The Breakup
It was a relatively blustery Friday morning in Whitehall. For the day, Cate dressed in beige capri pants, white Keds, a pink camisole, a purple blazer, and her favorite red scarf. She had just parked her blue 2005 Nissan Altima in the school parking lot, and was getting out of the car when she received a text from Tommy saying, "We need 2 talk ASAP." Cate then texted back, "Ok. Where r u?" In just a few seconds, he responded, "By the water bubbler near the gym." "Ok. I'll b right there," Cate texted.
A few minutes later, Cate arrived at the gym entrance where the water bubbler was stationed, and she saw Tommy standing there with a look of worry on his face. "Hi, Cate," Tommy said with a hint of sadness. Cate then asked, "Babe, what's the matter?" "I have to tell you something I should have told you a while ago," Tommy said. Cate, having a sinking feeling she knew what he was going to say, plainly told him, "Ok…go on." Taking a deep breath, he said, "I have been seeing Lizzie for a little over a month now, and I have lied to you the whole time that I wasn't. I am so very sorry for being so dishonest with you and for betraying your trust." Cate, in a state of hurt, shock, disgust, and anger, shook her head and processed what Tommy just told her. After about five seconds of awkward silence, Cate said, "I…I don't know what to say…how to feel right now. I can't believe this. Why, Tommy? Why did you do it? Why didn't you come to me right away and tell me you had feelings for her?" "I was weak. I caved into her advances after a while. There was just something about her that was new, fresh, and exciting that I found it hard to stop resisting her. It all led to me losing all my control, and I have been secretly seeing her ever since," Tommy said remorsefully. Feeling anger stir up inside her as she took in his explanation, Cate screamed, "Didn't you ever hear of self-control?! Huh? Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, you caved into her advances because you are an attention whore who lives for attention?!" "QUIET DOWN! People can hear you! And don't you dare call me that! I just have a charm that ladies find irresistible, and I can't help it when they start to fawn over me," Tommy snapped. Cate had just about had enough with Tommy talking, and she yelled, "IT'S OVER, TOMMY! You can have that trampy Barbie doll all for yourself. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. Goodbye!" After that, she angrily ran off. As he tried to catch up with her, Tommy shouted, "I didn't mean to say that. It came out wrong! Just…just…come back! Please, sweetie! Hear me out." After he realized that she was not going to run back to him, Tommy said to himself with tears in his eyes, "You're an absolute fool, Thomas Isaac Seymour. An absolute fool."
Cate had been running so fast to get away from Tommy that she ran right into Jane. "Oh, darling! I'm so sorry! I didn't look where I was going. Tommy just confessed to me that he was cheating on me, and I broke off our relationship in anger. I am in absolute shock," Cate said. Jane then told her, "I'm so sorry this all happened to you, sista. It's just not fair. Get this: I found out he was cheating on you right after you and I finished our chat last night. I was in total disbelief. After he told me everything, I told him to man up and be accountable for his actions." Cate then said, "What impeccable timing! How did you find out?" "He was laughing very loudly in his room, and I went to tell him to be quiet as I couldn't hear myself think. When I was about to open the door, I heard him call Lizzie a 'vixen' over the phone. At that point, I screamed at him and then gave him a pep talk on accountability. After I was finished talking, he made a clear resolve to own up to his mistakes. I could see it in his eyes," Jane said. Cate then gasped in realization that she made a huge mistake of her own by storming off on Tommy earlier. "Oh my God. I just yelled at him. I didn't give him a chance to explain himself. He and I are still over, don't get me wrong. I can't date someone who has feelings for someone else. I feel like such an idiot, Patches. A total idiot," Cate said as she started to cry. "Sista, you are not an idiot. It was all in the heat of the moment. I get it. I had more than a few choice words when Mike broke up with me over the phone," Jane said.
Cate and Jane shared a hug when they heard a familiar voice coming from a few feet away. "Jane! Cate! What's going on?" "Hey, Cat. Cate just found out that Tommy was cheating on her with Lizzie, she angrily broke up with him, and now she feels guilty for losing her cool when he was trying to apologize to her," Jane said. "Oh, hun! I'm so sorry! You totally didn't deserve any of this. I thought Tommy had better self-control then that," Cat said. "Me too, girl, me too," Cate said. Cat then said, "As for what happened when he told you about this, I don't blame you for blowing your top off at him. It's normal to feel angry when someone you care about betrays your trust. Take it from me. I practically bit JP's head off before he could explain himself over that Ritalin mess over April vacation." "I know, Shorty, but you guys worked it out eventually. Congrats again on getting back together by the way. We are so thrilled and happy for you both! You guys are going to be together forever and ever," Cate said with a wink. Cat blushed and said, "Awwwww! Thanks sweetie. It's surreal. Who knows, maybe you and Tommy will be together again one day. You guys always were magnetic together." Jane nodded in agreement to Cat's last statement. "Yeah. The universe always has an interesting way of working, and it would thrill us all to see you guys back together to show Lizzie that she can't tear true love apart," Jane said enthusiastically. Following a slight chuckle, Cate said, "Thanks for always being so understanding, sistas. I appreciate and love you all to the moon and back! As for me and Tommy, I will talk to him at lunch to tie up loose ends and end our relationship on an amicable note. Funny thing is that I still love him, and probably always will, but right now, I cannot be romantically involved with someone who broke my trust. If, by any chance, we do get back together, it won't be for a while. Thanks again, girls." "Anytime," Cat and Jane said in unison. A second later, Mrs. Beaufort cheerfully chimed in over the intercom, "Five minutes till homeroom, everyone! Five minutes to homeroom!" "Ahh well…we shall meet again soon, girls. Cate, good luck," Jane said. "We have your back forever and always," Cat said as she blew a kiss at Cate. "You guys are lifesavers. Truly! No matter what happens in our lives, remember that we are one! Always and forever," Cate said. "Here, here," Jane and Cat both said as the three girls departed for their homerooms.
At the start of lunch, Cate immediately began searching for Tommy in the large crowd of students gathering in the cafeteria. Tommy was doing the same. After a few minutes of searching for each other, they found each other and began to talk. "Hi, Tommy," Cate said. "Hi," Tommy said back. Following a few seconds of awkward silence, Tommy said, "I apologize for being so cocky with that ladies' man comment this morning. That was so out of line of me to say that." "I forgive you for that. I am sorry for yelling at you without giving you a chance to explain yourself and for calling you a man whore. If anything, I was the one out of line for calling you a man whore in the first place," Cate said with sincerity and shame over her previous actions. "I understand, Cate. I forgive you, too. Now that I think about it, I probably would have had a similar outburst if I was in your shoes," Tommy said in a reflective tone of voice. Cate then responded, "Ok. We both acted in self-defense. Now we should talk about everything with a clean slate. I am ready to listen." "Ok, where was I when you ran off on me this morning? Oh, I remember! I was saying that I was weak and caved into Lizzie's advances and that from then on, I was getting too caught up in each moment I was with her. I think her frisky and flirtatious nature turned me on after a while, and I couldn't help myself. I was at the point of no return, so to speak. It was so new, so tantalizing. It's hard to describe. And yes, I know very well that my lost inhibitions do not make a good excuse for my cheating," Tommy explained. Cate then replied, "No, it doesn't excuse the fact that you cheated on me. You got that right! What I am sensing is that her spontaneity was new and fleeting for you, and that you enjoyed it. Is that right?" Pleasantly surprised at how well Cate understood his emotions, Tommy said, "Yeah. You pretty much nailed it." "I see. If that is what you want and you feel happy around her, I think you should give it a shot with Lizzie," Cate said. With a bit of sadness, Tommy asked, "It's really over between you and I, isn't it?" "I'm sorry. I can't trust you as a boyfriend after you cheated on me. I cherish all the good times we had together as a couple. Funny thing is that I still love you, and I always will. I wish you all the best," Cate said with much heart-felt honesty. After giving a sigh of disappointment, both in the situation and at himself, Tommy said, "Ok. I guess I deserved that. I am so sorry for failing you. You really do deserve much better than me. Now that I think about it, I don't think that entering a relationship with Lizzie is a good idea either. I think it would do me well to take a break from dating for a while and enjoy all my friendships. With that said, will you at least remain on friendly terms with me now that we have talked?" "Absolutely! I will always be your friend. We have been friends since we were infants. There is nothing that can change that," Cate said. "Good. I'm glad we will always have our friendship," Tommy said happily. "Always," Cate said with glee. After making their pact to remain friends, Cate and Tommy waited in the lunch line for food and to catch up with their other friends in the cafeteria. The day overall was bittersweet because, even though their romantic relationship was over, Cate and Tommy both found much comfort knowing that they would always have their friendship to fall back on.
A/N: What do you guys think? Would you guys like Tommy and Cate to get back together in the future or should they just stay friends? Please let me know with your input and feedback 😊