AN: I know I usually alternate perspective but this is another Stacey based chapter.

"Oh my god Stacey what is wrong?"

Claudia had opened the door to see her best friend standing on her doorstep in tears. It was nearly midnight when Stacey had called her asking if she could come over.

"I'm an idiot aren't I?" she sobbed. Her eyes were red and her cheeks blotched, she looked like she had been crying for hours.

"Is this about Sam?" Claudia asked, immediately regretting her harsh tone.

Stacey just nodded before collapsing into her best friend's arms.

"Jesus Stace," Claudia said, not really prepared to carry her full weight. "Why don't you come upstairs."

Stacey nodded and followed Claudia to her room. Her sister Janine had long since left for college so Claudia had transformed her sisters room into her art studio and her bedroom had become a lot tidier as a result.

"I'm so miserable," Stacey moaned, clutching one of Claudia's pillows to her chest as she climbed on to the bed.

"What did he do," Claudia demanded.

"Nothing," Stacey sniffed. "No really," she continued. From the way Claudia had cocked her eyebrow she could tell she didn't believe her. "It's just I must look so ridiculous."

She wailed again and hugged Claudia's pillow tighter.

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong," Claudia pointed out. She was a little bit uncomfortable with how upset Stacey was.

"You were right. He uses me," Stacey sniffed. "The car broke down on the way to New York so we couldn't go to the party and Sam asked me to stay at his house. If I did he would just have slept with me again and left again."

Stacey broke into fresh sobs. Claudia had never seen her so emotional.

"He shouldn't have slept with you the first time," Claudia said angrily.

"Maybe not," Stacey sniffed. "I just don't know what to do. I'm so confused. I think he loves me."

Claudia sat next to her on the bed and rubbed her back, she was starting to get hysterical.

"Don't let him sleep with you any more," Claudia advised, "don't let him kiss you, don't let him hug you. In fact just try to avoid him altogether. It's the only way your ever going to get over him. Here." She handed Stacey a box of tissues.

"Thank you," Stacey replied automatically but her expression still looked haunted.

"Why now though," Claudia demanded. She was curious to now what had bought on this epiphany when she herself had been telling her these things for over a year now.

"His room mate came on the trip with him," Stacey sniffed. "He told me that he thought Sam was stringing me along. What the hell does it say when his own friends think that he is using me."

"Oh Stacey," Claudia said sympathetically before wrapping her arms around her best friend. "That must have been so embarrassing."

Stacey just nodded her head.

She blew her nose before saying. "He's a total stranger to me and yet he knows more about what's going on with Sam than I do."

"You should make a clean break," Claudia advised. "Just don't talk to him any more. If he does call you, get your mother to tell him your out."

Stacey nodded her head. "Yeah your right. This has gone on long enough. I must look like such a joke."

"No you don't," Claudia replied fiercely. "Don't do this to yourself. He fucked around with your emotions."

"But I let him," Stacey replied, still automatically defending him, "I never once told him to stop."

"Yeah well, it's all over now anyway," Claudia finished.

Both girls sat with their backs against Claudia's bedroom wall in silence. Stacey broke the silence by asking if she could spend the weekend.

"I told my mother I was staying with Laine. She thinks I'm in New York. If I go home she'll think Laine and I had a big fight again and she'll probably call her mother to find out what happened."

"Yeah, you can stay," Claudia replied immediately. "We'll just tell my parents that your helping me with my maths. They love that you help me with that. They think you're a good influence."

Stacey and Claudia smiled at each other. Claudia's parents were a lot better about her school work then they used to be but she knew they still longed for her to be more of a scholar.

"Where were you before?" Claudia asked, "If you didn't call me from your house."

"I used the phone at Watson's house," Stacey explained. "Then I asked Sam to drive me here."

"I wish I had known that," Claudia huffed, "I would have given him another taste of the back of my sketch book." She was pleased when Stacey started giggling and soon they were both laughing.

"Claud," Stacey said after another pause, "you're the best, best friend in the world."