her, she slowly came to the realization that he hated her for doing the same thing to her that he did, insulting Phoebe in a rant. If he could talk about Fiona with such burning hatred, Phoebe could only imagine how he felt about himself. " He really IS sorry, " she thought sadly, feeling guilty about how she slammed the door on him when he attempted to apologize and start over. Sounding far less choked up, Phoebe explained,
" When I first saw her... I hated Fiona because she stole Coop from me, and that's the ONLY reason I hated her. Because I was jealous. But deep down, I always thought that she was still a good person who deserved him... But... but then she said all those things, and then I realized who she really was... I... I can't believe that I ever thought she was a nice person! I can't believe I ever trusted her! I can't believe I ever thought she cared about me! "
Her voice cracked at the last sentence, and she started forcing back tears again. Trying to sound calm, Chad put his hands on her shoulders and said, " Okay, don't speak anymore, just take deep breaths and try to relax. There's NOBODY outside on the streets, so why don't I walk you home and comfort you inside? I'll get you some ice cream and we can watch TV to get your mind off it. Come with me. " She nodded sadly.
He grabbed her hand to pull her up to a standing position, and let go afterwards so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable. He walked close to her as he brought her home, thankful that she wasn't nearly as miserable as she used to be. He didn't have the faintest idea why Phoebe chose to come to the bridge, but he knew that it wasn't the right time to ask.
When they finally went inside, they sat down on the green couch together in the living room. Phoebe was wiping away her tears, unable to stop thinking about everything Fiona said to her as it played in a loop over and over again in her head. But despite how miserable she was, she could still think of things to smile about. She was thankful that someone was comforting her and taking her side for once, and she was relieved that he came up to her and stopped her from making a huge mistake, even if it was by accident.
After he brought Phoebe a strawberry popsicle from the fridge, he gave it to her in a bowl and sat down beside her. " I can't believe Fiona would say those things to you... " he said resentfully. " Don't worry. I'm gonna give her A PIECE OF MY MIND! I won't tell her she made you cry, of course, but I'm gonna make her REGRET the way she TREATED you! "
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. After a few seconds, Chad said, " I'll get it, " knowing that Phoebe wouldn't want to answer the door while wiping away tears. He opened the door and said to the person outside the house, " Whoever you are, it's not the right time to come here! She wants to be alone! " " Who are you? " a familiar voice said to him. " Chad, " he answered, and then said quietly enough that Phoebe couldn't hear, " I'm sort of Phoebe's friend. "
He asked, " So why did you come here? " " I just wanted to talk to her about something, " the voice replied uneasily. Finally, Chad said, " Heyyyyyyyy, wait a minute... Are YOU Fiona?! " Startled, she answered, " Y-Y-Yeah, " nervous as he glared at her furiously with his arms crossed. Chad gave Phoebe a look that said, " Can you believe this girl?! " and told Fiona, " Phoebe DOESN'T wanna TALK to you! " wanting her to leave before she made Phoebe feel worse.
" Chad? Don't try to speak for me, " Phoebe told him after walking up to the door. There was no longer any sign that she had been crying. She asked Fiona in contempt with her arms crossed, " What do you want from me? " Fiona said, " I wanted to apologize, " with a sad look in her eyes.
Surprised and dumbfounded, Phoebe stared at her while she apologized, " I'm SORRY! I was being WAY TOO HARSH! I just, I was in a really bad mood and ANYTHING would've set me off! I only said all those things 'cause I was MAD! I wasn't THINKING! I... I thought about what happened, and I realized that I must have hurt your feelings... I am SO sorry about EVERYTHING I said! "
Phoebe was shocked that Fiona was actually feeling guilty about the way she snapped at her.
" Maybe she really IS a nice person, " Phoebe thought, which caused her to look sad as she thought about the way she treated her. Seeing Phoebe's downcast eyes, Chad growled and took the opportunity to stand up for Phoebe. " You expect her to forgive you for saying that everybody hates her and wants her to drop DEAD? "
" I know, I don't know what I was THINKING! Wait, WHAT?! I never told her to drop DEAD!
I just said that everybody would be happier WITHOUT her!... " It finally dawned on her that Phoebe had interpreted it as something far worse, and Fiona gasped at the realization. " What have I DONE?! Phoebe... is THAT what you TOOK from that?! " She was devastated that Phoebe thought she didn't value her life.
" She didn't actually SAY that? " he asked incredulously. Chad was shocked that Phoebe would lie to him about something that important. Phoebe said nervously, " I might have just been paraphrasing... And technically, I wasn't lying. That's how I heard it!... That's what it meant to ME... " Phoebe stared at Fiona sadly, trying to force tears to not show up in her eyes again. Realizing how she must have made her feel, Fiona gasped and said,
" I'm SO SORRY! I'd NEVER want you to DIE! I just wanted you to stop yelling at me because I was hanging out with Coop! " Annoyed, Chad told her with his arms crossed, " Hey, don't try to shove the blame all on HER, you're the one who overreacted and went on an ANGRY RANT! " " I know, and I'm SORRY! I'm sorry I YELLED at you! I lost my temper with you! I should've just kept my mouth shut. I made a huge mistake saying everyone would be better off without you, and I NEVER wanna make you feel that way AGAIN! I take back EVERYTHING I said! I didn't mean it! I was just exaggerating because I was FRUSTRATED! I promise, that's not who I am! I'm a nice person! I'm NOT the kind of person who just, BLOWS UP AT PEOPLE for no REASON!... "
Chad stared at her in shock while she apologized to Phoebe, realizing that her words were unintentionally echoing his. He was reminded of how he felt when he was apologizing to Phoebe, and how devastated he was when she refused to forgive him. Feeling terrible about himself, Chad turned to Phoebe and said sadly, " Phoebe, I really think that she's sorry... "
Phoebe was reminded of his apology, too, so she understood why he was feeling sorry for Fiona. She sighed, and decided that even though she wasn't sure if she'd actually forgive her any time soon, it was only right to humor her. As much as she hated Fiona, she couldn't stand seeing her so upset. And the last thing she wanted was for Fiona to cry in front of her.
" Fiona... " She sighed again, and forced herself to swallow her pride and comfort her. " It's okay. Don't get all upset on me! I'm not mad at you anymore. I promise. " Relieved, Fiona said, " Really? " Phoebe smiled nervously and said with her hand on her shoulder,
" ...Really. " She was taken by surprise when Fiona hugged her and said happily, " Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! " Phoebe reluctantly returned the hug and said nervously, " I don't know if I'll ever stop being extremely upset with what you did, but I can't keep holding it against you! Especially not when you're this upset about it. "
Chad, who was standing behind Phoebe, saw that tears were coming out Fiona's eyes, which proved that she was truly sorry. He was jealous that Fiona was getting forgiven and not him, but he still couldn't help but feel sorry for Fiona. After the hug finally stopped, Phoebe surprised Chad by giving him a hug and saying quietly, " I forgive you, too. " He smiled in relief, and returned her hug.
Relieved that Phoebe wouldn't hold everything against her, Fiona asked with a nervous smile,
" So, now that we've got that settled, how's about we watch TV together? I-I just figured that we should spend some time together as friends to get to know each other today, because I gave you some really bad memories of me, and n-now I wanna make some good ones! " She was clearly trying to make it up to her. Chad said cheerfully, " Yeah, me too! What do you say? "
Phoebe stared at Fiona and Chad, who were standing at either side of her, smiling at her like they were her friends. She thought with a smile, " I was worried for nothing! I'm not hated and alone! There's still people who care about me! " She shrugged and said, " Sure, why not? "
She sat down on the living room couch and picked up her popsicle, which she had put in a bowl, and started eating it with a smile after Fiona and Chad sat on either side of her. They watched TV together for a few hours after that, smiling. Phoebe smiled the most of all, because the two of them saved her life that day, and she would never forget it.