Page 27 of Everything That Kills Me
His father and Elisa were back. Well, the car was there. He headed for the front door, and it opened before he could use his key.
“Where the hell have you been?” his father snapped.
Zeph recoiled. “I-I left a note. I went for a run.”
“Who was that in the car?”
“A boy from my class and his uncle.”
“Jack, by any chance?”
“Yes.”What had been said?
“Get in the kitchen now!”
Elisa and Georgia were in there, sitting at the island unit. He had no idea what was wrong. Where was Alice?Oh God. Is she okay?
“You left your sisters to do all the work this morning.” Elisa glared at him. “Where have you been?”
So Alicewasokay. “No, I didn’t. I cleaned up before I left. I went on a run when I’d done. There was a note next to the kettle.”
Georgia rolled her eyes. “There was no note.”
Zeph gaped at her. He looked over at the kettle but there was no note there now. “You’re lying.”
“Don’t call your sister a liar,” Elisa barked.
“But she is. I cleaned the house all my own. And I cleaned outside. They were asleep.”
Alice came into the kitchen looking as if she’d just been rescued from drowning. Her hair was wet and dripping down her T-shirt, her arms hung limply by her sides and her face was white.
“Sweetheart!” Elisa wrapped her arms around her.
Alice dissolved into her, her shoulders heaving as she sobbed. What had happened? Was she still crying about Jack? What had she said?
“You’re so selfish,” Elisa said to Zeph.
Zeph clenched his teeth. He really wasn’t. He was kind and thoughtful. His mum had taught him that was the way to live and a good defence against meanness. Not that it had disarmed Rufus and Scott.
“He’s the first boy Alice has ever liked.” Elisa stroked Alice’s hair.
So thiswasabout Jack. And that wasn’t true. Had Elisa forgotten last year’s obsession?
Elisa glared at him. “You have no idea how much courage it took for her ask Jack out. Then you monopolise him.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t speak to Elisa like that,” his father said.
Zeph took a deep breath. Losing his temper wouldn’t be helpful. “Jack’s in every one of my classes. Last night I spoke to him for maybe fifteen minutes. He’s a friend. Since when am I not allowed to talk to friends. It wasmybirthday party.”
“Let Alice have him,” Elisa said.
Have him?“I’m not stopping her.”
“Then why did he go home after he’d been talking to you?” Alice whispered. “What did you say to him about me? Why did you make him leave?”
Zeph couldn’t believe this. He wanted to say Jack had told him he had no interest in going out with her but he could see how that would go down.
