A Greater Good (girlxgirl)

Here

What was she doing here?

I was frozen, I couldn't hear what Clarissa was saying right beside me because my anger and confusion was overtaking every sense of my body. How could she just be sitting at the bar at James and I's engagement, acting as if she was forced to be there? No one invited her! I certainly didn't.

"Hello..." Clarissa nagged, pulling down on my arm, "who is she?"

"She's... she's James' sister," I stuttered out, still staring at her unable to tear my eyes off her. 

"Excuse me!" Clarissa exclaimed, completely blind sighted by new information.

"Yeah," I said slowly, turning back to Clarissa who's eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline.

"And how don't I know about this?"

"We don't really talk to her anymore, well, I don't."

We both looked back to her, watching as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass and talked to a guy looking uninterested but her eyes glinting seductively nonetheless. 

"She's hot," Clarissa stated blandly.

I sighed, she was, it's true. With her black hair in a bun and sharp, freckled face tanned and gloating. She was wearing black slacks, a white blouse and a tan jacket, she swung her dress sneakered foot through the air. I could not believe that she was here, I didn't want her to be and it made me mad.

"Well?" Clarissa urged, not meaning anything by it.

"Well what?" I snapped. "You don't need me to confirm your thoughts." 

I storm up to the bar, she looked up at me and smirked.

"Congratulations," she said mockingly.

"Shut up, Jane," I said firmly. I was seething, mad that would be such a mocking bitch to me right now. 

She raised an eyebrow. "That was rude."

"I'm serious, Jane, what are you -"

"Can I get you a drink?" the bartender cut me off.

"I... I... ah," I stumbled, thrown off because I was furious and trying to kick my future sister-in-law out of the party.

"She'll have a white wine," Jane answered for me then turned to me, "that's what you like right?"

I collapsed onto the sit beside her and sighed wearily. "What are you doing here, Jane?"

"I've come to give my condolences to you."

I didn't budge. I didn't smile or laugh because I really was furious, she laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, Ev, I'm joking! I was invited."

"By who?" I shot back instantly.

"Mum."

"It's not her celebration."

Jane shrugged and took a sip of her drink, the bartender sat mine down in front of me and I had a large gulp, where was James? I turned around and looked out at the guests, he was in the far corner talking to his groomsmen and I knew I wouldn't be able to easily get his attention. 

"You look pretty," Jane commented as she watched me search for James.

"Don't." I turned back to her.

"Don't what?" she asked innocently. 

"You know what you're doing." I finished my wine, practically shooting it back in haste to get away and stood up. "You need to leave."

Jane laughed. "No, I don't."

"You do, James and I don't want you here." And just as I said it I felt a hand on my waist and I turned to see James behind me staring down at Jane in shock.

"What are you doing here?" James asked, not unkindly or entirely shocked.

"Mum invited me," Jane replied.

"Why?" he said, genuinely curious.

"Because it's my brother's engagement party, why else?"

There was a pause and then James shrugged. "I suppose we have to put that Christmas behind us at some stage, don't we?" he bumped me with his hips gently and then looked at Jane sternly. "If you were just drunk and it meant nothing."

I felt my insides go cold, it was the unspoken topic in our house because nothing had been right ever since that Christmas. I watched Jane as if my life depended on it and when she nodded cooly, I felt relieved. But I also felt betrayed, James knew how much she hurt me with what she said that Christmas, how much it hurt us, our relationship, but he was letting it all go because he was too spineless to tell her to leave.

"I suppose we do," I agreed tensely.

I glowered at Jane as she smugly drank her drink.