you know i'm such a fool for you (Olivia x Viola)

Chapter 2

"What?" Daphne Hastings looked close to tears, "But why? Why would they break up?"

"It didn't work out," Viola shoveled a pancake dripping with syrup into her mouth, and then said, "Hey, shoun't Sebastian haf to be the one to brea the newf 'o you?"

Mrs. Hastings cringed at her daughter. "Don't speak with your mouth full, Viola, honestly." Her fingers fiddled with her silverware restlessly.

Viola swallowed, but only so she could say, "I thought he would've told you by now." And then more to herself, "How the hell does that boy get out of everything? The patriarchy is simply inescapable."

"No, he did not tell me," her mother declared, clearly displeased.

Viola was happy to keep it at that and continue breakfast in peace but of course wasn't so lucky.

"Oh, but Olivia was such a good girl. Such a good head on those shoulders." Mrs. Hastings clapped her hands over her mouth, voice high pitched in agony.

"Jeez, she's not dead," Viola mumbled as she stabbed another piece of sausage. "But yeah, definitely an upgrade from wannabe Barbie. Probably never going to top that one again..literally," she chortled, pleased.

"Shush," her mother admonished. Viola just shrugged at her as if to say "what can ya do?" and kept eating.

"My grandkids were going to be so beautiful," she whispered.

Viola nearly choked on the sausage.

"Mom!" Viola squawked. "Eating here!" The concept of Olivia pregnant with her brother's baby made her want to bring her whole meal back up.

Mrs. Hastings waved her hand distractedly. "I know, dear, you and Duke will make beautiful babies too." Viola sputtered on her water this time. "I just have a feeling that Sebastian is going to move on to some punk-dressed girl with tattoos and pink hair. The Lord knows the people he surrounds himself with are less than palatable-"

"Mom! First of all, rude." Only she can say mean stuff about her brothers lifestyle. When her mom did it, it just seemed waspy.

"I was so pleased when Arabella Lennox's daughter showed interest in your brother-"

Well, technically she showed interest in me- No, bad thoughts. Bad thoughts, Viola.

"Mom, seriously-"

"That Monique was a nice girl, but she was a bit much, don't you think, dear? A bit," she made gestures around her head and her boxed-dyed hair bounced, "Anyway, I should have known it was too good to be true."

Viola rolled her eyes and put her drink down harder than necessary, making a resounding clang that made Mrs. Hastings look up from her distraught state.

"First of all, I'm going to need you to stop talking about Liv as if she isn't an actual person, mkay? She exists outside of being Sebastian's girlfriend. She doesn't exist to fulfill his life," Viola lectured very seriously and waved her knife and fork around for emphasis. "Plus, she is my friend." Once she says it, she realizes why she was getting so annoyed, "Olivia's my best friend, which I'd argue is more important than being Sebastian's girlfriend. It's a stronger bond and lasts." She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows challengingly.

Olivia said she cared about her. She cared and she wouldn't lose her. She said so.

"I do realize Olivia is a person, thank you," Mrs. Hastings snipped and then, "Oh, darling, there's no need to be jealous of your brother."

"I-" Viola blinked owlishly at that. She looked around the dining room for answers in the mint wallpaper or the glass figurines in the China cabinet, "I'm not jealous." One of the glass bunnies in the breakfront pouted its lips as if it were disagreeing and disappointed. "I'm not!"