Phoebe and Millie were walking to Phoebe's house together, and Phoebe was talking about how much she admired Coop while Millie rolled her eyes. " Millie, you should be grateful you get to be around him all the time! Coop's so wonderful! He's so brave and strong and clever and nice and courageous! He's such a hero! " She sighed dreamily. " My hero! "
" WHATEVER makes you HAPPY, Phoebe, " Millie said condescendingly, rolling her eyes with a smile. This caused Phoebe to stop in her tracks. " Huh?... Happy? " Phoebe replied, sounding sad and confused. Millie continued cheerfully,
" Yeah, you know! Because love makes you happy? It makes the world feel like such a better place and puts a spring in your step and you can't stop smiling! You're so lucky to be in love! I wish I was in love! "
Sounding bitter, Phoebe replied, " You're so naive, Millie. Love doesn't make you happy! It makes you miserable. You're constantly pining over someone terrific and wonderful who will never love you. You're constantly worried about the person you admire so much because if anything happened to him, your world would fall apart! You're constantly feeling insignificant and worthless because you can't ever be as great as him and you can't make his life better and so nothing you ever do will matter! And you're constantly feeling guilty, because you make his life worse just by trying to show him how much you care! Love doesn't fill you with hope! It fills you with despair! And there's absolutely nothing you can do to get out of it, because it traps you in its web of suffering and delusion, whittling away at your sanity because you need to convince yourself that everything's gonna be okay! It's like you've been thrown in a prison! I can't choose not to feel love any more than I can choose not to feel excruciating pain when splashed with boiling hot water! So no, Millie, love doesn't make you happy. And the day you realize that will be the day you grow up! "
There was a silence as Millie stared at Phoebe in shock, feeling sorry for her. She knew that the rejection had always upset Phoebe, but she didn't think it had turned her so bitter. It was heartbreaking to think that something as inherently wonderful as love could actually make someone miserable. The way Phoebe had phrased it, it almost sounded as if her crush on Coop had ruined her life. After letting it all sink in, Millie tried to comfort her the best she could, still shocked at Phoebe's rant. " ... Wow... I didn't realize you were that upset... I- "
" Don't you dare pity me! " Phoebe exclaimed, using anger to mask her sadness and shame. Letting her feelings all out in the open had been a decision Phoebe came to regret, since not only did it make her look weak in front of Millie, but it caused her unhappiness to come to the surface hours before it usually did every day, making her have to force herself not to cry. With her voice cracking, she said quietly, " I have to go... " with an annoyed expression before running into her house and shutting the door, leaving Millie alone.