The End Of The World. Or Something.

Two days ago, I was trapped.

Trapped in a room with two great friends. Horrible, right?

Actually, it was. You see one was a girl, and the other was a boy. Need I say more?

Let's call the girl "Emma" and the boy "Jake". And this is how the story went:

Emma is a friend of mine. Jake recently became one too. Emma and Jake quickly became friends. One day, Emma happened to tell me a "joke" that got me thinking. When confronted, the truth was told: Emma liked Jake, quite a bit more than expected, actually. Needless to say, Jake was oblivious. Wanting to be a good friend to both of them, I kept my mouth shut, refusing to "get involved". It was all fun and games, until one day, Emma slipped up. Jake ignoring the "what you don't know won't hurt you" looks I kept shooting him, digged deeper, wanting the truth behind the giggles.
Soon, the scene changed. Emma was sobbing her heart out. Jake didn't know what to do with all the guilt. And I was trapped.
I couldn't leave. So, I wrapped my arms around Emma and gave her a shoulder to cry on. All the while, looking at Jake behind her, mouthing to him,"It's okay, it's not your fault."

How do you convince a seventeen-year-old girl who had her heart broken four times in the last six months that it wasn't the end of the world? That she wasn't hopeless? That things will work out for her? That poor Jake wasn't trying to break her heart? How do I tell her any of this without mentioning her tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve? Without hinting at the way she gets too emotionally involved before she should? Without telling her that the awful pain she felt was more of her doing that that of the boy she blamed?

I didn't.

I couldn't look at the mascara streaking down her face and that sparkle in her eye dim just a little and tell her all those things.

So, I let her sob. Telling her that things will get better. That it just wasn't right. That she will find the right one. That when she does, it will be absolutely perfect. That the pain she feels will be gone. That things will be okay.

What the girl really wanted to hear is,"You deserve better". I could tell that Emma was waiting for me to say those words, to convince her with those words. But, I didn't.

It wouldn't have been fair to Jake. Jake, who wanted to punch himself in the face. Who wanted to return the feelings that he didn't have. Who couldn't do anything about what was happening. Who couldn't comfort a friend he unintentionally hurt. Who just wanted to be true to himself. Who was also my friend.

He was a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him. I didn't want to put him any lower than he already felt. He didn't deserve it.

After doing all that I could, I suggested that we all go home and just take a breather.

The day after, things had changed. The air was tense, the smiles were fake, and the laughter sounded bitter. The friendship was tremendously weakened.

I had done all I could, yet it seemed like nothing at all.

...

And people wonder why I have Philophobia.