Beneath The Landslide
Chapter Two
"My lip still bloody hurts!"
Rae's body shook with laughter as she lied back on her bed. Coiling the phone cord around her finger, she managed to retort, "Oh, piss off. It wasn't that bad… Jesus, though, I still can't believe I punched you."
"Pfft. Tell that to my wounded ego."
Rae knew that Finn was grinning just as widely and cheekily as she was. Last night had ended on an uncertain note, but when Finn had rang her twenty minutes ago to ask about a CD, they began talking as if nothing had happened. This conversation was reminiscent of the chats they used to have, before romance and insecurities complicated everything. Rae felt as if she truly had her friend back, and that mattered to her more than anything. The newfound orgasms were just an added- and much appreciated- perk.
"Well, please inform your ego- and your lip- that I am deeply sorry for any pain that I may have caused either of them. However, I was only following my instructor's advice, and it was my first time practicing the art of self-defense… Plus, I was provoked."
There was a slight pause before Finn asked: "Provoked or jealous?"
"Provoked," Rae replied instinctually; she was far too proud to admit to jealousy. Although there certainly was jealousy- heaps of it. Okay, to be fair, she had never been quite so jealous in her entire life. For good measure, she quietly added, "… Maybe a bit jealous."
Finn didn't respond immediately to Rae's muttered confession. She wracked her brain for a natural way to redirect the conversation. She wanted to keep the tone light, but lately it was so easy for things to go from playful to seriously intense within moments when it came to Finn.
"I was jealous, too," he finally confessed. "Right, I was really bloody jealous."
It was petty, but Rae couldn't stop the rush of warmth that flooded her veins and scurried up the back of her neck. The weeks following her breakup with Finn had been dark and difficult- for more reasons than one- but hearing that he had been pining for her the way she had been for him was immensely reassuring.
"Don't let that go to your head, though."
"Wha'?" Rae asked innocently.
"I can practically hear your ego swelling right up."
"Well at least one of our ego's is in good health," Rae quipped as she grinned to herself.
Finn chuckled appreciatively. "Right then, Earl, when should I come by?"
"Come by?"
"To pick you up. I thought I'd give ya a lift to Archie's tonight."
"Oh!" Oh. Archie's party was tonight, but Rae had been hoping that she and Finn would show up separately. Chloe had seemed completely supportive of the idea of them getting back together, but seeing them walk into the party hand-in-hand wouldn't be an easy sight to swallow. She had bloody admitted to being in love with him, for God's sake. Plus, as easy as it was to blame wanting to keep their newly repaired relationship quiet on Chloe, Rae knew there was a part of her that was terrified of stirring up old emotions that she had worked so hard to eliminate. She knew that she was strong, but was she completely ready to face the world with Finn on her arm?
"Oh, that's alright! My mum actually has to drive right by Archie's to pick Karim up from work," she lied.
"You're sure? It's really no problem."
"Positive. Thanks, though. I'll see ya at Archie's then?"
"See you then, Earl."
"Mum...? Mum!"
Rae rushed through the hall as she haphazardly tried to dab some mascara onto her lashes. She had meant to leave for Archie's an hour ago, but had shamefully fallen into the clichéd female pit of not being able to choose what to wear.
Ultimately, she had decided on a maroon sweater, leggings, and Converse sneakers. To be honest, these items weren't the part of her outfit that troubled her. She had to try on every bra and underwear combination she owned before finally settling on the set that she had bought with Izzy and Chloe before the camping trip. If their taste didn't satisfy Finn, she was doomed.
Was she being too presumptuous about this, though? Finn had stopped things from escalating the night before; would the same thing happen tonight? She had hated their conversation; more than that, she hated keeping things from him. However, as far as she'd come, Rae still wasn't ready to reveal all of the fucked up inner-workings of her mind to Finn.
"Mummm? Mu-"
"SHHH!" Rae's mum popped out of her, Buschtat's and Karim's bedroom, her arms flailing dramatically in front of her.
"What in the BLOODY HELL are you yelling about?" she scream-whispered at her daughter, a look of pure outrage on her face. "Do you know how long I have been in there with that child, trying to get her to fall asleep? Do you know how many bloody lullabies and Lesley Gore tracks I've sang? And now she's FINALLY sleeping, and you just waltz around, yellin' my name for the queen to hear. What is it then? What d'ya want?"
"… I was wondering if I could have a lift," Rae whispered as she bit her lip. "To Archie's."
Rae's mum slowly dropped her arms to her side as she eyed Rae carefully. "A lift? I thought there was a bloody fire."
"I'm so sorry, Mum. I didn't want to wake Buschtat, really. It's just I'm late, and I really need a lift."
"You want a lift," she repeated quietly, shaking with frustration. Rae had a troubling flashback to her mother's state during her juice cleanse. "Shall I just leave Buschtat here then? Leave her to fend for herself? Why don't I have her whip up some dinner while she's at it?"
"Of course not! No, we could bring her in the car."
"Oh, bring her in the car! What a silly cow I am, why didn't I think of that? Yes, Rae, let's just undo the last hour I spent trying to get her to fall asleep. We MUST adjust to your very demanding schedule! Fantastic, fantastic idea."
Now Rae was getting irritated. She realized that she should have been more appreciative of Buschtat's sleep time, but she was new to the whole sibling thing- plus, she really was late to Archie's!
"Okay… Like I said, I'm sorry. I s'pose that's a no, then?"
Her mum smiled mechanically. "That's a no. Jesus, Rae, you truly are a riddle to me at times… Tell ya what. How many legs do you have?"
"… Two."
"Brilliant. And are both of them fully functioning?"
Rae was now glowering. She could see where this was going. Her mum's smile grew.
"Yes…"
"Bloody brilliant! Have a nice walk then."
With a monumental eye roll, Rae turned on her heels and stomped down the hall. She had some choice words for her mother, but she had somehow retained a shred of her humanity through that conversation and didn't want to wake her baby sister.
"Oh, and give Finn-love a peck on the cheek for meh!" her mum cheerily yelled down the hall. As soon as the words were uttered, she gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth. Right on cue, Buschtat let out an earth-shattering cry. Before she could get sucked into lullaby duty, Rae made a run for it.
