Bad Liar

Chapter Eleven

~Alice~

My English teacher yelled come in as someone knocked on the door, half the class turned and looked the other half took the brief interruption to check their phones or mutter something to the person opposite or next to them.
"Sorry to interrupt but can I take Alice please?" I looked up and saw Mr Harris stood at the door, a radio clipped onto the belt of his skinny trousers.
"Of course that's fine." My English teacher smiled gently at me from the front of the room, "Bring your stuff yeah Al." Mr Harris said, I gathered my stuff quickly and walked out the door ducking under his outstretched arm propping it open.

"Your dads in reception I just need to walk you over and sign you out." He smiled at me gently, the corners of his delicate green eyes turning up ever so slightly, a prominent dimple sat in both cheeks of his tanned skin.
"Has this morning been okay?" He asked as we turned the corner and the doors of reception were a few paces away.
"Yeah it's been fine." I smiled back, once again thanking him for holding the door open for me. Dads tall figure stretched up from the grey chair in the corner and he walked over to Mr Harris and I.
"Do you have any idea what time you'll be back?" Sir asked my dad as he filled in the signing out form, "The appointment is meant to be one o'clock but you know what hospitals are like, everything's running late." Dad smiled looking down at me.
"Right I'll sign Al out for the whole day, just make sure you get the work to catch up on, and don't forget your meeting with Mrs Leigh tomorrow morning." He flashed me that smile again, I smiled back and thanked him before me and dad walked out to the car.

~

My foot tapped rapidly on the speckled-white-tiled floor of the hospital, dad checked his watch letting out a heavy sigh afterwards.
"Two bloody hours late, absolutely ridiculous." I groaned and rested my head on his shoulder, he moved his arm and wrapped it round me.
"Dad?" I asked looking up, he looked down at me.
"Yes my love?" He questioned back.
"Am I not supposed to be at therapy in like half an hour?" I asked unsure, still trying to get to used to the schedule.
"Oh bollocks, right you okay to wait here while I go ring and say you'll be late and try to reschedule for later on this evening?" I nodded lifting my head off his shoulder, dad slipped away getting his phone out and muttering something about having to check to car to make sure he doesn't get a ticket.
"Alice Carter?" A short, middle aged women walked out of the door her dark brown hair just lightly grazing the olive green material of her blouse, I nervously walked forward my hands trembling glancing back to see where dad was.
"Do you want to follow me." She smiled softly at me, my apprehension apparent, and led me into a cubicle, I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent him a text saying where I was.

I sat down on the bed and pulled my jumper over my head, dropping my arms into my lap suddenly feeling incredibly exposed and vulnerable. The curtain to the cubicle was peeled back by a nurse and dad walked in, I tightly pressed my arms into my stomach shifting my gaze to the floor, dad gently grabbed my head placing a kiss on my forehead before sitting down.
The doctor pulled a trolley over, "Can you hold your arm out for me please Alice." She asked gently, I gulped suddenly wanting to crawl inside myself.

"It's okay baby." Dad grabbed my hand and gently pried my arm from my stomach, his eyes glanced down but they moved back away to my face. His eyes didn't linger, his love didn't waver as he held my right hand keeping my arm steady as the doctor took the stitches out and re dressed my arm.

"All finished, keep the dressing on till tomorrow morning and just be careful not to reopen the wounds if that does happen come down to A&E and we'll assess what needs to be done." The Doctor began throwing things away in the yellow bin and then led us out.

"Did you manage to speak to Sarah?" I asked, watching the rain run down the window of the car.
"She's going to come round at 9, she apologised for it being late but it's the only time she has today to see you." I sighed, I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep but I'd have to wait up and been even more exhausted tomorrow.
"Can Bex come over for a bit before hand?"
"Of course." Dad smiled, keeping his eyes focused intently on the road, I grabbed my phone and text Bex letting her know to meet us over at the pub in about an hour.
~
"Hey mum." I smiled grabbing a packet of crisps from behind the bar.
"Hello darling, how was it?" She asked quietly.
"Everything's good I just have to be careful, I missed my appointment with Sarah though so dad arranged for her to come over here at nine." I stuffed a handful of crisps into my mouth, earning a laugh from Nancy who was in her way out to meet someone, and an eye roll from mum.
"Sometimes I wonder if we raised you to have manners Alice Carter." Mum shook her head and I just laughed and walked upstairs suddenly becoming incredibly hungry.
I pressed my phone to my ear and listened to ringing as I plodded along to my room my stomach making a range of strange noises.
"Hey loser." Bex voice chimed down the phone.
"Rude. Anyway because you love me." I started and Bex cut me off making me laugh deeply with her response.
"Oh for god sake what do you want?" She jokingly snapped down the phone.
"When you come over can you call in at the chippy and some food? I'm starving and too lazy to go myself." I asked, putting my phone on loudspeaker and throwing it to the side as I began to strip from my uniform and look for something to wear.
"Of course, what do you want?"
"Anything but fish." I replied pulling a pair of black jeans over my legs.
"Okay I'll be about twenty minutes, that good?" She asked and I began to shuffle round my room trying to find a top in the mess on my floor.
"That's fine, I'll see you soon love you bye." I walked over to my phone, sighing as I found the white top on the floor I was looking for.
"See you soon love you too bye." The phone shut off and I decided to plug it into my speaker and turn some music on, I began dancing round my room looking for a green and blue flannel shirt that I eventually found in a ball under my bed.