Part 13

                                    

                                          
Kelley watches as Mia leaves the room, "She hates me, doesn't she?"
                          
Ava looks at her Mom and shakes her head, "You seriously didn't expect to be greeted with open arms after both you and Hope have been lying to us all our lives, did you?" 
                          
Ava stands up and walks away leaving Kelley wide-mouthed in response.
                          
New Message
                          
Worms: Can I come over? I could really use some of your famous advice right now.
                          
Janice: If it's to do with Hope, I have nothing more to say. You made your bed.
                          
Worms: It's not about Hope, it's about the girls. 
                          
Janice: Okay, I'll put some tea on, see you soon. 
                          
Worms: Thank you.
                          
Janice: Don't thank me yet, I have a lot to say in the matter. 
                          
Kelley collects her stuff and makes her way out to the car and then to Alex's house. 
                          
Alex opens the door and shakes her head at her, "Have you finally come to your senses?" Kelley wraps her arms around her and cries on her shoulder, "I need to fix this, Al, but I don't know how too." 
                          
They grab their cups and sit down in Alex's living room, Kelley looks around at the family pictures on the wall. 
                          
"Mia hates me, Alex." 
                          
"And?" 
                          
"I think Ava does too." 
                          
Alex laughs, "Ava doesn't hate you, she loves you; but you fucked up big time, Kel. You are the one person she has always had in her life, her one constant; the person she trusts the most in this world and you kept the knowledge of her having a sister, a twin sister at that, away from her. Did you expect her to carry on as if you didn't break her trust or her heart? If I were in her position I don't think I would even be talking to you right now, so consider yourself extremely lucky. Now, as for Mia, she's hurting the same as Ava, both are feeling betrayed, as they were and you and Hope have targets on your backs; they are going to try and hurt you like they are hurting. They are kids, Worms and they don't know how to process something of this magnitude, they are doing the best they can, right now."
                          
"How can I fix this, Alex?" 
                          
"There is no quick fix to it. But I think it might be a good idea for you and Hope to table whatever is going on between the two of you and start actually talking to your daughters. They need to know that they aren't alone in this and that you are going to do whatever it takes to help them. You need to acknowledge what you did to them and how it has affected them before you can even attempt to start to go forward." 
                          
"Clearly you've been doing a lot of thinking about this." 
                          
"I have and so should you have, but instead your response was to fall back into old patterns of behaviour rather than address the issues at hand." 
                          
"You're right. Thanks, Janice." Kelley hugs Alex. "You know I will always love you, Worms but right now I'm not a fan of this version of Kelley O'Hara." 
                          
"Honestly, the more I think about, neither am I. I need to be better."
                          
Alex smiles and nods, "Learning you are. Now, yours to take the first step is... Wisely choose, my friend."
                          
"You watched Star Wars again, didn't you?" 
                          
"I can't help it, Yoda is damn cute." 
                          
Kelley stands up and hugs Alex, "Time to take the first step." Kelley gets in the car and pulls out her phone, thinking to message and let her know she is coming but deciding against it, in the interest that she may leave before she gets there.