More Than Anything

Something that's not often mentioned in our household is our Mama's actual relation to us, see, since our Mum gave birth to us, Mama would technically be our father... We don't bring it up a lot for obvious reasons, it's just kinda weird, but it becomes more apparent in situations like this one.

"So, what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" She demands, sitting across from Andi. The pleasantries and emotional reunion were cut short as soon as Mama had noticed the unfamiliar face at the table. Andi seems taken aback by her sudden change in tact, but the rest of us know exactly what she's doing.

"Mama, don't do the Grandfather thing." Rosie groans, putting her hand on Andi's shoulder to reassure her. "Ignore that question, it's some prank our Grandfather played on our Mum, she's trying to wind you up."

It's true, whenever any of us brought friends home, even Poppy, Mama would grill them like they were planning to marry us. It's partly why I rarely brought Toni round to the house, way too complicated to explain.

"You ruin all my fun, Petit Lapin, I've missed embarrassing you." Mama replies, resting her head on her hand with a pouty face. Petit Lapin, basically means 'Little Rabbit', Mum's nickname is 'Lapin' so Mama calls Rosie 'Petit Lapin' since they look so similar.

Rouge and Trish interrupt Rosie's embarrassment with the food. "I told you, it's a parent thing. We love torturing our kids." Rouge points out as they begin laying plates out for each of us, as well as one more, which I assume is Sienna's for whenever she arrives.

The table is undeniably cramped, but it's a nice problem to have, the parents in the room spend most of the meal catching up on what's been going on, until the obvious question comes up.

"So, how come Mum's not with you?" I ask, trying not to sound accusatory. The room goes quiet as I wait for the answer, I can always tell when Mama's thinking about how to word something.

"She... Hasn't found what she's looking for yet. It's complicated, but she'll be back before the funeral" She replies vaguely. I learned a long time ago that if I don't get an answer the first time it's better to drop it... I never do though.

"But-" I begin, before I'm cut off by the door opening, followed by footsteps down the hall.

The woman that appears is absolutely stunning, with flowing red hair and striking, fashionable clothes, it's obvious who it is. "Sorry I'm late! Shoot went on a bit longer than expect." The woman explains. "Aunty Ellie!" She exclaims, reaching down to hug my Mama, who reciprocates.

"Aww, baby Sienna, you got so big!" She replies, letting go of my cousin, who takes the empty spot at the table.

"I know, right?" Sienna responds, while grabbing her own boobs. I don't think that's what was meant by big... But she has a point. Mama simply rolls her eyes as Sienna, as we begin to introduce ourselves. "So I guess that makes you little Ru-Ru!" She concludes, after successfully guessing my sisters.

Andi seems a tad awkward at the sudden influx of new people. "Hi, I'm Andi, I live next door." She greets Sienna awkwardly, who seems more pleased to meet her than any of us.

"Well... Hello gorgeous." Sienna smiles, brushing Andi's white hair out of her eyes. "If I knew you were here, I'd have visited a lot sooner. What do-" My cousin's flirtatious barrage is cut off by Rouge slapping her round the back of the head.

"No chatting up the guests." My aunt explains coldly, as Sienna rubs the back of her head. Marie, meanwhile, finds the whole thing hilarious, and can't hold back her laughter.

Trish interjects in a less violent way. "You'd think you'd have learned after that baptism!" She chuckles. I kind of want an elaboration on that statement, but given the context, it could well be horrifying.

*

"Your family is amazing." Andi decides. We decided to step outside to get some air while everything was getting cleaned up. "Everyone's so lively, it's so much fun." She explains, sitting on the front doorstep.

I snort at her optimism. "Yeah, they're a riot. Literally, I think tonight may end in looting." I retort, sitting down next to her.

"I knew I shouldn't have left my firebombs at home!" She laughs. Her laugh is nice, it's innocent, calming. Maybe it's why she jokes so much.

"You know... We're throwing a party on Friday, it's kinda the band's first gig, it'd be great if you could be there." I request. "I know there's stuff with Echo... But still."

Andi seems to consider my proposal dramatically for a few seconds before replying. "Erm. Yes! Obviously, I wouldn't miss it, gotta give you and Poppy at least one friendly face." She grins. "Don't worry about anything else, that's... That's history."

History, huh? Sure feels more recent, given the continued awkwardness. "That's great!" I almost yell, before regaining my composure. "I mean... You know, cool. It's at the old Ferry by the riverside, you know it?"

Andi's smile drops slightly. "Oh... That place..." She sighs. "I'm... Surprised Echo would want to go there after everything that went down."

Of course, Andi would know about what made her go so nuts earlier... Maybe I can find out a little bit. "You mean, when she was supposed to meet someone?" I confirm.

She seems surprised that I know that much. "Yeah, Echo and her Ex were meant to meet there, but then... Well, her Mum happened." Andi explains. "The rumour's way overblown, but basically her Mum took her out of school to some apartment building and threw pig's blood over her, something about trying to drive the evil out. After that, Echo distanced herself from everyone except Ty... Until you came along, that is."

Wow. I've heard of some fucked up things, but even relatively speaking... That's fucked up. It's hard to imagine how that must weigh on her... But it explains the conflicting emotions she had earlier.

"I had no idea... I mean, I knew her Mum was messed up, but I didn't know it was that bad." I admit, unsure how to process that image.

Andi stands and leans against the doorway. "She's sick, it's not entirely her fault, but... It's what broke everything apart back then." She reminisces. "I'm... Gonna head home, if that's okay? Thanks for having me over." She adds as she begins walking back to her house.

I'm getting real sick of Andi leaving with a sad look on her face. That settles it. I'm gonna fix their friendship, even if they hate me for it. Echo and Andi don't deserve to be in pain because other people fucked up.

It's time to raise the stakes. I'm going all in.