Forgotten Fates

Chapter Thirty

Finn

It's a quiet walk to my house. There is clearly something going on between Eli and Alice and the tension is uncomfortably thick. I only caught the tail end of their fight, but it didn't sound good, and by the way Eli keeps side-eyeing me, I'm guessing I am a part of it somehow. I just don't know how.

I thought about mentioning Alice's ladder that was set up in the backyard leading to my house, which would have spared me from having to be a third wheel to whatever this mess was. Even though I told my family I was crashing at Ryan's it wouldn't have been an issue for me to show up in our backyard from Alice's. But showing up with Elijah would have been the problem.

"Finn, where is your car?" Alice ask once we reach the curb of my house.

"Hopefully, it's still at the school. Tristan didn't give me the option to drive it over to your house yesterday," I remind her.

She turns to Eli who is already shaking his head, "Not happening, Alice," he tells her, like he is somehow in charge of what she can and cannot do.

"For your information, I wasn't going to suggest that I take him," she bites back. "I was going say we should ask Paige and Cole."

The prick knows he messed up by jumping to conclusions. The regret is written clear as day all over his face. However, Alice doesn't seem to care and shoulders pass him and marches up the walkway.

When we get to my door, I start to get nervous about taking Alice inside with my parents home. They haven't seen her since we had dinner here, and even though I haven't talk to them about it, I'm sure Zoey has filled them in on our breakup. I guess I don't have much of a choice now that she is standing there with me.

"Tyler and I will wait here," Eli calls from the street. "Fifteen minutes," he adds and then narrows his eyes at me in warning. Like I care.

As soon as we are through the doorway my mother is already there in front of us, and I know Zoey told them she was coming. "Alice!" she wraps her up in a hug, "It's so good to see you again."

"It's so good to see you too, Mrs. Sawyer," Alice smiles, then waves to my father in the living room.

"Am I seeing things, or is that really you?" my dad says standing from his chair to also greet her with a hug.

"I am no hallucination," she jokes, and my mother pulls her onto the couch to ask her about everything she's been up to since the last time they saw each other. I take a seat on the other side of the room and watch as she easily converses with my parents and keeps them smiling and laughing, and I know she loves them as much as they love her.

"Why don't you two head on up to Zoey. I know she can't wait to see you," my mother says pulling Alice up and walking her to the foot of the stairs. "Just don't forget to say goodbye before you leave."

"I wouldn't dare," Alice promises, then lets me take hold of her hand to guide us up the stairs. "I thought they would hate me," she whispers to me when we get to the top.

"They could never hate you, Alice," I assure her. I wait for her to look at me so I can show her how sincere I am when I say that. And when she relaxes I head down the hall. "Now let's go see my sister."

I knock before opening the door and Zoey smiles when she sees me. But when Alice steps into view she positively beams, "You came!"

"Of course, I did!" Alice says, rushing over and throwing her arms around Zoey's neck. "I was a little nervous though," she adds.

"Why?"

"I was afraid your parents wouldn't want me here," she confesses.

"Are you crazy! They love you! We all know Finn is a big doofus and you breaking up with him is not your fault," she says sticking her tongue out at me.

"Geez. Thanks, sis."

"I'm just kidding. I did tell them that you guys just didn't work out, but that you were still friends," she admits. "So, they know there's no bad blood or anything."

"That's good to hear," she says. "I would be heartbroken if I couldn't have you Sawyers in my life anymore." Then turning to me she adds, "Any of you."

"Actually," Zoey says lowering her voice, "I think they are secretly hoping that the two of you get back together."

"Zo!" I say in a warning tone.

She starts to have a coughing fit and reaches for water, but it is already almost empty and can only get a couple of sips out of it.

"I'll go grab another," Alice tells her.

Once she leaves I move farther into the room to get closer to Zoey. "Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, just some gunk in my throat," she says.

"Good, then I don't have to feel bad for yelling at you," I tell her. "You shouldn't say things like that to, Alice. You are going to make her uncomfortable."

"She still loves you," Zoey says confidently.

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm a girl. We can tell these things."

"Well, I think you know how much I miss her and are just trying to cheer me up."

"I wouldn't do that."

"Oh, you wouldn't try to cheer me up? Thanks a lot brat," I tease.

"No, ass-butt," she laughs, throwing her empty water bottle at me. "I would never give you false hope. So, you should trust me on this one. That girl is still very much in love with you."

I hold my finger up to my lips asking Zoey not to saying anything else about it as Alice returns with a couple of bottles of water. Her mood seems to have shifted and I am wondering if she heard our conversation, or if maybe my parents said something when she was downstairs when she suddenly says has to go.

"But you just go here," Zoey pouts.

"I know and I hate it, too" she says, giving her another hug. "I'll come back and see you again."

"What about you, butthead? Do you need to leave too?"

"Actually, I am going to hang with you for a while if that's okay?"

"I guess so," she groans like she is annoyed, but I can tell she is actually happy at the idea.

"Great, then I am going to walk Alice out while you pick something for us to watch," I say. "Just no chick flicks."

I take Alice's hand again to lead her out of the room, and for the second time I am surprised that she doesn't yank it away. Maybe my sister wasn't full of shit after all.

I stop before heading down the stairs, knowing my parents will be there and this is my only chance at having a private moment with her. "Thanks for coming. It meant a lot to Zoey. And to me."

"Of course," she smiles up at me.

I reach up to move the hair from her face, a force of habit, and for a split second I feel her lean her check into my hand. Until her phone buzzes and she jumps back.

"It's Eli. My fifteen minutes are up," she says, but doesn't make any move to leave just yet.

"Is everything, okay?" I ask.

"You are coming back tonight, right?"

"Of course, I am," I cup her cheeks in my both my hands. I can see a sadness in her eyes and it makes my chest tighten. "Is there something going on?" I can sense she wants to tell me something, I'm just not sure if it's a good something, or a bad something.

"Everything's fine," she says, although I'm not sure if it's to convince me or herself. "Tyler will wait in your room across the hall while you spend time with your sister, and he will stay the night here with her, too."

"I'm really sad I never got to meet Tyler before," I tell her, "He is an amazing friend to you, and really seems to be an all-around great guy."

"He really is," she smiles down the hall and I know she is looking at him. Which means her boyfriend probably sent him to check on her. "He thinks you are pretty okay, too," she says.

Then with one last look at me, she heads down the stairs.