"I've just about had enough."
Nancy pushed open the door of Sylva's bedroom, shutting it firmly behind her and leaning up against it, eying her bandmate carefully. "You usually drive me up the wall, Syl, but today you've been the devil's child, I swear! What in hell has gotten into you?"
"Mind your own business, and get out of my room." Sylva snapped back. "It's not your life, it's mine, and I don't take kindly to people prying!"
"Oh, like you never poke your nose into other people's lives?" Nancy's tone was rich with sarcasm. "So you're never all 'Oh Nancy, how far did you and Dean go? Copper, where did you and Aaron sneak off to? Topaz, is that a note from Cameron?' about things? Not ever?"
"Drop the sarcasm." Sylva's brow knitted into a foreboding scowl. "It's not becoming."
"Nor is your attitude. We gotta stay with you and work with you." Nancy snapped back. "Man, no wonder your mother wanted you to come to LA in the first place, if this is how you act when you're home in DC? Bet she couldn't wait to see the back of you!"
Much to the guitarist's surprise and horror, Sylva didn't return the sharp remark with an equally cutting one of her own. Instead she bit her lip, turning her face away from her bandmate.
"Just get out." She muttered. "Okay? You're the last person I need to see right at the moment!"
"Oh my..." Shock entered Nancy's dark eyes. "Syl, you crying?"
"I said, get out!" Sylva exclaimed, still not meeting her companion's gaze. "I don't want you here, get out! You don't know anything about my family, so leave me alone!"
"Hell, Syl, what's up?" Now Nancy's desire to scold her bandmate had all but gone and she moved rather awkwardly to the girl's side, sitting down. "What's happened? Something has, so don't tell me it hasn't. You never usually burst out in tears when we have a spat."
"Go away."
"Not till you tell me what's up." Nancy said firmly. "Jewel lost a day's work today, which means early mornings and late hours no doubt for the rest of the time we're here. I think you at least owe us an explanation."
"I do not. Jetta knows...no reason for you to." Sylva muttered, struggling to regain her self control, but it was to no avail. The tears continued to fall and frustrated, she flopped face down on her bed, burying her face in her pillow. "Why can't you for once in your life show some sensitivity and leave, huh? Can't you take a hint? I don't want you here!"
"Is it your Mom?" Nancy ignored her companion's pleas. "Is she sick or something?"
This was the last straw. With a little moan of anguish Sylva gave in fully to her tears and, startled and discomfitted by what she had achieved, Nancy put a hand hesitantly on the older girl's shoulder.
"Tell me?" She murmured.
Sylva gulped, swallowing hard. She turned over, reluctantly meeting Nancy's gaze, and the expression she saw there prompted her to lower her defenses just a little. She had never seen the guitarist's compassionate side before, for Nancy was not given to unnecessary displays of emotion, but at that moment Sylva felt that maybe the younger girl did have a heart in her, after all.
"Mom and Dad rowed." She said brokenly, doing her best to choke back her tears. "Anna was there, she...she saw them."
"So?" Nancy asked gently. "People do row, you know."
"No, you don't understand." Sylva shook her head impatiently. "It was...it was a big row. Mom...Mom cried! She n...never cries in front of either of us, but Annie saw her cry. And...and she said it had h...happened before. D...Dad left for work without even s...speaking to Mom or Anna the next morning and everything's so mixed up!"
"But Syl, people do row!" Nancy repeated, a little bewildered. "Mom and Dad can stand at opposite ends of the house and shriek sometimes, but at the end of the day they kiss and make up."
"No, it's not like that." Sylva drew a shuddery breath. "You don't get it! Mom and Dad never row. Not ever! The whole time we were growing up, they never had one argument." She swallowed. "Not till I started to want to be a musician, anyhow."
"I don't follow. What's music got to do with it?"
"Dad wanted me to go to college like Anna." Sylva said simply. "And I didn't want to. Mom was cool with it, she understood what I wanted from life, but Dad couldn't get it. Even so, though, they didn't yell about it. They wouldn't always agree...but there'd never be raised voices. Till..." She gulped as the tears threatened again. "Till I came away to Los Angeles. Nancy, Anna said that Mom and Dad were rowing about...about me! My folks are gonna split up and it'll be all my fault!"
At this thought the tears overwhelmed her once more and, more instinctively than consciously Nancy hauled her companion into a sitting position, hugging her.
"I bet that ain't true. I like your Mom, she's a reasonable person. They'll work it through." She said softly.
"I wish I thought like that." Sylva's voice shook. "I've been t...trying to, but I c...can't help fearing the worst, Nancy. The only other time either Annie or I saw Mom cry was...was when someone close to us died. It must have been a big fight to m...make her cry."
"Have you spoken to her or your father about it?" Nancy asked. Sylva shook her head.
"Well, you ought to, instead of fearing the worst." Nancy spoke matter-of-factly and it helped to calm the other girl's tears. "See what they say, Syl. I mean it. Fights do happen and things do blow over. There's no point in frightening yourself over what might just be a one off blow up."
"You don't get it, do you? Mom and Dad don't have one off blow ups!" Sylva exclaimed.
"Well, then odds are they're going to at some time or another." Nancy shrugged. She sighed. "So that's what's been bugging you since yesterday, huh? Why didn't you tell someone?"
"I told Jetta. I had to."
"I would've thought you'd have told Topaz."
"I didn't want anyone to know." Sylva admitted. "I mean, would you want the world to be in on things while your family was falling apart? Nancy, how would you feel if it was your parents, huh? Could you be calm and rational and distanced from it?" She snorted. "No, don't answer that. Of course you could. You can be distant from anything, you can."
"That's not fair." There was no concealing the hurt in Nancy's tone.
"Well, its how you act."
"Don't take this out on me." Nancy instructed. "Stop being so self centred for just a moment, huh, and listen to me?"
"Self centered?" Sylva stared.
"If you are even remotely right about your parents, don't you think that your Mom and Dad must be going through some real hassle right now too?" Nancy demanded. "Did you stop and think about that? I'm not saying you're wrong to be upset, if you're really that afraid...but you have us to turn to, if you need us. Who does your Mom have?"
"M...me and Annie."
"Right. Are you being good support for her right now?"
"I...Oh shut up." Sylva snapped. "I knew it was a mistake to tell you anything, miss coldheart!"
"Fine, then I'll go." Nancy shrugged, standing. Sylva sighed heavily.
"Nancy..."
"What?"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, okay? I...shouldn't have called you that, I didn't...didn't mean it."
Nancy frowned, coming to sit back down.
"I guess I'm sorry I lashed out at you just then too." She acknowledged. Sylva shook her head, drying her eyes.
"No...no, you're right. I have to think of Mom. Anna said we had to be strong for her and she's right. I...I guess I am being selfish. It just frightens me."
"I know. I'm sorry if I was insensitive."
"I don't expect you to understand. Your parents aren't like Mom and Dad."
"No...I don't suppose they are." Nancy agreed. She paused, then, "Syl...what Marianne said today in town...is that on your mind too?"
"I don't know." Sylva frowned. "See, I know my Dad pretty good, and he's pretty straight down the line. He's not deceitful or anything like that. I can't see him cheating on Mom, however bad things are between them, and Annie heard the fight...she didn't mention anything about any affair. So...so I think it is just idle gossip. It doesn't help, though. I don't need it at the moment."
She grabbed her towel, wiping her face.
"I'm gonna clean myself up and quit acting like a twelve year old." She decided. "I...I'm gonna talk to Dad tomorrow, when he's back in town. That is, if I get a moment to see him."
"Okay. I think that's a good idea." Nancy nodded. "P'raps then you'll feel better."
"God, I hope so. I feel pretty damn awful right now." Sylva groaned. "And I don't need you to tell me that I look worse. Topaz actually asked me if I was pregnant this afternoon."
Nancy smirked.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I bit her head off." Sylva sighed. "I've had a bad day and I didn't sleep last night...guess it caught up with me this evening, huh?"
"I'll go and let you sleep." Nancy took the hint. "Night, Syl. Sleep better, okay?"
"I'll try." Sylva nodded. "Nance, you... won't tell anyone about this, will you?"
"No..." Nancy said slowly. "So long as you tell Copper and Topaz tomorrow what's been bugging you. Okay?"
"Okay." Sylva agreed. "Thanks Nance. Good night."
"Night." Nancy offered her bandmate a tiny smile, opening the door. "Sweet dreams."
"I hope." Sylva murmured to herself, grabbing her nightgown and bathtowel and heading into the en suite to shower and get ready for bed. "I really really hope..."