‘Alfie, what the hell are you doing?’ Sarah didn’t even bother to lower her voice.
‘I’m doing my puzzles – what does it sound like I’m doing?’
‘It sounds like you’re doing something no one asked you to do.’
He heard her get up and storm round to him. Why didn’t she trust him? Had she forgotten that he was the one who had got Alice to speak in the first place?
Her face was all kinds of angry.
‘I told you. I’m doing my puzzles.’ He looked at her, hoping it was all about to click into place. It clearly wasn’t. He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘It really helped last time, remember?’
‘That was different.Shewas different.’
‘We can’t just sit here and do nothing.’ Alfie crossed his arms like a petulant child. Who was she to tell him off?
‘Yes, we can. And we will. OK?’
He knew that wasn’t a question.
‘Fine. I’ll do these by myself, shall I?’ He wasn’t whispering any longer. He wanted Alice to hear that he was tryingand that he hadn’t given up on her. He wanted her to know that it was Sarah stopping him.
‘Oh, don’t be a selfish idiot all your life, will you?’
‘Selfish?’ Alfie’s voice was raised now. ‘How the hell am I the selfish one? I’m trying to help.’
‘Help?You think this is helping?’
‘Stop it. Both of you, just stop it!’ Alice’s voice hit him square in the chest. ‘I’m not deaf, and I’m not some sick little child that needs looking after. I don’t want your fucking pity and I don’t need your help. So do me a favour and leave me alone. Both of you.’
She was venomous, spitting poison at them with every sound she let out.
‘Sorry, Alice, we didn’t mean to upset you.’ Sarah immediately ran to her.
‘I was being stupid. It’s my fault, I wasn’t thinking.’ The words were falling out of his mouth so quickly he barely registered them.
‘I said, leave mealone.’
‘I’m sorry, Al, please—’ Sarah’s voice was thick with tears.
‘Didn’t you hear me? I said GO.’
Suddenly the silence didn’t seem such a bad option.
37
Alice
Not once in the entirety of their friendship had Alice spoken to Sarah like that. In fact, Alice struggled to remember a time when they’d even argued.
The worst part wasn’t the look on Sarah’s face afterwards.
The worst part was that Alice quite enjoyed it.
‘Alice,please. You know it’s not like that. All we want to do is help. I’ll do anything. I’ll delay my flight, I’ll tell Raph I’m never coming back if that’s what it takes, but I refuse to leave you like this.’
‘Unless you’re willing to help me die, then you might as well go.’
‘What?’ Sarah’s eyes were so wide they were practically bursting out from her skull. Her shock was repulsive.
