Sadie turned to look at Tommy. She smiled faintly and gave him a thanking look. Even though most of their conversation was him trying to help her, and her being negative towards the world, Sadie understood now. He did help her figure some things out, and she now knew what she needed to do. After a subtle nod to him, Sadie turned and headed out the door.
Tommy stood and approached Jude. He gently brought his hand to her arm, tapping her so she'd turn around. "Hey," he cooed softly.
Turning to face him, Jude found her way into his arms. She laid her head on his chest and hugged him tight. She was such a complete mess, that Tommy's support was what she really needed. "Did that really just happen?" she cried into his shoulder.
Holding her tight, Tommy pressed his lips against the top of her head. He stroked Jude's back, hoping he could calm her. The situation wasn't a familiar one, especially since it danced around Sadie and Jamie. All he could manage to say was, "I'm kinda trying to figure that out myself…"
Jude pulled away slightly to look up at Tommy. "You think they really love each other..?" she asked hesitantly with watery eyes.
Even though Tommy didn't felt Jude wasn't ready to hear it, he couldn't exactly deny the truth either. Trying to be gentle, Tommy continued to stroke Jude's locks as he looked her in the eye and whispered, "I know it."
Sniffling, Jude repeatedly shook her head. She completely removed herself from Tommy's grasp and turned away from him with her lips pressed together. "She's supposed to be my sister!" Jude exclaimed, focused on all the backstabbing that had taken place.
Tommy let his arms fall to his side. He watched Jude stomp off and start to pace the length of the hallway. "She is," he stated in reply to Jude.
"He's supposed to be my best friend!" Jude added as she turned to pace the other direction.
Taking a step forward to cut Jude's path off, Tommy remarked, "He is."
Jude shook her head and finally let her eyes meet Tommy's again. "How could they do that to me then?" Jude questioned, more hurt than ever.
Tommy swallowed hard and clenched his jaw. He could see into Jude's crystal blue eyes that her heart was pained as she spoke. He hated to make the situation worse, but lies would only do more damage in the end. "They fell in love, Jude," he explained. He gave her sympathetic eyes and took her hand into his own. "You know how powerful that can be."
"But he was mine," Jude stated as she pulled away from Tommy. She glumly strolled into the living room and slumped down onto the couch. "He was my boyfriend."
Nodding, Tommy understood what was going on through Jude's head. At the same time, Tommy could see something that Jude was failing to realize. "The first time you said 'best friend'," Tommy commented. He started towards the couch as well, but sat across from Jude on the coffee table. "You're angry that he cheated on you, and with your sister no less." He took her hand once more, hoping this time, she would just look into his eyes and not run away. "But what you're really afraid of is losing your best friend to your sister and vice versa."
Jude bit her bottom lip and shook her head, obviously holding back tears. "It hurts a lot more than that, Tommy."
"And it should," Tommy stated. He started to rub the top of her hand with his thumb, reminding her that they were connected, and he was there to support her. "That's what makes it all real. But it won't hurt forever."
Looking down timidly, Jude stared at their joined hands for a moment. Her mind somewhat distant, she didn't put much more thought to it. She simply looked back up at Tommy. "Before I left, Jamie wanted to be with me and Sadie wanted to be with you," she recapped. With a shrug and a sniffle, she added, "It all turned around on us."
Tommy shook his head at Jude, still feeling that she failed to see the big picture. "For once, this is about you, or me, or whatever drama we can make." He watched as her eyes grew big in shock. He had finally gotten her to see the point of all of this as he reaffirmed, "It's about them."
Jude left a few stray tears slip from her eyes. "I just…" Frustrated, Jude shook her head and blurted, "I don't know." She closed her eyes tightly and took deep breaths. Once she was finally able to control her tears, she opened her eyes back up and stated, "I can't believe they'd do this to me."
"Then don't," Tommy said simply. He raised his free hand to Jude's cheek and wiped away the last of her tears. "They did it for each other."
Staring into Tommy's eyes, Jude felt her heart skip a beat. She didn't know what made that happen, or how, but it did. Some part of her was screaming that things would be alright, but she still wasn't completely sure. Jude leaned forwards slightly, closer to Tommy, and whispered, "And where does that leave me?"
"With me," Tommy replied with a grin.
For a moment, neither of them said a thing. They merely gazed upon each other, not so much hurt or confused. Neither of them are as much apart, nor involved in the real love story. Even if Tommy and Jude share a love that is pure and true, they are just a smaller line on a larger scale.