Ef,
Interesting happenings in Bristol. You'd get a kick, I'm sure. I've run into Naomi of all people. You know she's not so bad? Like really, even without Ems around. Speaking of which, seems my stupid sister's broken her heart. She seems really down. Feel like doing Easter in Bristol to cheer her up?
-Katie xx
P.S. Luke says hi and are you eating enough. Lol. He doesn't believe that you scarf down McDonald's and stay so skinny.
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Katie sighs when her phone rings. She should have known better than to assume that Effy would simply write a short e-mail back. She only didn't talk when you wanted her to. When you'd wish she rather kept silent, she always had more to say.
"Hi, Ef," Katie says without even bothering to glance at her screen.
"You and Naomi, huh?" Effy starts right in. Katie has to appreciate that at least Effy doesn't waste time with small talk.
"She's really depressed," Katie explains.
"Well I suppose it's not the most bizarre friendship to come out of our dysfunctional little group," Effy muses.
"No. That would probably be us!" Katie points out and is rewarded with a small grunt that she knows is really a laugh out of Effy.
"So Easter in Bristol?"
"Yeah. What do you say?" Katie asks.
"Not quite how I imagined spending Easter, but I suppose I could. For a friend," Effy concedes.
"Good," Katie replies thankfully. She definitely did not want to go back to Bristol by herself. She needed someone who knew the new her there so she didn't fall back into old ways. Certainly being around her parents made it harder for her to not be the old Katie, the one they expected.
"Want to stay at mine?" Effy offers.
Katie contemplates it for a second. "Maybe. I'll see if Ems is coming home or not."
"If she is, will she really be pleased that you're spending time with her ex?" Effy asks thoughtfully.
Katie shrugs even though she know Effy can't see it. Effy's intuitive enough she'll probably know Katie's shrugging anyway, Katie figures. "I think Naomi needs me more than Emily does right now given that Naomi can't stop crying and Emily hasn't even bothered calling me to tell me that she and Naomi broke up," Katie replies.
The line is silent for a minute, and if it was anybody besides Effy, Katie would probably have thought that she'd lost the call, but she knows better. Finally Effy says, "Ok. So see you in a few weeks?"
"See you then," Katie confirms and doesn't bother waiting for a goodbye that she knows will never come.
"Alright, love?" Luke asks from behind her.
Katie turns and nods.
"Effy?" he concludes.
Katie nods again.
"You ever going to admit that you fancy her? Just a little?" Luke teases.
Katie rolls her eyes. "Fuck off!"
Luke laughs lightly. "Well next time you talk to your girlfriend tell her I say hi," he grins at her.
Katie slaps him lightly on the arm. "Just because you're gay, doesn't mean everybody is!" she retorts.
"Everybody's got a bit of gay in them, hun," Luke counters. "And speaking of gay...Naomi is going to be here soon!"
"Right, yeah. I've just got another call to make and I'll be right out," Katie smiles at him.
Luke nods and leaves the room again.
Katie picks up her phone and sighs. She's not especially sure that she really wants to make this call, but she kind of needs to. She presses speed dial "2" and puts the phone to her ear. It rings five times and she's just about decided that her call's not going to be answered when a muffled voice says, "'Lo?"
"Are you asleep, you lazy cow? It's fucking eight o'clock at night!" Katie exclaims.
"So? We fucking didn't get in 'til seven in the morning, did we?"
"I don't know. And who is we exactly? Because Naomi's here in Brighton," Katie retorts.
The line is silent for a minute, and Katie smiles to herself grimly because good, Emily deserves to think about that. Katie hears a rustling followed by the sound of footsteps and then Emily's voice asks, "What're you doing in Brighton?"
"I really don't think that's the point. Do you?" Katie replies pointedly.
The line is silent for another second. "We broke up."
"I thought you broke up with her," Katie says.
"I did," Emily confirms with a sigh. "Look, Katie, what do you want?"
Katie rolls her eyes. She doesn't know when she and her sister drifted so apart, but since Emily's gotten to uni, she's just become someone else entirely it seems. "Are you coming home for Easter?"
There's another pause. "No. I don't think so," Emily replies.
"Fine," Katie says, feeling slightly bitchy, but, well, Emily drove her to it. "Well I've gotta go. Naomi will be here soon," she added for good measure. "Bye." She hangs up before her sister can question her last statement.
Her phone rings not two seconds later, but she ignores the call. Emily tries again, but Katie continues to ignore it.
"Katie!" Luke calls out, and she sighs.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming," she mutters under her breath as she heads out to the kitchen. Her phone chirps letting her know she's got a message. She knows it's from Emily and she flips her phone open to read it.
That's fucked up! What do u mean N will be there soon?
Katie doesn't reply, but Luke peers curiously over her shoulder when her phone chirps again a few minutes later. Katie shoves her phone in her pocket to ignore it.
"Don't want to answer those?" Luke inquires.
Katie shakes her head.
"You ready for your new girlfriend to come to dinner?" Luke teases.
"Still straight, Luke!" she reminds him. "And just...Ew! I mean it's Naomi. If I somehow did decide that I wasn't straight, I would not go for my sister's ex. Got it?"
Jason laughs as he enters the room and kisses Katie on the cheek. "I think the lady doth protest too much," he joins in on the teasing.
"Oh fuck off!" she growls, though she knows they're just playing so she doesn't really get upset.
Her phone chirps again. She doesn't bother reading it this time. She knows it'll be along the same lines of the previous one. Emily deserves to worry about this. Based on their short conversation, she sure as hell wasn't worrying about Naomi's feelings. Or Katie's for that matter. Katie wonders when Naomi's feelings had started to matter to her in a context outside of those also involving Emily's feelings. The girl just seemed so broken. Katie had never seen someone so upset over a breakup. She certainly never had been. Then again, she'd definitely never had what Naomi and Emily had had.
And despite Naomi's misery, she hadn't been a cunt to Katie the past few days. That's what makes Katie marvel the most. She knows that if she were feeling half as miserable she'd be rather bitchy to everyone. Especially the twin sister of her ex who generally speaking had been rather unpleasant to her. But they'd grown up. They both had. They'd spent time apart. Maybe that's why I'm more worried about her right now, Katie muses. Maybe now we can actually be friends. Things certainly seem to be shaping up like that.
"You going to answer those?" Jason asks by her ear, shaking her out of her thoughts and making her jump.
"What?" Katie demands.
"Those text messages?" Jason replies.
Katie checks her phone. She's got another three messages. She turns her phone to vibrate. "No. They're not important."
"Can you put these on the table, please, love?" Luke asks, handing her handfuls of silverware.
Katie nods and heads out of the kitchen.
"Is it your old girlfriend getting jealous of your new one then?" Jason calls after her playfully.
She shoots a glare over her shoulder and regrets how full her hands are because otherwise he would definitely be getting flipped off right now. Boys, she sighs, doesn't matter if they're gay or straight, they're still a pain in the arse. God help her, she does love them though.
