A/N - "Thoughts"

Chapter 17 - Can It End Like This?

During his free period, Jason sat at one of the picnic tables in the school's courtyard, staring out into space. It had been almost a week since the incident and neither girl was really talking to him or each other.

Rebecca walked around like in a fog, completely lost, and spent most of her time with her cheerleading friends. Amanda had basically become withdrawn inside herself and the only time she left her room was for school or to use the bathroom. Jason had been spending the time thinking of how to beg Amanda to forgive him and find out what the hell was going through Rebecca's head.

As Jason was lost in thought, someone approached him from behind. "Hey bro," Maria said softly and taking her bookbag off her shoulder, she slid onto the bench on the other side of the table. Jason just grunted a little, barely acknowledging her presence.

"So...You talk to either of em?" she asked hesitantly.

Jason glared at her, "What do you think?" he snarled.

Maria smirked at him, "Want me to smack them around a little?" she asked sarcastically. When Jason snickered very softly, Maria's smirk widened. She hated seeing her brother upset like this, even when it was occasionally her fault. Even though they constantly were bickering or teasing each other, they were still very close. Just as over protective of her as he was, she was the same way about him.

"Do you have any idea what you're gonna do?"

Running a hand through his dark, curly hair, Jason sighed. "Talk to Rebecca and find out what the hell is going on. Than go to Amanda...," he trailed off for a moment as he thought, "beg for her to forgive me."

"So it is Amanda you really want?" Maria asked him, "Not Rebecca."

"Honestly, I don't know. I've never really thought of Rebecca like that to begin with. I like her as a best friend and she's beautiful but I kinda see her like a sister." A small smile slowly tugged at his lips, "With Amanda, there's just this feeling. I like being with her, we just click with each other.

Trying to ignore the queasy feeling in her stomach, thinking about her brother's love life, "Are you...uh...you know...in...love with her?" she finally forced herself to say.

"I...I don't know. I've just realized that I liked her like that. I don't even know what love is," he paused for a moment and looked at her, "and I'm not sure, no, I know its something I don't want to talk about with my sister."

Maria let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you," she said sarcastically and they both laughed. Maria smiled sadly, "I think that's the first time I've heard you laugh in almost a week."

"Haven't had much to laugh about."

After the bell rang, Maria stood up and after slipping her bag over her shoulder, took a few steps away from the table before stopping. Turning around, "Hey goofball," she called teasingly. Jason glanced over his shoulder at her. Grinning at him, "You'll figure it out."

"How do you know?"

Maria snickered, "Cause you've always had this annoying habit of always landing on your feet," she teased. Slowly the grin disappeared and she grew serious for a moment, "You three have been best friends for god knows how long, you guys'll find a way to fix this." With that she walked off towards the school.

Gathering his stuff, "We never had any of this kind of major drama when we were just all friends." Walking across the courtyard towards the school door, "Maybe that's the key. Everything was so much easier when we we're all just friends. Everything's just gone to hell as soon as we started letting romance mix in. I wonder if we just went back to the way things were everything would go back to normal."

Rubbing his face, "For the sake of our friendship, I gotta breakup with Amanda and make sure Rebecca knows that nothing can happen between us. We can't let anything destroy our friendship, no matter how much I have to give up. I wrecked this and now I gotta put it back together."

Amanda stalked out of the school, with a scowl on her face. The shock of everything had slowly worn off and now it was being replaced with anger, betrayal, and frustration. Everything was chaotic now. She knew Rebecca was lost and if she detached herself from the situation, she knew that her kissing another girl's boyfriend, that she was reeling and spinning out of control. But that was the problem, her best friend had kissed her boyfriend and that's where the betrayal fit in.

She didn't know what to do. Should she talk to her best friend and find out what she was thinking? Or just smack her around for messing with her boyfriend?

Than there was Jason; She was furious with him cause she saw him kiss her back, if just for a moment. "There've gotta be feelings there or why would he kiss her back?"

Sighing softly, she adjusted the strap of her bag, as she walked, "I don't know what to do Rebecca's my best friend, she just lost her father, she's not exactly thinking clearly. But she still kissed my boyfriend," she thought to herself and then snarled to herself, "And that dofus kissed her back. Why did he kiss her back?"

Rounding a corner, she came face to face with the last person she wanted to see at the moment. Both girls came to a dead stop a few yards away from each other and just stared at each other as neither was really sure what to say or do in those tense filled moments.

Finally Amanda broke the silence and asked the one question she really wanted to know, "Why?"

"Why what?"

Sighing and trying very hard to not let her temper flare, "Why did you stab me in the back?"

Rebecca frowned, "You know not everything is about you."

"Me?" Amanda snarled back, "If either of us has to be the center of attention, its you, and you know it."

"Bullshit."

"You could've gotten any guy you wanted," as they shot back and forth, their voices gradually got louder and they moved closer to each other, "why did you have to go after Jason?"

"Oh get over yourself," Rebecca shot back, "You could've done the same and Jason isn't just yours, he is my best friend too. Why the hell can't I have him? Where is it written that you end up with him?"

"You, better than anyone, knows how I feel about Jason."

"And that means no one else can have feelings for him either! The reason Jason has never been with anyone is cause every time someone shows an interest and gets close, you throw a tantrum and get all possessive," she snarled loudly. "If Jason is the love of your life how come it took like seventeen years for you to do something about it!"

"Why you little skank!" she said stepping toe to toe with Rebecca.

Rebecca shoved her a little "Bring it on bitch." Both girls brought their arms back like they were going to hit each other but were suddenly pulled apart and held a little over arms length away from each other.

"Whoa!" Jason said as he quickly stepped between them and pushed them apart. "Gotta end this now." Struggling against them as he tried to keep them separated, "We're not gonna solve anything with you two trying to crack each other's heads open."

"Stay out of this Jase," Amanda snapped, trying to push Jason's hand off her waist. "This is between me and the whore."

"Let's go little princess," Rebecca snapped back as she tried to do the same.

"Enough!" Jason yelled at them. "We're not gonna save our friendship with you two snipping at each other."

"Apparently there's nothing to save," Amanda said, "Or better yet, maybe there was nothing to save in the first place. How can I be best friends with a backstabbing, boyfriend stealer? Uh?"

"Amanda," Jason started to say but was interrupted.

"You know what," Rebecca interrupted, "For once, you're right! Why try and save something that was a joke to begin with."

"Fine!" Amanda shouted and spun around, and started to walk away.

Rebecca shouted back, "Fine!" and turning around the other way, she walked away.

Jason looked at Rebecca's retreating back, "Rebecca!" he shouted at her. Looking the other way at Amanda, "Amanda!" Looking back and forth between the two girls, "You can't end it like this."