~Chapter 4~
"I hate her! I really do!" Paul yelled once Kevin came to talk to him. "C'mon, you know you don't really mean that." Kevin said. "Yes, I do. Maybe I won't feel this way later, but I sure hate her now! I mean, all I tried to do was help. All I was trying to do was keep our relationship alive. But look what she does. I try to get Stephanie to stay away from me so things would be good between me and Joanie, and even that isn't good enough for her!" "Well.you do have a point there." "Did I not try to keep her from getting hurt?" "You did." "Exactly. I didn't want her to think I was cheating on her, and now, not only does she think that I am cheating on her, but she claims that I don't trust her. Now how am I supposed to fix that?" "I dunno. I'm not exactly a relationship expert, Paul." "And I don't know what to do either. But I'll tell you one thing I'm not gonna do, and that is apologize. She should have to apologize to me." "You're right."
After thinking everything that had just happened, Joanie finally decided to take Sean's advice and go talk to Paul. She wasn't sure if he would even talk to her or not, but it was worth a try. She found Paul standing outside of his locker room, alone. "Paul, we need to talk." "No, we don't. I have nothing to say to you, Joanie." "What?" "You heard me. I need some space right now, some time to myself to think about everything that happened. I'll talk to you then." "Well, how long is that gonna take?" "I dunno. But the sooner you leave, the more time I will have to think about things." "Fine." Joanie said, unable to believe how cruel Paul had just treated her. She had never seen him act so cold before, and she didn't like it. She should have known that he wasn't going to be ready to talk to her yet, and, knowing how stubborn Paul could be, she knew that he probably wouldn't talk to her until she apologizes. Not like that was much of a problem. Joanie had no problem apologizing to Paul, but she felt that she did nothing wrong. She was just telling him how she truly felt, and he didn't seem to like it.
When Joanie returned back to her locker room, she was shocked when she saw the message on her mirror. In red, the words I hate you were scrawled on. Joanie was terrified for a second; until she thought about it. And as she left her locker room yet again, she was livid. "Oh no, you again. Do you not know 'what leave me alone' means?" Paul asked once she approached him again. "How could you do that?" "Do what?" "Don't play dumb with me Paul. It's not gonna work." "I'm not playing dumb. What did I do?" "The message on my mirror." "I have no clue what you are talking about." "Fine. Then maybe I'll just show you."
When Paul arrived back to Joanie's locker room, he too was shocked by what he saw. "I didn't do that." "Yeah, right! You were mad at me so you decided to display your sick sense of humor by writing 'I hate you' on the mirror." "I swear it wasn't me." "I don't care what you say, Paul. It makes no difference, because either way, I really don't believe you." "Why's that?" "'Cause since this whole thing with Stephanie started, I really am having a hard time trusting you again." "But nothing happened. I don't have any feelings for Steph." "I don't care." Paul closely inspected the mirror. "Is that blood or paint?" He asked, noticing that whatever substance the message had been written in was still wet. "No idea." "What makes you think it was me, anyway?" "You said the same exact thing to me during our little fight." "Oh yeah. I guess I did." "You know, I don't really care if you believe me or not, but it wasn't me. But I'll be nice to you anyway and call Vince and tell him to call the cops so they can check this thing out." "Fine, although I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself."
"Well, the police say that it wasn't blood. That it's only paint," Vince said later on that night. "But whoever did it was good, they left no evidence, no fingerprints, no nothing. It could have been anyone." "But it's not me." Paul broke in, yet again attempting to prove his innocence. "Whatever, Paul." "Even though it could very well have been Paul, I highly doubt it was." "Ha! Told ya!" Paul said, sounding much more like a child than a grown man. "That proves nothing. Besides, if it wasn't you, then who was it?" "I dunno. But I'm gonna try to figure that out." Vince interrupted. "If you can." "Well, maybe I can't, but the cops can." "Hopefully." Joanie said as Vince walked off. "Now do you believe me?" "Paul." Joanie said; sounding annoyed. "You know, I wouldn't be too surprised if you did it. You know, you figure you make up some message thing, try to put yourself into the innocent victim role so I will feel sorry for you and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened." Paul seemed very satisfied with what he had just said, but he could see the anger growing in Joanie's eyes and before he knew it she slapped him across the face as hard as she could. "Hey.you know. It could be true!" Paul said, rubbing his red face as Joanie stormed off.
"So, did you talk to Paul?" Sean said once he saw Joanie in the lobby at the hotel later on that night. He could see by the tears in her eyes that thing didn't go well, but there was still hope. "Yes." She said curtly, not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now. "And?" "He says he needs some time to think over everything that happened. He also said that I shouldn't talk to him until he's done thinking about things." "Well, it could have been worse. He could have just dumped you, right then and there." "You know, Sean, I'm really beginning to think of just breaking things off." "Why? Because of one little fight?" "No, its more than that. A lot more. He just seems to be acting, I don't know...different. He's acting really weird, and very defensive of his side of the story. He thinks that he's right and I'm wrong. He thinks that I owe him an apology." "It should be the other way around." "Yeah, I know. But he just doesn't see that. He doesn't want to see that." "Well, you probably shouldn't break up with him. At least not yet. Just give him a little bit of time." "I guess I'll do that. Thanks again, Sean. You know, you seem to be giving me a lot of advice lately." "Well, I'm just trying to help." "Well, I appreciate it." She said, hugging him. And that feeling he felt earlier came back again. "No problem. I'm just trying to be there as your friend." "I really do appreciate it. Well, I'm tired. I'm gonna get going." "Okay, bye."
"I hate her! I really do!" Paul yelled once Kevin came to talk to him. "C'mon, you know you don't really mean that." Kevin said. "Yes, I do. Maybe I won't feel this way later, but I sure hate her now! I mean, all I tried to do was help. All I was trying to do was keep our relationship alive. But look what she does. I try to get Stephanie to stay away from me so things would be good between me and Joanie, and even that isn't good enough for her!" "Well.you do have a point there." "Did I not try to keep her from getting hurt?" "You did." "Exactly. I didn't want her to think I was cheating on her, and now, not only does she think that I am cheating on her, but she claims that I don't trust her. Now how am I supposed to fix that?" "I dunno. I'm not exactly a relationship expert, Paul." "And I don't know what to do either. But I'll tell you one thing I'm not gonna do, and that is apologize. She should have to apologize to me." "You're right."
After thinking everything that had just happened, Joanie finally decided to take Sean's advice and go talk to Paul. She wasn't sure if he would even talk to her or not, but it was worth a try. She found Paul standing outside of his locker room, alone. "Paul, we need to talk." "No, we don't. I have nothing to say to you, Joanie." "What?" "You heard me. I need some space right now, some time to myself to think about everything that happened. I'll talk to you then." "Well, how long is that gonna take?" "I dunno. But the sooner you leave, the more time I will have to think about things." "Fine." Joanie said, unable to believe how cruel Paul had just treated her. She had never seen him act so cold before, and she didn't like it. She should have known that he wasn't going to be ready to talk to her yet, and, knowing how stubborn Paul could be, she knew that he probably wouldn't talk to her until she apologizes. Not like that was much of a problem. Joanie had no problem apologizing to Paul, but she felt that she did nothing wrong. She was just telling him how she truly felt, and he didn't seem to like it.
When Joanie returned back to her locker room, she was shocked when she saw the message on her mirror. In red, the words I hate you were scrawled on. Joanie was terrified for a second; until she thought about it. And as she left her locker room yet again, she was livid. "Oh no, you again. Do you not know 'what leave me alone' means?" Paul asked once she approached him again. "How could you do that?" "Do what?" "Don't play dumb with me Paul. It's not gonna work." "I'm not playing dumb. What did I do?" "The message on my mirror." "I have no clue what you are talking about." "Fine. Then maybe I'll just show you."
When Paul arrived back to Joanie's locker room, he too was shocked by what he saw. "I didn't do that." "Yeah, right! You were mad at me so you decided to display your sick sense of humor by writing 'I hate you' on the mirror." "I swear it wasn't me." "I don't care what you say, Paul. It makes no difference, because either way, I really don't believe you." "Why's that?" "'Cause since this whole thing with Stephanie started, I really am having a hard time trusting you again." "But nothing happened. I don't have any feelings for Steph." "I don't care." Paul closely inspected the mirror. "Is that blood or paint?" He asked, noticing that whatever substance the message had been written in was still wet. "No idea." "What makes you think it was me, anyway?" "You said the same exact thing to me during our little fight." "Oh yeah. I guess I did." "You know, I don't really care if you believe me or not, but it wasn't me. But I'll be nice to you anyway and call Vince and tell him to call the cops so they can check this thing out." "Fine, although I'm perfectly capable of doing that myself."
"Well, the police say that it wasn't blood. That it's only paint," Vince said later on that night. "But whoever did it was good, they left no evidence, no fingerprints, no nothing. It could have been anyone." "But it's not me." Paul broke in, yet again attempting to prove his innocence. "Whatever, Paul." "Even though it could very well have been Paul, I highly doubt it was." "Ha! Told ya!" Paul said, sounding much more like a child than a grown man. "That proves nothing. Besides, if it wasn't you, then who was it?" "I dunno. But I'm gonna try to figure that out." Vince interrupted. "If you can." "Well, maybe I can't, but the cops can." "Hopefully." Joanie said as Vince walked off. "Now do you believe me?" "Paul." Joanie said; sounding annoyed. "You know, I wouldn't be too surprised if you did it. You know, you figure you make up some message thing, try to put yourself into the innocent victim role so I will feel sorry for you and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened." Paul seemed very satisfied with what he had just said, but he could see the anger growing in Joanie's eyes and before he knew it she slapped him across the face as hard as she could. "Hey.you know. It could be true!" Paul said, rubbing his red face as Joanie stormed off.
"So, did you talk to Paul?" Sean said once he saw Joanie in the lobby at the hotel later on that night. He could see by the tears in her eyes that thing didn't go well, but there was still hope. "Yes." She said curtly, not really in the mood to talk to anyone right now. "And?" "He says he needs some time to think over everything that happened. He also said that I shouldn't talk to him until he's done thinking about things." "Well, it could have been worse. He could have just dumped you, right then and there." "You know, Sean, I'm really beginning to think of just breaking things off." "Why? Because of one little fight?" "No, its more than that. A lot more. He just seems to be acting, I don't know...different. He's acting really weird, and very defensive of his side of the story. He thinks that he's right and I'm wrong. He thinks that I owe him an apology." "It should be the other way around." "Yeah, I know. But he just doesn't see that. He doesn't want to see that." "Well, you probably shouldn't break up with him. At least not yet. Just give him a little bit of time." "I guess I'll do that. Thanks again, Sean. You know, you seem to be giving me a lot of advice lately." "Well, I'm just trying to help." "Well, I appreciate it." She said, hugging him. And that feeling he felt earlier came back again. "No problem. I'm just trying to be there as your friend." "I really do appreciate it. Well, I'm tired. I'm gonna get going." "Okay, bye."