Circles ━ Evan Buckley

002: A GIRLS GOTTA DO

CHAPTER THREE: A GIRLS GOTTA DO
song of the chapter: dog eat dog, tommy lefroy

"It's not personal, Indiana. We sent the invites out to all of our relatives."

During the course of her life, there has only been three people who Indiana has genuinely disliked. She's a very tolerant person, raised with respect for everyone around her. Always assume the best in people until they show you that you should do otherwise. But sometimes, just sometimes, people get on her nerves to the point where the mere sight of them makes her annoyed.

She doesn't like Freddie from fifth grade, because he thought that making mean comments about her mothers cooking was a funny thing to do after she had spent copious amounts of time making a platter of various foods for culture day at school. It's no wonder he married a plain Jane and stays eating Annie's mac and cheese for dinner.

Her colleague, Miss Alvarez, is the embodiment of evil. She pits the children against each other in her ninth grade class, and she makes no secret of who her favourites are. Her classroom has beige walls and not a single ounce of personality. Indiana thinks that Julie Alvarez is the exact opposite of what a teacher should be.

The third spot was filled from the minute Aunt Vera held her for the first time. She is poised and refuses to come across as anything but perfect, and Indiana can't count on two hands how many times Vera pulled her away at a family function and told her that she needed to tone it down. Vera is her fathers least favourite sister, everyone's least favourite aunt, and Annabelle is her pride and joy.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, clearly.

The minute she sets her eyes on her Aunt Vera on Sunday afternoon, all of the life lessons that her parents drilled into her about civility go flying out of the window. She knows that acting out right after church isn't classy, and she knows that somewhere in another part of the building mother is cursing her for acting like a child, but can you really blame Indiana for the way she is acting?

Annabelle had not only slept with her boyfriend, but now she was marrying him and sending invitations to Indiana like it's nothing. She's throwing the entire affair in her face, and it seems like everyone is just fine with it.

Why is everyone fine with it?

Why does everyone else get to move on and pretend like it has always been like this? Like Hugo and Annabelle had been together since their college days, like they'd been each others firsts, like they'd prayed and pleaded to the gods above that they could keep this forever.

Annabelle had stolen from her, plain and simple. She can have Hugo, but Indiana isn't going to take the wedding invite insult lying down.

"It's not personal," Indiana repeats, stupidly, staring at Vera like she'd just grown a second head. "With all due respect, auntie, Hugo was my boyfriend before your daughter decided that she wasn't bothered enough to get her own and stole him from me. Hugo is a piece of shit, I don't know why you're even letting Anna marry him."

Vera tuts, crossing her arms across her chest as she leans against the wall. "My son-in-law is a good man, Indiana."

"Was," Indiana corrects, her mouth twisting into a frown. "He cheated on me. With your daughter. Isn't it once a cheat, always a cheat? Or does that only apply to you and Uncle Richard?"