A Rose as Black as your Heart

(14) Meeting Zoe

Chapter 14

“Alexis!” Matt hollered up the stairs. “Get off the phone!”

“Sorry, Rose,” I apologized, cupping the phone under my chin. “Matt’s girlfriend is coming round for lunch and he wants me to be 'presentable'...”

“Aww, that’s so sweet!” Rose, always the hopeless romantic, gave a soft sigh. “All girls love a guy who cares about his sister...”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you say, Rose.”

“You just don’t get it,” Rose laughed. “It’s sweet, trust me.” There was a distant voice calling from the other line. She sighed. “Here’s one guy who really doesn’t care about his sister. Say hi to Alexis, Daniel.”

“Hi!” I heard a voice yell. I laughed.

“Tell him I say hi back.”

“Will do.” Rose must’ve turned her head away, because her voice was distant. “Yeah, Lexis says hi back... you can go away now, dofus, and stop nagging me... geez, you’re like an old woman.” Her voice became clearer suddenly. “So did he actually go round to your house last Wednesday? Because I heard you mentioning it to Travis, but I forgot to ask...”

To be honest, I hadn’t really wanted to mention it to Rose. Daniel was her brother, and I was her friend; she might think it was some kind of act of betrayal. Even though nothing had even happened. And I refused to admit that I regretted that fact.

“Um, yeah, he did come round. It was kind of unplanned, actually.” I hesitated before asking. “Listen, Rose, is there something going on at home with Daniel?”

There was quiet from the other line. Then, “Did Daniel mention anything?”

“Well... not really, no. He just didn’t seem to want to go back. I was wondering if he was okay.”

Rose’s voice dropped to a static-y whisper. “Don’t tell Daniel I told you this, but he and Dad had a fight. It was pretty major. They’re really not getting on well recently.”

My voice was laced with sympathy. “That sucks.”

“You’re telling me,” Rose sighed.

“Alexis! I thought I told you to get off the phone!” Matt called from downstairs. I sighed.

“I really do have to go now, Rose. See you soon.”

“Sure. Sorry I’ve kept you. See you on Monday!” She hung up, and I shoved my mobile into the pocket of my jeans. They were black skinny jeans, quite smart in my opinion, but Matt was adamant I should wear something less casual. I didn’t get the big deal. Was Zoe coming here to judge my outfit? No. She was his frickin’ girlfriend, not mine!

Deciding I couldn’t be bothered to change my jeans, I replaced my plain black top for a white tank with a glittery skull studded on the front, and a black cardigan. I left my long blonde hair hanging straight, and headed downstairs.