There goes Gravity

I was never bullied at school, not really, the worst I've ever had was the repercussions of the guitar incident and Ty's surprise welcome. Not what I'd call a tough time. So I can't imagine the whirlwind of emotions of coming face to face with your school bully and finding them to be a husk of themselves. Would I feel smug? Victorious? Frightened?

Sad?

Sad seems like the obvious one, in the same way I couldn't bring myself to hate Ms Birch, Mum doesn't seem capable of getting angry at her. "So, enough of our history." Mum sighs, having explained what had gone on between the two in the past. "Tell me about you. How have you been since moving back?" She asks, sweetly.

Ms Birch doesn't seem to know how to react to this, she's definitely in the room with us, her eyes are darting between everyone's concerned faces. "Hate you. Hate you all." She mumbles, gripping her knees. "Afraid. Lonely." she mutters, looking away from my parents in an almost serene tone. Her ability to switch from pure rage to an almost graceful sullenness is hard to look away from.

"Alright, I think that's enough." Mama decides. "How about some tea? Echo, if you would?" She gestures, asking my girlfriend to lead the way. Echo leads her to less of a room, more of an alcove, with a few appliances, as she and Mama begin making tea for everyone.

"I'd give you a hand, but I'd need them both for standing." Andi shrugs. Apparently it's true what the English say, tea really can solve all problems. Poppy moves to sit down next to Mum, and Ms Birch looks back and forth between the two.

I expect a burst of anger or a thrown insult, but instead the woman says, "She looks the same." Pulling a small guffaw from Mum, who strokes Poppy's hair.

"Explains the confusion; Poppy does look a lot like her Mama." Mum chuckles, before turning back to her old bully. "I've got to ask, does Jenny know you're here?" She asks softly, as if she's worried that the name might trigger something in her. This seems to grab Echo's attention, who returns from the alcove to observe.

"Jenny?" Ms Birch asks quietly, as if she's running a search in her head. "Jennifer. Where is Jenny?" She suddenly asks, as if remembering something she'd long forgotten. Her eyes dart around to each of us, as if expecting an answer.

Echo clears her throat. "I thought I was Jennifer? It's my middle name. She's mentioned it a couple of times." She explains, sounding a little despondent, that her mother may not actually have been acknowledging her.

Mum's face, on the other hand, lights up. "Oh, she gave you her name." She smiles sweetly. "Jenny and Amanda were best friends in school, but they got separated when Amanda moved." Mum explains, leaving Echo dumbfounded.

Andi gasps suddenly. "That's right! Jenny mentioned she used to hang out with the girl that... Bullied her half-sister." She exclaims before throwing an apologetic frown to Mum, who simply waves it off. "I never put her name and your middle name together, though."

I stand and move over to Echo, wrapping my arm around her. "Hey, this is a lot, you doing okay?" I whisper to her, and she just nudges me back to assure me she's still as solid as ever. I suppose she doesn't want to miss whatever revelation comes next.

"I'll call her, let her know that you're staying here, I know she'll want to come help out." Mum decides. "If that's okay with you two?" She adds, glancing to Ty and Echo, who both just seem swept up in all the drama, and seem to nod in sync.

"Why?" Ms Birch asks, almost inaudibly. "Why help me?" She asks again, finally letting go of her knees, letting her feet rest on the floor. I'm no expert, but this definitely feels like her relaxed position.

Mum sighs and smiles at the haggard woman. "Amanda, I'd have helped you back then if you'd asked." She informs her with a hint of regret. "More than that, despite everything, I have all that I have because of you. You made me me, in the worst possible way but nonetheless. You don't deserve to suffer now any more than I did then." She continues soothingly, leaning over and placing a hand on Ms Birch's shoulder. I expect the former bully to shirk the gesture, but... She just looks like she's going to cry.

"I forgive you."

*

Echo pins me down to Andi's bed as our girlfriend leans her crutches on the wall and hobbles over to join us, her tongue working its way down my neck to my collarbone.

Okay, this all happened very quickly. After the showdown at Echo's place, Ms Birch was put to bed, and we each went our separate ways. Mum and Mama dropped us home and went to the bar, Ty and Poppy went to our place to watch a film, and Rosie is still off somewhere. I'm assuming hanging out with friends.

This left me, Andi, and an incredibly grateful and pent-up Echo. The latter of which decided to jump on me the moment we entered Andi's room. "I am going to rock your fucking world, you absolute fucking stud." She informs me. Remind me to meddle in other people's family matters more often if this is the result.

Andi interrupts, kissing Echo's neck, then whispering something in her ear. Echo's eyes go wide, and she dismounts me, rushing over to Andi's closet, as our host explains to me. "The other night, when Rosie was staying over, we may have done some online shopping... And I may have picked up some goodies."

Echo returns to the bed with a box labelled "Honey's" and proceeds to open it at a speed to match a kid on Christmas morning. The contents are revealed to be... A dildo, less surprising, but also what appears to be a pair of briefs that seem to attach to them. A strap-on. Our Andi went out of her way to buy a strap-on.

Well, that certainly means we're going to be having a fun evening. I bet the others aren't having even nearly as much fun.