Girl In Red (R.HALE)

12

The knock on the door was far too loud. 

Leigh groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing her face further down into the pillow. She hadn't been discharged until almost midnight, getting to bed just before two, and she tended to be a little grouchy when she got less than eight hours sleep.

"Leigh?" 

It was her mother's voice. 

"What?" she whined, not moving.

"Your... friend is here."

She lifted her head, opening one eye. "Bella?" 

"Uh, no," Lorrie said, still managing to sound awkward even through a door. "I think she said her name was Rosemary? Or Rosie?"

Leigh shot upright, suddenly awake.

Rosalie was at her house? 

"I'll be right down!"

She tumbled out of bed in a whirlwind of matted hair and tanned limbs, throwing herself at her wardrobe. She didn't even bother to look at her reflection until she'd thrown on some real clothes, then attempted to tackle her hair, before hopping down the stairs whilst pulling her socks on one at a time. 

The living room was painfully quiet when Leigh stumbled through the doorway, breathless. 

There she was. 

Rosalie sat in the armchair beside the fireplace, pin-straight and uncomfortable looking. Her hair was pulled back into a complicated braid, brow crumpled and lips pressed into a thin line. Lorrie stood in the corner with her arms folded, a mixture of suspicious and awkward.

"Hey," Leigh said, hanging back for a second. "Did I forget it was a school day or something?" 

Rosalie cleared her throat, standing up. "Um, no, I just wanted to, uh, check how you're doing. After yesterday."

Leigh's chest tightened, and she smiled. "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better, thanks."

Rosalie nodded, glancing at Lorrie who was watching her with hard eyes. "Good."

Leigh swallowed, floundering. She didn't know what to say. 

"Oh," Rosalie said, lifting a hand in a vague gesture. "Alice wanted me to invite you over to ours. She wants to do, like, a spa day, or something." She shrugged. 

Leigh's brow crumpled. None of them needed a spa day; they were all mythical, immortal beings. She wondered if it was a subliminal message that she looked like trash. 

"Bella will be there," Rosalie added, swallowing the contempt that threatened to surface.

"Uh, cool," Leigh said, nodding. "Yeah, sounds like fun."

"I don't know, honey," Lorrie said, moving toward Leigh and lowering her voice. "You need to rest, and I want to be able to look after you if-

"Mrs McEwan," Rosalie interrupted, trying her best at a polite smile. "My father has a day off, he'll be there with us." 

Lorrie paused, failing to see the relevance. 

"Rosalie's dad is Dr Cullen, mum," Leigh filled in. 

"Oh," Lorrie said, eyebrows raising. "I see."

"I could give him your phone number, if you like," Rosalie added. "Just in case he gets concerned or thinks we should bring Leigh back home."

"That would be good, actually," Lorrie said, seemingly surprised at her own acceptance of it. "Well, if you feel strong enough, honey?" 

Leigh nodded, smiling at her mother.