= Sarah POV =
I got home exhausted and sticky. The drink had dried and looked really gross on my dress, so I put it into one of our laundry bags and took it to the laundromat to get it properly cleaned later that day.
I showered and changed, and as I was preparing something to eat for dinner, I fumed about how Amber had just manhandled me and was apparently expecting me to just not to say anything about it.
Plus, I was still griping about how Chris had similarly manhandled me for the last several years and I never resisted or did anything about it either. Was I just a pushover?
As I set up my dinner in my room, I heard the front door open, and I stormed out. I stood akimbo at the door as Chris came in, holding her laptop bag in one hand and her phone in the other.
"So, Heather tells me that you were into me throughout college," I started, causing Chris to look up and be surprised.
"You talked to Heather about me today?" Chris asked, perplexed. She walked past me and dumped her laptop bag on the coffee table, shrugging off her blazer and then sitting down to pull off her socks.
"Yes, over a company lunch. Chris, you lied to me. Apparently, friends don't do things that we did, like kissing, hand-holding, or even…spooning at night in the same bed," I snapped.
Chris looked shocked, and then it seemed like the corner of her lips started to twitch. She quickly looked down and busied herself, opening her laptop bag.
"Ah ha! And why didn't you allow the dorm officials to change out the single bed with a bunk bed? It would have fit, wouldn't it? You just wanted an excuse to continue to use me as your bolster!" I exclaimed, feeling so liberated as I was finally able to tell it to her face.
"Also you're still doing it. You keep asking me to sleep with you the same way every time I roomed with you. Do you see where I'm going with this?" I asked while Chris took her time folding each sock as if they were made of gold.
"Oh, and at that time, you decided that we were racking up a water bill that was too high, so you insisted on having showers with me. Chris, I just found out this year that you are loaded. LOADED. You are so rich, I can't even fully comprehend how rich you are. Tell me the truth, did we really need to save on water, or were you lying to me to get me into the bath naked with you?" I snapped, and Chris covered her face with both hands, but her ears were bright red.
"Oh, look at you, all high and mighty. The other day, you were confessing your undying love for me, telling me that I had to accept you when you've been straight up dancing me along this entire time. I come to you, straightforward, asking you to be basically what Amber wanted to be with Heather: friends with benefits, while the entire time, you've been helping yourself to my body and my life, using my sense of goodwill and the debt that I always felt towards you, because you saved me from being homeless, to bend me to your will," I said, fuming.
Chris looked up and sighed. She was trying so hard to keep her face composed, but I could see that sparkle in her eyes. She knew she was caught, and she was trying to find a way to talk me down quickly, but I had caught her red-handed this time and I wasn't going to be played like a fiddle again.
"You don't love me; you love to play with me. I'm your favorite toy. And that is exactly why I can't return your feelings. Everything you do is perfect, yes, except for one thing," I said, standing up straight and crossing my arms, deciding to withhold the answer until she begged for it.
"Well, what is it? What is the one thing I haven't done? Haven't I cooked for you, given you a place to stay, and fulfilled all your needs? What is it that I haven't done to make you happy?" Chris pleaded, a panicked look crossing her face as she realized I was no longer someone she could just manipulate how she wanted.
I flipped my hair, finally feeling the satisfaction of now having her wrapped around my finger.
"I'm not telling you. But I will tell you this: I'm looking for a new place, and when I move out, I won't contact you again. Do you know why? Because I want out of this toxic, one-sided friendship," I said and turned, walking off victoriously.
"W-wait, Sarah, I just got home; you can't just dump all this on me and expect me to have answers for you. Plus, I wasn't always lying, I swear. Sure, I did lie about the water bill being high, but we did manage to save a lot by bathing together," Chris said, trailing after me as I marched into my bedroom.
I turned around and stopped in the doorway, my hands crossed.
Chris braced the doorway, licking her lips nervously as I looked her up and down.
"How much?" I asked with a deadpan look on my face.
"How much what?" Chris asked, obviously stalling for time.
"How much did we save? Over the course of those six months, I stayed with you and showered when you showered; how much did we save?" I asked bluntly, crossing my arms.
Chris sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Compared to the six months when you had active girlfriends, who you had sex with, who never once told me that you guys showered together, but who always left your place looking clean and fresh, so they clearly had showers, how much money did you save?" I asked.
"In the span of six months?" She asked, "How would I remember that?" Chris replied, looking at her feet.
"I know you, you're brilliant, and you remember every detail, even irrelevant ones. So how much did we save?" I pressed, not backing down "If you're going to make a claim, substantiate it or knock it off"
"Nothing, we saved nothing." Chris finally relented. "We actually spent more because we spent longer in the shower by showering together," Chris finally replied, groaning and walking away from the door.
"Hah, I knew it. See, you lied to me, and maybe even to yourself, about that one," I said and reached out to close the door.
"Wait, wait, wait, the bed thing, bunk beds are not safe", Chris started.
"Oh, okay. So, how many of your girlfriends were you allowed to sleep over?" I asked
"Zero….but you were my roommate; I couldn't have them in the same bed I had you", Chris looking flushed and nervous.
"Then where did you guys do it?" I asked, puzzled.
"Usually the couch of the fire exit," Chris sheepishly replied.
"And when I went to the room with Yamamoto for the next three years, I distinctly remember you had a no-sleepover policy, but for some reason, I was welcome all the time at all hours of the night, even right after you had one of your girlfriends over" I pointed out.
"Yeah, 'cause you were my friend! So, of course, I'd let you over," She said, wringing her hands, looking a little hopeful as if I would buy that excuse.
"Then why did you tell Heather and Ms. Jun that they weren't allowed to go to your dorm, as it would spoil things for you? Clearly, you three are friends. Such good friends that you started a business together, so if you aren't letting your real-life best friends into your dorm, what am I?" I asked pointedly.
Chris' jaw dropped, and then she turned away, lost for words.
She looked back at me and smiled weakly.
"Seriously Sarah, I know what it sounds like, but I swear I didn't mean any harm by it. I wasn't trying to take advantage of you; I just…want you in my life, and seeing as you didn't see me as anything more than a friend, I just…went along with it," Chris said, trying to explain her way out of this situation.
"Yeah, but if you really cared about me, why didn't you just tell me right from the start how you really felt?" I pointed out.
"Because I was in a relationship at the time, and I didn't know how I was feeling. I liked her, but you suddenly just appeared, and I just wanted you. I wanted her, and I wanted you, and you needed help, and I…I guess I just got carried away," Chris said, suddenly biting her finger. It looked like she was finally seeing things from my perspective.
"Yeah, you've been doing that a lot, haven't you? I think you've had more than enough of me, and I deserve better than this. From now on, you stay on that side of the house, and I'll stay in my room, so let's keep things PG until I move out, friend" I said and slammed the door in her face.