It's not just complicated, it's a disaster

Disaster (Chapter Forty Five)

Chapter Forty Five

This sucks. No Zeke, no one home, long weekend, nothing to do. It was driving me insane. Claire and Pommy were on their honeymoon, I wasn’t going to see them for a while. My dad was in a conference God knows where right now, and Tara decided it wasn’t safe for us to be in a house alone together and had gone to see her grandmother.

I lay on the couch, like I had been for days... almost a week now on and off, bored, no homework to do for once, thinking my weekend would just go on and on until someone finally knocked on my door. I jumped up, surprised someone was there but answered it immediately, actually wishing it was Zeke, but it wasn’t.

“Harriet... hey, what are you doing here?” I asked her.

She didn’t say anything she just held out a big yellow letter for me and I took it slowly.

“Is it...?” I chocked.

“The letter from England, yes,” she nodded.

“Oh, God,” I moaned.

“Can I come inside?” she asked me.

“Oh, right... yeah,” I said, letting her inside.

Harriet came in and I shut the door behind her and then we walked into the lounge room and sat down. I held the letter in my hand, completely nervous. I did not want to open it. I wasn’t sure what I wanted it to say anymore. I still wanted to go, this school was everything I wanted, but, getting would mean leaving here... actually completely leaving Zeke.

“Are you going to open it?” Harriet asked.

I breathed. I needed to know the answer, regardless. I sighed and turned it over and ripped the top of the letter open and pulled out about the five sheets inside. I read over it pretty quickly... saying ‘blah, blah, blah’ in my head until I found what I was looking for.

“So?” Harriet asked.

I was a little shocked, it was hard to say, but I got it out. “I made it... I mean, I made the cut. I pass my exams and I’ve got a permanent spot.”

“That... that’s amazing!” Harriet said, but then noticed my expression. “Isn’t it?”

“It... is,” I nodded. “It’s perfect, I can’t believe it, that’s all.”

“This means you have to work hard,” Harriet said.

“Yeah...” I muttered. “Um, I’ll be back in a second.”

I got up, taking the letter with me and going into the kitchen. I chucked it on the bench and leant against the bench. With all of it, I completely forgot about the England thing with everything that was happening with Zeke.

“Um.”

I jumped slightly to see Harriet at the door frame.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine,” I said.

“Is it Zeke?” she asked me.

“Why would it be Zeke?” I asked her confused.

“All the hate sex,” she said slowly.

I rolled my eyes slightly. “That was nothing, I told you that.”

“Alex, the reason I reacted the way I did when I found out about it, was because I know you love him, and I don’t want to see you get hurt,” she told me.

“I didn’t get hurt, what makes you so sure I love him anyway?” I asked.

“Because, Alex, I am you’re best friend and when I just say his name or talk about him, you have that look on your face, and don’t even try and hide it. I know the look all too well for you to be able to hide it,” Harriet told me.

“I... Oh, come on, it’s not like I can get over him so easily,” I told her. “Don’t worry about me, I’m sorting it out.”

“I...” Harriet started to complain, but her phone rang.

“Answer it,” I told her.

She gave me a look but picked up her hand and walked out of the room to answer it. I picked back up the piece of paper and sighed. For course I couldn’t turn something like this down, it was the only chance I have at something like this. Zeke couldn’t run my whole life, could he?

“That was Tara,” she told me softly.

“Tara?” I frowned.

“Yeah... she’s, in the hospital. Some kind of complication with the baby... I think. She wants me to there.... and I think you should come with me,” Harriet said.

“Um, Harriet, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said. “She kind of hates me.”

“But it’s not like this time she can hurt you when she’s stuck in one of those hospital beds,” Harriet said.

“Yes, but she can pull one of those needles out of her arm and try stab me with it,” I said.

Harriet rolled her eyes. “You want to try make things right, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I muttered.

“Come and just give it a go, it can’t kill you... hopefully,” Harriet added.

“That makes me feel so much better,” I muttered. “I don’t think it’s a good idea still.”

“Just do it, please,” Harriet begged.

“Fine... but if it goes wrong, I’m out of there, okay?” I asked her.

“Fine, but this might help you get back to where you want to be.”

“I hope so.”