Emily sat patiently on the couch she once could call her own, as her mother paced back and forth, muttering to herself, just loudly enough for Emily to understand.
"Emily, you can't just waltz back in here and expect everything would be just fucking peachy. You haven't been here in almost 6 years, then you just show up, what the hell are you thinking?" Her mom glanced at her, her face bearing a look of anxiety mixed with joy. She must have been glad to see Emily, she was her daughter after all. But to see that Emily was still going through her 'phase' was what upset her. Jenna Fitch, the model mother, couldn't give birth to a dyke. Never. It just wasn't right.
Emily sat contemplating her next move; should she speak up, or wait for her mother to continue? She received a deathly glare from her mother and took that as an indication to justify herself. "Well, Mum, I wanted to talk to you, as an adult. I'm 21, do you really think this is still just some 'phase'?" Her mother flinched slightly. "You don't really know how much it hurts to have a parent give up on you like this. It's the shittiest feeling there is, believe me. I'm just trying to be myself, trying to be truthful. But you didn't accept that, and I was hoping, that maybe, you had changed your mind." Emily gave her mother a hopeful and saddening face, and the elder just grunted and turned away.
"Emily, what you don't understand is that I'm just looking for what's best for you. I do still care about you, and I'm worried for you. You've heard on the news, the stories about kids like...you."
"Kids like me? What in the hell is that supposed to mean? I'm not some sort of freak, Mum."
"Oh, Emily, you know what I mean. Kids who are just…different." She halted her pacing, resting on the arm of the couch with her arms folded insecurely across her chest. "I just want you to be safe. If something happened to you like one of those awful stories, I'd die. Really."
Emily was a little surprised at her mother's words, just because she had never heard her mother so sincere about anything. Not with Katie, or James, or her father. She had expected her mother would have come around by now. No, she just really hoped she would have. A heavy silence lingered over them, and they both were fidgeting awkwardly, looking at anything other than each other's eyes. A dull pounding from the garage interrupted their silence. Emily looked curiously, and as if her mother, as if she knew what she was going to ask, answered knowingly.
"That's your father, and James. Dad's still working on some new invention like he always has been, forcing James to help him." They both chuckled lightly, and Emily gave her mother a small smile. She really enjoyed seeing her mother again. She was gestured forward towards the door. She tapped gently, and pushed the door open just enough for her to peek through. Sure enough, James was sitting underneath a weird contraption that was somehow strapped to a chair. His face bore pain, and it was clear that the elder Fitch's invention wasn't working too well. Slowly, she stepped through, careful not to distract either of them, for fear of James injuring himself in this new and unknown device.
"Oh, come on James! You can hold it higher than that kid! You're a Fitch for crying out loud!" The father barked at his son while the younger struggled to keep the surely heavy…thing held high.
"I'm trying Dad! We've been at this all day, and I'm starting to get a bit sore."
Jenna interjected from behind Emily, "Rob, I need to speak to you for a second." She quickly ushered Emily behind her, clearly hoping to surprise her husband and son. When Rob failed to comply, she raised her voice. "ROB!" James yelped, dropping the weight, as Mr. Fitch let out a hearty yell. "Something's come up, dear. It's really quite important."
"Yeah? Well, what is it?"
Emily stepped out from behind her mother, exhaling a single huge breath, and lamely waved her hand. "Hey, Dad." Her father stood there breathless, as James came to stand beside him, their faces holding the same look of complete surprise. "It's been a while, yeah?"
"Emily…what's going on? What—how—" Rob cut himself short, unsure of what exactly to say. He looked helplessly at Jenna, while James shifted his gaze between the other three. Lazily rubbing his scruff, Rob circled a few times before finally finding the right words to say to his daughter. "Emily, it's really great to see you. That you're here, and…it's like we've almost got the entire family back."
James took this as an easy way out of the awkward circle that had formed. "Should I go call Katie?" He looked expectant, and when his mother nodded, he almost galloped away in his joy to get out of there. The beeping from the house phone could be heard, and the others attempted to listen, but as the beeping quickly became faint, it was clear that James had walked away. Instead, they returned to their own gathering.
Rob spoke up again. "Emily, what's—Why are you here? Nothing happened, right?"
"No Dad, nothing happened. I just felt, that, it had been too long. I was a bit childish when I left, I realize, and I kind of wanted to make it up to you guys. I'm sorry." She offered a quaint smile.
"Aww love, it's doesn't matter. Honestly, I think you were kind of right for leaving the way you did. Your mother and I…" He glanced at his wife briefly. "We weren't very helpful then, we only tried to change you. We were…some pretty shit parents." He let out a sarcastic laugh while being gifted with an insulted glare from Jenna. "But, now we realize that this is who you are. And you're still our little girl, and we wouldn't change that for anything." He gave a smile, a serious one this time, and pulled the other two in for a famous Fitch hug, although no Fitch hug was complete without…
"Katie?" Rob let go, allowing Emily and Jenna to spin around to find the bolder Fitch twin in the doorway, with an eager James just behind.
"James just rang me and said that…"Her sentence remained unfinished as she stared down her not quite identical twin. "Emily..."
"Hey, Katie." Emily took a step forward just as Katie launched her fist into the side of her head.
"Bitch. You think you can just show up after abandoning us for what, five, six years?" She spat angrily.
"KATIE!" Jenna's eyes widened "What the hell?"
"Mum, this bitch thinks she can just walk back in here like nothing's happened!" She turned her glare back to Emily. "She abandoned us, I'm not letting her back in that easily." Katie folded her arm across her chest. "So, Emsy, have you got anything to say for yourself?"
"Emsyshem."
Katie's strong stance crippled almost immediately. "What?"
"Emsyshem." Emily stayed strong, although her face felt like it had been hammered into a wall. Katie Fucking Fitch sure knew how to punch.
"You're speaking Twin…We haven't done that in years." Katie stood down and watched as her younger sister stood taller. "I don't even remember much of it…"
"Oh. I see." Emily wasn't sure if she felt upset that her twin had forgotten their biggest secret bond, or childish that she still tried to hold on to such a useless thing. "Well, I'm sorry, Katie." Emily let her strength falter, slouching where she stood. "I hope you can understand, and forgive me." Katie stood there with no response. "Please."
Katie looked Emily in the eyes, and gave her a faint smile. "I suppose I have to. You're my sister after all." They exchanged a long hug, both tearing up as they held each other. Katie whispered, "Katieshem." As she rubbed her hand up and down Emily's back. After they split apart, Katie chuckled, "And I suppose I owe you for passing my history final when I was beaten with a rock." They shared a laugh, and Katie spoke up again. "God, it's really sad, you know?" She began crying harder, and stuttered. Jenna and Rob excused themselves from the room, giving Kate and Emily privacy. "We've just wasted five years. Not speaking. And now we'll never be able to get that back." She was crying heavily now. "I missed it. The way things were. When we were best friends. I missed you, Emily. I missed you so much." They linked hands, and Katie dragged them upstairs to their old bedroom. "After we left, Mum and Dad left everything. Just in case, you know, something happened." She reached under her own bed pulling out a thick, leather book. "I put this together after you left, hoping you'd be able to see it someday." She handed the book to her twin, who flipped through it idly. It was a photo album of the two of them. From when they were babies just up until Emily's departure. Together, they sat, flipping through it, reliving every memory in the very place most of them had occurred.
"I think we need to celebrate." Katie piped.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, this is the first time the fabulous Fitch twins have been together in almost five years, this is a huge event!" Katie hopped up. "I'm gonna drive down to the liquor store, d'you want to come?"
"Um, no. I think I'll have a shower, I haven't since yesterday. I've been on a damn train all day. Unless you want me to come?"
"Well, if I didn't want you to come I wouldn't have asked. But if you want to shower, then that's fine. Promise I'll be quick." She pecked Emily on the cheek and was soon out the door. Emily went to fetch her suitcase, which she had left in the backyard in case her parents refused to talk still. She fumbled through in search of some old boxers and a t-shirt she had packed specifically for pyjamas. When she returned from her shower, she discovered she had a new message. From Naomi. She thought that she'd feel a little upset at this, she was upset at herself for just leaving her the way she did, but she actually felt cheery about it. She opened the text, reading;
'Hey, I hope everything's going okay. Just wanted to know how it all went. I understand it's not my business, just wanted to know if you were okay. But I'll leave you alone forever now, promise.'
She giggled happily to herself. It had been years since she had been this happy.
'Everything's fine. Thanks for asking. It's great, actually. A lot better than I thought it would be.'
She sent that first text, then opened a fresh one.
'But you don't have to go away forever…' She debated actually sending it, and after a small battle in her mind, she decided that she would. Just as it had been sent, the door was kicked open by Katie, who was carrying two bags full of alcohol.
"Ready to party, bitch?"
"You fucking know it."
Naomi immediately regretted sending that text to Emily. But she couldn't help not knowing how she was. She laid on her bed, flipping aimlessly through one of her research books, looking at pictures that she couldn't even tell what they were of. None of it mattered to her. Somehow, the last time she had texted Emily, she felt unstoppable. But now, she was even miserable than before. She hadn't been to her classes in two days. She had barely even left her bedroom, except a few trips for cigarettes and alcohol. It had finally sunk in, that she may never see Emily again. She had spent the last two days so fucked up, trying to cover up the pain. To push it all away. And then there she was, drained of her cigarettes and alcohol, and all of the emotions were coming back, pouring back into her mind. She need to contact Emily, and had already sent the text before she actually realized what she was doing.
She felt her phone vibrate in her hand, and almost jumped from the shock. She had been counting on not receiving a response. And now that she had, she realized she was unsure if she even wanted to read it. She feared that Emily had gotten sick of her, and that this could end their friendship.
'Friends. It never went any farther than that…' Naomi thought to herself. She sighed, convincing herself she was ready for whatever it said, even though she knew she wasn't. But her heart leapt when she read it.
'Everything's fine. Thanks for asking. It's great, actually. A lot better than I thought it would be.'
Naomi smiled to herself, content with the message. She sat thinking about what might have happened, fighting back the urge to send another, when her phone lit up again.
'But you don't have to go away forever…'
She didn't want to reply. She wanted to leave Emily alone. She was being teased, and she knew it. But she couldn't help it.
'So then come back.'
"So, how long are you staying here for?"
Katie's question caught her by surprise. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to do after.
"I don't know. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. If I leave, I mean."
Katie eyes gaped. "Well, you've got to finish uni, don't you? What else do you even have if you don't?"
"I should, yeah. But I don't know anymore. I've felt so fucked up lately, I hadn't really thought that far ahead." Emily's body tensed, and her grip on the vodka bottle tightened.
"Ems, what happened?" Katie placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"I don't really know. I couldn't figure it out. So I just left. I'm not sure if I can go back." She sniffled once. "And besides, I've been told someone's broken into my dorm on campus, so I don't really have anything left." Emily giggled, little drops of vodka splashing onto her skin.
"Ems. This isn't funny!" Katie slapped her arm playfully, unable to prevent herself from laughing along.
"No, it's not."
"Did you meet a girl?"
"What? What makes you think that?"
"Oh come on, Emily. It's obvious. You met her, and then you were too afraid to get with her."
"How did you even come to that?"
"Look, you're my fucking sister. I can read you like a book. Besides, you've got a text from…"She reached her hand to the phone. "…Naomi. Who is this Naomi?"
"What the fuck? Give me that." Tearing the phone from her sister's hand, she opened the text.
'So then come back.'
She was unsure of what to say at that point, and merely closed the phone and tossed it onto the bed. She was too fucked by this point to think of a coherent reply, and decided she just wanted the rest of the night to be about her and Katie only. Katie had turned away, respecting Emily's privacy.
"Katie?"
"What?"
Emily held the bottle towards here.
"Cheers."
"Cheers right back, bitch."
I don't know if I like this. I mean I do, but just a little iffy about it. Just let me know what you think?
:|
