Solitude

A Solitary Awakening

Alexander King

I groan under my breath at the shouting outside my office. I had only one order for my receptionist: to keep quiet. She couldn't even handle that. I had enough noise inside my head, I didn't need more outside to distract me.

More shouts exploded from the other side of the door, deep and high pitched voices joining in on the mix.

What the fuck was going on?

Before I could even stand up from my chair, storm out there and fire everyone that's making a single noise, my office door bursts open, a certain blonde slamming the door shut behind her, breathing heavily.

My fingers clench around my pen tightly.

What the fuck is she doing here?

"Alex! Oaklee is in the hospital."

My eyes snap up to hers, fear installing in every nerve and every cell wakes up with alarm.

No. I remind myself. You don't care about her. She lied. She lied about everything. You don't care.

I swallow the words that want to be said, I ignore the clench in my heart and I force my feet to the ground. Do not move. Do not think. Do not feel. Do not care. She's nothing.

Instead I say, "oh." I stay seated. I turn my focus back to my work. I do not care.

"What are you doing? Get up!" She yells in frustration. Her small hands wrap around my forearm and tug.

Snatching my arm from her grasp, I glare at her. "Do. Not. Touch. Me." I emphasise every word, gritting my teeth murderously. "I'm not coming. I don't care about her. Leave."

Her taken back form is silent for a minute but I'm already looking back at my papers by the time she comes round again, ignoring the knife wounds to my heart with every word I just said. They were all lies.

"What happened? What the fuck did you do?"

I  chuckle humourlessly, the sound foreign to my mouth. "Me? No it was all Oaklee."

"What happened?" Her voice was softer now, full with confusion.

I laugh bitterly. "I saw her dad. That's what happened."

"You saw her dad?!" Her gasp echoes through the room. "But... why would that make you hate her?"

"Why would-" I pause, staring at her in disbelief. "Are you insane? I know everything."

"Then why are you so angry?"

Scoffing, I clench my fists below my desk. "Because I know everything and she kept it from me. She disgusts me."

"You prick!" I look up startled. Her face is red with fury and her firsts are clenched at her sides. "Why the fuck should you be angry? She's the one that got abused for eleven years!"

"She got abused-" I stop once I realise what she just said, glancing up at her as shock and confusion inhabits my body. "What did you just say?"

Abused? For eleven years?

No that's not what happened. She knew her dad was driving that car. She knew he killed my mum. She knew it and she hid it. That's what happened.

She chuckles harshly, the noise sending ice through my veins from the coldness of it. "What? I thought you knew everything. She got abused for eleven years by her so called dad."

"No." I shake my head, begging it wasn't true. "Her dad drove in to my mums car and killed her. Oaklee knew and kept it from me. I saw her dad stumble out of the car. She knew."