Rock Revenge: Alex's Story (Access All Areas 4)

Alex

“Hey, Alex, your mother called me.”

I slammed my drink down on the bar and stared at Pete.

“My mother? Called you? Please answer every question I have in my mind about that.”

“For some reason, she wanted to talk to Dee. I didn’t even know she knew Dee. But anyway I told her that Dee had moved in with Sally and gave her the address. She said to tell you to ring her too.”

“Why did she ring you?”

Pete shrugged. “She does, sometimes. She likes to know things.”

I’d deal with that whole issue later. Pete being a spy for my mother was a low blow, but I needed to find Dee and get this shit sorted. There was not one reason in this entire world for my mother contacting Dee that could be good.

I’d had a difficult day. One of the most difficult in my entire life, and this was not what I needed to cap it off. I’d practically cut my own throat and wanted to revel in my own misery. The absolute last person I needed to deal with was my mother. But, for Dee’s sake, I’d do it.

I rushed into Sally’s office. She wasn’t there but I soon found her upstairs.

“Sally, what’s your address?”

“What? Why?”

“Dee’s in trouble.”

Sally quickly scrawled her address on a piece of paper and I rushed off. Hopefully, I’d get there before Mother arrived. I could warn Dee and maybe get her out of the apartment. Why was Pete such a chucklehead that he’d give Mother information like that? And what exactly did he chat to her about when she called him? The whole situation reeked. I bet she was paying him.

I got lost on the way there. The apartment wasn’t in a part of town I knew and the mapping app on my phone was being weird. When I found the place, I hoped my car would be safe in that neighbourhood.

Then I noticed the other expensive car parked in the street. She was here already.

Sally lived in flat 1A. I had to go down a walkway to the door at the side of the building. The path was dank, and moss grew over it, making it slippery. Still, I flew to the door, half sliding, and smashed my fist against it. I knew that Dee wasn’t in physical danger but my mother didn’t need to use violence to cause permanent damage.

The door opened. Mother sat at a table. The air was tense but, at least, Dee wasn’t in tears.

“Thank goodness, you’re here. We need to talk.” Mother stood up. “I’m just about done here.”

“What’s she been doing to you?” I asked Dee, ignoring my mother.

“Let her alone. We need to go, Alex. I’ve tried reasoning with her and it’s impossible.” Mother grabbed me by the arm but I shook her off. “You need to stay away from her altogether.”

She gave Dee a sweeping glance as though to dismiss her.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Just look at her. She’s not the kind of girl you should get involved with.”

I did look at her. She’d tied her hair back in a scrappy ponytail. The singlet she wore had food stains on it and was well past needing a wash. She had on skimpy little shorts that showed her long, tanned legs.

Those shorts could drive a man crazy.

Far from being the girl I shouldn’t be involved with, she was the perfect girl. The only girl. If it wasn’t Dee, it’d be no one.

“You leave. I’m staying.” I folded my arms. There was no way I’d leave, unless it was to get Mother far away from Dee.

“You can both leave,” Dee said. “I’m sick of your entire family.”

Even though she said that, the way she looked at me ignited a glimmer of hope in my heart. All wasn’t lost. If only my mother didn’t fuck things up.