Mr Jakobs - The Rules We Break 16 - Confrontation

Ryan always did love these little golf getaways, especially when he got a chance to play alone. It put him into a zen state. Made him feel like one with the world. Or the grass. Or whatever. His par was way over for the course, but that was beside the point. It was about the meditative experience. It was about…

The rapidly approaching golf cart cresting the hill and speeding towards him. It jumped off the concrete sidewalk, wobbling when it hit a small divot. He squinted when it abruptly stopped, and Amy tumbled out of it, rushing towards him. She was a firecracker, like usual, but even this was a bit more than usual. That probably meant something urgent was happening. He just hoped it wasn’t an emergency back at home.

She rushed past another hole, stumbling over herself on a hill and falling onto the grass with a series of aggravated, muffled swears. An older man tried to help her up, but Amy quickly pushed him off as she continued to stomp towards Ryan.

Ryan just waited, casually swinging his golf club back and forth as she neared him.

“You coming to play?” he teased.

“Jesus, I finally found you. WHY is this course so big?!” Amy said, looking around at nothing in particular.

“They don’t call it the largest in the region for nothing.”

“Very funny,” Amy said shortly. She reached out to hug him. Ryan opened his arms and kissed her cheek.

“What’s going on, sweet cakes?” he asked.

“I need to tell you something…” Amy said, still trying to catch her breath. Ryan nodded as he slowly walked back to his golf bag.

"Did we just win the lottery?” Ryan said.

“This is serious, Ryan,” Amy replied.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Ryan said sadly. Amy shoved him as she forced down her smile.

“It’s about Sage,” she said.

Ryan froze as he slowly glanced down at her. “Go on.”

Amy quickly glanced around the empty green before stepping closer to him.

"She's cheating on Jeremy,” she whispered.

Ryan jerked his head back in shock. Then, after staring blankly for a few seconds, he pulled out his emergency nicotine gum and promptly tossed it into his mouth.

"So you caught her?" he asked cautiously.

"Close enough," Amy said, crossing her arms before rubbing her forehead. "When you dropped me off earlier today, I stepped into the house and found her in David's arms. Like… IN them… and they were talking about…. Getting pregnant?"

Ryan choked on his gum. He leaned forward, coughing it out of his throat. It flung into the grass like a small bullet as he turned to look at Amy in shock. "Jesus!"

"I know! I KNOW!" Amy grew frantic, pacing back and forth.

"So this is like… really fucking serious."

"Yes! Very Serious. We have to do something, Ryan."

"Ok… ok…" Ryan’s voice grew softer as he began to think. He stared off at the golf hole just a few feet away, unsurprised that his mind was drawing a blank. "Man, should we…"

"Tell Jeremy?"

"Yeah," Ryan confirmed.

"I feel like we have to," Amy said.

“Yeah… you’re right.” This was way above Ryan’s pay grade. Wanting to clear his head, he pulled out the putter from his golf bag and walked over to his ball, sinking it in a single shot. Amy watched it go in with a satisfying plop.

"He's going to be devastated," she said weakly.

“Yeah… probably….” Never in a million years did Ryan think he was going to have to tell his best friend that his wife was cheating on him. He walked over to the hole and pulled out his ball, inspecting it a moment before sighing and looking back at Amy. “Should we call him now?”

Amy shook her head. "We should talk with Sage first. Get her to tell us what's really going on, and give her the opportunity to come clean with all of it."

"I can't believe she'd actually do this," Ryan said. Amy stepped to his side, both staring off into the treeline absently.

"Me neither.”

“Of all the people…”

“I know, she was the LAST person I thought would do this.”

"She’s always so in control," Ryan added.

"Yeah, and she LOVES Jeremy. She always has been obsessed with him."

Ryan shook his head. "This is going to be hard."

"But we have to do it," Amy replied.

"Alright, when’s it happening?" Ryan asked.

"Today, right now… before Jeremy gets home and she has too long to think about it."

Ryan sighed and looked up at the sky.

"What?" Amy asked worriedly.

"Well, since I probably won’t get to play this course for a while, you think I could finish the last hole first?"

"Ryan!" Amy hissed, hitting his arm again.

"Right, sorry… let's go."

–

Sage nervously paced in her bedroom, using all her willpower to keep her legs moving. Her mind was locked in place, on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. She couldn't check for her phone. She couldn't eat. She couldn't think. She could barely breathe. It seemed as though the world had already ended and she had already passed away. All that remained was a shell of herself, patrolling the small space in front of her bed.

A shell that barely comprehended Amy's call from downstairs.

"Hey, Sage?! Can you come down here for a second?"

So this was it. This was how her life fell apart. Sage forced herself to speak.

"O-ok!" Sage called, then she stood frozen in place for a long time.

"Sage?!" Amy called again.

"Yeah! I'm… I'm coming."

The stairway had never felt so steep and so long. The colors on the walls seemed greyer. The air felt colder. And there, in the living room, her former friends sat. Amy was on the main couch, and Ryan was in the loveseat facing her. He was the first to look at Sage.

"Hey there," he said gently.

"H-hi…" Sage replied, fighting to keep her trembling under control as Amy patted the couch.

"Come sit by me, sweetheart," she said gently.

Sage fidgeted with the cords of her sweatpants as she slowly made her way over to Amy's side and sat down on the couch. There was only the briefest pause before Amy began to speak.

"Sage, you know we love you, right?" she said.

"Y-yes…"

"Ok," Amy glanced back at Ryan, who gave her an assuring nod. "So, you need to understand that when I ask you this, I mean it with love. Ok?"

Sage's mind was already racing to the end. To the part where they told her how disgusting she was before storming out of the room and leaving her alone forever.

Or the part where they said it was fine and told her there was no judgment, but then suddenly had to leave early with no plans to speak to her ever again.

The part where they posted passive-aggressive stories about unfaithful women.

The part where Sage lost her best friends.

The part where they moved on to a better life and left her here in the suburbs.

Alone. Ashamed. Abandoned.

"Ok…" Sage said weakly.

"Sage…" Amy gently squeezed her hand. "What were you doing with David earlier today?"

Sage began to tremble. Amy rubbed her arm in response.

"It's ok… You can tell us," she said.

Sage didn't dare look up from the floor as her words came out like a flood.

"Amy… I… it was not what you think… It all happened really fast. Very fast. You don't even understand. He was looking first, you know? Through the windows, I mean. And then… well… I know what it looks like ok? But you need to understand, Jeremy–"

"Sage, please." Amy interrupted. "Now is your chance to come clean. Just tell us the truth."

Sage shook her head as her body trembled. "No, I know, that's what I'm trying to say, Jeremy… Jeremy was–"

"Please, Sage. This is your chance to do the right thing. Because if you don't…" Amy looked back to Ryan worriedly. "We're going to have to tell Jeremy."

Ryan nodded somberly.

"He knows!' Sage finally managed to blurt out. The words struck like white lightning. Sage looked into Amy's eyes, watching as they widened with shock. "Jeremy knows, ok?"

Amy's jaw dropped as she glanced over at Ryan, whose eyes were equally wide. He raised his hands in the air with a shrug.

"I…" Amy began to laugh. "I'm sorry… what?"

Sage took a deep breath. "Yes… I do things with David, but Jeremy is part of it. It’s complicated, but… he, uh… watches and…"

"HE watches?" Ryan said, now leaning forward as if he was watching a reality TV series. "Who watches? David watches?"

Sage looked over at him, cheeks reddening as she felt sweat dripping down her back. "Well… no… but… yes? It's a bit more complicated than that… we sort of…"

"Sage, are you two swingers?" Amy said, now more bewildered than concerned.

"You two are SWINGERS?!" Ryan added excitedly enough for Amy to glare at him. “Sorry…” he said.

Sage couldn't help but laugh nervously at their shared shock.

"I don't know?! I mean, kind of?"

"Wait, wait, so let me get this straight… You two are doing stuff… with David. Together." Amy began to trail off as she moved her hands frantically in a semi-thrusting pattern.

"Y-yes…" Sage said with a confirming nod.

The words hung in the air as Amy and Ryan looked at one another once again.

"And Jeremy knows!" Sage added. "You could call him right now, and he'd say, 'Oh yeah, that thing with David? I know.'" Sage spoke with a comically low voice as she impersonated Jeremy. "He actually said we should just tell you but… but I…" Sage was shaking violently now. Amy caught on to how bad Sage's anxiety was and squeezed her hand again.

"Ok…" Amy said brightly. "Ok… so maybe you're right. Maybe this isn't what we thought it was. Let's just…"

"Let's take a deeeep breath," Ryan chimed in with an affirming nod.

"Oh my god," Sage said, beginning to hyperventilate. She leaned forward over her legs. "I think I’m suffocating. OH, MY GOD."

"Easy there, bucko… just breathe," Ryan said.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about. Let's just breathe." Amy added, taking a deep breath herself. Sage nodded, following Amy's rhythm.

Taking a deep breath in.

Holding.

And letting it out.

Then again.

And again.

Soon, Ryan joined them, the three breathing deeply until Sage's shaking finally settled, and the world stopped spinning.

"Ok… there we go," Amy said as her friend began to calm down. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah… I mean, no." Sage looked between them cautiously. "Do you two hate me now?"

"What?! No!" Amy said.

"No! No, Sage," Ryan chimed in.

"Are you two just saying that?" Sage said, still fighting to control her breathing.

"Sage," Amy said sweetly. "If this is the truth, we absolutely are NOT just saying that."

"It is!" Sage said eagerly. "It is, I swear to god."

"And we believe you," Amy said.

"We do. It makes way more sense than you cheating on Jeremy," Ryan added.

"I would never!" Sage said quickly. “I’m not like that…”

"Oh, Sage… I'm sorry. We were just concerned for you and Jeremy, that's all,” Amy said.

Sage nodded quickly as her shivers rose and fell. Amy gave her a moment to calm down, looking over at Ryan, whose eyes were still wide with shock.

"So…” Amy continued. “Is this why you two bought the house next to Mr. Peeping Tom?"

"N-no!" Sage answered nervously. "We picked it because it had a fantastic backyard and the interest rate was phenomenal and there's a great school just down the–"

"I'm joking, Sage," Amy interjected with an awkward laugh.

Sage froze for a moment, then laughed nervously as well, still trying to tease out how sincere Amy's words were as she rubbed her legs nervously.

"R-right…" Sage said.

Amy looked back over at Ryan, who cleared his throat and began to speak.

"So, when did this start?" he asked.

"Well, a little before you all arrived," Sage said.

"Ooook," Amy’s eyes remained fixed on Ryan’s as she nodded slowly. "Aaaand… I'm assuming that you two have been doing things while–"

"Holy shit. Have you two been messing around with us here?!" Ryan interjected. He promptly stopped talking when Amy’s gaze turned into a death glare.

But fortunately, there was such sincere curiosity in Ryan's question that, for the first time, Sage felt relief wash over her.

"Ok… look… yes, we have been doing some things while you’re here. But I should also say that it wasn't originally the plan. It sort of just… happened."

"Oh my god, that explains so much!" Amy said, sounding relieved as she leaned back on the couch and let out a laugh. "That explains why David came over that one morning, why you invited him to the barbecue, why Jeremy was acting so weird when I was… Wait! Were you over at his house after the Barbecue?!"

Sage went bright red.

"I was…" she replied weakly.

"Oh. My. GOD! And Jeremy was watching from the house, wasn't he?!" Amy asked.

"He was…" Sage confirmed, burying her face in her hands as laughter finally overtook her.

"Hooooly shiiiit," Ryan added, scoffing as he looked over at Amy. "So wait, Jeremy watches from the house?"

"It's all very new!" Sage said, rolling her head back with her eyes closed tight. "We're figuring it out."

"Wow… WOW…" Amy shook her head. "There is so much to process right now."

She paused before continuing.

"So is David, you know… any good?"

Ryan chuckled. "That was immediately what I was thinking."

Sage felt like she could melt away right then and there.

"Ok, I think we need to stop," she said nervously.

"No, no, you're right, too much too soon," Amy said with a nervous laugh. "I just… wow. You two are SO wild!"

"I mean, it tracks," Ryan said. Sage looked over at him, surprised.

"It does?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you two have always been the adventurous ones."

Sage hadn't expected to hear that.

"Oh, come on, I'm not adventurous,” she replied.

"No, Ryan's onto something,” Amy said. “You might like your routines. But I remember how crazy you and Jeremy were back in college. It's what brought you two together after all."

Sage had never thought about it that way before. It suddenly gave her a new sense of confidence.

But those feelings promptly gave way to a flood of anxiety. She could see the uncertainty in her friends' eyes. The way they kept looking at one another for reassurance as they tried to navigate the truth they'd just been exposed to.

"You aren't going to stop talking to me now, are you?" Sage asked.

"Oh my god, what?! Never!" Amy said confidently.

"Sage, what you and Jeremy do with neighbors is totally your business. We'd never stop talking to you over something like that," Ryan added.

"Do you really mean that?" Sage asked.

"Yes!" Amy said. "I mean… obviously we are shocked. But we aren't judging."

"No! Not at all, I'm… honestly really curious, actually." Ryan said. Sage watched as Ryan and Amy shared a knowing glance.

And the energy in the room shifted.

Before it had time to settle, they heard the garage door open. Not long after, Jeremy came through the mudroom with his guitar case slung over his shoulder.

"I'm home!" he shouted, spotting the three in the living room area. "Hey!" he said cheerfully, kicking off his shoes and walking towards them. As soon as he saw their expressions, however, he paused and glanced between them cautiously.

"Is… everything alright?" he asked.

Sage nodded.

"They… they both know about David and us."

She smiled when she saw Jeremy’s shoulders relax as he let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god. It's about time."