Bette looked at her confusedly. Her earlier judgement that Jodie could handle her drink was probably wrong, she thought.     Her eyebrows were knitted closer together as she responded carefully, I never said that, Jodie. Of course what we had was real to me. But the truth is we just weren’t meant to be …

“Bullshit!” Jodie shouted.

The people around them fell quiet, as they turned to look at Bette and Jodie. The others around the circle who had formed loose groups, upon noticing the others near them had suddenly grown quiet, also soon quieted down. Shortly, everyone around the big loose circle began to look at Bette and Jodie, who were facing each other, no longer convivial.   Jodie looked coiled as if ready to spring on Bette, in contrast to Bette, whose arms were loosely crossed across her chest, one hand casually holding her drink. She was eyeing Jodie warily.

“Oh, so that’s how this works??!” Jodie erupted, breaking the tense silence, and then throwing her glass down on the sand. It hit the ground harmlessly, the red drink in it spilling out, staining the off-white sand around the glass.   She signed to Bette furiously, You’re the one who gets to walk away? Go on living like nothing happened?   Her partner walked quickly to her side, alarmed.

The rest of the crowd in the circle began to walk away from them, as Bette and Jodie signed at each other. Marissa had stayed a few feet away, at first, eyeing Bette. Then decided the two needed to settle their argument in relative privacy. She turned away, dragging Lauren along with her, who had looked from Bette to Jodie, in turn, curious about the evidently emotional albeit silent exchange between the two.

Calm down, Jodie, Bette signed. We were over years ago. You’ve moved on. I’ve moved on.

Jodie shrugged off her partner’s arms, who’d attempted to draw her into an embrace. She signed, Oh, with Tina, right? Moved on to a nice, happy life with her? Jodie laughed sarcastically, shaking her head sharply.

Why don’t you ask Scott about how to really make Tina happy?

Bette’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks as she glared at Jodie.

What the fuck are you saying? Bette signed. Damn, she thought, almost as soon as she’d signed it, shouldn’t have taken that bait.