Flat Circle

I can see how people would be envious of me, I've got a loving family, a solid education, two beautiful girlfriends, on paper I'm living the dream. The thing about paper is that it's really thin and falls apart when it gets wet. The point is that, as I walk home with Poppy, I start to realise that having it all means you really do have to work at it, this evening has definitely taught me that.

"Do you think... Ty'll forgive me?" Poppy asks quietly. It's the first thing she's said since we left Ty and Echo's place, and it's no surprise it sounds hard for her to ask.

"There's... Nothing to forgive." I reassure her. "I'm sure Ty's told you about her history, she's not well, maybe she just reacted because she's so attached to him." I rationalise, honestly, it's hard to say what exactly set Ms Birch off, her rambling wasn't exactly explanatory.

It's dark out now, our path home highlighted only by street lights and the occasional car. Truth be told, I'm as worried as my sister, but she needs me to be a pillar of strength right now, I need to be the street light in the dark.

"What are you two doing out this late?" A voice calls from behind us. I turn to see an unfamiliar blue saloon, but the driver's face reassures me. "This isn't exactly the nicest part of town." Jenny adds, parking up next to us. Poppy seems relieved to see her, I guess they bonded at the funeral, lucky, she could use a friendly face.

"Hey Jenny, we were at a friend's but... Well, we're heading home now." I explain, not wanting to share the details, especially not in front of an already traumatised Poppy.

My sister looks between the two of us, clearly unsure how to proceed. "Come on, get in, it's a bit out of my way, but I can't leave you stranded." She tells us, clearly not willing to discuss the matter. "I'm not exactly winning aunt of the year already, gotta get some points back." She adds, with another smile for Poppy, who silently heads towards the car door. Guess she's on board, I walk around and enter the front passenger seat, suddenly realising how cold it was outside.

The car starts silently, and we move off towards home, rock music plays quietly on the radio, it's catchy. "I haven't heard this, who is it?" I ask, trying to make small talk. It's not exactly awkward with Jenny, she's perfectly friendly, but I need to keep myself chatting, makes me more comfortable.

"Unnamed." Jenny answers with a sigh. "My ex's band. I'd throw it out, but I'm still mates with his sister, and it'd feel disrespectful. Plus... It sounds pretty damn good." She adds with a chuckle. Given what she told me about how Mum and her got into a fight, this is probably the same ex... Now all I can think about is that they didn't talk at the funeral, meaning I guess there's still a chasm between them. "Guess you'll have to make it big, that way I have a reason to listen to other stuff." Jenny jokes.

"Well, how could we not, with the best guitar and bass duo in the world?" I brag, thumping my chest with my hand. Probably best to stay away from heavy topics, so this suits me nicely. "Plus, I guess the others aren't bad." I continue nonchalantly.

"Oh, I've heard, Andi's kept me well-informed." Our aunt chortles. "Something about making out on stage, then getting arrested?" She adds, showcasing she's been following our exploits much more closely than I thought.

I really don't want the spotlight on me. "Yeah, Poppy, how could you do those things?" I smirk. "Honestly, this one's a wild child, I caught her trying to rob an old lady." I continue to lie.

"Hey!" Poppy objects, breaking her silence. "I didn't do either of those!" She states, as if I'd made a mistake rather than deflected the heat off myself.

"Okay, but there was some R-rated hand holding!" I argue, trying not to break into laughter, not helped by Jenny's shocked gasp.

"What? Hand holding? Aren't you supposed to wait until marriage for that?" She chuckles, turning Poppy bright red at the attention.

My sister seems to decide the best defence is a good offence. "What about you? Are you married?" She asks innocently, probably not realising that asking an older woman something like that is like lighting a stick of dynamite.

"Nah, never found the right person." Jenny replies, surprisingly calmly. I guess she's comfortable being single, that's pretty admirable. "Had a lot of fun though, you know... Plenty of hands to hold." She continues suggestively, making my sister look even more embarrassed.

*

Jenny and I chat as we continue to the house, finally arriving as Poppy looks like she's about to fall asleep. "Up and at 'em, Pops, you've got a warm bed to occupy." I remind her, as my sister groggily exits the car, with a quiet 'thank you' to our gracious driver. "You should come in too... Say hello to everyone." I tell Jenny, who looks conflicted by my request, before groaning and leaning into her chair.

"Yeah, gotta face the music eventually." She decides, opening the door and following Poppy and I as we enter the house. The house is still lit up, which means Mum and Mama haven't gone to bed yet... Thinking on it, I didn't tell them I was going with Poppy... Or that Rosie is staying at Andi's. Now I think I'm in more danger than Jenny is.

Poppy sleepily makes her way up the stairs, as I hear footsteps from the living room. "Rufus? Is that you?" Mum's voice calls as she comes around the corner. "Where have you... Been..." Her question fades off as she sees her estranged sister waiting in the hallway.

"Hey Scar... Long time no see." Jenny offers shakily, as Mum approaches her. For a few seconds they just stare at each other, maybe assessing, maybe processing, maybe just thinking of what to say. I mean, what do you say after-

A loud slap answers my question, as my Mum's hand flashes along Jenny's face, who barely seems to react to the sudden impact. Maybe she thought she had it coming? I can imagine her feeling pretty guilty after so much time has-

Another slap answers, this time across Mum's face. Okay, I admit, I don't even know who's even in the wrong at this point? Probably me, it's usually me. I consider if I should get in between the two, but honestly, I'm a little afraid of receiving one of those slaps. Then the unimaginable happens. The two pull each other into a hug. Just a hug, no body slams, no knives in hand.

"Welcome back, Jen." Mum offers calmly, far more calmly than she should considering the situation, but then I thought the slapping was surprising, so maybe I just have no idea what's going on. I watch the two hug, and I can tell there's a whole world of history, maybe this was just easier for them? To be on even ground? To both be in the wrong?

Either that, or they're both crazy, I just don't fucking know any more.