Jane was apprehensive. She had been sleeping with Ron for 3 months and they had known each other for over a year. It had started out as a friendship, but had rapidly grown into something else. Roy had asked her to move in with him and she had accepted. This, however, was not the reason she was apprehensive. For the past 5 months, Roy had been going out with Jane’s best friend, Rita. Rita did not know that Ron was seeing Jane.



Roy had said, for some months now, that he would tell Rita and break off the relationship. However, Jane was running out of patience. She had decided to tell her friend what had been going on and, at the moment, Jane sat nervously in her car with the engine running while she worked up the courage to tell her friend what had happened.



Jane and Rita had been best friends for as long as Jane could remember. Since she was in middle school, at least. This was why it was so hard. She could not help but feel as though she had really betrayed her friend and that she might lose her closest ally because of Roy. But things could not go on as they were. Roy loved Jane and Jane loved Roy. It was as simple as that and if the something that had to give was Rita, Jane could live with it. Having made up her mind, Jane put the car in gear, pulled out of the lay bi and headed off to have a devastating chat with her soon to be ex best friend.



Rita was house sitting. It was a little extra money, which would come in handy with her final year at University. Also, it was rent free. All of the electricity and water was paid for and it came with a full freezer. What more could Rita ask for? Unfortunately, the Bishops had decided to throw a party before setting off on their three month, second honeymoon, cruise and had obviously concluded that house sitting also included cleaning up after them. Rita stared at the mountain of washing up with a sense of doom. It had obviously started as a dinner party, judging by the pots, pans and wasted food scattered about the kitchen. Looking at the mess, she supposed that a number of the guests, had stayed for breakfast, judging by the half eaten porridge scattered around the breakfast table in several boles. Who would have thought that such a respectable couple could throw an all night party for around forty people (Judging by the amount of plates and cutlery.



No, not a dinner party, but a buffet. OK the food was not the usual sausage roles, etc. she could see the remains of mash, roast potatoes, curries, Mexican and various sauces, but basically, this was an eat on your lap, while balancing your bear, party, which explained the carpet stains. Rita had come to the conclusion that she had been bought as a cheep alternative to a cleaning crew. Fair enough, she still needed the money, but where to start?



Rita was snapped out of her trepidations by the door bell. She headed towards the front door relieved to have a good excuse to put off the job. She was taken a little by surprise to find, instead of a delivery man or someone connected with the Bishops, to find her friend Jane instead.



Rita quickly ushered her friend in, noting that something was obviously wrong, judging by the way her friend carried herself. Normally, Jane was quite bubbly, but not today. Rita glanced over her friend. Still the same old five foot three, 23 year old brunet. Her shoulder length dark hair still made her look pale, but there was definitely something wrong and Rita quickly sat her friend down and had a coffee in her hand before she could take her coat off.



“Now, what’s the matter? her friend urged as Rita stared into the depths of her coffee with a forlorn dread.



Jane had rehearsed this moment for months, but when she eventually opened her mouth, rather than a level delivery by a cool, collected woman, Jane garbled the story in one long burst, like a naughty eight year old who had been caught lying and wanted to tell the truth, but not have to think about the implications.



“I’ve been sleeping with Roy. We have been seeing each other for about three months and he wants me to move in with me. He says he loves me and I love him, but we have been afraid to tell you and.”



SLAP, Rita had lunged across the living room, sending coffee flying as she launched a sweeping blow across Jane’s cheek.



SLAP, another blow landed and then another and another. All the while Rita was screaming.



“You bitch. You trashy, predatory bitch. The one thing that’s mine and you have to take him from me. He loves me, not you. He.”



CRACK. Jane, although taken off guard initially was not going to stand for this and managed to land a cracking punch on the left temple that rocked her one time friend back on her heals, screaming her own abuse and denials. Before long they were both rolling about on the floor in a mad wrestle of claws, kicks and slaps. But it was no good. Rita was taller, stronger and more annoyed than Jane. She managed to batter the other girl into a senseless, sobbing heap. But that was not enough for her. As she was looking down at the woman who had slept with her lover and betrayed everything that she thought she had, an idea snapped into her head and she quickly dragged Jane, kicking and screaming, by her hair, into the kitchen.



“Get undressed Bitch, Rita contemptuously spat at her former friend.



“W What are you going to”, but her sobbing question was interrupted as Rita answered her question with another slap.



Defeated, Jane started to undo her blouse. She was not sure what her friend would do when she found out, but she had never imagined this, or the venom with which she was now being treated.



Fumbling with the buttons, her hand was slapped to one side as Rita leant forward and ripped the buttons clean off in one, strong tug. She did not know what Rita had in mind, but Jane did not feel like finding out and, besides which, it was one of her favourite blouses. She had fought three other shoppers and an old lady to claw her way through the January sales scrum to get that it and be damned if she was going to stand for high and mighty Rita coming along and ripping it. Jane hit back, causing Rita to lose her balance.



This time the cat fight continued in earnest. Both parties vied for position as clothes were torn or ruined as the pair slid about on the floor amid the food and wine spilled the night before. It was only the low flying chicken leg that had unbalanced Jane enough to allow Rita a really good shove that had decided the issue. Jane had fallen backwards and catch her head a glancing blow from the dish washer.



Rita towered over her fallen enemy. She had just wanted to humiliate her ex friend by ruining her clothes and perhaps tipping wine over her, but as she looked down on her stunned opponent another idea came to her. Reaching into one of the kitchen drawers, Rita grabbed a set of scissors and, kneeling down, started to cut the clothes from the unconscious form on the floor.