When they arrived, the girls noticed the crew still setting up.  To her obvious astonishment, Helena espied Dylan.  She quickly realized that Dylan had been hired to direct and film the video.  Months of mental anguish came flooding back to her.  At first, Carmen hadn’t noticed Dylan, but when she saw the distressed look on Helena’s face, she followed her gaze to find Dylan amongst the crew, talking animatedly with one of the members of the group.  Just as Dylan looked up, Helena quickly spun around and ducked behind one of the black flats on the set.  A concerned Carmen followed her and before she could open her mouth to speak, Helena had already begun apologizing for her imminent departure.  Making sure her roommate had a means of transportation to get her home, Helena ran off, leaving Carmen speechless.

Hours later, Carmen arrived back at the apartment.  She saw that Helena’s bedroom door was closed, and tentatively approached.  Instead of knocking, she quietly turned the knob and softly called out to her friend.  “Helena?  Are you ok sweetie?”

She could see Helena curled up on her bed, her back to the door. She heard a faint sniffle before Helena invited her in, never rolling over to face her friend.  Carmen entered the room and sat on the bed.  She reached out and placed a comforting hand on Helena’s turned shoulder.  “Can I do anything for you or get you anything?” she asked.

Helena lay still for a moment before speaking.  “I don’t know why I’m so upset,” she managed.

“Helena, it’s a lot to digest.  I mean, you loved this woman.  Perhaps you’re still in love with her.  And she betrayed you.”

“I guess so,” Helena said, turning just her head to look up at Carmen.  “I mean, I don’t feel like I’m still in love with her.  I don’t…I don’t know what I feel,” she choked out before turning back around.

Carmen moved further onto the bed and positioned herself behind Helena, spooning her.  With her right arm, she reached up and stroked Helena’s arm.  Soon, Helena’s sniffles quieted and she realized that her friend had cried herself to sleep.  In those few short moments, Carmen lay thinking she would do anything to take away her friend’s pain.  She began to contemplate how she would react in the same situation.  It had been a couple of months and she still hadn’t seen Shane.  And with everything in her life changing so drastically, she hadn’t given her former lover much thought.  As she listened to Helena’s peaceful and steady breathing, she kept imagining herself and Shane in different scenarios.  She envisioned them meeting again sometime soon and several different reactions played out in her head.  She fantasized about the past and the many times she and Shane had made love.  She remembered their game “Too Hot” and the striptease she did for Shane.  But looking back on it now, she felt more annoyed than anything.  Since she now knew that she no longer found Shane attractive, she questioned how she ever could have.  She began to chide herself for being so ridiculous with Shane.  She realized that Shane had toyed with her and she herself had become accustomed to the game.