I stare and she stares back.

I'm in shock because I didn't even know she could cry. Tess always seemed so….alien. It was all about Destiny and going back "home" wherever that was. I would have assumed that fucking Max was her dream come true.

"Are you going to leave?" I ask rudely because there is no way I'm going back out there.

She shakes her head and says, "I can't."

This leads to another round of staring with neither of us backing down.

Now normally I don't really have much to say to Tess and the few things I do want to say are not exactly words of friendship. But there was something pitiful about her sitting on a desk in the Eraser Room with black mascara streaks running from her puffy eyes and down her distraught face.

So I put my bag on the floor and took a seat opposite her, "Why not?"

"Why do you care?" she bites out as she eyes me suspiciously.

"I don't know", I answer because truthfully I didn't, "It's not like you're my favourite person or anything." I sigh before continuing, "Look Tess, you can either sit here crying while I sit here hiding or you can tell me what your problem is".

For a while she sits there deciding. I honestly could care less but I was tired of dealing with my own problems. Hearing some else's might get my mind off of things, even for a bit.

"I slept with Max"

Okay…I know she's s a blonde but geez…tell me something I don't know. Obviously my thoughts must have been reflected on my face because Tess glares at me before continuing.

"Look I know you don't like me. I'm the evil blonde bitch that came along and ruined everyone's life. I used my alien powers to make Max think he had feelings for me and I don't speak unless to spout words of "Destiny…" Man and they say I rant? "…I'm the one who caused problems between Michael and you. I caused the problems between Isabelle and Alex. I'm the evil villain in the sordid tail of Max and his love for the Perfect Liz Parker. Yes! I know what you all think of me and you know what I don't care".

Then Tess shocks me again by crying into her hands while mumbling the words "I don't care" over and over.

I don't know what to do. I mean just because I don't like the girl doesn't mean I meant to push her into some kind of psychotic state. I'm racking my brain trying to decide what to do and I say the first thing that comes to mind.

"I walked in on Michael and Liz having sex".

…………

Yea you're probably thinking why, right? I don't know, like or really trust Tess. She has caused nothing but problems… and she seems kinda skanky. The truth is there were many reasons that I could give but the only one that counts is the fact that I know that her hurt is genuine. It made me feel like I was needed to help and it felt good.

"After I saw…you and Max, I went to the Crashdown to tell Liz. It's the best friend thing to do you know. I decided to go through her window from her balcony. That's when I saw…."

"Wait, are you sure? This is Liz Parker and Michael Guerin. I always got the impression that they barely liked each other", interrupted a confused Tess.

"Yes, I'm sure", I said confidently.

While a shocked Tess listened, I described everything that had happened between the time I walked in on her and Max to the moment I opened the door to the Eraser Room.

Tess was doing this weird staring thing at my face the entire time. It was really unnerving and caused me to rush my story. Once again my face revealed my thoughts to a T.

"The whole time you explained everything you sounded…weird. You should be mad as hell for what they did to you", Tess said as she continued search my face. "You sound like you're reading a paragraph in class. Bottling it up isn't going to make it go away".

I don't know what surprised me more: the fact that Tess was giving me advice or the fact that said advice came from a person who sounded concerned. Instead of answering I decided to change the subject of my pathetic existence back to hers.

"So what's so bad about you sleeping with Max? It's what you came here to do and you accomplished it. Why aren't you happy?"

It worked. Tess jumped of the table and walked over to the ventilator.

"Well isn't it?" I asked again.

Still no response.

"Tess", I said more firmly.

"At first it was the only thing I could think about." She finally answered. "But when I met Max, he wasn't anything like I was told he would be. He wasn't strong or a born leader. He was this confused high school boy who wanted nothing to do with what we were. I tried and tried to make him see things my way but over time he grew resentful and eventually broke off contact with me. As the summer progressed I started spending time with Kyle because he was the only person who was nice to me".

I looked away ashamed because my behaviour towards Tess wasn't justified. I was too busy being the best friend that I failed to realize that Tess's attitudes were a result of her being raised by Nacedo the Creep who was like the ultimate alien..

"Kyle's a great guy and I started to…uh feel things for him", Tess continued. "He told me that he was feeling the same feelings and wanted to start dating."

I started to have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized where this was going.

"Tess…don't tell me."

She nods as she begins to cry again but holds her hands up as I open my mouth.

"It's not what you think"

Why are there always excuses for sleeping around?

"Max and I were doing this memory retrieval that I had been bothering him about for weeks. He finally gave in and said he would only do it if I stopped with the past lives stuff. I agreed. I knew by then that the only feelings I had for Max were due to my being raised by Nasedo. I mean I don't even remember being his wife. I wanted to commit to Kyle. I just needed the closure so I could move on. We didn't mean for that to happen. Our memories were too intense to control and they took over. I wasn't Tess, I was Ava and Max was Zan. We didn't realize what we were doing until you showed up.

"This is why I'm hiding. I realized at the moment that you stopped us that I didn't feel anything for Max and that I loved Kyle"

"Tess, it was a weird, extremely weird situation, but it wasn't you and Max. It was Ava and Zan." I said as I attempted to comfort her.

"But I have to tell Kyle, I can't keep something like this from him," Tess says quietly.

"Well, then tell him." I replied.

"What if he doesn't forgive me?" She whispers softly.

"Then he doesn't. It's up to Kyle.

Tess nods and turns to face me. "Would you?" She asks.

I don't hesitate with my response. "No".

I watch as the hope slowly dies from her eyes.

There's nothing left to say. We both sit side-by-side in the Eraser Room silently. Her pondering forgiveness and me thinking when it was justified.

I looked at my watch and saw that an hour had passed.

"Tess", I said interrupting her thoughts, "it's late we should go". I crept to the door to see if the coast was clear.

"Thanks" she says as she silently walks with me to the parking lot.

I think about Tess. I think about Kyle. I think about them never being happy because of a mistake that wasn't really anyone's fault. Lastly I think about forgiveness. Maybe there are some things you can forgive. With that thought I turn around and run to Tess's car.

Tess is puzzled as she rolls down her window and opens her mouth but I quickly cut her off.

"Tess…you need to remember that I'm not Kyle. Tell him the truth because lies only make things worse. Don't give up on him and what you could have. Fight for him. Fight for your relationship.

I turn around and walk away from her car. I may not feel completely alive yet but thanks to Tess I know I will.

tbc