Now she was sort of wishing that they weren't at the kitchen table her betta fish sort of between them. The sofa probably would have been better because just holding hands wasn't enough. "We both know that you don't have to apologize for Justin and that you kind of are stuck in the middle of it, but thank you." Her voice got progressive gentler as she reached the end of the sentence.
She was a swirl of emotions and through them all she wanted to be able to focus on something good. And Michael with the kisses, cake, and most importantly saying he supported her was that thing. Lavender wanted to cling onto him like some barnacle and never let go, even if that was just as scary in a whole different way. At least then the scariness came with a sense of belonging and also that she wasn't entirely losing her mind.
"What about the others? You said, Ernie told Justin not to react that way, how did everyone else take it?" She was sure there were other points to bring up, but at the moment that seemed like the most relevant one. Lavender didn't want to be blindsided by any of her friends attacking her - although she still would, because they were supposed to be her friends.