Living on the Edge

Fauve, Jana, Aleisha and Renee lounged in varying degrees of relaxation around the room. Fauve lay supine on the couch, feline like in her state of absolute contentment, the TV remote and a glass of red wine sitting on the polished floor boards in easy reach. Jana had curled herself into the squashy brown depths of the inverted mushroom shaped armchair, cradling a plastic cup of Malibu and coke in her right hand while her left supported her head. Aleisha was slouched in the other armchair, absently combing her fingers through Renee’s hair as she leaned against Aleisha’s legs, every now and then shifting her weight to ease the harshness of the boards beneath her bum cheeks. They each had their own glass of wine handy though Renee grimaced at each sip of the cabernet merlot, her comfort zones having been stretched a little further than she thought they ought to be on a night of relaxation.
The four girls each represented very different colourings and body types. Fauve was freckled with a wild mane of ringlets bouncing off her shoulders, currently an interesting combination of red and blonde. She had greenish eyes and a mouth a little wider than average that was almost always talking. Her sister Jana was as different as it was possible for two siblings to be in looks, tall, with her skin a permanent deep tan, huge dark eyes, a pouty lower lip and seemingly endless cascades of glossy brown hair. A slightly crooked, forceful nose was, outwardly, all that betrayed their kinship. Aleisha was quite pale, her legs as long as a racehorse, her waist tiny and shiny black hair falling dead straight to her shoulders. Her blue eyes were sometimes overwhelmed by thick glasses but she normally favoured contacts, her face was slightly angular with small, smiling lips. Renee was short with hair the colour of a two dollar coin concaved into a short bob that lengthened at the front to frame her round face. Her eyes were very blue, emphasised by a button of a nose covered in freckles and a small, perfect mouth.
Their concentration on the movie was shattered by Jana's phone buzzing in a demented circle on the floor, she checked the display before accepting it,
"Hey babe... yeah what's up... no, where are you?... How did you get out there, who's gonna drive you back?... No, I'm just asking cos I'm staying here the night and I won't be able to... no, why should I not have fun just so I can drive your drunk ass around, that's not fair... I just think it's a little selfish that just because you lost your license you expect me to take you everywhere and not drink..."
As Jana's voice rose, Fauve's glances at her got sharper and more irritated, Renee and Aleisha's eyes didn't leave the TV screen but Jana's words were rapidly processed and the three of them heaved a collective sigh. This was an oft repeated scene, Jana and her long time partner Brenton never seemed to have a conversation that didn't end in argument anymore.
The four girls were well aprised of all the goings on in each other's lives, working together as receptionists at The Edge Hotel in the small rural city of .... Fauve and her partner Daniel owned the house the four of them were now lounging in and seemed perfectly happy to set up the rest of their lives around it, Fauve had a very driven personality and her five year plan was too rock solid for anyone to eaven think of argument. Jana and Brenton were in the porcess of negotiations to buy a house in Rockhampton but the others had secret worries about the apparent deterioration of the pair's happiness with each other. Brenton had a son with another woman and as much as Jana loved Seth, she sometimes found it a little hard to be saddled with the responsibilities of a child that wasn't hers.
Aleisha was currently in the 'off-again' stage of an 'on again/off again' relationship with a man who vaccillated between being the love of her life and the world's biggest loser. They had broken up and got back together more times than anyone else could keep track of but everytime Aleisha said they had finally finished for good, no going back this time, Renee at least always believed her.
Renee, at not quite 21, was the youngest of the group and the only singleton so was occasionally a little envious of the others but as she knew she had probably used up most of the sympathy the ohers would give over her last (and only) disastrous relationship, she tried not to bring it up.