CH. 14
Theresa sat in her living room with Little Ethan playing one of her son's favorite games, Snakes and Ladders.
"Ok mommy it's your turn," Little Ethan looked up at Theresa anxiously.
"Ok baby," she rolled the dice and made her next move, not even realizing that she landed on one of the snakes.
"Ha ha Mom, you landed on the snake!" Little Ethan laughed. "Now you have to go all the way down to 12!"
"Oh no!" Theresa smiled at her son's hysterical laugh.
"One time I was playing with Fox, and he landed on the longest snake of all!" Little Ethan began laughing again. "It was so funny! Fox had to go down all the way to 2!"
Theresa couldn't help but notice the joy in her son's eyes when he talked about Fox.
"You really enjoy hanging out with Fox don't you?" Theresa asked Little Ethan, brushing a strand of hair away from his eye.
"Yeah! Fox is so much fun." Little Ethan suddenly stopped playing and sadly looked up at his mom. "How come Fox doesn't come here anymore? Doesn't he like us?"
Theresa looked at her son with hurt eyes, not sure how to answer the question.
"Um, of course Fox likes us. In fact I think he likes us very much. "She searched her mind for the right words to say. "Fox has just become really busy, and he can't come around as often as he used to."
Theresa hated lying to her son, but she didn't know how to tell him there was a chance that the one person they trusted betrayed them.
She glanced at the letter that Whitney had dropped by earlier that night from Fox. At first she didn't even want to read it, but her friend had persuaded her to. Now she didn't know what to do. Fox's letter made her consider a lot of things; how good he was to her son, the numerous times that he had been there for her, how he supported her through the trying times with Julian and Rebecca, how much he loved her (even though he never actually told her so) and most importantly how much she loved him. She wanted to believe him so much, but she just couldn't get the sickening feeling out of the back of her head, that Fox was not the person that he appeared to be. What if he was just like the Cranes? What if he was just putting on an act, and he didn't really care about her and her son? Or what if she had it all wrong, and Fox was actually the one for her?
"I won!" Little Ethan yelled, interrupting Theresa's thoughts. "I won mom!"
"Oh no, not again!" Theresa laughed, giving her son a big hug. "I guess you really are the king of Snakes and Ladders."
Theresa watched her son rub his eyes.
"Yeah," he yawned. "Maybe me and Fox could play tomorrow."
"Yeah maybe." Theresa sadly smiled at her son. "Baby you look like your ready for bed. Why don't you go on up, and I'll be there in a bit to tuck you in?"
"Ok." Little Ethan got up and sleepily walked upstairs.
Theresa began picking up the pieces from the game and putting them way. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Theresa said to herself looking at her watch.
She walked over to the door and was completely shocked at who she saw standing there.
"Dylan?" Theresa could barely recognize him. He looked terrible! His eyes were all red, and his jaw had the biggest bruise on it. He looked like he had just gotten beaten up!
"Hey Theresa." He mumbled, barely looking her in her eyes.
"You look terrible! What happened to you?" Theresa noticed his uneasiness.
"Oh this?" he asked pointing to his jaw. "Let's just say I ran into Fox, literally."
"Fox did this to you?" Theresa closed the door behind him. "What is his problem? The whole reason for our fight was his fault. Why is he taking it out on you?"
"Actually Theresa that's why I came by." Dylan looked at her with serious eyes. "There are some things you need to know."
"What do you mean?" Theresa sat down on the couch.
"First of all I just want to thank you for being such a great friend. I came to Harmony and you completely welcomed me into your home, introduced me to your son, and you've just been really great." Dylan let out a sigh. "I just don't know how much I deserve it, because since I've come here, all I've done is cause you pain."
"Dylan, what are you talking about?" Theresa asked, seeing the hurt in his eyes.
"Theresa I'm the one who's responsible for why you and Fox had that fight." He blurted out. "If it weren't for me, you two would be together right now."
"Dylan, you're not the one who wrote that email. Fox did. So how can it be your fault?"
"Because it is! Look, you wouldn't have even seen that email if it weren't for me. I purposely made you see it, so that you two would break up." Dylan looked at Theresa.
"Why would you do that?" Theresa asked him confused.
"Because I was jealous of what you two had going!" Dylan rose from the couch. "Fox and I have been friends since we were small. We used to do everything together. But when I came to Harmony and saw how close you two had become, I got upset. I thought I was losing my friend, and I couldn't take it. So I decided to eliminate the competition; you. I knew that you trusted Fox, so I thought of something that would break that trust."
"The email." Theresa nodded, suddenly seeing Dylan in new light.
"Yeah. I remembered that when Fox came to Harmony, he sent me a couple of emails. Theresa, when he wrote that email to me he was the old Fox. He was a creep, like me. But he's changed. I didn't want to see it at first, but I see it now. He's a completely different person." Dylan turned to Theresa. "Look I know you probably hate me right now, and that's fine because you have every right to. But if you don't fix things with Fox, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."
Theresa sat in silence for a couple of minutes, trying to soak in what Dylan had just told her.
"Dylan, I don't hate you." She finally looked up at him. "I'm upset about what you did, but I don't hate you. What you just told me took a lot of courage. But why do you suddenly care so much about me and Fox? If we get back together, things will be exactly the way they were before."
"I care because finally I'm being a real friend." Dylan touched his bruised jaw. "Fox made me realize that I was just being selfish. Instead of being happy for him I was angry because things weren't going my way. Now I realize I was wrong because... for once in his life he's happy. Part of that reason is because of you Theresa. He told me you're like his other half. You complete him. The other reason is because of that beautiful boy upstairs. He told me that he feels like Little Ethan is his own son, and that every time he looks at his face, he gets this joy in his heart."
Dylan watched tears fall from Theresa's eyes.
"He told you that?" she smiled.
"Yes he did. He loves you Theresa, and he loves your son too. I was a complete idiot for trying to break up something so incredible."
Theresa rose from the couch and walked over to Dylan
"Thank you Dylan." Theresa smiled at him. "You really a good friend you know.
"Well I'm not looking for an award or anything. I just did what I needed to do." He walked over to the door. "I should be going. Goodnight Theresa."
"Goodnight Dylan, and thanks again." She closed the door behind him, and walked back to the couch.
What am I going to do now? She thought to herself. All signs are pointing to "yes", so then why is there something in the back of my mind still saying "no"?
Theresa sat in her living room with Little Ethan playing one of her son's favorite games, Snakes and Ladders.
"Ok mommy it's your turn," Little Ethan looked up at Theresa anxiously.
"Ok baby," she rolled the dice and made her next move, not even realizing that she landed on one of the snakes.
"Ha ha Mom, you landed on the snake!" Little Ethan laughed. "Now you have to go all the way down to 12!"
"Oh no!" Theresa smiled at her son's hysterical laugh.
"One time I was playing with Fox, and he landed on the longest snake of all!" Little Ethan began laughing again. "It was so funny! Fox had to go down all the way to 2!"
Theresa couldn't help but notice the joy in her son's eyes when he talked about Fox.
"You really enjoy hanging out with Fox don't you?" Theresa asked Little Ethan, brushing a strand of hair away from his eye.
"Yeah! Fox is so much fun." Little Ethan suddenly stopped playing and sadly looked up at his mom. "How come Fox doesn't come here anymore? Doesn't he like us?"
Theresa looked at her son with hurt eyes, not sure how to answer the question.
"Um, of course Fox likes us. In fact I think he likes us very much. "She searched her mind for the right words to say. "Fox has just become really busy, and he can't come around as often as he used to."
Theresa hated lying to her son, but she didn't know how to tell him there was a chance that the one person they trusted betrayed them.
She glanced at the letter that Whitney had dropped by earlier that night from Fox. At first she didn't even want to read it, but her friend had persuaded her to. Now she didn't know what to do. Fox's letter made her consider a lot of things; how good he was to her son, the numerous times that he had been there for her, how he supported her through the trying times with Julian and Rebecca, how much he loved her (even though he never actually told her so) and most importantly how much she loved him. She wanted to believe him so much, but she just couldn't get the sickening feeling out of the back of her head, that Fox was not the person that he appeared to be. What if he was just like the Cranes? What if he was just putting on an act, and he didn't really care about her and her son? Or what if she had it all wrong, and Fox was actually the one for her?
"I won!" Little Ethan yelled, interrupting Theresa's thoughts. "I won mom!"
"Oh no, not again!" Theresa laughed, giving her son a big hug. "I guess you really are the king of Snakes and Ladders."
Theresa watched her son rub his eyes.
"Yeah," he yawned. "Maybe me and Fox could play tomorrow."
"Yeah maybe." Theresa sadly smiled at her son. "Baby you look like your ready for bed. Why don't you go on up, and I'll be there in a bit to tuck you in?"
"Ok." Little Ethan got up and sleepily walked upstairs.
Theresa began picking up the pieces from the game and putting them way. Suddenly she heard a knock at the door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Theresa said to herself looking at her watch.
She walked over to the door and was completely shocked at who she saw standing there.
"Dylan?" Theresa could barely recognize him. He looked terrible! His eyes were all red, and his jaw had the biggest bruise on it. He looked like he had just gotten beaten up!
"Hey Theresa." He mumbled, barely looking her in her eyes.
"You look terrible! What happened to you?" Theresa noticed his uneasiness.
"Oh this?" he asked pointing to his jaw. "Let's just say I ran into Fox, literally."
"Fox did this to you?" Theresa closed the door behind him. "What is his problem? The whole reason for our fight was his fault. Why is he taking it out on you?"
"Actually Theresa that's why I came by." Dylan looked at her with serious eyes. "There are some things you need to know."
"What do you mean?" Theresa sat down on the couch.
"First of all I just want to thank you for being such a great friend. I came to Harmony and you completely welcomed me into your home, introduced me to your son, and you've just been really great." Dylan let out a sigh. "I just don't know how much I deserve it, because since I've come here, all I've done is cause you pain."
"Dylan, what are you talking about?" Theresa asked, seeing the hurt in his eyes.
"Theresa I'm the one who's responsible for why you and Fox had that fight." He blurted out. "If it weren't for me, you two would be together right now."
"Dylan, you're not the one who wrote that email. Fox did. So how can it be your fault?"
"Because it is! Look, you wouldn't have even seen that email if it weren't for me. I purposely made you see it, so that you two would break up." Dylan looked at Theresa.
"Why would you do that?" Theresa asked him confused.
"Because I was jealous of what you two had going!" Dylan rose from the couch. "Fox and I have been friends since we were small. We used to do everything together. But when I came to Harmony and saw how close you two had become, I got upset. I thought I was losing my friend, and I couldn't take it. So I decided to eliminate the competition; you. I knew that you trusted Fox, so I thought of something that would break that trust."
"The email." Theresa nodded, suddenly seeing Dylan in new light.
"Yeah. I remembered that when Fox came to Harmony, he sent me a couple of emails. Theresa, when he wrote that email to me he was the old Fox. He was a creep, like me. But he's changed. I didn't want to see it at first, but I see it now. He's a completely different person." Dylan turned to Theresa. "Look I know you probably hate me right now, and that's fine because you have every right to. But if you don't fix things with Fox, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life."
Theresa sat in silence for a couple of minutes, trying to soak in what Dylan had just told her.
"Dylan, I don't hate you." She finally looked up at him. "I'm upset about what you did, but I don't hate you. What you just told me took a lot of courage. But why do you suddenly care so much about me and Fox? If we get back together, things will be exactly the way they were before."
"I care because finally I'm being a real friend." Dylan touched his bruised jaw. "Fox made me realize that I was just being selfish. Instead of being happy for him I was angry because things weren't going my way. Now I realize I was wrong because... for once in his life he's happy. Part of that reason is because of you Theresa. He told me you're like his other half. You complete him. The other reason is because of that beautiful boy upstairs. He told me that he feels like Little Ethan is his own son, and that every time he looks at his face, he gets this joy in his heart."
Dylan watched tears fall from Theresa's eyes.
"He told you that?" she smiled.
"Yes he did. He loves you Theresa, and he loves your son too. I was a complete idiot for trying to break up something so incredible."
Theresa rose from the couch and walked over to Dylan
"Thank you Dylan." Theresa smiled at him. "You really a good friend you know.
"Well I'm not looking for an award or anything. I just did what I needed to do." He walked over to the door. "I should be going. Goodnight Theresa."
"Goodnight Dylan, and thanks again." She closed the door behind him, and walked back to the couch.
What am I going to do now? She thought to herself. All signs are pointing to "yes", so then why is there something in the back of my mind still saying "no"?