Friends with Consequences Ch. 15-20

No matter how bad their past was, he never stopped caring for her as a person. Knowing he had a chance to take care of her again, he quickly responded, "I would really like to be your friend again."

Max could tell she was still broken, but he felt a jolt in his heart when a little smile came over Linda's face.

Linda thanked the young man before walking off, leaving him standing alone in silence. Though the young man was left torn with emotions, he was just happy to have his childhood friend back in his life.

Noticing the pretty brunette was gone, Max's roommate came back out and asked, "How did it go?"

Max stared off into the night sky, as if his mind was in a million places. "She's not doing too well... She also wanted me back..."

Raising his eyebrows in shock, Lee asked, "And what did you tell her?"

"I said I can't..."

Lee smiled while nodding his head. "You know... a year ago, you would have gotten back with her in a heartbeat. I guess you have a little more respect for yourself now."

"Yeah, I guess I do..."

"I guess you're not such a pussy anymore."

"I guess I'm not... but this is almost as painful..."

******

Chapter 18

I'm out of that toxic relationship

I've finally become sober

You came to my rescue

Now my problems are all over

That's the way I should feel

That's the way things should be

But the darkness hasn't gone away

Something is still wrong with me

Everyone thinks I'm good now

But I'm fragile like a feather

I still feel broken inside

Because I'm not doing any better

I'm not with him anymore

He was never my real lover

But now I get a front-row seat

To watch you happy with another

***********

A few months went by and Linda was trying to make strides to improve her life. With the support of her friends, which now included Max, she had almost completely stopped using drugs and alcohol. More importantly, she began staying away from the toxic people that kept her coming back to her dangerous habits.

Thinking it would be healthy for Linda to have a bigger support group, Max invited her out several times to play soccer. The young woman went a few times, much to everyone's surprise, and even impressed several of the guys with her natural athleticism.

Though Allie didn't enjoy having Linda around, she did her best to be respectful when they were in the same vicinity. However, silently, she was still battling the jealousy issues she had, knowing the taller brunette was with Max at one point in her life.

Linda was grateful to be friends with Max again. She was grateful that he introduced her to his circle of friends, and that they all accepted her. She was grateful for her roommate, who took care of her on a daily basis, and her best friend Jesse, who did her best to take care of her over the phone.

She was grateful for everything... but over time, she realized she still wasn't happy. There was something dark looming inside her heart. Secretly, she was dying inside.

Max, on the other hand, was as happy as he had been in a long time. In his mind, Linda was back in his life and heading in the right direction. Though he wasn't with her like he originally wanted, he was happy to just be friends with her.

They hung out from time to time, but they didn't often spend time alone. With Linda somewhat back in his life, Max understood it would be tough on his girlfriend, Allie. Wanting to be respectful to her, he did his best to care for Linda while maintaining boundaries.

Max was proud of the way he navigated through such a rough time. He felt everything was finally fixed, and the toughest part of Linda's and his lives were over. His relationship with Allie was also fixed, and she had finally gotten over her jealous spell.

Unfortunately, this would all come to an end one fateful day. Linda texted Max and asked if they could meet in the courtyard of their dorm prior to hanging out with some friends. The young man was a little confused, but didn't want to assume anything bad would come of it.

When Linda approached him in the courtyard, he noticed the depressed look on her face. She had a bitter frown, reminding him of the time she delivered the heartbreaking news at the same location as their freshman year.

.

"Hi Max," the young woman greeted, trying to put on a smile. After a second, the smile quickly disappeared, causing the noble man to realize how much pain she was going through.

"Hey Linda... Are you okay?"

Unable to regain the fake smile, the tall brunette shook her head. "No... I thought I was okay, but I'm not."

"What's wrong?" Max asked, now suddenly worried for his long-time neighbor.

"I've put a lot of thought into this, and I'm so sorry I'm doing this again, but I just can't be friends with you..."

Wide-eyed and confused, Max had adrenaline rushing through his body as he asked, "Why not?"

"I've been walking around, trying to pretend I'm happy. I almost convinced myself a few times, but the truth is... I think I'm even more depressed than I was when I was with Jake."

"Linda... you got out of that toxic relationship and you're not doing drugs anymore. I just don't understand..."

"I don't really understand either... You would think I'd be happier now that I'm away from all that mess, but I'm just not..."

"But why? Is it something I've done wrong?"

With a deep breath, Linda looked deep into Max's eyes. "Of course, not... You've been so great to me. It was so nice of you to introduce me to your friends. They were very nice and even Allie has been nice to me. I appreciate it all, and you've done everything you could do, but the unfortunate truth is... I can't handle having a friendship with you."

Unlike the last time Linda told him she couldn't be friends with him, Max could see the true pain in her eyes. He was left wondering how he never noticed how broken she was all along.

"I wish I could just stop having feelings for you, but I can't. And right now, it just hurts too much seeing you with someone else."

"Linda... I'm so sorry you've been going through this. I wish I would have known earlier so I could have done something about it."

"I'm sure you would have found a way to make things better; you always do," Linda responded with a bittersweet smile. But as a tear started to come down, she continued, "I just can't keep running to you to fix all my problems anymore. It's not fair to you, it's not fair to her, and it's killing me... Maybe someday I'll be mature enough to just be happy for you, but until then, I just can't be friends with you."

Max was left stunned, not knowing what to say. He was once again left heartbroken by his former neighbor and childhood friend. However, this time it was Linda he was heartbroken for, not himself.

Fully intending for this to be their last moment together, Linda wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for always taking care of me," she said before quickly letting go and walking off.

Max watched in silence, staring at the woman as he pondered what could have been if only things had turned out differently. "Goodbye, Linda..." he whispered, never taking his eyes off her.

***************

That evening, Max went to Allie's apartment before going out to meet the rest of their friends. When he arrived, his girlfriend quickly noticed something was on his mind by the uneasy expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" the cute little brunette asked her boyfriend.

He didn't know if it was right to share the conversation he had earlier, but he admitted, "I talked to Linda earlier today... She told me she didn't think it was a good idea for us to be friends again."

Holding back a smile, Allie asked, "Oh... Why not?"

Staring blankly, Max answered, "She said she's not mature enough to be friends with me... and it's unfair to you..."

"That's so interesting that she thinks that way... Are you going to be okay?"

The young man tried to snap himself out of the funk he was in by shaking his head. Refocusing on his girlfriend, he answered, "I'll be okay. It just caught me by surprise."

Allie grabbed her boyfriend and hugged him before saying, "I know it's difficult losing a friend but I think we should be respectful of her wishes." Holding him tight so he couldn't see her, she could no longer hide the smile from coming to her face.

***********

As Linda's semester ended, she decided to go back home as early as possible. Luckily for her, Jesse's college was close to hers, so she was able to catch a ride when her best friend went home.

Since Linda stopped seeing Max, she didn't feel any better. Though it still hurt to remember what she could have had, she hoped spending time with her parents would take her mind off her college troubles.

Unfortunately for the depressed woman, she had a secret looming in her heart. There was information she had withheld from her parents, and everyone else, that made it difficult to enjoy spending time with them. After a few days, she could no longer keep it a secret, and decided to rip the band-aid off by telling them.

After dinner, on a breezy Friday night, Linda struggled not to inch away from the dining room. As her parents started to walk off, she grabbed their attention, saying, "Mom... Dad... I have something I need to tell you guys."

Her parents came to a complete stop before turning around and looking at their daughter. "What is it?" her mother asked, with a concerned expression.

Not wanting to make eye contact, Linda looked down as she clasped her hands together. "I'm not going back to college next semester..." she said with a quiet voice.

Both parents did a double-take as their confused expressions grew more significant. "What do you mean you're not going back next semester?" her father asked.

Trying not to cry in front of her parents, Linda explained, "I don't want to go back... And even if I did... I can't because... I failed out of school."

Slowly, the expressions on her parents' faces went from confused to angry. Raising his voice, her father asked, "What do you mean you failed out of school?!"

"I don't understand," her mother interjected. "Was it just too difficult? Did Max not help you?"

"I didn't ask Max for help... I already ruined my relationship with him," the young woman answered, grimacing from the pain of that memory. "Either way, it wasn't his fault... I didn't even show up to take my finals... I'm done with college..."

With a loud gasp, both parents shouted, "How could you not show up for your finals?!"

"I'm so sorry..." Linda said, looking down as tears roll down her cheeks. "I just can't..."

"Linda, I'm very disappointed in you," her father interrupted, shaking his head as he glared at her. "It's one thing if you did your best... but to not even try... I have no words for you..."

Linda's mother jumped in, just as startled as her father was. "Yes, this is really disappointing, Linda... And that whole deal with ruining your relationship with Max... after his family has been so nice to us over the years? I don't know what you did, but I just hope you haven't ruined our relationship with his family too."

Even though the broken woman knew she deserved everything her parents were saying, she couldn't handle the berating any longer. Shutting her eyes as the tears continued to flow, she rushed up to her bedroom before slamming the door.

****************

Late into the night, Linda stared outside her bedroom window and watched as the trees rocked back and forth from the wind. After hours of crying, she was suddenly left feeling nothing but emptiness inside her.

I have no more tears to cry. I've already destroyed everything I cared about. What's there to cry for anymore?

Not that long ago, it felt like everyone loved me. How could things have gone so wrong? How did I become a failure in such a short amount of time? How did I let every single person I cared about down?

I hurt Max... and my two closest friends. They can say they forgive me, but I can't forgive myself, knowing the damage I caused them.

Even worse than hurting my friends, I hurt my parents... The looks on their faces... they've done everything for me. I thought home would be the one place where I could escape all my problems... but somehow, this is even worse...

There's no one I can turn to, and nowhere left for me to run... I've burned all my bridges and I failed everyone that cared about me...

Suddenly, her sad eyes became big as a dark thought crept into her mind. Maybe... maybe... I don't deserve to live anymore...

**************

That night, Jesse was up late, talking on the phone to one of her college friends. After having a fun time chatting it up, she noticed a notification on her phone.

Staring at it silently, she saw it was from Linda, and it read, "Thank you for always being my best friend and taking care of me. I love you Jesse."

That's strange... she thought to herself, as she read the message back over. It's not like to her to randomly send such a sweet message.

As the young woman continued to ponder the possibilities, she came to a complete stop and her heart began to race. "Hey, I need to go now," she quickly told her friend, before ending the call and urgently running out the door.

Jesse jumped into her car and drove straight to Linda's house, speeding the entire way. When she arrived, she jumped out of her car without even turning it off. Beating loudly on the door, she anxiously waited for an answer.

After pounding and pounding, Linda's mother finally opened the door, looking as if she just woke up. "Jesse! What are you doing here?"

"Is Linda here?!"

"She should be up in her room but she's probably asleep..."

Jesse quickly rushed in, not listening to another word. Running up the stairs, she finally reached Linda's room before running in without a knock. Much to her relief, she found her best friend on her knees, still staring out the window.

"Linda!" she yelled before rushing to the broken woman and embracing her in an emotional hug. She noticed Linda crying into her shoulder as they held each other tightly.

As they were hugging, Jesse realized her best friend was holding a bottle of pain reliever pills. She pulled away from the embrace to snatch the bottle out of Linda's hand.

Once she had it in her grasp, she shook the bottle to see if it was empty. After hearing a rattle, she looked into Linda's eyes and asked, "You didn't... did you?"

Choked up from all the tears and emotions, Linda shook her head, responding, "No... I was just thinking about it..."

Jesse wrapped her arms around her best friend once again, beyond relieved she got there in time. After throwing the bottle across the room, she whispered, "I'm here now... Thank God I got here in time..."

"Thank you, Jesse," Linda said through her heavy crying. "Thank you for being here."

"I can't lose my best friend... You mean everything to me..." She then pulled herself away so she could look into Linda's brown eyes. "You have to go to therapy... Will you go, if I go with you?"

In that moment, Linda could sense the deep sadness in her best friend's eyes. Wanting to get better so Jesse could stop hurting, she nodded her head, before crying in her shoulder again.

"Thank you, Linda... I love you"

"I love you too, Jesse..."

**************

Back at campus, Max was at his dorm for one final night. Because Allie had a later final than him, he agreed to stay so he could help her.

As they had dinner together, his girl cute girlfriend asked, "So, when exactly are you going to visit me this Summer? I don't want to go too long without seeing you."

"Let me get settled in at home first and see what my parents have planned," Max responded. "We can go from there."

"I'd really like something a little more concrete than that, unless of course you're just planning on going all Summer without seeing me."

"Of course not," Max responded with the sigh. "Just let me get things figured out with my parents first. I promise I'll come see you."

Suddenly, the young man felt several vibrations in his pocket, coming from this phone. Picking it up, he came across an unfortunate series of messages from his mother.

"What's going on?" Allie asked. "What are you reading over there?"

"Oh, no..." Max whispered, staring blankly at his screen.

"What is it?"

"It's Linda..."

Trying her best not to roll her eyes, Allie gritted her teeth and asked, "Linda texted you?"

"No... My mom just texted me about her. Apparently, she was taken to a psychiatric hospital last night..."

"Oh my God... Is she okay?"

"I don't know..." Max responded, going quiet as his face went white. Then he got up from his chair, saying, "I have to see her..."

"You're going to visit her when you get back?"

"No... I have to see her now," the young man urged. "I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Max!" Allie called, looking offended. "You're just going to get up and leave? You're supposed to help me study for my last final... and you're supposed to help me pack."

"I'm sorry, but this is an emergency. I have to make sure she's okay."

"She's fine!" the petite woman responded, growing more frustrated by the second. "She went to the hospital, so she's taken care of. There's no difference between seeing her tonight, and seeing her in a few days."

"How can you be so insensitive?" the frantic man asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Because she's not your girlfriend, but you keep running back to her, even when she already told you she doesn't want that."

"This is an emergency, Allie. In this kind of situation, all that stuff goes out the window."

"Everything goes out the window when it comes to her!" Allie yelled, looking angrier than Max had ever seen. "I have to beg, and beg, and beg, just to see you this Summer, but you go running back to her at the drop of a dime!"

"This is not some drop of a dime!" Max yelled back. "This is her life! This is important! You need to be understanding of that!"

"I have been understanding!" Allie shot back, rolling her eyes. "I let you be friends with her, despite your history with her. I let you introduce her to our friends, because you thought it would be good for her. I put up with it every time you ran back to her, but I'm not putting up with it any longer. At some point, I need to be the priority in your life, not your ex-girlfriend!"

Max scoffed, unable to believe the audacity of the short brunette. "When exactly were you understanding? Was it when you went through my phone, trying to find out if I had been secretly talking to her? Was it when you asked my friend Alex, who I'm not even allowed to be friends with anymore, about Linda? How about all the times you brought her up, after my thousands of attempts to comfort you about our past relationship?"

"Well, it looks like I was right about, because you obviously still have feelings for her. So, make your choice, either me or her. It seems like that's what it's going to come down to, anyway."

"There's no choice!" Max shouted, rolling his eyes.

"There is a choice. You can either stay here with me, like you promised, or you can leave and see her. But just know, if you leave to see her, don't bother talking to me again."

Tension filled the room as the young couple stared into each other's angry eyes. Max could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders while Allie impatiently awaited his answer.

*************************

As Linda and Jesse knocked on the door, a young woman with black hair and olive skin greeted them. "You must be Linda," the woman said, welcoming Jesse inside.

"Oh... Sorry, I'm her friend, Jesse. This is Linda. I'm just here for support."

"Hi, Jesse. Will you be joining us for the entire session today?"