Phase I
Worrying will get you no where when the other person does not care.

"It will be fine. I will be fine." She smiled as she looked down at a chair in her living room. She hadn't looked at him for the whole time that he had been there. Staring at the metal folding chair all the while, and while he had not been there long, staring at a chair for ten minutes was too much.

She suddenly looked at him, plastering on a smile so convincing and heart warming that he had to rethink what he was going to say. The man curiously stared back at her. There was no way that she could be fine or okay or any form of anything resembling happy. After he had heard what had happened, he had rushed over to make sure that she was okay, and this was not what he was expecting.

"You know me! I'm always fine. So, you don't need to worry about me." She finished with both hands forming a 'thumbs up'.

There were hints of tears in her eyes, and he would not have noticed if he was not looking at her eyes. That's where he normally looked when they would speak. Looking elsewhere would have been strange, so he did not do that.

Back before they were antiquated, he would look above her head, at her forehead, or at any part of her face other than her eyes. He was never really sure why he did that, but he did. And now, because he was finally able to look her in the eyes, he could see her for who she is. And he knew that she was lying about what she had just said.

"I'm just worried about you. I can see that you are NOT fine."

"But, I am though!" She spoke that sentence all too well. He had heard this too many times before today to know that it was a well rehearsed lie.

"You aren't. Why can't you just admit that? When will you stop and realize that you are not okay!" He yelled the last part in frustration at her, but mainly at himself for not being able to doing anything to help her. He instantly regretted what he had said when he saw her flinch.

He had opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"I am fine. Everything will be okay. I promise." She said this, again, and again, and again, almost as if she needed the reassurance more than he did.

Phase II
The lies were flowing like a fountain of hope.

"But, you haven't been 'fine' for weeks. Have you noticed?" He was trying again.

"This is just a little thing." She spoke while moving her hands about. When ever she does that, it is because she doesn't know what to say. Or, she is excited. No. He ruled the last one out.

"It will go away, and I will still be fine. Because, I am fine. Can't you tell?" She continued, glaring at his worrisome look. "Stop looking at me like that! I. AM. FINE." She all but yelled the last sentence in an attempt to make him believe her. And, in an attempt to believe it herself.

"If you would just admit that something is wrong, I could help you. You can't keep doing this."

He turned away from her and started to pace. He was getting angry and she knew it. But, she honestly believed that she was fine. There were times where she felt like she couldn't breathe due to stress and overwhelming situations, but she always came out okay. The woman could not understand the mans feelings, and she knew that he was not understanding hers. In an attempt to get him to understand her more, she spoke again.

"Well," she drawled out the word until he looked at her. It didn't take long, but she could see that look back in his eyes, so she stared at the chair again.

"Yeah?"

"Every time I thought that something awful was going to keep happening and wouldn't stop, it eventually did in the end."

When she finished speaking, he just stared at her. First, she noted that he looked shocked, and his eyes seemed to look shiny as if he was going to cry. A few seconds passed by and she could see the seething rage in eyes. She could not understand why he was son angry with her. What had she done to deserve this?

"How can you say that?" He asked through gritted teeth as he tried to calm down. "Have you looked at yourself lately? Have you seen how you have been treating people?"

"Well, I know that I have been rude. I haven't been as kind to my family and friends, but -"

"Well isn't that an understatement. One of these days, I wont be here to do this."

"What? Hey! Let go!"

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bathroom. It was more or less awkward due to her protests, the unpacked boxes, and furniture scattered everywhere. He got her in the bathroom after running into and knocking over several things and put her in front of the mirror. Instantly, she turned away. She didn't want to see her reflection.

He took a few steps back and leaned on the wall next to the open door. He just watched her with arms folded. He had a look of sadness etched on to his features. This was his friend. This was his only friend for a month until she helped him make more. She was so happy then, so bubbly and full of life. Smiling at the memory, he frowned in an instant. Looking at her now, he swore not only that he was looking at another person, but a person who had lost their will to live.

He watched as she finally looked at herself in the mirror.

They stayed in there for a while, him looking at her and she looking at herself.

You know, this would be a lot easier if I could feel things like I supposed to, and not bottle them up. She thought.

"I still don't understand why you're worried because I believe everything is fine... Looking at myself, I can see that I'm not."

Phase III
When you love some one, there is not one part of you that can watch them suffer.

"You know... I know that you are lying."

"No I'm no-"

"Yes you are. You can't figure out why I'm upset and worried. And, yeah, the first part I believe was real, the part that you whispered to yourself."

"But, I thought I said that in my hea-"

"It doesn't matter." The man stood up and walked out of the bathroom. He was too upset to stay any longer. He loved her. He truly loved her as if they were family, and she couldn't see that. He had been with her though everything, and she still refused to acknowledge him as a friend, as a co-worker, as anything. She would give her spiel about loving everyone and wanting to help them, but she would never help herself. She would never let anyone help her either, and if anyone tried, they would become nothing to her instantly. There is no point in loving some one if you can't love yourself, because, in the end, you're just not loving them. You're hurting them.

She would willingly kill herself for a stranger, but she can't listen to a friend who knows her so well. If he walks out that door, he is never coming back. And, while he loves this woman so much, he can't just stay here and watch her die. He did his best to help her.

The man started to cry as he touched the door knob to the front door. He couldn't turn the knob. He could let her die. But what could he do?

"Hey, I'm sorry. But, do you have a moment?" She asked with tears streaming down her face. "I have somethings I'd like to talk to you about..." She coughed as she choked on her tears, letting more fall. "If you're not busy today..."

She stared at his back, and waited for his response.

She waited.

She waited.

He turned the knob and opened the door letting in the cold, winter air. Completely in shock, the girl said nothing. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She cried more.

He turned around to her with a sweet smile. "Sure, I know the perfect place."

After all, that was what he wanted. He had wanted nothing more from her. They would talk, and maybe she would tell the truth. But, then maybe she wouldn't. But, this was a great first step in his opinion.

She walked out with him. She looked into his eyes knowing that this was going to be awful, but she told him everything that had happened. They sat for hours in his car, and then at the park, and then at a cafe. There were no words she could express that would prove how upset or sorry she was. But, in the end, it was all worth it.

A woman stood looking at a picture frame of a man and a woman. The man was smiling a cheesy grin as the woman looked irritated. He had his elbow on her head and was trying to lean on her. She was very short and he was rather tall. You could tell how happy they were. those two had to be friends.

She set the frame down on the cold grassy earth as she walked away. Remembering the last day she was with him before he committed suicided, she cried thinking that if she wouldn't have told him, maybe he would still be alive.