The Real Me ☾| Zalfie |

Chapter 39.

IF YOUR CONFUSED AT THE STORYLINE LATER THEN READ CHAPTER 10:)
Zoe://

I kissed Alfie softly on the lips as we finished climbing the ladder up to the tree house. We hadn't been up here for ages because of everything that went on last term. But I missed the tree house and requested that we came here today so we bought strawberrys and crisps with us to add to the adventure.
"I've missed it here so much" I said whilst rolling on my side to face Alfie.
"Me too" he sighed as he did the same.
"I still love all these pictures too" I smiled as I we both stared at the Polaroid wall in front of us.
"Do you still take pictures?" I questioned.
"No, I lost my Polaroid and haven't got a new one since, I've been too distracted" he winked at me but I felt bad. I was addicted to taking photos and he used to be but I prevented him from doing that.
"I love you, you know that right?"
"Of course, I love you even more" he chuckled back. I leant in and kissed his lips lightly.
"I'm so happy that your in the group now" I grinned, just thinking about it made me smile.
"I'm thrilled, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that I actually have friends for once in my life" I stroked his cheek with my soft hand and sighed.
"I feel like now everything has changed, like there's been some kind of evolution and it's perfect" I shrugged.
"It is perfect" he agreed.
******
We had eaten food and talked about everything to do with life for over three hours now and we're now trudging back home.
"I should probley go home tonight zo, I've been at yours for three nights now" he stuck out his bottom lip and I pouted.
"But you have to be at your window until you fall asleep" I joked, but half joking. He nodded, smiling at my silliness.
We arrived outside our houses and there was a car outside my house, it looked oddly familiar but I couldn't work out who's it was.
I hugged, kissed and said goodbye and night to Alfie before swinging the door open. At first I saw my Dad.
"DAD!" I exclaimed as I ran up and hugged him. He was never usually here anymore as he worked in Germany a lot but my Mum updated him on everything that happened last term. He hugged me tight and stroked my hair.
"I haven't seen you for ages darling, are you okay?" He smiled, I nodded but I knew something was wrong with him.
"Zoe" I heard Joseph whisper, I turned round and he crouched at the bottom of the stairs looking terrified.
"What's the matter?" I sighed.
"Go in the kitchen" he was shaking slightly.
I nodded and walked through. I froze.
My mum had her old look back, she had changed when my sister and her friend Ashleigh went away and she was happy, smiling and loved Joe and me. But now she looked angry and scary.
"Oh hiiiii Zoe" I heard her sarcastic voice. Fleur.
"Hi Zooo!" Ashleigh.
"Have you eaten Zoe?" My mum questioned in a harsh tone.
"Yeah" I whispered.
"Hello, why are you here?" I muttered.
"Oh, us? We're just passing" she smiled.
"Fuck sake" I muttered under my breath as I span around and walked away from them all.
I walked upstairs and grabbed Joseph's wrist on the way past.
"Get your school stuff and some pyjamas and we'll go and stay at Alfie and Charlies" I smiled at him. I never really stayed at Alfie's because his bed was so small but Joseph often stayed round there with Charlie.
His face lit up and we ran upstairs quick as a flash.
******
About 10 minutes later I had texted Alfie to tell him we were coming and had packed all my stuff. I poked my head round Joes door.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Yup" he replied, jumping up.
I smiled and we walked down the stairs.
"MUM?" I shouted.
"Yeah?"
"Joe and I are staying at Alfie and Charlies" I yelled. Not giving her a chance to reply, I opened the door and pulled Joes bag through, followed by him and stepped out myself, slamming it behind me.
"What did she do to you?" I patted his back softly and kissed his forehead.
"Her and mum together just scares me" he whispered.
I sighed as we walked up Alfie's path.
"She won't be staying for very long Joe, I'm sure of it" I tried to reassure him.
I knocked on the door and after a few seconds, it swung open and Poppy engulfed us both in a hug.
"Hi Pop" I smiled and Joseph grinned up at her to.
"ALFIE, CHARLIEE" she shouted up the stairs and they both responded and came running down.
"Come on Joseph" Charlie grinned to me and at him and they ran off.
"Alfieeee" I smiled and me took me in his arms.
"Are you okay?" He asked, He sounded worried.
"I'll explain later" I murmured.
******
I was sat on the sofa with Alfie, Poppy, Charlie, Joseph and Phoebe, we were all watching a film but I wasn't concentrating on it properly, I was too busy worrying about my sister and Ashleigh.
"Let's go upstairs Zoe" Alfie whispered.
"Don't get up to anything naughty!" Phoebe giggled. Alfie shoved her and gave her a death stare and she soon stopped. I reassured her and carried on walking upstairs with Alfie.
"I can see that your worrying, tell me what's wrong" he said. So I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding, crawled into his arms and began;
"Basically, when Joseph and I were little my older sister Fleur and her best friend Ashleigh started being horrible to us and my mum felt threatened by her so she started to encourage them, my dad didn't like it but couldn't stop it and so it carried on. When my sister met Tom and Ashleigh met Henry they were brothers from Bristol and they decided that they wanted to move there and my mum said no because they hadn't known them long but my dad was all for it. My dad said that he wanted to move out and break up with my mum and so I went with him and Joe went to stay with my nan and grandad. When he got back he came to dads house, my sister moved to Bristol when Joe got back and my mum was by herself, she then started giving Joe attention and he hated it and then she moved onto my dad again and of course he fell for it, and we all moved back in again just without Fleur. When everything with my arm and The Joe thing happened she started being generally nice to me and Joe again and it settled into place again and it was perfect. But my sister and Ashleigh are back and my mum was being horrible again when we got back today and so we came here". By the end I was sobbing and Alfie held me tight in his arms.
"You know that this time I'm gonna protect you Sugg, and Joseph" he whispered to me gently.
"Please can I have a bath?" I sniffed.
"Yeah of course, Poppy has like a million lush bath bombs so you can pick one of them and do that while I start my IT and Media joint homework" he smiled.
I smiled back great fully and wondered into the bathroom.
******
I finished getting dressed and unlocked the bathroom door when I heard Alfie talking to someone...or something. I pushed open his bedroom door and saw him talking to a camera that was put on his laptop.
"What are you doing?" I questioned.
"My homework" he grinned at me. I grabbed his book and read through what you had to do.
'In anyway you want, explain all about one subject of your choice using Media and IT skills'.
"So your making a video and talking about something?"
"Yeah, I'm talking about what my interests are and Louis is making a video too on an adventure thing" he smirked.
"That's so cool" I laughed.
Laughed. Not knowing that this idea would change my life one day.