It's been a long time since I last used this account for anything in earnest. I had the idea of getting into the catfight story scene some time ago, but that never really panned out. But as I've discovered some of the newer ongoing series and the talented creators out there, I decided it was high time I picked up a story I had started many years ago, tuning it up and finally writing the ending I had planned. It turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected! So stay tuned, I'm hoping for more stories yet!
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Rob and I have been friends for a while now. We were in the same class, back in high school. Occasionally on the weekends we’d come over to each other’s houses to hang out, or play video games. We worked together on our big project for history class, and we got an A on it thanks to his help. I thought I owed him.
But after graduation, we had gone our separate ways. I live in Brookvale, a college town here in Connecticut. Living in a college town, I guess I lucked out. When the time came for applications, I must have been a shoe-in. Didn’t even need to get a dorm when my place was just about a fifteen-minute walk away. I was pretty happy with that. It’d be convenient for my purposes, and it cut down on expenses. Plus I wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of moving in.
Things were different for Rob. He had lived in this town all his life, and he was desperate to get out. See the world, he said. He had applied to school in the next state over, and left the place as soon as he got the chance. We promised we’d stay in touch, and for a while we’d e-mail each other once in a while.
That didn’t last. Schoolwork got to the both of us, and we soon found we couldn’t find the time to balance our obligations. And besides, we were making new friends anyway.
That was where Tara came in.
I met her back in freshman year, and – this is gonna sound cliché, I get it – but I knew there was something about her from the first time I met her, because I can still remember it to this day. I ran into her on the first day of class, and I’m not going to lie when I said I had to stop and catch my breath.
It was an early fall day, cool enough to be pleasant but the sun was still shining and it was warm enough so that you wouldn’t need a coat. When I saw her come up the sidewalk with that golden light behind her, just…wow. Tall, lightly tanned with a few freckles on her face, slim but with a decently-sized bust, just the slightest hint of cleavage showing from under the collar of her shirt. Her hips swayed from side to side with each step she took, and her long straight hair, light brown, was caught in the breeze, blowing it back over her shoulders. Then I looked up in her eyes, those sparkling green eyes, and seeing her lips curl up into the slightest of smiles…
I apologize. I’m getting ahead of myself. I know this sounds like some stupid romance novel. I just want you to get the point. This was the girl I was dealing with.
Whatever the case, she must have noticed me looking at her, because she stopped to chuckle. Nothing mocking, just a cute little laugh. I could feel my face flush red, and I tried to hurry an apology, but she brushed it off. Said it was okay. She thought I was cute, and that we should get to talk more.
You think I was going to pass up a chance like that? Yeah, of course I had to say yes.
We started small. Seeing each other at lunch, between classes, that stuff. That’s when I got to know her better. Besides college, she had a job as a waitress at a local bar to help pay for school. She was an English major, had come here because she was hoping to be a writer, and she wanted to improve her craft. I know, that sounds like she’d be the quiet, nerdy one who no one notices. But you’d be wrong.
Girl was…something, all right. Sassy, funny, had a voice to say about most things, and she wasn’t one to mince words. She called it how it was. If she thought you were a dumbass, she’d say it to you – usually to your face, and in those exact terms. But underneath it all, she really did enjoy being around me. Soon enough, it was official. I had a girlfriend.
We stuck with it the next few years, and soon, the summer of junior year was almost upon us. Tara was still working at the bar, and that had become my hangout spot when I had free time after class, or if I wanted to go get a drink to celebrate another exam off my shoulders. She made it clear that I wasn’t going to get any discounts just because we were dating, but it didn’t matter to me. I had grown to like the atmosphere, in no small part because it reminded me of her, even when she wasn’t on her shift.
It was during that time – getting towards the last week of exams – when I opened my email inbox to find a familiar name. Rob. I hadn’t heard from him since high school. I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but soon enough I clicked on his message.
As it turned out, Rob was heading back to town. He had been up in New York at his new school for a while, but he was starting to grow homesick, and he was planning on coming home for the summer. His family still lived in Brookvale, after all, and he was looking forward to checking up on what had happened since he had left.
I hadn’t even spoken to the guy in so long, of course I had to wonder what he was up to. Even if it had been ages, he was still my friend. I told him that next weekend, when the school year was over, we should meet up. And I knew the perfect place for it.
I gave him the directions to Tara’s bar.
The rest of the week passed uneventfully enough. Finishing up finals was a lot off my chest, and I was looking forward to finally having some time to unwind. Getting to catch up with an old friend was even better. Soon, I found myself sitting at a table right by the door so that I could watch for when Rob would show up. With a beer in my hand, I sat back passing the time, and it seemed like no time at all before he came through the door.
Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe just seeing him after so long, but as soon as I saw him, I got up from my seat and went over to shake his hand. “Hey, Rob! How you doing?”
“Oh, doing good!” We exchanged the usual greetings, but the next thing out of his mouth was news to me. “Oh, man, you haven’t met Amy yet, have you?”
“Amy?”
My question would soon be answered as a girl stepped through the door. And – forgive me for this again – but she was gorgeous. She was about Tara’s height, petite and slim of build with small breasts and hips, but no less beautiful, and the tight fit of her jeans was drawing my attention to how long and slender her legs were. Pale skin, blue eyes, and raven-black hair that came down in waves over her shoulders. I should probably be thankful that I was drinking at the time, because I think she noticed I was staring, and I heard the chuckle from her.
“Just so you know, I’m taken,” she teased.
“Yeah. This is Amy. We’ve been dating the last few months,” Rob explained.
“S-Sorry,” I muttered, my face going red as I tried to hide my embarrassment. I really didn’t mean to be rude. The last thing I wanted to do was to look like I was making any moves on my best friend’s girlfriend, especially at the bar where my own worked. This was supposed to just be a time to see each other and get caught up. I didn’t even know Amy would be coming; hell, I didn’t even know she
existed up until this point. I went back to my drink, trying to distance myself with the situation. I focused my attention on Rob, checking in on how he was doing and what was new. Soon, I thought, I would be able to move past this, and it seemed like Rob didn’t take any offense over the whole thing either.
He had wanted to come home for a while, he said, and the summer had given him just the opportunity to do so. He was getting caught up with family, friends, the local happenings, and was staying at his old place until he’d need to go back up to New York. He was working for a website firm or something – I don’t know too much about that, I can’t really tell you – so he could work from home during the summer. That way commuting wouldn’t be an issue; he could stay as long as he wanted. And he had brought Amy along too, so he could introduce her to his family. He’d mentioned her to them before, but this was the first chance they’d be seeing each other face to face.
“So, you’re serious about it?” I asked him.
“Of course I am,” he said. “We met at school. She’s a photography major, like me, and she wanted to show me her work, but we hit it off. She really speaks to me. She’s funny, talented, and I’ve felt a lot better with my life, since I met her.”
I nodded in agreement. With how he described it, it sounded just like how I had felt about Tara. As I looked over, I noticed that Amy was starting to lean over a little closer, towards me.
“Huh?” I said, looking over in her direction. When I glanced at the table, our hands were almost touching. My face flushed hard at the thought. Was she…flirting? “I thought you were-?” I blurted out.
Amy giggled a little, then smiled up at me with a sly grin. “I am,” she said. “But I still gotta admit, you’re cute when you’re flustered like that.”
I froze. That was the exact sentiment I had heard from Tara. For a while, I was silent.
“You all right?” Amy said. “Cat got your tongue?” She still smiled, and her tone was teasing, the lilt in her voice displaying her sarcastic attitude.
I bit my lip. “Fine, fine,” I said. “You just…remind me of-“
And then I froze, as I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“May I help you?”
I turned around, hoping that my blush wasn’t showing too much. Sure enough, out of any of the waitresses that would come to my table, it was Tara.
I took in a gulp, staring dead ahead at her for what felt like ages. She really was beautiful, standing there in her work uniform, with a tightly-fitting white blouse, a short black skirt, and black socks that went up to her knees, all of which she looked absolutely stunning in. But right now, the cheerful glow I was used to her was gone, as she was watching the table with suspicion. Her eyes were narrowed in a flat stare, and her gaze was aimed right at Amy.
Rob broke the silence, wanting to defuse the situation. He ordered his drinks, followed soon after by Amy and myself, and Tara stepped off. After a moment we returned to our conversation, catching up on each other, though after the confrontation it was stilted and awkward. Soon, though, Tara returned to serve us. She passed out Rob and I’s drinks as normal. But when she got to Amy, she started to take her glass off the tray, guiding it towards where she was sitting…and then at the last minute, she dropped it. With a clatter and a yelp, the glass fell onto the table, spilling its contents all over Amy, who jerked herself away from the seat.
“Oops,” Tara muttered.
Amy’s eyes narrowed into a piercing glare as she looked back up at her. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she shouted. My heart beat faster in my chest just sitting there. I had only known Rob’s girlfriend for a few minutes now, and already the tension between her and Tara was palpable. I hoped to God I wouldn’t get involved in anything I didn’t want to.
“No, no! I’m
sooooo sorry!” Tara insisted, leaning in to pat Amy’s head. “Don’t worry, I’ll cleam that up, okay?”
Amy jerked her seat away from her, the screech of the feet of her chair against the floor ringing out through the bar. A few heads turned our way. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped.
“Okay, okay,” Tara said, backing away. “Look. I’ll go clean that up and get you a new drink, promise. It’s on me.”
To Tara’s credit, she delivered on her promises, soon coming back with a towel to wipe the table off and a new drink. By this point, though, the damage had been done. Amy and Tara wouldn’t look each other in the eye after that, and even when Tara came to pick up the tab and ask everyone about their night, Amy was silent. So too, the commotion had drawn a few stares from the tables around us, and we all knew it. Our conversation had come up short, giving way to a few awkward remarks and the occasional nervous chuckle amidst sips of our drinks. Tara might have been busy with work, but there was no question that her presence was still felt at our table.
Soon enough the time came to leave. We all packed up our business and headed to our cars. But when I was driving back to my house, all I could think of was that this was only the beginning. This wasn’t over.
I received confirmation as much the next day, when Tara and I met up at the park. There she showed me a comment she had received on an Instagram post she’d made about her job.
“Can you believe this?” she asked. “Look at this!”
I looked closer at her phone to read what had been posted. My heart almost skipped a beat when I saw it.
“To anyone who knows this bitch…worst server I’ve ever had! Spilled my drink on me for no reason and ruined my night. Never going to that place again”
And to confirm my suspicions, I recognized the name of the poster instantly. Amy.
“I don’t get what her problem is,” Tara said. “She won’t let it go.”
“I mean, you didn’t
have to spill anything on her…” I tried to interject. Tara shot me a glare that made her stance perfectly clear.
“She didn’t back off. I knew what she was doing. You told them that I worked there, right?”
“Well,” I said, trying to come up with excuses. “I’m sure they didn’t expect you to be working that night…”
“Why’d she act like that if she came there with her boyfriend, then?” Tara shot back. “She’s trying to move in on you.”
I paused for a moment, but that was all that Tara needed, and she soon walked away. I realized there was no dissuading her.
That wasn’t the end of it. Of course it wasn’t. I soon realized what Amy had done by posting on Tara’s page. She was giving her the link back to her own profile. She wanted Tara to respond. And she had gotten it. Tara then left a comment on Amy’s page, calling her a dumb whore. Amy shot back in turn. It went on, each of them posting insulting comments on each other’s pictures.
Soon they were taking it to the next level. Tara posted a picture of herself standing in the woods with a smile on her face, the light of the trees filtering through the leaves behind her and casting a golden glow over her brown hair as she turned to the camera. It was a great shot; I almost swore she had never looked so beautiful. But she had captioned it “when you know you’re the best,” and while she didn’t name any names, it was clear what she was referring to.
That was only confirmed later, when Amy left a comment on it: “bold words for someone who isn’t even a photography major.” It wasn’t long after that she posted a new picture, one that was set to one-up Tara’s last attempt. I saw it as soon as it was posted, because she tagged me in it. And my jaw practically dropped when it loaded.
I feel so guilty saying this about my friend’s girlfriend, but…you need me to explain for this story to make sense. Amy, too, had posted a picture of herself spending her vacation. But this one was different.
She was on the beach, on a bright sunny day, clad in a purple bikini that hugged her svelte body tightly. Turned to the side just a little, you could see the strings tying her top and bottom at her hip and the back of her neck, dangling against her back and her pale and toned thighs. She sat by the shore, the water on one side of her as she reclined against a rock at the other, with her dark locks loose and cascading down her shoulders, and her long, toned legs were draped across the sand beneath her. I knew she was a photography major, but…wow.
She had set up this composition perfectly, drawing the attention to her. And her eyes were turned just towards the camera, with a knowing look. She was looking at me.
On anyone else’s gallery, this would just be another vacation shot. One that would garner a lot of likes, sure, but nothing unusual. But Amy wanted
me to see this. She had taken it for me, and she was trying to seduce me. Not just that, but to one-up Tara and prove herself superior.
It worked. I can’t admit otherwise. It worked. I felt so bad that it had been so effective on me, but it did. I knew that Tara would be furious as soon as she found out – and she would. Amy wouldn’t have posted anything like this if she didn’t want Tara to see it. She knew Tara was following her, and she wanted her to know she had her in her sights. This was getting out of hand now, and I was growing worried that our relationship would be threatened, all because I had decided to catch up with my old friend while my girlfriend worked at the bar.
Finally, I knew, I had to do something about it. I had to talk to Rob about this.
