Finding Alex

Chapter 4

It wasn't much warmer inside the house Birdie decided as she poured herself another drink from the arrangement of different shaped glass bottles that were all filled with liquids, all of different colours, that were placed on a bench in the kitchen. 

There were a few people in the kitchen, sitting, drinking, and talking. A few of them said hello to Birdie as she walked out and into the lounge room. Someone had turned off some of the lights and neon light strips that were glued to the ceiling, around the skirting boards, were strobing different colours. It was loud in here.

"So you know the new guy?" Scott asked coming up to stand next to Birdie. He had two empty bottles in his hands that he had cleaned up from outside.

"We have spoken a couple of times, what about it?" Birdie asked stirring her drink with a metal straw she found on the kitchen bench and looking for a spare seat in the loungeroom. 

"I don't like him," Scott said scrunching his nose.

"Why not? Have you even gotten to know him?" Birdie scoffed surpised by Scotts behaviour.

"No, but I just don't get a good vibe from him."

"You're basing your judgement on a vibe?" Birdie had now heard it all.

"Just be careful you don't know him or his family," Scott warned.

"What has this got to do with his family?"

"I don't know just be careful," Scott took a sip of his cup. 

Birdie nodded her head slowly.

"Look Scott I have had two conversations with the guy I'm not going to run off to Vegas and get married to him, okay?" She sighed and walked past him to get back to the kitchen on her way she paused in the hallway. She saw a familiar mop of blonde-ish hair walk in from the front door turn to assess the crowd in kitchen.

"Thought you weren't going to make it," she said to the boy, overcome with courage that certainly had something to do with the copious amounts of drinks she had had the evening. 

He turned around and smiled when he saw her,

"Bridgette!"

"You are late," Birdie said leaning against the wall in the hallway, people dodged their way passed them.

"Had some things to do beforehand," the boy commented taking a position next to her against the wall.

"At 10:00 at night?" Birdie questioned.

"Family stuff," the boy said looking passed her and down the hall, his eyes paused, and his body became rigid. Birdie followed his gaze and saw Scott standing there staring at the boy

"Ignore him," Birdie said rolling her eyes and turning to the boy.

"It's kind of hard to," the boy said, "what is his deal anyway?"

"We used to sort of go out," Birdie said sipping from her cup.

'Sort of?"

"More than sort of, we dated for a few years," Birdie said sheepishly. 

"And he doesn't trust me?" the boy said.

"He doesn't know you," Birdie paused, "nor do I for that matter."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything? Who are you?" Birdie smiled.

"LIAM JAMES!" a voice bellowed. Zoe waltzed up to the pair slinging her arm drunkenly over Birdie's shoulders.