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#Post#: 1188--------------------------------------------------
The Friendship Test - Chapter 17 - A Basic Emotion
By: Dragons Den Date: February 25, 2015, 2:21 am
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The Friendship Test - Chapter 17 - A Basic Emotion
Sophia was massaging her temple with both hands and nervously
tapping her feet when she heard Richelle exit Danni's room. She
lowered her hands and gazed up at the RSI boss as she turned
down the hall in her direction. Sophia was on edge, and she
didn't wait to be acknowledged. "Is she okay?" Sophia asked.
"I'm sorry, it was my fault. Danni wasn't there long. Really,
it's my fall to take. If there's anything I can do..."
Richelle put her hand up in front of the younger woman's face to
silence her. Her first instinct had been to just ignore the
Dragon team leader, but the feeble attempts to cover for Danni
triggered a flash of anger that couldn't be checked.
"Don't lie to me, Miss Bush," the RSI owner growled through her
teeth. "I know how long..."
Richelle stopped to compose herself. Getting furious with
Sophia was a waste of time, and she had too many other things on
her mind.
"As for whose fault this mess is," she said after she cooled,
"Danneel did what she did. No one forced her into it."
The anger came on again without warning as she finished.
"But don't worry," she said as she narrowed her eyes at the
young actress. "I blame you, too."
"In fact, I blame you for everything."
She angled past Sophia, and stormed off through the ER entrance
doors.
It was cold. Colder than it should have been for early
November. As she made her way back to her car, the frigid air
seemed to peel away her anger away in jagged strips... the way a
child tears through the rind of an orange. By the time she got
into the vehicle, she knew the tears on her face were more than
just a response to the biting wind.
She drove back to the RSI facility and went into her office.
She didn't really know why she was there. It just seemed like
the place to be.
Turns out, she wasn't the only one who felt that way. She'd
been so lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't even noticed the
lot wasn't empty when she'd arrived. So, she nearly jumped
through the ceiling when Stephanie McMahon knocked on her door a
few minutes later.
"Sh*t!" Steph said, her palms held out apologetically. "I'm
sorry. I thought..."
Richelle set her elbows on the desk and dropped her head into
her hands.
"It's alright," she said. "I didn't even know you were here."
Steph read the look on Richelle's face.
"Not a good day, huh?" she said.
"Not at all," Richelle lamented.
Stephanie stepped into the room and took a seat.
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"What choice do I have?"
Steph nodded. "Is that what you want to do?"
"No," Richelle answered. "I want..."
She paused, trying to figure out the answer for herself. Losing
Danni ripped into her in ways she could never imagine. The way
things had started off between them, it had been nearly
impossible to see how the relationship could work. But it had
worked, anyway. The two of them had come so far... Richelle had
long since let go of any doubts she may have had.
Now, it was all gone.
She couldn't tell how much the suddenness of what had happened
added to her pain. She only knew that it hurt.
"I want this to have never happened," she said finally.
"Well, that's not an option," Steph said, "but I don't see how
cutting Danni loose gets you anything close to that."
"How can I trust her again?" Richelle asked.
Steph shot her a look. "You make it sound like she's been
cheating on you."
Richelle stopped and looked at Steph, her brow furrowed in
confusion.
"Richelle, you're good at what you do," Steph continued. "I
can't count how many times you've seen through someone's problem
and figured out what was really going on. But, you're not
seeing this one clearly. And that's because you're involved in
it."
"I'm not following you," Richelle said.
"I'm saying that, before you decide on a solution to your
problem, you might want to be sure you understand what your
problem really is."
Richelle only looked more confused, but Steph offered no further
explanation.
"One more thing," she said as she got up to leave. "Once you
figure out what's up with you, you might want to think about
what's going on with Danni. It might be interesting to figure
out why she did this in the first place."
"I asked her that," Richelle replied. "She said she didn't
know."
Steph shrugged. "That doesn't mean she doesn't have reasons."
She then told Richelle she'd see her Monday morning, and left
the owner alone with her thoughts.
What does she mean, I need to understand what the real problem
is? The problem is Danni sneaking around behind my back.
And that f*cking Sophia, Richelle thought to herself. Who gives
a sh*t about the problems she's having? Why did she have to...
She left the thought unfinished as she stared without seeing at
the bookshelf on the far wall.
What was it, exactly, that Sophia had done? Tried to make her
team better? She was clearly up against a wall, and running
short of time. Richelle still thought of Dragon's Den as being
a new stable, but the fact was they'd been around for a while.
Having suffered through the lean times at RSI, she knew not to
expect too much early on. But, you do need something to pin
your hopes on. Success takes time and patience, but the Den had
been going backwards from the very start. Clearly, they needed
some help. So, Sophia turned to her friend - a friend who knew
exactly what it took to run a stable - and asked for some
guidance.
Richelle had to admit it made sense. In fact, it's exactly what
a good leader would do. She had done what was best for her
teammates, and, in the process, she had swallowed her pride and
admitted she was out of her depth. Not everyone would have been
willing to accept such a truth, let alone confess it to others.
So, that brought the problem back to Danni. What was it that
she had done so wrong? Helped a friend? Not really a high
crime. She hadn't given away any RSI secrets. She hadn't
turned her back on her teammates. If anything, she was working
harder than ever to make sure she met her responsibility to them
while also taking the time to help Sophia.
That f*cking Sophia...
So, what was Danni really guilty of? Being sneaky? No doubt
she'd chosen that route because she was afraid of what
Richelle's reaction would be. And, given the way their last
conversation had gone, it was hard to say she'd been wrong.
Still, Richelle felt betrayed... angry that Danni had been
working with another stable. Danni belonged here at RSI. This
was her home. This was where she was truly appreciated.
Damn that Sophia, she thought again. Why did it have to be
Danni? Why had she come between...
The thought came to a screeching halt, replaced in her mind by a
single word.
No.
It couldn't be. Sure... she thought of Danni as both a friend
and a partner here at RSI. But, there was no way it could be.
And yet, it was. From that moment on, there was no escaping it.
No matter how she reshaped the problem, the result was always
the same.
Richelle was jealous.
Jealous of whatever it was Danni and Sophia had together.
Jealous of the way Sophia had been able to get Danni to help
her, and how willing Danni had been to sneak around to get it
done.
Once she accepted that reality, the whole situation took on a
different feel. Suddenly, Richelle knew what she needed to do.
She opened her top drawer and pulled out a rarely used list of
phone numbers. She found the one she wanted, snatched the phone
from the cradle and dialed.
It didn't matter what Danni's reasons had been. Whatever they
were, they were important to Danni. That was enough.
Still... this call was not something she was looking forward to.
She took a deep breath as it connected.
"Mr. Dragon?" she said, not knowing what else to call the
Dragon's Den owner. "This is Richelle Winterfeld over at RSI."
"I think we need to talk."
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