Chris stared at Jay in total disbelief, his jaw dropping a bit. There wasn't much about his best friend that surprised him anymore, but he had found himself in shock. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Of all the insane stories Jay could brew up in his head, this by far took the cake as most outrageous.
"You don't honestly think I'm going to believe that load of shit, do you?" he asked with a sardonic laugh.
Jay blinked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Shaking his head, he sighed... he knew this wasn't going to be easy."Well, Chris, I was hoping you would," he admitted, "but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Come on, man, you've gotta believe me. You're setting yourself up to get burned."
"When are you going to give up already?" Chris cried in response, smacking his forehead. "When are you going to realize that, no matter how hard you try, you're not going to turn me against Amy?! God, you've been at this for weeks, when's it going to stop?"
Jay was beginning to feel a bit disbelieving as well. He knew convincing Chris that Amy was on the phone with another man talking about what they'd do to him would be no easy feat, but this was ridiculous. Sure, he and Amy were a couple, but they had hardly been that for more than a few weeks. One would think he'd believe his best friend over his girlfriend.
"Look, I know I've never been a fan of Amy's, but this is serious, man! Lisa is Amy's friend, she wouldn't tell me something like this unless it was absolutely true. I know we've been going at it lately, but I'm looking out for you... I don't want to see you get hurt," he explained, his gaze serious.
Chris bit his lip as he stared at Jay, his ice blue eyes skeptical. Exhaling loudly, he placed his hands on his waist.
"I don't believe you," he replied, his gaze narrowing.
Jay pursed his lips together, tearing his gaze away from the shorter blonde man. He had tried his damn hardest to remain calm, but if Chris was simply going to refuse to hear him out, he was no longer hiding his feelings.
"Oh, well forgive me, in my delusional mind I got the crazy notion that a man was supposed to take the word of his best friend over that of a woman," he shot bitterly.
"In any other circumstance, I would and you know it," Chris replied through clenched teeth. "But I know how you are with this situation. I just can't believe you're sinking so low..."
"Jesus, Chris, what do I have to do?! What the fuck has to happen to you before you realize I'm telling the truth?!" he yelled defensively.
He was so sick of being treated like the villain, while Amy walked around and victimized herself, making everyone feel sorry for her. For months now he had been onto her, and with each month that passed, it became harder and harder to convince anyone that her intentions were no good. He couldn't help but feel as though he was sort of in the role she played.
"I don't know, Jay. I honestly don't know," Chris said, a hint of what sounded to be sadness in his tone.
Jay tossed his hands in the air, all hopes of getting through to Chris flying out the window. It was so unlike him to give up on anything, but it was becoming more and more obvious that there was no hope. If there was ever a chance of him seeing the light, it had long since passed, and it was now too late.
"Well then, as much as it hurts to say..." he began slowly, a slightly pained expression on his otherwise blank face, "...if you seriously value Amy over our friendship - our ten year friendship, need I remind you - than as far as I'm concerned, this friendship no longer exists."
A tiny gasp was heard from the corner of the room, and both Canadians knew it did not belong to either of them. They both turned to the door, and Jay's stomach dropped as he saw Trish standing in the doorway. She must have been watching and listening in to their conversation the entire time. Her gaze traveled back and forth between the two men for a moment, before finally settling on the taller of the two.
"I'm disappointed in you, Jay," she said sadly, lowering her head for a brief moment. "I was just beginning to think that maybe you were right about this whole ordeal, and then I hear this. Not only are you turning you're back on one of your best friends, you're doing so dishonorably. You're better than that."
Jay's mouth hung open as he stood in front of Trish, gaping at her. She couldn't be serious. She was all he had left after Chris... without her support, he had nothing.
"Trish, you've got to be kidding me. Please, don't tell me you think I'm lying, too," he pleaded.
Trish forced herself to look away, knowing all too well that his imploring gaze would break her heart. She sighed, wanting so badly to be able to believe him. Deep down in her heart, she trusted him with her life, yet the things he'd said today were so outrageous, they just couldn't possibly be true.
"I... I just don't know, Jay," she replied with a hesitant shrug. "I wish I could say I believe you, but I just can't. And when you start dragging innocent people like Lisa Marie into this mess, it just... it makes me wonder..."
"Don't question my integrity," he said angrily, surprising all three of them. "I can't believe you'd think I'd even consider doing something like that, using her to get my point across. You can question my actions, you can question my temper... hell, you can question a lot of things about me. But don't ever question my character."
That being said, Jay shook his head once more, giving both Chris and Trish one last look over before exiting the room. When he was gone, Chris glanced at Trish, who had a very perplexed look on her face.
"We'll figure him out someday, don't worry," he said, a lighthearted chuckle accompanying his statement in spite of the seriousness of the situation.Trish sent him a very unconvincing grin before she too departed, leaving him alone in the room.
