No Right Answer

Alcohol's a curious thing. I mean, we intentionally poison ourselves in order to have slightly more fun. I mean, sure, we're usually pretty certain we'll recover, but some lizards grow their tails back, they don't rip them off for fun. It's one of those things that's uniquely human, we know it's dumb, but we enjoy it, so we do it anyway. Like knitting, or crappy action films. Sometimes we want something to be bad for us, so we can really know what good things feel like.That being said, sometimes we overindulge...

And our twins have to carry us home. Weirdly, I'm not the drunken one.

"Woo! I'm a married woman!" Rouge yells to an empty street, supported by one arm around me and another around Elise. "I am a Mrs. Mrs Cray-Patel!" She continues to announce. I should be annoyed... I guess I am on some level, but seeing her like this is nice. Happy, not drunk, I can take or leave that part.

Jenny and Trish trail behind us, catching up on the recent updates in their lives, it doesn't seem like they've hung out much recently, so it's cool to see them reconnect. Apparently we'd all gotten a bit too into reconnecting, as it's now nearly eleven, and we didn't give Mum much warning.

"Did you get the appointment I sent you for the viewing tomorrow?" I ask Elise, trying to draw attention away from the deadweight hobbling our movement.

Elise snorts at my timing. "Yeah, I'll meet you outside work. You got a favourite yet?" She asks me.

Yes. But I don't want to colour her opinion until she sees them. Hell, I could still change my mind, no point in committing to something just yet. Fortunately I don't get to respond as Rouge interrupts.

"Hey! Hey! When you get married you can't have two names. Pick one... It's my thing." She orders, jabbing me in the side of the head with her index finger. I may intentionally drop her...

"Please, she wants my last name and we all know it." Elise laughs. No I don't! I mean... I wouldn't mind. It's not like it really matters. I suppose it'd be nice. I'd kinda like it... Alright, yes, if my gravestone reads anything other than 'Scarlet Monroe' then my life's a failure, but I'm not Rouge. We'll cross that bridge down the line.

"Jealous. I'd kill to get rid of my last name." Jenny groans. I look over my shoulder to see her and Trish have caught up. "I'm still legally Jennifer Cross, always reminds me of... Well, you know." She explains. Damn, that's a good point, I can't imagine being named after that sociopath. Think I'd rather have no last name... Thought that does sound pretty cool anyway.

Rouge suddenly bursts to life, stumbling to her feet and turning to Jenny. "I know!" She tells her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You should be Jenny Cray."

Alcohol. Truly a curious thing.

"It's Dani's maiden name though, I'm not related to her." Jenny points out, turning Rouge back in the right direction and gently pushing her to resume walking. Her words are disagreeing, but I can see the look on her face, she feels flattered. She's even blushing. Maybe she should take our name, not like I'm gonna be using it in a few years time.

Rouge blows a raspberry at Jenny's statement. "Well, you're related to us, and it's our name, so it's yours too... 'Cause sisters and... Shit..." She replies, waving off Jenny's argument.

Rouge stumbles and wobbles down the street before me and Elise rush to support her again.

Thank fuck we're almost home.

*

The sound of barking has come to be a reassuring welcome when returning home... But tonight it's foreboding. If Ruby's awake then Mum's awake too... And she's not going to be happy. About Rouge's drunken status or her marital status. Wow, am I glad I'm not in her shoes. On cue, our mother rounds the corner from the living room with a look of aggravation on her face, which only gets worse as she witnesses our sorry state. We take Rouge to the kitchen and ply her with water. She's a little bit more sober now, but it's not likely she'll recover fully without sleep.

"Big celebration?" Mum asks, sitting down across from Rouge. To my surprise she's addressing me. Hang on, I didn't do anything, blame the wonder child or her wife.

"Yeah, erm... We were... I think it was because of-" I attempt to scramble an excuse together, but my brain isn't fully sober itself. Damn, how did I manage to pass as straight for so long? I'm terrible at secrets.

At that moment Rouge decides to interrupt and drop her bombshell. "We were celebrating me getting married!" She cheers, showing off her ring flamboyantly. People need to learn how to break this news, because so far the revelations have been awful.

Mum laughs for a minute before looking at the ring and Rouge's sincere face. Slowly the penny drops... She's not joking. She looks to me, then to Elise, then Jenny. None of us have the guys to confirm what she already knows.

"Technically, we were celebrating us getting married, but I don't think that's the root of the problem, is it?" Trish's voice rings out. Mum leans back in her chair, letting the news sink in. "Look, Rouge wanted to invite you, but it was a really quick thing, she wanted to protect me, make sure my parents couldn't ship me off, and there was.-" Trish stumbles over her various explanations before being cut off.

"Stop." My mother demands, raising a hand towards Trish. Silence returns for a few minutes. Maybe it was seconds, I don't know, ask the mojitos. "You're all clearly... Not in a state to explain this." She thinks aloud, not making eye contact with any of us. Jenny didn't actually drink any alcohol, but I don't think that's the root of the problem, is it? Damn it Trish. "I think you should all go to bed, Jenny, Jasper's old room is free, one of the girls should have some spare pyjamas. I'll let him and Minnie know where you are." Mum decides, dismissing us from the room.

We're not far off nineteen... Right now I feel like a kid. Now I think I get where that old phrase comes from...

Mum's not mad, she's just disappointed.