How to Deal – Chapter 1
"So..." Fox began as he sat down next to Theresa. "You came up to talk to me?"
"Yeah, but then I fell over a cliff after I heard you say you loved Whitney." Theresa thought.
"What did you want to talk about?" Fox asked again.
"Oh." Theresa answered as she snapped out of her thoughts. "You know what, nothing. I just wanted to say how I thought this whole friendship thing is a whole lot better than us being a couple." she lied.
"Are you sure?" Fox asked skeptically. She seemed very urgent earlier as if she wanted to talk about more than that.
"Yep." she replied as she looked around.
"I'm going to get you something to drink, and when I come back I want you to tell me the truth." he shook his head as he wandered off.
Theresa sighed as she looked after him. There was no way she could admit to him that she heard what he said. How dumb was she not to see that he loved Whitney earlier?
"It doesn't matter." she thought to herself. "I always loved Ethan all along and not him."
"Now what do you want to tell me?" Fox asked as he re-appeared.
Theresa fiddled with her drink as she felt his intense gaze on her. What did she have to lose if she told him? She was just a friend to him anyways.
"I um..." she drifted off. "I wanted to tell you I know what you were up to all along."
"What?" replied a surprised Fox.
Theresa took a deep breath as she turned to face him. "I know that you were using me all along and I'm glad I ended our relationship when I did."
Part of what she was saying was true. All along it was Whitney he loved and what a better way to get closer to her then by dating her best friend. The thought made Theresa's blood boil.
"I never used you!" he defended himself truthfully.
"Then what was the whole purpose of dating me when you were still in love with your "mystery woman"?" Theresa shouted. "All you did was use me to make her jealous and as bait to lure her in. That's why you didn't take it so hard when I broke it off with you!"
"Theresa." Fox whispered. "Can we talk about this another time?"
"Why talk about it another time, Fox? Why try to avoid the inevitable? You used me! You never had feelings for me!" she lashed out at him.
Fox just hung his head in shame.
Theresa let out a sarcastic laugh as she jumped to her feet. "I'm right!" she said angrily. "You never felt anything for me."
"Theresa," Fox began, "you're my best friend."
"You used me!" Theresa responded.
"I admit that I still had feelings for my mystery woman while we were dating, but I did not use you!" he argued.
"You did!" she said stubbornly. "But guess what, it doesn't matter."
"It doesn't? We can get past this?" Fox asked relieved.
"You heard me wrong." Theresa replied coldly. "It doesn't matter because I used you too. You were just a substitute... someone to help me get over Ethan. Thanks to you, I might have him back soon."
Fox took a step back as if he had been slapped in the face. "I can't believe you."
"I could say the same to you." she spat.
Fox angrily grabbed her by the arm and put her face to his. "Look me in the eye and tell me it's not true." he demanded. "Tell me Theresa!"
Theresa took a deep breath as she prepared herself to tell the biggest lie. "It's true."
Fox's face hardened as Theresa admitted she used him. He quickly let go of her arm like she was trash. "I don't know you." he barely said.
Theresa whimpered like a wounded puppy as the cold words that came out of Fox's mouth slapped her across the face. "I guess you never did." she answered.
She quietly reached over to get her purse and quickly left the Inn. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about Fox's last words.
"I don't know you."
"You're not the only one Fox." she whispered. "I don't know who I am either."
"So..." Fox began as he sat down next to Theresa. "You came up to talk to me?"
"Yeah, but then I fell over a cliff after I heard you say you loved Whitney." Theresa thought.
"What did you want to talk about?" Fox asked again.
"Oh." Theresa answered as she snapped out of her thoughts. "You know what, nothing. I just wanted to say how I thought this whole friendship thing is a whole lot better than us being a couple." she lied.
"Are you sure?" Fox asked skeptically. She seemed very urgent earlier as if she wanted to talk about more than that.
"Yep." she replied as she looked around.
"I'm going to get you something to drink, and when I come back I want you to tell me the truth." he shook his head as he wandered off.
Theresa sighed as she looked after him. There was no way she could admit to him that she heard what he said. How dumb was she not to see that he loved Whitney earlier?
"It doesn't matter." she thought to herself. "I always loved Ethan all along and not him."
"Now what do you want to tell me?" Fox asked as he re-appeared.
Theresa fiddled with her drink as she felt his intense gaze on her. What did she have to lose if she told him? She was just a friend to him anyways.
"I um..." she drifted off. "I wanted to tell you I know what you were up to all along."
"What?" replied a surprised Fox.
Theresa took a deep breath as she turned to face him. "I know that you were using me all along and I'm glad I ended our relationship when I did."
Part of what she was saying was true. All along it was Whitney he loved and what a better way to get closer to her then by dating her best friend. The thought made Theresa's blood boil.
"I never used you!" he defended himself truthfully.
"Then what was the whole purpose of dating me when you were still in love with your "mystery woman"?" Theresa shouted. "All you did was use me to make her jealous and as bait to lure her in. That's why you didn't take it so hard when I broke it off with you!"
"Theresa." Fox whispered. "Can we talk about this another time?"
"Why talk about it another time, Fox? Why try to avoid the inevitable? You used me! You never had feelings for me!" she lashed out at him.
Fox just hung his head in shame.
Theresa let out a sarcastic laugh as she jumped to her feet. "I'm right!" she said angrily. "You never felt anything for me."
"Theresa," Fox began, "you're my best friend."
"You used me!" Theresa responded.
"I admit that I still had feelings for my mystery woman while we were dating, but I did not use you!" he argued.
"You did!" she said stubbornly. "But guess what, it doesn't matter."
"It doesn't? We can get past this?" Fox asked relieved.
"You heard me wrong." Theresa replied coldly. "It doesn't matter because I used you too. You were just a substitute... someone to help me get over Ethan. Thanks to you, I might have him back soon."
Fox took a step back as if he had been slapped in the face. "I can't believe you."
"I could say the same to you." she spat.
Fox angrily grabbed her by the arm and put her face to his. "Look me in the eye and tell me it's not true." he demanded. "Tell me Theresa!"
Theresa took a deep breath as she prepared herself to tell the biggest lie. "It's true."
Fox's face hardened as Theresa admitted she used him. He quickly let go of her arm like she was trash. "I don't know you." he barely said.
Theresa whimpered like a wounded puppy as the cold words that came out of Fox's mouth slapped her across the face. "I guess you never did." she answered.
She quietly reached over to get her purse and quickly left the Inn. Tears fell from her eyes as she thought about Fox's last words.
"I don't know you."
"You're not the only one Fox." she whispered. "I don't know who I am either."
