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“You have got to be kidding me,” Jason huffed. If I could have taken my eyes away from the screen, I was sure I’d have seen his arms flailing wildly. He had no co-ordination whatsoever. Singing was one thing, but keeping up with the crazy, animated movements on-screen was quite another.
“I’m too old for this!” Mum said, though she was scoring way better than Jason.
“Stop talking,” Lucy swung her arm out and narrowly missed my head. “I’m concentrating!”
Nothing could stop my sister when she was getting her groove on, and as I ducked out of her way, I stumbled and bumped into the wall, ruining my near perfect score.
“Hey!” I straightened up, scrambling to get back in the game. “Not fair!”
“Suck it up, buttercup. I’m in it to win it!”
“You tell her, Luce!” Jason laughed.
A blush coloured Lucy’s cheeks, but it didn’t distract her from pulling out some killer moves.
Obviously, she won, with me coming in an embarrassing third, behind my mum.
Several more rounds followed, with only Michael and Drew not getting involved. Michael wasn’t into it, and Drew never played dance games. Instead, they watched the rest of us, throwing out the occasional heckle for motivation. It would have been the perfect evening if Drew and Jason didn’t have so much animosity between them. I couldn’t tell if everyone noticed and chose to ignore it, or if I was particularly attuned because I knew how deep their feelings ran. Either way, I felt tension rise every time they caught each other’s eyes.
An hour passed, and food still hadn’t been ordered yet. That was enough time for the situation to become too much for me.
I needed a breather.
Excusing myself from the games, I went through to the kitchen and leaned back against the breakfast table, blowing out a breath. If I hadn’t been driving, I’d have started chugging from the nearest bottle of red wine.
We shouldn’t have come. I should have been more adamant we were too tired, because Drew and Jason needed to be apart until they’d cooled down. There was no disguising the awkwardness and it hurt to be around them both at the same time.
“Can I hide out here too?”
I peered up as Jason rested against the counter opposite me.
“I wasn’t hiding, just taking a quick time out.”
“Liar. This reminds me of when your parents had that New Year’s Eve party when we were kids.”
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?”
He shook his head then began to laugh. “I couldn’t find you for forty-five minutes. You were hiding under your bed because the noise from the party poppers and fireworks scared you.”
“I was eight years old!”
“You were a wimp!”
I could still remember how terrified I’d been of all the loud bangs. Of course, I understood the concept of New Year’s Eve, but I hated the noise that came with it. I’d been right in the middle of the action when the clock hit midnight, and explosions of sound and colour scared the crap out of me, causing me to flee to my room to hide.
“I remember Drew came looking for you,” I said. “And he found our feet poking out from under my bed. I was too frightened to get out from under there, so you climbed in with me. It took Drew fifteen minutes to convince me there’d be no more noise!”
Our fond smiles faded a little. So many memories like that one lived on in our minds, at least until Drew outgrew us and decided I was an annoying little brat who helped lead Jason astray. Childhood was such a simple time. Kids play, then fight, then make up; often all within one day. What the hell did we know back then? Nobody told lies that could seriously hurt someone, name-calling didn’t go beyond “prat,” “idiot,” and “stupid head.” All could be forgiven with the offering of a Kit Kat, or an invitation to the next round of Tag. In adulthood, lies lingered, forgiveness was granted but nothing was ever forgotten.
“He’ll come around.” I moved to stand beside Jason and linked my arm through his. “The things he said earlier-”
“Were all true,” Jason finished, looking down at me. “Don’t try to defend it as stuff he didn’t mean because he was angry. He meant every damn word.”
“So did you,” I pointed out. “You said plenty to him, too. Don’t think he spent the rest of the day farting rainbows. He was miserable, Jason. This isn’t a one way thing.”
“I know.” He lowered his head, lost in thought. “I think I’m gonna go home.”
Way to avoid the situation a bit longer. What was the alternative though? Another hour or two making everyone else uncomfortable? Shooting dirty looks across the room, or blanking each other? This was hardly the place for another showdown.
