Will’s soft smile as Vicky stepped back was reassuring, one of his hands lingering on hers to give it a final squeeze before letting go. There was something peaceful about his smile, a quiet promise that everything would be alright. And for a few minutes, it seemed that everything would be.
And then the shouting started.
“—into a goddamn laughingstock, I had to hear from Bethany—”
“—sound so bitter, you always do this, never learned to stop meddling in other people’s—”
“—caring that you’re going through a midlife crisis, what’s next, are you going to get a Porsche and—”
“—are NOT FUCKING MARRIED ANYMORE, SUSAN!”
Everyone attending the party had started turning one by one towards the noise, heads craning to get a glimpse into the argument spilling out from the kitchen. It’d been slowly growing louder and louder until it was overtaking the cheerful music suffusing the house.
And when the music was turned down by a very pale Hilary, Will and Susan’s voices echoed through the house.
“Oh, you made that really fucking clear, Will! Trust me, I KNOW!” Susan screamed, angry splotches of pink high on her cheeks and her eyes glassy from tears. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have shown up here with a goddamn co-ed! Is she even old enough to drink, Will? Or are you going to get her some fucking APPLE JUICE?”
“Are you fucking kidding me now?! We were younger than Vicky when we got married—”
“AND WE WERE BOTH KIDS, WILL! Neither of us was forty! God, you’re just robbing the cradle now, how can you just—”
“And it’s none of your fucking business, Susan! Just because you couldn’t hold down an actual job at twenty-four—”
“—oh let me guess, does she call you daddy too?”
“CHRIST, SUSAN!” Will exploded, face red from the kind of rage he’d felt only a handful of times in his life. He raked his hands through his hair, palms pressing to his temples. “Always so fucking crass! What the hell kind of a low blow—when, when are you going to learn that my life is NONE OF YOUR GODDAMN BUSINESS—”
“OF COURSE IT’S MY BUSINESS! You heard that smug little bitch—”
“Don’t you fucking call her—!”
“—because it’s me people are laughing at, Will, just as much as you for dating a fucking child! If you don’t think she’s a gold-digging little whore then you’ve got another thing—”
“Oh my god, SHE HAS NO IDEA ABOUT THE FUCKING MONEY, SUSAN! NOT EVERYONE CARES ABOUT MONEY AS MUCH AS YOU! WHO THE FUCK’S THE GOLD-DIGGER, THE GIRL WHO JUST MET ME OR THE ONE I PUT THROUGH SCHOOL, PAID A HUNDRED THOUSAND IN LOANS FOR—”
“—BOUGHT A HOUSE FOR, PUT MY LIFE ON HOLD FOR—”
“—DON’T YOU FUCKING YELL AT ME! You don’t have that right, how dare you!” Susan was crying in earnest now, angry tears streaking her face and her hands shaking, and it was like all Will could hear was a low roar in his ears. “Is she your muse now, Will? Is that what you’re saying? How you’re justifying it?” She sniffled, wiping angrily at her eyes. “God, you’re such an elitist armchair-intellectual asshole.”
“And you’ve always been a raging bitch about as deep as a puddle,” Will snapped, finally realizing how raw his throat felt from yelling. How silent the house had gotten. Susan, definitely more drunk than him, didn’t seem to notice even as Will felt cold dread slowly take over his rage as he turned towards the kitchen door to see the crowded faces staring at them.
Although Vicky had been told to stay away, she managed to get their little group of friends closer to the kitchen as the music went on, the party seemingly undisturbed at first. The hope that they could avoid a full-blown argument was all lost in a few moments, however. It was impossible not to hear the voices growing louder and louder, until it was the only thing anyone seemed to be paying attention to.
Well, that and the furtive glances at Vicky herself.
She bolted from her seat and would have crossed back to the kitchen if not for Yvonne’s hand on her wrist and Rick’s silent shake of head. It was simply ridiculous, the scene that raging bitch was making as if she had every right to dictate Will’s love life. As if it hadn’t been enough to ruin it once by her own merits. Someone had to teach her a goddamn lesson and Vicky was glad that Will had found the courage to do so but…
God, she felt like digging herself a hole in the ground and hiding forever.
In the pause it took for them to breathe, friends from each side went ahead for damage control. A woman Vicky hadn’t been introduced to yet wrapped an arm around Susan and tried to guide her away while Jayda stepped in front of the little crowd gathered by the door.
“Okay, folks, show’s over, come on,” she called out while Vicky used the distraction to slip into the kitchen at her back.
“I think it’s time for us to go,” she said in a wavering voice as she extended a hand for Will, purposefully ignoring Susan’s presence for the sake of her sanity. “Come on, honey.”
