Poker Face, part 2.

Between the lines of Life Happens.

“Honestly, Helena, what do you see in that woman?”

“Alice! For godsake, be nice. Catherine’s going to be here at any moment.”

Alice was following Helena around their apartment, watching as Helena nervously threw everything but the kitchen sink into two large suitcases. Helena paused for a moment, holding some very expensive looking lingerie in her hand and waving it comically as she spoke.

“Alice, she’s fun, she’s exciting. We have a good time together. And let’s face it, I don’t exactly fit in with all of our friends. Tina has had some kind of lobotomy and we don’t speak much at all anymore. Shane and I are all right, but she’s busy, and before I worked at Wax, she was avoiding me like I’m the angry school mistress…” Helena tried to avoid looking at Alice’s smirk. Helena the mistress sounded very interesting indeed. “And Jenny is well, Jenny…and Bette is…” She mumbled this last part, bending low to pick up a pair of jeans she’d left under the couch.

“Bette is…what?” Alice inquired, bending alongside Helena. “You guys aren’t still pissy with one another, are you?”

“No, no, she’s just…busy, you know, with work and…”

“Jodi.” Alice smirked and nodded. “Yeah, our Bette does have a way with the ladies. Yes siree indeed.  Didn’t you just see her just the other day, though? Helena, I thought you and Bette had dinner the other night. Jenny said something about Bette being unhappy with something that Tina said and you were there helping her…” Alice looked at Helena, a realization beginning to dawn on her face.

“HELENA!”

“What, Alice, what the hell?” Had Alice guessed? She couldn’t have.

“Helena…” Alice sauntered over. “you and Bette…you and Bette…” She wagged her finger at Helena, “Well?”

“Well what?”

“Well? Are you two becoming friends?”

Helena had her breath knocked out of her by the enthusiastic woman, as Alice moved in for a bear hug. She laughed in relief. Friends indeed!  Well, that was that they were, Helena supposed.

“yes Alice, we’re probably becoming friends. We’ve probably become friends. We just don’t…see each other very often. And I don’t feel like I have much to contribute these days. I’m so, sort of lost, I don’t know…”