Praying for a Riot

Kay burst into Mandy and Ian’s kitchen that night, her eyes wide and her breath short.
“Am I late?!”
Mandy looked up from the magazine she was reading, even her eyes looked ridiculously suspicious.
“Where were you last night?”
Kay opened her mouth to speak, then closed it quickly when Ian walked in, thrusting a bag of carrots into her hands.
“Chop. Now.”
Kay raises her eyebrows at her friend. “I’m sorry…what?”
Ian puts his hands on his hips and looks sternly at her. “No call, no idea where you were, you chop those carrots like a good girl.”
Kay rolls her eyes like a teenage daughter and throws her bag down, turning to place the carrots down on the bench.
“So, are you going to tell us where you were last night?”
Kay roughly opens the kitchen drawer and grabs the knife, and starts to chop the carrots.
“I’m fine, guys.”
“You could have DIED.”
“But I’m not…”
“You should have called.”
Kay turns around, the knife dangling loosely from her fingers. “I’m 23, I’m sure I’m allowed to do what I want.”
“Not under my roof,” Ian nods, standing next to his wife. “I’d like to know where you are, and what your doing, thanks.”
Kay groans, and turns around. “or else?”
“Or else I’m confiscating your record player.”
Kay spins around, almost dropping the knife she was holding. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT!”
Ian stares at Kay, shocked. “I can, and will.”
Kay didn’t bother them for the rest of the night.

Jams and Laur came to dinner that night, around eight o’clock.
Ian had cooked a large meal, making Mandy groan, knowing she’d have to have at least half of it on her plate or Ian would think she was getting skinny.
Strangely enough, Ian and Jamie acted like they were the best of friends again, possibly not to make much drama, but it did create an odd tension around the table at the five ate.
“So how was Leto?”
Mandy had been waiting for the question to pop up all night, but not by the person she wouldn’t expect to ask.
Jams was watching Laur as she sat half way to opening her mouth and putting food in.

“How did you know…?”

“Darling, I know everything.”

Kay stared curiously at her friend from the other side of the table, waiting for some sort of information about Jared.
Anything.

“I’m not allowed to talk about it, doctor patient confidentiality…you guys know I would tell if my job wasn’t on the line.”

Lauren looked up and caught Kay’s eye, there was hurt there, suddenly she felt like she was having an affair with Jared Leto all over again.

Suddenly Kay stood up. “Excuse me.”
And then she walked away, fumbling around in her pockets for something.

Lauren looked around the table, as soon as the glass sliding door to the back yard shut with a click, Ian’s head spun around to Lauren.

“Your going to follow her, right?”

Laur swallowed the rest of her wine and chinked the glass down at the table. “Why? I didn’t do anything.”

Ian’s eyes then slid to Jams. “You just had to bring that up when she was around too?!”

Jams looked taken aback. “I don’t think you shou-”

Laur suddenly stood up, pouring herself another glass of wine and picking it up from the table.
“I’m gonna see if she’s okay.”

Mandy skulled her glass.

Kay was sitting on the porch, a pack of ciggarettes in her left hand, and one of the death sticks glowing between her small fingers.

Laur gently clicked the door behind her and waved the smoke away from her face.
“Since when did you take up killing yourself with tobacco?”

Kay glanced over her shoulder as the other woman approached her, blowing a puff of smoke right in her face.
“S’not mine.”

Laur inspects Kay’s attire and squints at the leather jacket draped over her shoulders.

“New jacket?”

Kay takes another drag from the ciggarette, not looking at Laur. “Rhys’s.”

Laur suddenly grabs the ciggarette from Kay’s mouth and steps on it, waving her arms around ridiculously.

“Like you’d ever smoke.”

Kay frowns. “I was just then, wasn’t I?”

“What is up with you, Kay?”

Laur watches as Kay rolls her eyes, truly acting the teenager Mandy and Ian worry so much about.

“Just PMS, okay? You should all stop worrying so fucking much.”

Laur crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing. “Is it about Jared? Are you annoyed I saw him?”

Kay glares at her friend. “It’d be nice if you’d told me.”

“I doubt telling you earlier would have made it any better. I’m with Jams now, Kay, Jared was simply a patient.”

Kay stares at her. “A patient I’d rather not hear about.”

Lauren started to get annoyed, her teeth sinking into her teeth. “Okay, what really IS up, this is so beyond Jared, isnt it?”

Suddenly kay was sinking down onto the balcony floor, looking utterly frustrated.
“Oh, god, Laur,” She says, her big eyes looking up at her friend. “Rhys is going back to London.”

Sliding her fingers down the cold glass bench in the kitchen, Laur fumbled her way around to looking for the lightswitch, Jams’ lips skimming her neck lightly.

“Jams…”

“Mhmm…”

Laur leaned back into Jams’s arms, closing her eyes and forgetting about the stupid lightswitch.

“Let’s not…”

Laur turned around, inspecting Jams’ face in the dim light given off by the lightning outside. It had started to rain as they drove back, so Jams decided he’d stay the night and not risk getting struck by lightning.

His face looked utterly horrified. “Let’s…not…?”

Laur nodded, closing her eyes and pressing her face into Jams’s shoulder. “I’m tired, lets just take a bath and go to bed.”

Jams suddenly piped up. “Is said bath together?”

Laur giggled into his shoulder and gently kissed his neck, sighing. “Maybe.”

“You know, sex is a big part of my life…”

But before Jamie could convince Laur fully, she was walking towards the bathroom, a smirk dancing across her lips.

“What do you want from me lady?!”

Laur grinned tiredly and leaned her head against the doorframe. “Lets talk.”

Jams walked slowly towards her, kicking off his shoes as he went. “I guess I can handle that.”

Laur leaned over and kissed him; grateful that at the end of the day, she could wind down with him; but at the same time, Jared Leto was still nagging her in the back of her mind.
Why had he gone to her?

And then there was Kay, watching her with that saddened look in her eyes.
Rhys was leaving, and soon she’d go back to Shannon, from what Jared had told her before.

How could she feel so sleepy, when everything was crumbling around her?