The New Girl

chapter thirty one

chapter thirty one - june, 1985

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The next morning, Alex was sitting on the front doorstep the next morning, waiting for Mike. She was wearing a pair of high waited blue shorts with a red belt and a yellow crop top on with white trainers. Hr blonde hair was in a messy ponytail and she had no makeup on as usual. She stood up, let out a sharp sigh before walking back inside the house. Jesse and Isabella were sitting at the dining room table when they looked up and saw Alex walking straight to the phone.

"Hey," Jesse said as he watched his sister pick up the phone and began dialling a number, "is everything okay?"

"Yes," Alex said as the phone started ringing and she put it to her ear. It ran about three times before someone picked it up.

"Hello, this is the Wheelers." Alex felt slightly disappointed to hear Karen's voice instead of Mike's.

"Hi Karen it's Alex," the blonde said, "is Mike available to talk by any chance?"

"Hi Alex," Karen said, "yeah I'll get Mike for you, just a sec." Alex heard as she removed the phone from her ear and yelled, "Mike! Phone!" It was silent for a while until Alex heard a voice.

"Hello?" Alex sighed and walked towards the kitchen.

"It's 9:32," she said flicking her wrist behind her and shutting the door so Jesse and Isabella couldn't hear her, "where are you?"

"Sorry," came Mike's voice over the phone, "I-I was just about to call. I, um. . . . can't see you today." Alex furrowed her eyebrows as she sat on the kitchen counter.

"What?" Alex asked confused, "why not?"

"It's my Nana," Mike said, "she's very sick."

"But Jess said that your Nana was okay," Alex said, not understanding why Mike was lying to her, "that it was a false alarm."

"Yeah," Mike said, "that's. . . . what. . . . we thought it was at first, but then she took a real turn for the worse."

"Oh," Alex said, her eyes watering as she looked at her nails.

"Yeah," Mike said as Alex shook her head, "we think she might. . . . die."

"What?" came Karen's voice over the phone.

"Mom!" Alex heard Mike yelling, "get off the phone! How many times?!"

"Did Nana call?!" Karen asked as Alex took a shuddering breath.

"No, Mom!" Mike yelled, "just get off the phone!" Alex heard Karen scoff before she hung the phone.

"Sorry about that," Mike said sighing as Alex clenched her jaw.

"Was that your mom?" Alex asked.

"Yeah," Mike said, "she's so upset, she's making no sense. Because we have to go to the nursing home. To see Nana."

"Well, can you come over after?" Alex asked hopeful.

"No!" Mike said quickly as Alex shook her head again, " I mean, I-I just think. . . . I need to be alone today. With my. . . . feelings?"

"Can I ask you something?" Alex asked.

"Sure!" Mike said as Alex sighed.

"Why are you lying to me?" she asked as Mike didn't respond. "If you didn't want to hang out with me today, you could have just told me."

"I'm not!" Mike said as Alex scoffed.

"Michael, you are lying to me and I don't know why!" Alex said, raising her voice, "I thought you would have had the decency to be honest with me! If you don't want to hang out just tell me and I'll meet El and Max or something. "