Caught in the middle

”I have had it with you!” Katyuna shouted as she got into Selaura, Jessica and hers room. Jess was sitting on her bed she had been reading, but got disturbed by her two friends who were storming in.

“Yeah? Well right back at ya!” Selaura shouted, smashed her books at their table. Jessica looked confused at her two friends. What was going on?

“Hey you two, what’s wrong?” she asked as she got up from her bed.

“Ask her!” Katyuna and Selaura said and pointed at each other. Jess looked confused.

“You ruined our project!” Katyuna yelled.

“Me? Who was the one who held to much stuff into the volcano?” Selaura shot back.

“Who was the one who forgot what she should say?”

“Who was the one who said ‘I have everything under control’?” Selaura said with a matter a fact voice.

“See that’s what I mean! You can’t take anything serious! Look at our room!” Everyone looked around. “It’s a mess! I am sick and tired of always be the one who has to clean this up!”

Jess blushed. Yes their room was a mess, the most of the time, but Selaura wasn’t the only one to blame. “You know Kate I make it look like a mess too.” She told.

“Maybe, but at least, you try to clean it again. Selaura just don’t. I don’t even see why we have her as a roommate!” Those words stung. Right into Selaura’s heart. Sure she didn’t helped out very much, and sure she was a bit lazy when it came to school and cleaning, but did it really make her a bad person?

Jess stood stunned. She never thought Katyuna would say that. Never. Ever. Sure Selaura wasn’t the most helpful into cleaning a room, but she was there, when you needed her. Even at school stuff. Jessica had lost counts of how many times Selaura had helped her with school stuff, either Jim or Katyuna couldn’t help or was busy.

“It would be better for us all if you just would leave.”

Selaura and Jess stood shocked.

“Katyuna you don’t mean that.” Jess tried, feeling really uncomfortable with this whole situation. Sealura just stood there and was close to tears. Fine if that how they felt, then so be it. Selura turned around, took her bag and began to put her stuff in. “Selaura?” Jess asked worried.

Selaura kept packing. “I can hear that I am unwanted so I’ll go. I know there is an empty room a bit away from here.” She told in a calm voice, though she felt like she could break down any minute.

Katyuna turned her back towards Jess and Selaura. Selura gave them one glare, before she swing her back over her shoulder and walk out of the door. Jess was about to walk out of the door, when Katyuna said:

“If you run after her. You and I aren’t friends anymore. So choose who your really friends are.” She then stormed out of the door, leaving a confused and shocked Jess alone in the room…. The young girl wrapped her arms around herself… how could she choose between her friends? A tear fell down; she didn’t bothered to dry it away only stared down at the ground.

***

Jim and Ben went down the hallway, up to Jim’s room. They had talked and laughed, until they saw Katyuna storming out of Jess, Selaura and hers room. Both boys looked confused at each other.

“I think I’ll go and find Kate.” Benjamin said.

“Yeah I’ll go and check on Jess and Selaura. I am wondering what had happened…” Jim said in a bit worry tone. Both boys separated and Jim went inside to find Jess, standing, her arms wrapped around her and her hair were hiding her face. Jim looked around one more time, before noticing that there was no Selaura. He slowly walked over to Jessica.

“Jess?” He softly said. “Jess, come on look at me.” Jim took his finger under her chin and lifted his head up so they were face to face. God, how she looked miserable. “What happened?”

Jess shook her head, her lower lips trembling; she clearly tried to hold in her tears and sobs. Jim wrapped his arms around her and hugged her into his chest. Jess couldn’t take it anymore and began to sob and cry. She clenched to Jim’s shirt, like her life depended on it.

Jim who still was confused of what had happened, but since Jess was reacting like this, it couldn’t be any good. He rubbed her back in a soothing way. Making Jessica to hold him even tighter.

In the mean while Benjamin ran after Katyuna.

“Hey Kate! Katyuna wait! Wait got damn it!” Ben was running, since she had been walking faster and faster. Katyuna had always been the fastest at running at their school. Finally he catches up with her. He grabs her shoulder. Making her turn around, looking at him with fury and watery eyes. “What happened?” Benjamin asked worried.

“Selaura. Leave me alone.” Katyuna said coldly threw her arm back and ran down the hallway. Benjamin looked stunned after her. What was going on?

***

It became dark. Selaura sat in the empty room. She didn’t bothered to pack her things out, she just sat there, on the empty bed, thinking, wondering… Selaura had hoped that somehow Jess would have run after her or something. She felt betrayed. Tears ran down her face. Lying down on the bed, she curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

Jim was lying beside Jess behind her back and held her close. She had cried since the time he had come into her room. Now were both teens, in his room lying in his bed. Jess had tried to tell him what had happened. But it didn’t made sense… Jess was sleeping now. Jim was trying to figure out what to do, and had a feeling that Jess was hiding something from him... Suddenly he heard the door was knocking.  

The boy turned his head a little to the side, waiting if someone knocked again.

*Knock, knock *

Jim was begun to slowly let go of Jessica, but suddenly felt hands holding tight to his. Jim realized that it was Jess. He leaned in again and whispered into her ear:

“It’s all right, I will just open the door, and I’ll be back. Okay?”  After a little hesitation Jess nodded and slowly let go of him. Jim gave a little smile and kissed her cheek, before getting out of the bed and went over to the door.

“Benjamin?”

Benjamin nodded and stepped into the room. “Is she all right?” He mouthed. Jim looked from Jess and back to Ben and shook his head. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” Benjamin asked, Jim nodded. They stepped outside the room and looked around to make sure they were alone.

“What is it?” Jim asked.

Ben sighed. “I talked to Katyuna.”

“Figured.”

“She told that, she and Selaura had a fight, and she said some things to her-“

“Yeah I already know that, but what has it to do with Jess?” Jim said irritated, already heard that story from Jess, but she never told him, what made her so upset… Benjamin looked at him. “Sorry Ben…”

“It’s all right. Well Katyuna told Jessica, that if she even thought about to run after Selaura, she didn’t wanted to be her friend.”

So that’s why, Jess was so upset. She was caught in the middle. Jim sighed and scratched the back of his neck. Jessica had always been more emotional when he came to friends, animals and kids.

“So what we gonna do?”

Benjamin shrugged his shoulders. Jim sighed. This was going to be harder then he thought.

***  

Next morning came. Jess was sitting with Jim, Benjamin and Katyuna. It was awkward. Suddenly she noticed Selaura was up to get some more food.

“I’ll go and get some fruit.” She told her friends. Jim gave a nod and a little smile, knowing very well what she wanted to do.

Jess stood beside Sealura. “Hey Selaura.” She slowly said.

Selaura glared at her. “What do you want?” She snapped, looking back at her food.

Jessica gulped. This wasn’t going very well. “Please Selaura you know I care about-“

“DON’T! Don’t say that you care, if you did, why didn’t you followed me?”  Selaura slammed her tray at the table and looked at Jess with hatred and hurt expression.

“Se…” Jess closed her mouth. She couldn’t tell her friend, that Katyuna had threat her to leave her as a friend as well.

“Yeah I thought so. You know what, screw you, screw you all!” With that the very angry young girl stormed out of the canteen. Leaving a confused and sad Jessica all alone. Jess took some deep breath, didn’t want to cry. Not now anyway.

Jim had watched them, and saw that Jess stood and tried to keep herself calm. He didn’t move, didn’t comfort her, well knowing that now it wasn’t the time. Jess then went back to her other friends, as she sat down, eyes were resting on her. Jim putted a comforting hand on her knee under the table. Making her look at him, giving a small smile. Jessica then looked back at Katyuna, who was furious.

“Why did you talk to her? God! I meant what I said, if you followed or talked to her, I didn’t want to be your friend!” Katyuna shouted full of anger. She was standing up and stormed out of the canteen as well. Benjamin looked from Katyuna to Jess and Jim. Jess had one tear that was sliding down her cheek.

Jim looked at Benjamin and gave a nod to the canteens door. Telling his friend that Benjamin needed to talk to Katyuna, and he needed talking to Jess. Benjamin nodded, rubbed friendly Jess’s arm before heading out. Jim took Jessica’s hand and led her out of the canteen.

****
The night came. Jim and Benjamin were sitting alone inside the canteen. Jess had cried herself to sleep in Jim’s room, Katyuna sat in her room, doing her homework and Selaura was crying in her own room.

“We have to do something Jim.” Benjamin said.

“I know… but what? Jess is the only one who wants to talk to them, while the rest of them doesn’t even want to look at each other. I am not good at this.” Jim said, taking his hand through his hair.

“We have to get Katyuna and Selaura talking to each other again.”
Jim nodded in agreement. This was going to be difficult, he knew that. But they had to try.

***

Next morning came, and Jim went to talk to Sealura, while Benjamin went down to talk to Katyuna. Or rather tricking them. While Jess was at the beach to go swimming. The boys made the girls down into their old room. Even though Katyuna had stayed in her original room, she didn’t cared that Jess was sleeping with Jim, and Sealura had moved out.

Just as the boys had pushed the girls into the room, both girls looked shocked at each other.

“YOU!!” they shouted. Jim was blocking the door, while Benjamin stood between the girls.

“I thought you said that, Jess was going to come and apologize to me.” Katyuna said to Benjamin, clearly blaming him, for lying.

“And you Jim, said the same to me.” Sealura told to Jim. The boy stood at the door, his arms crossed and didn’t care at all, that he had lied/tricked his friend.

“Yeah well, we lied. You two need to solve this problem!”

“What problem?”

“You know exactly what I mean. Did you two just hear yourself? You wanted Jess to apologize too you! I mean what the heck!?” Jim was getting angry at his two friends, but calmed at bit, when he saw Katyuna and Selaura faces turn, confused and a bit hurt.

“She turned her back on me!” Sealura shouted, trying to defend herself.

“Yeah to me too!” Katyuna said standing by Selaura’s side with her arms over cross.

“How? Just because she wanted to talk to both of you?”

Just as Selaura was going to protest, she stopped and looked down. A bit ashamed. That went the same for Katyuna. Jim was right.

“You know what? You two should get this solved, because it’s not fair to Jessica, to be caught in the middle of you two.” With those words Jim left the room. Benjamin had been the only who didn’t speak and followed Jim out, leaving two thoughtful girls.

They looked at each other, both feeling ashamed of them selves.

***

Night came. Jim and Jess slept both in his room. or at least they tried. Jessica couldn’t sleep and Jim tried to comfort her, still a bit mad at Katyuna and Selaura. Suddenly he heard his door git knocked on again. He let go of Jess and opened the door.

“Selaura?” Jim asked shocked.

“Hi, Jim.”

When Jess heard the girl’s voice talking, she sat up immediately and looked with blurry eyes at Selaura. Selaura had thought about, what Jim had said, and she and Katyuna had talked a little, and decided to talk about it tomorrow, but as more Selaura thought about it, more he felt bad. Jess had never betrayed her. Never. Why would she do it now?

“Hey Jess.”

Jessica ran up from the bed and into her friend arms. “I am sorry!” she cried.

“Don’t be sorry, I am the one who’s sorry.”  

Suddenly another knock came, and this time it was Katyuna. She looked like she had cried. The girls looked up from their hug and saw Katyuna. Jessica smiled and ran into her arms.

“I’m sorry Jess…”

“It’s okay.”

And then Selaura, Katyuna and Jess hugged each other. Jim just stood and watched them. A bit proud of him that he could get them to be friends again.