~

The chapped feeling of her lip under her tongue made Spencer nervously bite at the skin. She let her fingers play with the hem of the small child’s dress. Her eyes were focused on the child in her arms who was entertaining herself by clapping her hands together. She was surrounded by curious on-lookers whom she thought she would be able to take on one at a time. Instead, she was forced to take on everyone know.

She had moved to the middle of the sofa, her mother and father on either side of her. Across from her in the love seat sat Clay and Chelsea, the small black haired child curled into her father’s lap. Kyla, who had walked out of the kitchen after Ashley and Chelsea, sat in the large black leather chair with Ashley sitting on the arm of it. Ashley sat there with her arms folded over another and a blank expression. The girl Spencer once was able to read, gone, and replaced with someone she didn’t recognize. Kyla gave Spencer a small optimistic smile. This brought some ease to Spencer. Her blond headed brother sat Indian style on the floor in front of the coffee table, the boy looking up at his sister.

Spencer took a deep breath and spoke, “I feel bad, and today is Chelsea and Clay’s. Can’t we ask questions later?”

Chelsea smiled cautiously at Spencer, “You have been gone five years. I think that calls for some answers, but only if you feel comfortable answering them.”

Spencer nodded her head, “I’m not hiding anything.”

Glen sat up straight and spoke, “Good, who’s the idiot that got my sister pregnant?”

Arthur looked at his son, “Glen, lets get past some easier questions before we go onto the hard ones.” Arthur turned to his daughter smiling, “Honey, why don’t you tell us what you have been up to?”

Spencer smiled at her father, “Well, I graduated from U of L last year. I doubled my majors and got my degree in Art and Psychology. I minored in Spanish. I was going to go back to get my master’s but I had her.”

Ashley cut in, “Why are you back?”

Spencer looked eyes with the dark haired girl. She looked different, older. She had her hair pulled back into a messy bun, away from her face. She wore a pair of tight fitting jeans and a plain blue shirt that clung to all the right places. Ashley’s eyes were a swirling storm of darkness, tainted with something. Spencer answered her question, “Honestly, I am back due to work. I am working as an Art Therapist slash psychologist for the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. I just bought a two bedroom home in West Hollywood.”