Chapter 13: First Fight
The apartment had never felt this quiet before.
The silence wasn't peaceful—it was sharp, heavy, filled with everything that had not been said yet. Linda sat on the couch, staring at the blank television screen. Mathilda stayed in her room, the door closed, music playing softly but not loud enough to hide the pain.
Hours passed like that.
Neither of them ate.
Neither of them slept.
The Valentine decorations still hung on the wall, mocking them. Pink hearts. Red ribbons. Words like love and forever written in cursive letters that now felt like lies.
Linda finally stood up.
She couldn't take it anymore.
She walked to Mathilda's door and knocked.
No answer.
"Mathilda," Linda said softly. "We need to talk."
Silence.
Linda knocked again, harder this time. "Please. We can't keep doing this."
The door opened suddenly.
Mathilda stood there, eyes swollen, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"What?" she asked coldly.
Linda flinched but stood her ground. "We can't avoid this forever."
Mathilda stepped aside and let her in.
The room felt smaller than usual. Clothes lay scattered on the bed. A pillow sat on the floor, damp from tears. Mathilda sat down on the edge of the bed, not looking at Linda.
Linda stayed standing.
"I didn't sleep," Linda said quietly.
Mathilda laughed bitterly. "Good."
Linda felt the sting. "You don't mean that."
"I do," Mathilda replied. "I want you to feel even a little of what I'm feeling."
Linda swallowed. "I already do."
Mathilda looked up sharply. "No, you don't."
Linda sighed. "Why are you acting like I planned this?"
"Because you benefited from it," Mathilda snapped.
Linda's temper flared. "That's not fair."
Mathilda stood up. "What's not fair is watching my best friend fall for the same man who lied to me—and then defend herself instead of me."
Linda raised her voice. "I am defending myself because you're blaming me for his choices!"
Mathilda pointed at her. "You could have walked away."
"So could you," Linda shot back.
The words hung in the air.
Mathilda's eyes widened. "Wow."
Linda realized too late how harsh it sounded.
"That's what you think?" Mathilda asked quietly. "That this is my fault too?"
Linda hesitated. "I'm saying we were both deceived."
Mathilda shook her head. "No. We were both hurt. But you're the one who stayed."
Linda clenched her fists. "I stayed because I was confused!"
"You stayed because you liked him," Mathilda said. "And you still do."
Linda didn't answer.
That silence was louder than any shout.
Mathilda laughed, tears slipping down her cheeks. "There it is."
Linda's voice trembled. "I can't just turn my feelings off."
"So my feelings don't matter?" Mathilda cried.
"They do," Linda replied desperately. "But mine do too."
Mathilda's face hardened. "Friends don't compete over men."
Linda snapped. "Friends don't make me choose between my heart and loyalty."
Mathilda stepped closer. "You already chose."
Linda shook her head. "You're twisting everything."
Mathilda's voice broke. "I trusted you with my pain. I told you how scared I was to be second again."
Linda rubbed her face. "I never wanted to be your enemy."
"But you became one," Mathilda said.
That hurt more than anything else.
Linda felt tears spill freely now. "I've always been there for you."
"Then why wasn't I enough this time?" Mathilda screamed.
The room shook with the force of her voice.
Linda shouted back. "Because this isn't just about you!"
Mathilda froze.
"You see?" Mathilda whispered. "It never is."
Linda realized she had gone too far.
"I didn't mean—"
"You always mean it," Mathilda said. "You just don't say it out loud."
Linda felt anger rise. "You're acting like a victim and making me the villain."
Mathilda laughed hollowly. "You don't need help doing that."
Linda's voice hardened. "I won't apologize for having feelings."
Mathilda replied just as coldly. "And I won't apologize for being hurt."
They stared at each other, breathing hard.
This wasn't a small argument.
This was years of shared memories colliding with one terrible moment.
"You know what hurts the most?" Mathilda said quietly. "Not him. You."
Linda felt her chest crack open. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"But you did," Mathilda said. "And you keep defending yourself instead of acknowledging it."
Linda snapped. "What do you want me to do? Beg?"
Mathilda nodded slowly. "Yes."
Linda blinked. "What?"
"I want you to choose me," Mathilda said. "To walk away from him. To show me that our friendship matters more."
Linda's heart pounded.
She thought about the man. The connection. The feelings she had finally allowed herself to have.
She thought about Mathilda. The years. The laughter. The shared dreams.
Her silence stretched too long.
Mathilda smiled sadly. "You can't."
Linda whispered, "I don't know how."
Mathilda stepped back as if struck. "Then we're done."
Linda panicked. "You don't mean that."
"I do," Mathilda said firmly. "I can't live in the same space with someone who chose a man over me."
Linda's voice broke. "I didn't choose him over you."
Mathilda pointed to the door. "Then leave."
Linda stared at her. "What?"
"You heard me," Mathilda said. "Get out."
Linda laughed nervously. "You're angry. You don't mean that."
Mathilda's eyes were cold. "I mean it."
Linda shook her head. "This is my home too."
"It was," Mathilda replied. "Before you broke it."
Linda's anger flared. "You can't just throw me out!"
Mathilda's voice rose. "I can when I can't breathe around you anymore!"
They were both shaking now.
Linda grabbed her jacket. "You're being unreasonable."
Mathilda screamed, "You're being selfish!"
Linda turned toward the door. "Fine. I'll go. But don't act like this won't change things forever."
Mathilda's voice cracked. "It already has."
Linda paused at the door. "When this blows over, you'll regret this."
Mathilda whispered, "I already regret trusting you."
That was the final blow.
Linda left.
The door slammed behind her.
Mathilda collapsed onto the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Her chest hurt. Her head throbbed. Her heart felt torn in half.
Linda stood outside in the hallway, breathing hard, tears streaming down her face. She felt angry. Hurt. Rejected.
Neither of them felt right.
Neither of them felt innocent.
That night, the friendship they had built over years cracked beyond repair.
Not because of one man.
But because pride, pain, and love collided—and no one stepped back in time.