Chapter Fifteen

The phone rang, once, twice. "Would you get it?" Mum yells from downstairs. I didn't reply, continued to stare at the ceiling. She sighs and answers, "Hayes' residence." She can't just say hello? She calls up, "Alice, it's for you!"

Groaning quietly, I pulled myself up and trudged to the phone. "Hellooo?"

"Alice?" I was too bored and tired and sick to figure out who this was.

"No. It's her twin sister." Silence on the other end. "Yes it's Alice. Who is this?"

"Oh. It's Grey. Some of us from school are going to the mall. Do you want to come?" No I don't want to come. I don't like shopping. I'm depressed. I don't like people today. Go away. Anyway, who do you know from school? You just moved here. No, I'm not going.

"Yeah I'll go, what time?"

~~~

A few minutes later I hung up the phone, explained to my mother, who was scrubbing the pipes under the bathroom sink. "They're ugly when they're dirty," she explained when I asked. I washed my face in the other bathroom, changed out of my pajamas and slipped into my pocket a small rock, smooth, black.

I answered the doorbell, shoving flip flops onto my feet as I did so. Grey smiled, that childish yet mature grin. I yell bye and head out the door.

Halfway up the driveway, Grey bent down to tie his shoelace, I continued toward a crowded mini van. "Alice?"

I stopped and turned, but kept my mouth shut. He however, did not. "What's up?" I raised an eyebrow, asked him, "Nothing, you?"

"No, I mean, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing." I continued to the car, puzzled. How does he know I'm tired, angry, depressed, fed up, hateful and so not in the mood to get out of bed today? He stood up and ran to catch up to me. As we climbed into the car, and he whispered in my ear, "I'm a good listener." I turned away and greeted the mess of teenagers wedged into the van.