Rebecca's life was crashing and burning at an alarming rate. She was standing on the side of the road next to her sister. She had just spent the evening enjoying dinner with her older sister and now she was watching her ex-boyfriend and her current girlfriend walk hand in hand towards the restaurant. She wanted to scream and yell and cry all at the same time. She really had no idea how to react, but Brian knew.
"Well hello, Rebecca." He was holding Maeve tightly by the arm and crossed the street.
"I see you've moved on. How are things?" Brian had always been condescending. He knew that the woman standing next to her was her older sister. Julie knew Brian very well from all the times he had hurt her sister. She hated him with a passion, but just stood, hoping Rebecca would stand up for herself.
"Things are fine." Rebecca was trying to look Maeve in the eye, but Maeve was looking anywhere but at her.
"I'm glad. This is Maeve. She's my date for the night. I'd love to chat, but we really must go. Bye."
And with that Brian guided Maeve up the street. Rebecca was left staring, unsure of what happened.
"I'll drive." Julie grabbed the keys from Rebecca's hand. She was in no condition to drive and was hoping they could get home before Rebecca broke down completely. Rebecca did make it into her apartment then ran and threw herself on the bed. She sobbed and then cried hysterically. Julie rubbed her back and got her tissues. When she cried so hard, she began to hyperventilate. Julie held her and tried to calm her down. The sun was just about to rise when Rebecca stopped crying. No words were said between the two sisters, but so much was understood.
Julie helped Rebecca wash her face and get into pajamas. She tucked her sister in and let herself out. She called Rebecca's work to tell them she was sick and then made her way back home.
The next day, Rebecca's phone vibrated every 20 minutes. It was Maeve calling and she just hung up each time it rang. By the end of the day, she was back to being her cowardly self. At the staff meeting, she was asked to take on more clients and barely had time to respond when her supervisor spoke for her. She didn't even respond. She really didn't care and figured if she spends the next year at her desk making phone calls, it would be for the best.