Status: i'll update when i can.
Everybody Needs Somebody
three.
"No, what happened?" Liz asked, genuinely interested. She had liked Hayley as a little kid, she'd babysat a couple of times for her, but she didn't see too much of the family these days.
"Well," MaryBeth began, taking a sip of ice water, "Mr and Mrs died in a car crash yesterday."
Liz winced, pulling a sympathetic face towards the wall, as though it would comfort Hayley.
"And the kids?" Liz asked.
"Well, Hayley's alive, she wasn't in the car," MaryBeth said. "But Zach was."
Liz groaned.
"He's in intensive care, but it doesn't look good."
"Jeez," Liz breathed.
"Yeah. Cop said they were coming back from picking up Zach from football practise, some drunk driver was on the wrong side of the road, it was rainy and...well. They collided."
The kitchen of the Matthew's home was silent except the sounds of cutlery and chewing. MaryBeth had made meat pie and vegetables, Will's favourite, and the remainder of the meal's conversation was about Liz and her studies, professors and friends.
Will escaped up to his room after dinner, turning on his Playstation and setting up his favourite playlist on his computer. He had been playing for just under half an hour before Liz opened the door slowly and sat down on his bed. She waited for him to finish his game before speaking.
"You should walk to school with her tomorrow," Liz noted, and Will saw she was looking out of the window and into Hayley's, watching her tidy clothes away and looking away quickly when she began to cry.
"But I catch a lift," Will protested, turning to face his sister and turning down his music.
"So?"
"So it's ages to walk," he whined.
"Hayley does it."
Will fell silent.
"I don't talk to her at school," he told Liz, "she's weird. Everyone knows that."
Liz's nostrils flared-a sure sign she was angry.
"Her parents have just died, Will! Her baby brother is in intensive care and you want to ignore her?!"
"He's not a baby," Will mumbled, sounded very childish. "He's eleven."
He earned himself a clip around the ear.
"Why should I? It's her own fault she's a weirdo," Will groaned, glancing at Hayley through his window and watching her wipe her eyes and throw the tissue away.
"Well," MaryBeth began, taking a sip of ice water, "Mr and Mrs died in a car crash yesterday."
Liz winced, pulling a sympathetic face towards the wall, as though it would comfort Hayley.
"And the kids?" Liz asked.
"Well, Hayley's alive, she wasn't in the car," MaryBeth said. "But Zach was."
Liz groaned.
"He's in intensive care, but it doesn't look good."
"Jeez," Liz breathed.
"Yeah. Cop said they were coming back from picking up Zach from football practise, some drunk driver was on the wrong side of the road, it was rainy and...well. They collided."
The kitchen of the Matthew's home was silent except the sounds of cutlery and chewing. MaryBeth had made meat pie and vegetables, Will's favourite, and the remainder of the meal's conversation was about Liz and her studies, professors and friends.
Will escaped up to his room after dinner, turning on his Playstation and setting up his favourite playlist on his computer. He had been playing for just under half an hour before Liz opened the door slowly and sat down on his bed. She waited for him to finish his game before speaking.
"You should walk to school with her tomorrow," Liz noted, and Will saw she was looking out of the window and into Hayley's, watching her tidy clothes away and looking away quickly when she began to cry.
"But I catch a lift," Will protested, turning to face his sister and turning down his music.
"So?"
"So it's ages to walk," he whined.
"Hayley does it."
Will fell silent.
"I don't talk to her at school," he told Liz, "she's weird. Everyone knows that."
Liz's nostrils flared-a sure sign she was angry.
"Her parents have just died, Will! Her baby brother is in intensive care and you want to ignore her?!"
"He's not a baby," Will mumbled, sounded very childish. "He's eleven."
He earned himself a clip around the ear.
"Why should I? It's her own fault she's a weirdo," Will groaned, glancing at Hayley through his window and watching her wipe her eyes and throw the tissue away.
♠ ♠ ♠
poor Hayley. and jeez, Will can be an idiot.