A Greater Good (girlxgirl)

Garden Party

Everyone was seated at the long tressel table in the garden awaiting the lunch to arrive carried in Steph and Sue's arms. Jane had done her best to distance herself from Everlyn and James by sitting at the other end of the table beside Ricky, talking and joking and forcing herself to have an alright time. Everlyn felt her stomach twist when she saw Jane walk out into the garden, the second time she'd seen her that day but different now because they were over (again) and everything was back on track. Jane had said a quick hello and headed off to talk to Mark, Everlyn watched her laugh with him about something and wished she could go and join and wrap an arm around her waist but she shook away the thought, that was never her life. 

Everlyn was going to seperate her life with a marker and it would be a clear, definitive line marking two parts: Jane and Post Jane. And on this day, she would move forward and recognise just how lucky she was to have a guy like James when there were hundreds of girls who would kill for a man half as nice as him. 

"We still haven't booked the honeymoon," James told Mark, his arm was slung around the back of Everlyn's chair and she tried to look as happy as possible, ignoring Jane at the other end laughing with Ricky. Why was she laughing all the time? How could she be so happy?

"Well you'll need to get onto that!" Mark said. "Where were you planning to go?"

"America, we were thinking, weren't we, Lyn?" James nudged Everlyn. "Lyn?"

Everlyn tore her eyes away from Jane in a discreet way and smiled. "Yeah, United States."

"I'll see if my mate can do you a deal on his flat in LA." Mark was forever trying to show off his contacts.

Everlyn screwed up her nose at him. "Stop showing off, we get it, you know someone in LA."

Mark's wife, Jeanette laughed and patted her round stomach, home to the first grandchild. 

Everyone was mingling and from the appearance it seemed like everyone was having a good time but most of them were hating it. Jane and Everlyn, obviously, no matter how much Everlyn tried to convince herself she was having a good time. Sue was hating it as well, she thought that Anne and Tony were bores and would have preferred to run into a wall than keep listening to Tony talk about his job. She couldn't understand how Ricky and Jane were having a jolly old time opposite her, she wanted to join in on whatever they were laughing at. They seemed to be the only ones having a good time because along her side of the table Everlyn was staring off into space with glassy eyes and a lost expression, perhaps she was hungover. Sue leant forward and slugged down more wine, she'd only get through the lunch if she could get a little tipsy, she wasn't like her husband who could talk to anyone about anything and be entertained. 

Across the table Jane looked over at her mother who looked like she wanted to blow her brains out and winked at her. Jane had a feeling that her mum deep down wouldn't really care about all the Everlyn business, but on the surface she'd have to appear like she did because she couldn't let James be treated unfairly, it was immoral of a mother. Sue nodded at Jane and took a drink.

"I can't believe you remember finding that rat skeleton!" Ricky said, laughing at the memory.

"Of course I can, it was so disgusting!"

"And you chased Everlyn around," Ricky laughed and then sighed happily. "We were about..."

"16." Jane had a sip of her own drink, she wasn't looking at Everlyn and it was actually quite easy to do if she just didn't move her head.

"That was when you and Everlyn started-" Jane kicked Ricky under the table and gave him a dirty look.

"Shut the fuck up," she hissed and looked around, no one was listening, but still.

"What? I'm just saying, that's when everything was easy, hey."

Jane nodded. "I suppose so. A simpler time."

Ricky leant in closer to Jane and lowered his voice. "I know it's back on."

Jane focused herself intensely on her dad's beard so that she wouldn't look shocked. "When did she tell you?"

"Steph's birthday."

"Well it's over again," Jane said.

Ricky laughed. "What are you on about? She's been so much happier."

"No she hasn't." Jane looked at Ricky, defensive of her right to know Everlyn better than anyone. "She's been so miserable and confused, she feels bad. She's sensitive and kind, she doesn't like hurting people."

"Well she needs to if she's going to ever be happy in her life."

Jane smiled at wise Ricky, smart in the best kind of way even if it didn't get him through school. "I know, but I can't force her to leave him if it's going to make her upset."

"So it's over," Ricky said with a hint of suggestion.

Jane shut him down with a hard glare. "Forever."

"Ok." He leant back in his seat and smirked at Jane who was getting pissed off at his immaturity about her feelings because she was feeling sick with what had happened just an hour and a half ago and the sun and wine were not helping her rising anxiety levels.

"Ahh! Here it comes!" announced James in a dad-like way that made Jane roll her eyes.

"Risotto, Roast Beef and Veggies, and Salad," Anne announced as she and Steph sat them down on the table before going around to their seats, Anne beside Tony and Steph beside Jane who squeezed her leg as she sat down. 

Tony raised his glass as a toast and everyone followed in suit apart from James and Everlyn.

"To our children!" he cried. "The future of the family, may they always be as in love as they are now."

And as the meaning of the words and what was happening hit Everlyn along with the wine, she stood up abruptly looking faint but determined. Jane looked at her over the rim of her glass, she was praying that Everlyn wouldn't do something stupid. Everyone was staring at Everlyn expecting some big speech not for her to murmur "I can't do this" and run off barefoot through the garden and into the house.