Complicated

I clapped and whistled as Rachel walked across the stage, fist pumping the air and swapping the tassel of her graduation cap to the left side. She held up her diploma and grinned at me, spotting me easily in the front row, where I had a prime position to watch the rest of my fellow students graduate. With the last name Archer, I was up across the stage and sat down again in no time. However Rachel Woods had a longer wait than me.

It was all over soon enough after that and I was throwing my cap into the air with the rest of them. A quick stop to the place I shared with Rachel, just off campus, meant I could finish packing the smaller things, make sure all my boxes were in check, and allowed me to change. Rachel and I were heading to graduation parties all over the place tonight, and then tomorrow my dad would pick me up in his truck and Rachel would make her own way back to our home town.

Rachel and I met in our first year of college. We were both at a party, and I was very shy so apparently as a resolution to that I got very drunk. Rachel came on to me and we made out for a while. That's what I remember of the party...However the next morning I woke up back in my dorm room, Rachel laying beside me, and my room mate looking over us with wide eyes. After an awkward morning and over a cup of coffee, I explained that I wasn't gay just extremely intoxicated. Rachel explained that she was actually gay, and that it was a shame that I wasn't. She became one of my closest friends after finding out we lived on opposite sides of the same town growing up, and in our third year of college we found a place to live together to go to school. And now we'd be living together back at home, where we'd found a little shoebox of an apartment, but it was cute and good enough for us.

“So the thing is,” Rachel starts talking, tucking her ginger hair behind her ear as she looks up at me. “My mom is having a welcome back dinner tomorrow.”

“Oh that'll be nice” I say. I pick up the small stuffed elephant I keep by my pillow. I cup it in my hands and discreetly put it in my backpack. I couldn't put my Ellie in a box. I smile to myself, my immaturity. I've just graduated and I'm still worried about hurting the feelings of a toy.

“See, my older sister has just come back from her honeymoon with her new beau, so they'll be coming over too. And now my mom is all over my ass about settling down, and getting in a relationship, and 'are you seeing anyone'. She's obsessive” Rachel continues with a roll of her eyes. I look at her then, just catching her fall back onto her bed.

“She...she does know your a lesbian, right?” I asked cautiously.

Rachel sits up straight. “Oh yeah, don't worry about that. She's all for it. Her and dad. I don't think she really cares who I'm in to, as long as I can get married to it” she sighs.

From the stories Rachel has told me over the year I can infer that she has an uptight set of parents. Fairly religious. Her mother married young, had children fairly young too. Two girls, Rachel being the younger. They always did things the 'proper' way, so to speak. Rachel's mother felt that it was in everyone's best interest to follow in her footsteps. To find a spouse early and settle down.

“So what's the problem? You think she'll bring it up during dinner?” I ask.

“Oh definitely. That's if I'm on my own...”

“Do you have someone to bring? Have you been hiding a girl from me? Rachel Anne, I-”

“No, no” Rachel laughed. I smiled. “I was thinking of you?”

“Sure I'd love to come” I nodded. Rachel had that look then that meant she wanted to say something but was hesitating, and wanted someone to prompt her. So I sighed and played along. “What aren't you telling me?”

“It's just...no, it's nothing. I'm just hoping if you're there maybe she won't bring up that subject much”

“It's worth a try” I agreed with a shrug. I was happy to go, albeit a bit nervous as well. I'd never met her family before, and Rachel had never met mine. On trips back home during college we never seemed to time it right, so I was excited to finally meet them. After I'd heard so much about them too.

Rachel got up and stood behind me, looking at me in the mirror, watching me apply lipstick. I stared at her reflection while I put the lid back on the lipstick, then put it back into my make up bag.

“That's your prostitute red lipstick. Looking to get laid tonight?” she teased.

“Shut up. My dad's coming early in the morning, as if I'd let someone round here anyway. It's a mess” I gesture to the boxes and bags.

“Quickie in the bathroom?”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes with a laugh.

“I need a drink” I told her, turning round and trudging towards the heels I'd left out for tonight. She bounded up behind me and hugged me, laughing.

“Don't be so prude,” she laughed. There was a honk outside then, so I peered out of the window. The taxi was here to escort us to the first party.

The shrill noise of my phone alarm coming from right beside my pillow caused a chain reaction of pain through my body as I woke up. First came the headache and the aching neck, and when I tried to stretch I felt a bruise on my arm. My feet were sore from wearing my heels all night but the cold floor soothed them slightly as I padded into the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face and had to hold on to the sink to steady myself. Okay, this is not a vomiting hang over, thank God.

I didn't really need to make an effort with my appearance right now. It was only my dad picking me up, and he's seen me in worse states than a simple hang over. It was later that I'd had to dress up. For going over to Rachel's. Oh, it's only hit me now of the potential to embarrass myself in front of them.

I threw on some comfy clothes and my boots. I put on some oversized sunglasses, for good measure, and met my dad in front of my building.

“Hey, daddy” I greeted, walking in to his open arms.

“Hey, Jasey” he squeezed me. “Oh look at you,” he said, holding me at arms length, “my little girl. The graduate”

“Oh, dad” I smiled. He followed me up to my room and we started hauling boxes back and forth, filling up the back of his blue truck. Thank heavens my building had an elevator. It took 40 minutes to get back to my dad's place. I followed behind his truck in my own little car.

“Have you got any plans for today?” dad called from the kitchen.

“I'll hang here for a while. I'll stop by mom's later too. Then in the evening I'm going to Rachel's because her parents are having some kind of welcome back dinner” I replied from my position on the sofa. I had made myself comfy despite the boxes of stuff that needed unpacking. My parent's were separated so that meant unpacking some stuff here, then going to my mom's place and unpacking the rest of my stuff there, until the apartment where Rachel and I would live was ready. It was just more hard work honestly.

“Oh that's nice of them, to invite you” he said, wiping his hands on his jeans as he came in to the living room. I mumbled in agreement.

It was at my mom's that I got ready to go to Rachel's. I told my mom I was unpacking but really I was laying on my old bed with boxes in the corner, reminiscing while listening to Eminem. I finally stood up and got redressed. I pulled on some dark black skinny jeans and a burgundy jumper that hung nicely on my slim shoulders. It was so comfy. I slipped on my favourite studded boots that were worn down and scruffy, just before I left. I couldn't do a lot with my dark hair, I just brushed it out and teased the roots a bit. It fell just passed my shoulders, and I had bangs that sat along my eyebrows. I felt my appearance was good enough for dinner. I put some extra make up on when I remembered that I did actually want to make a good impression. Rachel picked me up soon after and took me back to her parents house.

She used her key to get in and led me straight through to the dining room where I heard voices and the clattering of cutlery. I recognised the people in there from pictures. Rachel's dad was sitting at the head of the table, which was covered in a white cloth and set up ready for dinner. Rachel's sister Valerie was sitting next to him, talking to him but staring at her phone. She looked up and grinned as we entered.

“Oh my little Rachey, my precious baby sister!” she squealed over enthusiastically, jumping up and trapping Rachel in a bear hug.

“Get off me, you loser” Rachel's voice was muffled against Valerie's neck. Valerie stepped back and ruffled Rachel's hair, getting an eye roll and a mumbled 'for fucks sake' from Rachel as she tried to tame her ginger hair again. Then Valerie turned to me and introduced herself.

“I'm Jasmine. Uh, Jasey” I smiled. Why was I nervous? Come on, I was an actress. Be confident. I sighed. I always found it hard to introduce myself. Everyone called me Jasey and though it's what I like being called, my mother always calls me Jasmine, so I never know which to inform people of.

“Oh Rachel!” I recognised Rachel's mother as she bustled into the dining room, an apron covering a light blue dress. She blew some hair out of her face while giving Rachel a hug.

“And who's this?” she smiled at me.

“This is-”

“I'm Jasey” I replied. I smiled at Rachel and then turned back to her mother, with her outstretched hand. I felt Rachel's arm come to rest around my waist as I lifted my own hand to shake her mother's. Before our fingers even touched we heard Rachel speak.

Notes