"So, how'd you meet Morgan?" Layla's siblings all stared at me, Morgan's aunt crossed her arms, nestled between her kids protectively. I imagine this was the kind of standoff parents gave potential partners normally. I was kind of shocked as to why Morgan had never mentioned these guys before. She seemed to be in a good place with them, spoke to them well, hugged her auntie. Maybe it was a sore spot. She said she didn't want to tell me about the whole Jake and Uncle Mike thing yet but felt she had to. I guess talking about her family would need an explanation behind who was who. I felt like I was picking it up though.
"The short story is at the Grammy's."
"What's the long story?"
"You guys know Ava?" They nodded.
"Of course we know Ava, how long do you think we've been around for?"
"Well Ava bumped into my best friend in a petrol station after Morgan finished her last tour. They got talking, hit it off but forgot to exchange numbers and it went down in history. They saw each other at the Grammy's and then dragged me and Morgan together." They nodded. "We hung out a load in LA when Ava kind of sauntered off, been friends ever since." Sandra raised an eyebrow.
"Friends."
"Just friends." I nodded. I don't know who I can or can't lie to and the general consensus from Morgan was lie so lie I will.
"Hm. Why'd she bring you here then?"
"Ava's on a shoot and Noah's at an away game, she didn't want to come alone."
"What have you guys been up to?"
"Since we got here? Not much. Face timed my mum and sisters last night."
"Your sisters?" I nodded and the youngest girl looked between her siblings. The front door slammed and we all turned to look at Morgan who buried her hands in her hair, standing still on the doorstep for a few seconds before she let go. I stepped forward but her cousin laid an arm over my chest.
"Give her a second." A car door slammed and she looked up. I could see her eye roll from here and the cousins all muttered curses under their breaths. "Welp, I hope you all enjoyed the peace and quiet."
"It might not be bad, Sarah's not her- nope I was wrong. Seatbelts ladies and gents." What the fuck was going on? Morgan crossed her arms, stepping down the stairs with her head held high. "Do not make direct eye contact right now unless you want to die."
"To die?"
"SHHHH."
"Morgan? What the hell are you doing here?"
"You invited me Sarah. Congratulations by the way. I'd have sent an engagement gift but I didn't even know there was an engagement."
"Well, you should be here and you'd have known."
"Sorry, I was a little busy touring the world. How's the office job by the way? Managed to get to the East Coast this year?" The cousins chuckled quietly. Family drama.
"You're such a bitch Morgan. You think you're better than everyone else?"
"Not in the slightest. Just proud of where I am since no one else in this family seems to be able to be. Hi mum."
"Morgan." Her mother looked her up and down. "Alone again?"
"No, actually, I came with Theo who's coming as the plus one you gave me Sarah. I did RSVP with that plus one as well." The younger girl turned to her mother, scowling and crossing her arms. "If you didn't want me to come Sarah, you shouldn't have invited me."
"I thought you'd bring Ava or Noah."
"They were both busy." God this was intense. I feel like I was watching a reality TV show in ultra HD. "Any complaints? I'm here for your wedding. I'm going to be doing my best to fade into the background and leave you with your spotlight. I'm wearing a pastel blue patterned dress so it's not even like anyone can think I'm you. I dyed my hair months ago. You're fine." She huffed.
"I'm telling Daddy." She stormed off to the house and I could see Morgan doing her best to hold it together.
"Here we go. Popcorn anyone?" Sandra slapped the oldest boy around the back of his head as I watched drama begin to get worse.
"How dare you." Morgan raised her eyebrow. "Just turning up out of the blue? With not only a date but Theo Wright? Your poor sister just wants one day Morgan."
"I'm not stopping her from having the day mum. I wasn't going to sit there and deal with you and dad alone and my friends would have caused problems and you know that."
"You're friends are rude, obnoxious-" God let me at her. "That Ava is a whore selling her body online for money and don't get me started on Noah. But then you bring some stuck up popstar along too? Like that's not a rub in the face. Do you not think we've had the worst year as it is with you winning that stupid award and now this?" I pushed Morgan's cousins arm off me, having enough of how her mother was speaking to her. No wonder Morgan had so much fucking self-doubt. No. Fuck that. No one is speaking to my girl like that I don't care who you are.
"I think you'll find that 'stupid award' makes Morgan one of the best in her field." I moved over to her. "Morgan tell me if I'm speaking out of turn love but I'm not standing there and listening to this shit."
"Excuse me?"
"You're excused." I nodded and tried not to smirk when I could see the group slapping each other's arms by the car. "Your daughter has achieved something in 3 years that took me 6 to achieve. It is unheard of to sell out Wembley Stadium this early in your career and yet Morgan has done this 4 times now. 2 on the last tour and 2 on the upcoming one. She's phenomenal at putting on a show that even I as someone who was exceptionally jealous of her success cannot be mad about. She puts in well over 70 hours of work a week, works on her days off, is constantly writing and producing. Does the work that normally takes a team of 5 people by herself. Her friends have to step in and give her the support that her family won't give her. I bet not a single one of you have congratulated her on her awards this past year have you? Or the nominations coming up? I bet you've not asked her about the album, or the song coming out tonight, or how she's feeling. Have you?" Her mother crossed her arms. "No, I thought not. You stand there and say Morgan is selfish, that her friends are obnoxious and rude when all they've ever done is stick up for her when no one else could. I don't know what your problem is but I'm not letting Morgan stand here and take responsibility for a parents inability to grieve for their lost child. Stop projecting your sadness onto a girl who feels guilty enough as it is. It's not her fucking fault, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault and you need to get the stick out of your arse before you lose another. Because eventually, Morgan's going to beat this people pleasing thing and one thing is going to throw her over the edge where she's done playing pretend and you'll have to watch her take over the fucking world from the sidelines. So go on. Try and spew your insults at her again whilst I'm here. I can go a hell of a lot deeper on this."
Her mum looked at Morgan but I kept staring at her. I think she was expecting Morgan to tell me I was wrong. Like Morgan would back up her family. But in the silent front garden, I could feel Morgan take a little step sideways and I protectively put my arm over her. I was gunning for her to carry on. Waiting for her to even try insulting Morgan again.
"Morgan."
"He's right mum." That's my girl. She scowled. I felt like we were taking down the wicked witch together.
"You're not welcome here anymore."
"Fine by me. Send my stuff down to Bournemouth. I'll come to the wedding Sunday and we'll draw the line there shall we? No longer your daughter, you're no longer my parents?" Her mum looked like it wasn't exactly what she'd just said herself. "That's what you wanted when you said I'm not welcome here right? I'm not welcome because you don't see me as your daughter anymore? Just the girl that didn't stop Jake taking that pill?"
"You killed him."
"No, I didn't." Morgan nodded, stepping closer to her mum. "You know what killed him? A drug he was taking so he could catch a break from trying to live up to your unreachable standards. He wanted to make you proud but nothing he wanted to do was ever going to be good enough for either of you, like it isn't for you with me. Like how Sarah works her ass off at the firm but until she's becoming a partner it doesn't matter. Like how you guys still won't use Kennedy's preferred pronouns or their new name for fuck sake. You're killing us. You're not holding the fucking gun but fuck me are you both loading the barrel, putting our fingers on the trigger and pressing play on the tutorial on how to pull it." Her mum's mouth dropped. "Use the wrong pronouns or name for my sibling again and I'll have them in Bournemouth by the end of summer. Keep working Sarah within an inch of her life. She'll crack eventually and when she does, her whole worlds going to come crashing because that girl does not know how to exist outside of the life you made her build and she hates every second of it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to give my auntie and cousins the first listen of a song about my brother and their dad that's coming out tonight. I'll see you on Saturday and you can tell me then if I'm your daughter still or if I'm good moving past all this shit because I am so done playing happy families." Morgan nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me back to her aunt and cousins. I don't know where this came from but I have never been prouder of Morgan than I am right now. Fuck.
I can't realise I'm in love with her when her life's falling apart. That's such bad timing.