Page 85 of The Missus
Thirty-Four
‘Would youreallylike to know why I can’t seem to leave things alone? Why I always want to know everything? Always got my sticky beak in your business?’ Keira never got the chance to answer that because Alanna was yelling now, and it was very loud in the small car. It was quite terrifying. ‘It’s because I want to know you. Every last part. Because I’m in love with you. So deal with that!’ she screamed, almost in tears.
Keira should have been happy. Or relieved. But she was neither of these things. She went into shock.
She wasn’t sure what the hell she was supposed to do now. She was working through panic and confusion, and it was very slow progress. Not for a second had it ever occurred to her that things could turn out like this. She couldn’t handle it.
Her first thought was to jump out of the car and run. She felt her hand move to the door handle as though she might do it.
‘Well?! You gonna say anything to that?’ Alanna demanded angrily.
That only overwhelmed her more. She was going to do it. She was going to run away.
But before Keira could make her move, there was a loud crack behind her. She turned around and saw a cracked raw egg sliding down the back window. Her terror turned to confusion.
Both she and Alanna jumped out of the car to see Kelly a few metres away, holding an egg box. She was sliding another egg out of its housing. ‘How dare you!’ Kelly yelled and pelted the egg squarely at Keira. It exploded on her shoulder. It stung a bit.
‘Thefuck?!’ Keira exclaimed, distracted from her scrambled head by scrambled eggs. ‘How dare Iwhat? And where the hell did you get those eggs? Did you just go right to the shop and get them? Like straight from the party?’
But Kelly wasn’t in a place for logistical questions. ‘Youhadto ruin it, didn’t you!’ she screamed. She took another egg out and wound her arm back. Keira braced herself for the impact, closing her eyes. But she only heard the crack; she didn’t feel it. She opened her eyes, and Alanna was blocking her view. She’d stepped in front of her and taken the bullet.
Keira stepped to Alanna’s side to look at her. The egg was on her chin. They locked eyes for a second. ‘Why did you take that egg?’ Keira asked.
‘I didn’t want you to get hurt,’ Alanna explained weakly, almost tearfully.
Another egg exploded, this one on Alanna’s hip. ‘Got plenty for you too!’ Kelly yelled at Alanna.
‘Jesus Christ!’ Keira shouted. ‘Right, that’s it. I’ve had it with you! I’m gonna kill you!’ She began to step toward Kelly, furious, ready to do something—she wasn’t sure what, she’d always been a lover, not a fighter—but Kelly didn’t meet her for violence, she stepped back. ‘I’ve got three more!’ she threatened.
‘Go ahead,’ Keira said, rageful, still coming for Kelly. An egg whistled past her and hit her car’s backlight. But Keira didn’t pause. ‘Go on! I’m right here. Two more, I can take them! Hit me, nother,’ she said.
Kelly went to grab another egg. But in her panic, she dropped the box and the remaining eggs splatted. ‘Fuck. IknewI should’ve gotten a dozen!’ Kelly cursed.
‘What the hell is wrong with you?!’ Keira demanded of Kelly. ‘Why won’t you stop!’
‘Because Ben won’t take me back now, will he? You ruined it!’
‘No,youruined it! I didn’tdoanything.’
‘You said that stuff! All you had to do was shag me one more time, and you had to be mean instead. Why wouldn’t you? One last time?! That would have beenenough. I could have taken that and been happy.’
Keira shook her head angrily. ‘But you wouldn’t have been happy, Kelly. Why the hell don’t you see that? It was never going to be enough. You want me to love you. And I never will.’
‘If we’d done it again, maybe you would have! And anyway, it’s not as though you actually loveher!’ Kelly shouted, gesturing behind her to where poor, egg sodden Alanna stood.
‘YES, I DO!’ Keira screamed with her full chest. It was out of her before she even realised.
At last, Kelly’s mouth shut. She stepped backwards, away from the eggy mess. She opened her mouth as though something else might come out. But she seemed to think better of it and turned and ran. The door of the garage slammed behind her as she fled the building.
Keira was rooted to the spot. She didn’t dare turn around. Squelchy footsteps approach her.
‘Did you mean that?’ Alanna asked.
Keira couldn’t look at her. But her mouth was at least working again. She was a little calmer now, somewhat more able to talk. She’d been so panicked a second ago, but Kelly’s intervention had deflected her confusion and fear. ‘What would happen? If I did?’ she asked honestly. She was still frightened, if less ready to bolt.
Alanna swallowed. ‘That would be up to both of us, I guess.’
Keira felt her heart thudding. ‘None of this feels like it’s up to me.’
