The Drama With My Drama Teacher

The Family Jewels

The Family Jewels

"Here you go" I say to Gemma, handing her the cup of tea I've just made her. She's sitting on the sofa, looking defeated.

"I probably should have gone after him" She comments, referring to Chris storming out. "But there's no making him see sense when he's in a mood like that"

"He doesn't seem to see sense anyways" I comment, and then look back at Gemma's face. "It seems to run in the family. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about how I've acted towards you in the past. It wasn't right, or nice"

"It's okay, and I'm sorry too" Gemma tells me and I shake my head.

"You've nothing to be sorry for. I guess I just resented you, in my head you were the reason I didn't get a dog, and the reason my brother didn't become a footballer, or see his friends anymore, or hang out with me, and that definitely wasn't fair" I tell her

"It's okay, I know how it must look" Gemma says, taking a sip of her tea "But you have to know, I'd always fancied your brother. He was the year above me at school, the football star, so attractive. I never thought he'd look twice at me"

"I didn't know that. I guess I'd never really considered Chris being attractive to girls like that, he was always with the boys" I muse, thinking how strange it is to me that the girl I'd always thought was a stone-cold Regina George to be so vulnerable as to have a crush on my brother.

"He'd never really had a girlfriend. He'd date sure, he took a couple of my friends out, but there was never a girl who he'd want to settle down with" Gemma tells me.

"I've just realised I don't even know how you met. I always thought it was through mutual friends or on a night out" I realise, and I blush out of shame. This woman is the mother of my nephew, and I don't even know how she and my brother started dating.

"No, it was just... Simple" Gemma says, a strange little smile on her face. It's the same look I get when I talk about Finn "It was the last day of school, he'd come to see some of his friends, and he just looked at me"

"I remember that day" I begin "He came home late, with this look on his face. He didn't want to go out that night and celebrate. I suppose now I know why"

"I wasn't anything special, really. Didn't want to go to university, didn't have a proper job, but the way Chris looked at me was as if he saw something really special in me" Gemma reminisces and I can't help but smile.

"I didn't know Chris could be so romantic" I say, rather as a comment to myself more than part of the conversation.

"We were dating and it was just so perfect. He was the best boyfriend I'd ever had. I'd heard the stories of him being a bit of a player, unattached, but he was so attentive with me" Gemma says "But then I got pregnant"

It's Gemma's turn to blush now. She looks down and avoids my eyes.

"It wasn't planned, not at all. I had other things I wanted to do with my life too. And I especially didn't know how Chris was going to react" Gemma tears up a little at the memory, and I reach out to cover her hand with mine. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I know how it looks. Average girl getting knocked up by a rich boy"

"I'll be honest, that's what I thought for a long time" I answer, a little ashamed at how I treated Gemma. Especially considering how quickly she jumped to my rescue with Finn. "And I'm sorry"

"It's alright, I understand what it must be like for you" She says, giving my hand a little squeeze "That's how I thought Chris would react, but he didn't. He was so involved, right away. Never once did he suggest that I get rid of... Well, you know"