The School Play

Chapter 19

Regina awoke by the sound of pots and pans clattering on the floor. The couch was not far from the open-plan kitchen, and she immediately sat up straight.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Mary Margaret said and quickly grabbed the pans from the floor. "I thought you'd be upstairs, sleeping in Emma's room."

It was clear she expected some sort of explanation, but Regina was in no mood to talk about it. She didn't even really know what there was to talk about. After Emma and she had decided she'd be sleeping on the couch, they hadn't said a word to each other anymore. Emma had given her a duvet and a pillow, but that was about it.

"We got into a fight," Regina said, "I think."

"Things are always a bit complicated between you two, aren't they?"

Mary Margaret walked towards Regina with a cup of tea. She set it down on the coffee table for the girl and sat down on the chair.

"Did you sleep alright?"

"Given the circumstances, yes," Regina said. "Is this for me?" She pointed at the cup and Mary Margaret nodded.

"Thank you," she said and carefully grabbed it. She hadn't slept in the most comfortable position and she felt her back ache, but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that Emma was still upstairs, and Regina had no clue as to how to fix whatever had gone wrong between them. The night before felt a little hazy, probably because she'd been tired.

"So, what happened?" Mary Margaret kindly asked. "If you want to talk about it, of course."

Regina swallowed and felt very vulnerable. She never had her own mother talk to her like this, and she suddenly felt very heard, something she wasn't used to.

"Emma and I have never gotten along very well. She didn't really seem to like me at first, though we didn't even know each other. That made me dislike her, and that's when she started disliking me even more, and that's how we got into a circle. Though, she was really nice to me, at some points. I think she's seen me cry in the bathrooms about three times," Regina said with a soft chuckle, hiding away the sadness behind the last words.

Mary Margaret listened intently, something Regina also wasn't used to. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had listened to her like that, and she suddenly felt a mix of sadness and jealousy.

"I know this might not help the situation now, but Emma often judges people very quickly. It doesn't matter who you are, but if she's even slightly getting the feeling that you could end up hurting her, or she sees something in you that resembles a quality that someone who's hurt her in the past had, she tries to stay away from you."

"She hasn't had an easy life, that much is clear. She doesn't want to share anything," Regina said and sipped her tea. Mary Margaret nodded and swallowed thickly.

"It is going to take a lot of time and a lot of proving your trust, to get Emma to tell you her story. And if you break it, there's no restoring it."

Regina nodded slowly and leaned against the back of the couch. She hesitated before she asked, "do you think I can make things right with Emma?"

Mary Margaret smiled. "Do you want to?"

Regina bobbed her head curtly. "Last night was a lot of fun, but then it all turned downwards suddenly and.. that's basically how it often goes. She is nice to me and then I say or do something stupid, which ruins everything. I do know she doesn't like me a lot though, but she's tried."

"Give it time. I think that if you really want to be friends, or just get along, you'll both figure it out," Mary Margaret said, but suddenly her smile disappeared.