"Strong Enough"
Chapter 4
To Chapter 4
(end)
Chapter Three
              A knock on the bathroom door sent Reba to her feet.  She dried her tears and cleared her voice before responding with "Just a minute!"
               "Reba?  Is that you in there?" her father asked.
               "Yeah, dad... I'm coming."  She turned and flushed the toilet, then splashed her face with cold water from the sink.  In another moment, she opened the door.  "There ya go, dad," she said in a more confident tone.
               "Oh honey, I didn't need to... telephone for you," he responded, handing her the portable phone.  She hesitated for a moment before taking the receiver.  She took it along with her back to her room.
               "...Hello?" she spoke softly.
               "Hey baby," came a familiar, strange-sounding voice.
               "Asshole!  Go scr-"
               "Hey, hey, hey... calm down, Reebs.  It's me, Zoe," her friend responded.
               "God, don't do that, it's not funny!" Reba responded, still annoyed, to say the least.
               "Hey... Reba, calm down.  I didn't mean any harm by it.  I'm sorry," Zoe began.  "What's wrong?"  She heard silence for a while, until she began again, "Please, tell me what's up; I know that there's something on your mind."
               Reba stayed silent for a moment longer, before mumbling, "Uhh... Anthony broke it off with me."
               Now Zoe turned into being the silent one.  "Oh, Reba, I'm so sorry to hear this.  How are you doing?"
               "I suppose I'm doing better than I was a while ago," she responded quietly.  "I'm not willing to talk about it now, though... just give me time to settle."  She paused for another moment.  "Is that alright?"
               "...Yeah it's cool.  But promise me that you'll call me if you need to talk," Zoe said.  "I'm here for ya if you need me."
               "I know that, Zoe... thanks for being there.  I'll talk to ya later."
               "OK... you take care girl, alright?"
               "Always do... and you too.  Bye for now."
               Reba hung up the phone, then she sprawled herself out across her bed once again.  She laid her neck and head on her pillow, which cradled her, almost as well as Anthony's lap had.  Reba thought about this, and of the many memories past that had been shared between them both.  On this first day without him, Reba felt like a piece of her had just been taken away.  She didn't feel whole.
               For weeks after that day, before she could sleep at night, Reba would lie awake in bed and think.  She would contemplate the past, and would analyze it, until her sleepiness took over her.  With each passing day, the strands and pieces still felt of the bond between herself and Anthony began to fade away.  Reba was feeling confident and was beginning to believe in herself again.