A Greater Good (girlxgirl)

Truth

Everlyn turned around slowly to see Jane standing beside her car staring at her hopelessly. Everlyn felt all the walls protecting her from thinking about Jane and feeling things for Jane crash down, she felt hopeless as she watched Jane struggle with being vulnerable. 

"Don't say that," Everlyn whispered.

"Why not? It's true."

"Because I'm getting married, I can't hear that."

"But I'm not getting married. I miss you, Ev, I can't pretend I don't."

"You can't just come to me after four years of nothing and spring that on me. Especially now! I'm getting married," Everlyn repeated urgently, she wanted Jane to picture what it was like for her, for her to imagine being engage and someone with a long history to come forward and admit feelings.

Jane stepped towards Everlyn and she took a step back. It was this small action that hurt Jane most, not the words that had been flung at her.

"You're getting married," she said quietly, sadly as well. Finally what was happening was sinking in, she was losing what she really wanted and there was no way it could work out now, it was too late. 

"Yes," Everlyn sighed.

"Why?" Jane asked.

The streetlights had flicked on and fog was setting in around them, Jane's car's headlights glared out down the street and two feral cats sat in the middle of the road playing in the moonlight. Everlyn watched them, trying to understand what was going on in her head, why there were no answers but so many questions. She didn't know the answer to Jane's question, but she was happy, she was happy with James, this was true. 

"Why?" Jane repeated.

"Jesus!" Everlyn snapped. "Ten minutes ago you wanted to move on, you agreed that we couldn't go backwards and then you say this to me, I think I can have a couple of minutes to think!"

Jane let all the breath out of her lungs and it joined the atmosphere as mist where it disappeared like any hope she had of Everlyn saying something similar back to her.

"We were happy," Jane whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Everlyn looked away awkwardly. Even when things between her and Jane were well, Jane was strong and unemotional.

"Yeah, well, things change."

"They can't have changed that much, you can't have no feelings for me, Everlyn!"

"You were my friend, Jane, you were my friend before anything else. But you know what kills a friendship? What you did. We aren't friends anymore."

"I was the friend," Jane remarked bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"I was the friend who you told everything to, the friend you did everything with, the friend who did anything for you, I was the friend." Jane paused. "And now I'm nothing."

"You're not nothing, Jane - "

"No, sorry, I forgot, I'm your sister-in-law." And with that Jane got back into her car and drove away rather dangerously.

Everlyn stood in the feeble light from the street lamps and waited until she couldn't hear Jane's engine before slowly moving into her house, her spirits low.