Bad Liar

Chapter Five

~Alice~

"Alice there's someone here to see you." Mum knocked on my bedroom door waking me up, sighing I opened my door and saw Bex stood with mum. "I'll leave you two too it." Mum smiled walking back downstairs not before looking me up and down suspiciously.

"Why are you here?" I asked her, I crossed the room and sat back down on my bed.
"To see if you're okay." Bex sighed and sat next to me.
"I'm fine." I ran my hand over my face gently rubbing my eyes dropping my hands into my lap palm up, I stared at the reddish brown lines curving along the skin, the dried substance had broken in pieces looking like train tracks.
"Another paper cut?" My gaze snapped up and met Bex's brown eyes. Silently I left my room and walked to the bathroom knowing Bex was trailing behind, I put my hand under the water and scrubbed the blood away.
"Alice I want to help." Bex shut the door with her back clicking it into place, I grabbed a towel and dried my hands sitting down on the edge of the bath.
"I'm fine Bex." I sighed.
"Alice I know what your doing I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say you were." I snapped.
"Why do you do it?" Bex changed tact finally giving up getting me to admit what I was doing.
"It makes me feel better." It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either.
"There's more to it than that, I know there is." Bex folded her arms a stern look falling onto her face, similar to dads.
"No you don't you don't know anything about it, you don't know anything about me." I stood up from the bath, my voice rising.
"I know your hurting, I know you need help." Bex pleaded softly but I wasn't listening anymore the anger had taken over it was clouding everything.
"I don't need help and I certainly don't need someone my age acting like my parent acting like they care or they understand something they know nothing about. You have no right getting involved in my life Rebecca, your meant to be my friend, friends aren't suppose to make things worse they're meant to make things better." I could see the tears in Bex's eyes even through my own, both threatening to fall.
"I'm doing this because I'm your friend." A single soft tear rolled down her cheek, curving delicately and slipping off the sharp edge of her jaw.
"I don't want you to be my friend Bex, I want nothing to do with you." My voice cracked and pain burned through me as I watched her face crumble, the single tear from before multiplying till streams were falling from her eyes.

Her body twisted as she ran out the door and back downstairs, this time it was me quickly trailing behind her. "Bex wait." I shouted as she ran into the bar.
"Woah woah what's going on?" Bex slammed into her dads back as he spun round to see her his face falling as he saw her tears.
"Bex what is it, what's the matter?" She shook her head keeping her eyes locked with mine. Martin turned and looked at me his face morphing into disgust.
"You? You did this?" He snapped stepping closer to me.
"Is there a problem here?" Dad walked round the bar and stood by me protectively wrapping his arm round my front, gently pushing me behind him.
"I want her, to explain why she has made Bex cry?" Martin viscously pointed his finger at me, my hand clutched onto dads shirt as I tried to control my breathing, the pub had fallen silent everyone looking towards us four.
"Oh right you presume Alice has made her cry?" Dad snapped.
"Well yeah, Bex went up too see her and then she comes down crying so excuse me for putting two and two together and getting four, why did she make Bex cry." Martin stepped even closer to dad, them pretty much nose to nose.
"Who the hell do you think you are to start shouting the odds at my daughter, in my pub?" Dad questioned shouting louder now, I could see mum out the corner of my eye, she stood clutching a tea towel a nervous expression painted on her face.

"Martin leave it, it's between the girls." Stacey tried to pull Martins elbow away.
"No Stace I won't just leave it." Martin took that once step further to dad, now they were nose to nose.
"I think you should listen to the misses." Dad put his hands on Martins shoulders and pushed him back, Martin didn't topple that far back before he took his fist and swung at dad.
"Dad!" Both me and Bex screamed as Martins fist collided with dads cheek, dad quickly regained himself and swung back striking Martin across the face. Jack quickly jumped in pulling Martin back and dragging him out of the pub with Stacey and Bex running after him.
"Mick get upstairs now." Mum shouted as she stormed upstairs, dad turned round and looked at me a slight mark on his cheek, my body was shaking and tears fell down my cheeks, I tried to find some words to say but they got caught in my throat.
"You're okay baby lets go upstairs." Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder and slowly helped me make my way upstairs, the pub still stood in a stunned silence that seemed to follow me and dad upstairs.

"What the hell do you think you were doing Mick you complete idiot." We stood in the kitchen,  dad and I sharing sheepish looks between each other while mums face looked to burn with anger.
"And you, what on earth happened between you and Bex?" Mum's anger was directed toward me now, I gulped as I quickly tried to think of something to tell her.
"It's nothing just a stupid fight." I tried to keep my voice firm and level but it cracked as I tried to stop any more tears fall.
Mum sighed deeply and threw her hands up in the air, I knew her bigger problem was with dad not me I'd got away with it, for now.
"Well done Mick all we need is a punch up when we've been here a month." Mum snapped, dad sighed and rubbed his face before stepping up towards mum gently placing his hands against her upper arms.
"I know baby and I'm sorry, what could I do though you saw the way he was going at our Alice. I was protecting her, and I'd have taken that punch ten times over to protect her, to protect you or Nance and Johnny." Mum melted into dads arms a look of complete content and love flooding her face, I smiled gently at the scene but at the same time I felt a deep pang of sadness in my heart. I wish, I longed to have someone love me the way my parents love each other.
"Mum it's getting really busy we could do with you back down here." Johnny popped his curly haired head round the kitchen door causing mum and dad to brake away from each other.
"Alright we'll come down." Mum kissed my forehead as she walked past and went downstairs.

"What happened between you and Bex?" I looked up at dad.
"I don't want to talk about it." I sighed, dad closed his eyes briefly and breathed out a sigh.
"Don't shut me and your mum out Alice."
"I'm not dad honestly, I'm tired want a shower and it was honestly nothing." I smiled at him, trying my best to reassure him I was okay.
"Okay baby, you go get a shower I'll come up in half an hour to fix you some food." I nodded, turning and walking out the door.
"Alice, you're okay yeah?" I could see the nervous look in his face, the anticipation.
"I promise." I walked as quickly as I could out of the kitchen before I broke and told him how much of a lie that really was.

~Mick~

I walked back down to the pub fixing a smile onto my face as if to say everything was okay. The whole time I served customers made absentminded chat with them I couldn't help but be distracted, I could see the look in Alice's eyes every time we asked if she was okay or when we asked what happened with Bex, I could see she was lying.

"Dad what's that on your back?" Johnny asked, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.
"I don't know what does it look like?" I asked unaware.
"I'm not sure, have your brushed against anything?" He asked trying to wipe it off with a cloth.
"Not that I know of, it'll come out in the wash." I looked down at my watch seeing it was half eight, I told Linda I was going up to fix Alice some tea and she nodded gently the same look of worry and concern in her eyes that I was sure was evident in mine.

I reached the top of the stairs and could still hear the water running, for some reason alarm bells rang in my head and my heartbeat seemed to hammer out my chest. I walked to the door and pressed my ear against it before knocking but I stopped myself. I could hear Alice's sobs echoing of the walls, they weren't soft sobs they were the kind that ripped from your mouth and racked your whole body, the kind that were filled with pain.
"Alice baby what's the matter." I asked through the door, there was no reply instead the water shut off and I could hear her shuffling around getting dressed. The door opened and Alice immediately wrapped her arms around me, I took her through to her bedroom and sat us down gently on the bed.

"I mess everything up dad what is wrong with me?" Alice sniffled quietly.
"You and Bex will sort it out, friends fall out but it'll be okay." I could feel her head shake against me causing me to look down.
"I promise you it'll be okay." I reassured her.
"Can I go to sleep now?" Alice mumbled quietly her eyes heavy looking with sleep.
"Of course baby." I pulled back the covers and let Alice crawl in before tucking her in like she was a young child again, I kissed her head gently as her eyes fell shut and a peaceful look cast across her face.

~~~

It's not great I know and I apologise but the house has been busy as heck the last four days, we've had to have plumbers out and electricians all sorts has been going wrong so it's been quite hard to concentrate. However one of them was very attractive 😏 so he was nice to look at.

I hope you enjoy!

Love you xoxo