MEDICINE | alex rider

sixteen

If you asked Zarah to describe Alex Rider in one word, it would be annoying. Everything he did annoyed her, whether it be big or small, she always found herself rolling her eyes. It had been months and she still couldn't figure out what it was about him that bothered her so much.

Maybe it was written in the stars that she would be annoyed by Alex for the rest of her days. Well, for the last of his days.

Alex stood in front of her smiling, which of course made her roll her eyes. She was at work removing the dead flowers off the display and replacing them with new fresh ones. She wasn't sure why a flower shop would be open in the middle of February since flowers were more expensive and George still kept them at a cheap price.

Alex followed her around the shop and talked to her, he said was to keep her company, though she figured it was because he had no one else to bother. She had come straight to the shop after school and after about an hour or so he had shown up, finally, she stopped before she went behind the cash register and turned to him "Shouldn't you be sitting down?"

He looked at her in shock, surprised she had said anything at all before his face morphed into something different "Is this your way of saying that you're concerned about me?"

She didn't hide her scowl as she walked behind the counter, she didn't understand why he wouldn't give up on trying to make her like him. It was going to happen. It couldn't "No, I know that if you rip your stitches, I'm going to be the one having to sew you back together."

"If you say so." He said in a sing-song voice.

He was the bane of her existence.

She glanced up from what she was doing "Have I told you how much you irritate me?"

He held a cheeky grin on his face "Would you say I'm a thorn in your side, perhaps?" He lifted up the red rose that was once sitting on the counter.

She blinked, unamused "You know, the only person who thinks you're funny is yourself."

He tilted his head and hummed, "Tom would say I'm pretty funny."

She gave him a disappointing, pitiful shake of her head, "That's not any better."

Alex shrugged and leaned forward against the counter, looking up at her "Sooo."

"So?" She repeated looking down at him, his cuts had scabbed over and the bruises had disappeared.

"There's a carnival happening like, right now." he started, he played with the rose, twirling it around his fingers.

"Isn't it too cold for a carnival?"

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. But I was wondering if you wanted to go?"

She considered his question for a second "No."

He frowned and put the rose that was in his hand down "Why?"

"Because it's cold, and I have to work."

"Work has never stopped anyone."

She raised her brows "It quite literally has."

"I bet George wouldn't say no." As soon as the words left his mouth she knew what he was going to do, but he was too quick and darted to the back room.

She got there just a second after he did, he moved fast for someone who had been stabbed. George glanced up from the paperwork he was looking at and pushed up his glasses "Alex, how do you do lad? Can I help you with anything?"

Alex smiled upon seeing George "Actually, I came to ask you for a favor."

"Of course, anything."

"The Mid Winter carnival is going on, and I was wondering if I could steal Zarah early?"