Friends and Lovers
By Misha

Chapter Seventeen

Author's Notes- Okay, this chapter is fairly long and it's mostly Mason angst, I'm not where I'm going to go with these two and their relationship, but I'll decide soon. No Shelle and very little Phloe in this chapter either, but they'll both be in the next one. That's all for now, enjoy.

Friday, December 1st 2000

"What happened between you and Shawn?" Mimi asked later that night when she and Chloe were both sitting cross-legged on her bed. "I mean it's obvious that something went down, but what was it?"

"He told me he loved me." Chloe confessed softly. "And I reacted badly."

"Poor guy." Mimi whispered.

"Yeah." Chloe agreed. "I really care about him, but not in that way. I only love one man and that's Phillip. Always Phillip. I just wish I didn't have to hurt Shawn or ruin our friendship."

Mimi looked at her curiously. "But you two have been hanging out at school the last couple weeks."

"We're trying to rebuild it." Chloe said softly. "But it'll take a lot of time."

"But it'll happen. What about him and Belle?"

"She likes him." Chloe confided. "A lot. But, he doesn't seem to realize. He's as clueless as I was."

"That's too bad." Mimi said sincerely. "They'd make a great couple."

"They would." Chloe agreed. "Speaking of great couples, when did things start going wrong with you and Jason?"

Mimi sighed. "I don't know. One day everything was perfect, then the next I started noticing everything that was wrong with our relationship. I think it was you and Phillip. You guys are so perfect together, so loving, you have so much faith in one another. Jason and I never have. Correction, Jason never has. You know how jealous can be, the funny thing is it never bothered me until I saw how much Phillip trusts you."

"Oh, Mimi." Chloe said softly. "Maybe you should talk to Jason, tell him what's bothering you, see if there's a chance."

Mimi sighed. "I don't know. I thought it might be easier to make a clean break."

"And break his heart." Chloe pointed out. "Whatever his faults, Jason loves you. And you love him. Don't you owe it to both of you to give it another chance?"

"I'm not sure I can." Mimi cried. "Chloe, the last month or so, I've felt so trapped. I was aware of what was wrong, but I wasn't sure what to do, when I finally decided to end it, I felt as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders."

"I didn't realize things were so bad between you and Jason." Chloe said quietly.

"On the surface they weren't." Mimi told her. "But, inside... Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something happier, you and Phillip."

Chloe smiled. "No problems there. Meems, I feel as if I'm falling in more in love with him in each minute. I love him so much."

"So far how have you two gone?" Mimi asked with a smile.

Chloe blushed. "Just kissing, we're taking it slow."

"That's sweet." Mimi told her. "So, he's being a gentleman?"

"Completely." Chloe told her. "He's so considerate, making sure not to pressure me."

"Jason was the same way." Mimi said quietly. "He never rushed me and when..."

Chloe was silent for a moment, she had already known that after a year of dating Mimi and Jason had had sex for the first time six months ago. She had been the first person Mimi had told, the only person Mimi had told.

"I think Phillip will be the same way." Chloe declared after a moment, deciding not to bring the subject of Jason up again. "I also think he'll make sure it's completely romantic. He's like that."

"I can tell." Mimi said with a smile. "Chloe, he worships the ground you walk on. In his eyes you're perfect."

"It's a little frightening." Chloe confided in her friend. "I'm constantly afraid of screwing up and ruining his ideal of me, but at the same time I want to. It's weird knowing that someone you love has placed you on a pedestal."

"I know." Mimi said quietly. "Jason always did."

Chloe thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Now that I think about it, you're right."

"Jason always saw me as the perfect girl. Smart, beautiful, popular, a cheerleader. At first I was the trophy girlfriend, the perfect match for Salem High's star line-backer, but after a while he began to fall in love with me. And in a way, that was worse. When I was just a thing to him, at least it wasn't serious, he wasn't so paranoid or possessive, but when we started going steady... In his eyes I could do no wrong, but because he saw me as a goddess placed above every other girl, he never truly began to trust me. In his eyes I was flawless, but he was always searching for flaws. He was so afraid that I'd hurt him that he never really got to know the real me." Mimi said quietly, tears in her eyes. "Do you know that it took me six months to realize how he felt? And even then, I thought it was something that he'd get over once he knew how much I loved him. Even after I gave myself to him he didn't really believe that I was happy with him and him only."

Chloe patted her friends hand. "Oh, Meems... Have you wondered why Jason's that way? Why he's so insecure."

Mimi nodded. "Yes, but he won't tell me..."

Chloe looked Mimi in the eye. "Ask him again. Set a meeting with him to talk about your relationship, about how you felt, and really talk to him, try to get him to open up. But if it doesn't work... At least you'll know you gave it a shot."

"Yeah." Mimi agreed. "Thanks, Chloe, I think I'll do that."

Chloe smiled. "I'm glad, now that we've got the serious stuff out of the way, what do you say to some Pizza and Grease?"

It was both of their's favourite movie, Chloe's because of the music, and Mimi's because of the plot, and they had watched it a million times.

"Okay!" Mimi readily agreed, pushing all thoughts of Jason and their failing relationship away temporarily as she reached for the phone.
* * * * *

"I love her, man." Jason confessed to Phillip as he began to drown his sorrows in his drink. "But, sometimes I'm so afraid I'm gonna lose her that I act like an idiot, do you think that's what made her dump me?"

Phillip considered the question.

It was certainly a possibility, Jason's jealous possessiveness was legendary at Salem High and maybe Mimi finally got tired of and decided she was through.

Jason and Mimi had always been tight, but now that he thought about it the relationship had always been slightly off balance.

Jason had never seen Mimi for Mimi, a teenage girl with faults just like everyone else, and instead had seen her as some sort of goddess. The problem was as much as he loved and worshipped her, he never trusted the fact that she loved him in return and would always be faithful to him so he was paranoid and possessive.

"Jason," Phillip began, unsure how to approach his friend. "Maybe, that is the problem. Jase, I hate to say this, but you've always put her on a pedestal. Mimi's just a normal girl, maybe she wants to be treated like one."

Jason took in what Phillip was saying and sighed. "I see what you're getting at. Phil, it's just that she's so amazing... I guess I don't understand why she loves me."

Phillip looked at Jason seriously, knowing now, when Jason was being influenced by alcohol, was probably the only time his friend would listen to him about this. "You don't have to worry. She loves you, but if you want to win her back, maybe you should examine yourself and see what makes you act the way you do, and your relationship with Mimi."

Jason didn't say anything, just sat there, obviously taking in Phillip's words and considering them.

Phillip prayed his friend would listen to him, because he knew that if he didn't, Jason would lose Mimi forever and that would devastate him.
* * * * *