"Are you okay Halley?" Ethan nudged her back to reality.
"What?" Halley shook herself, to using back in on the cauldron in front of her.
"Are you okay? You seem distracted- no," he quickly took the ingredient that she had been about to add out of her hand, "are you trying to blow us up?"
"Sorry!" Halley stepped away from the cauldron, "I'm completely out of it at the moment, sorry."
"You've been zoning out for weeks!" Ethan said, "what's the matter."
Halley had been unable to focus on her work for one simple reason. June. It seemed that every time Halley returned to the flat, June was there.
There was nothing particularly unlikeable about the woman. In fact, she was lovely. She was a blonde, with a particularly bouncy and bubbly personality. And worst of all, she seemed to be taking up every single bit of James's attention. He was head over heels for the girl, it was very obvious to Halley.
"Sorry, I'm just distracted," Halley wiped her hands, that were covered in dust from the cauldron, on her trousers. "I really should be getting home."
"Okay," Ethan frowned, "you're sure that you're alright?"
"Yeah, totally fine," Halley assured him, "I'll see you on Monday."
She hurried from the room, and out of the hospital. As soon as she was outside, she disapparated, appearing right outside her flat. She entered the home and almost screamed out loud. There, sat on her sofa was June.
"Hi, Halley!" The girl smiled.
"Hello June," Halley placed her belongings down on the counter.
"I feel like I haven't got the chance to properly speak to you!" June smiled.
"Yeah."
"Well, now we've got the chance!" said June, Halley reluctantly took a seat opposite June, "so you and James know each other how?" June asked.
"Our parents," Halley said, "my mother is his mother's adoptive sister, so he is sort of my cousin. Our family is quite complicated."
"You don't say!" June smiled.
There was a click of the lock, and the front door opened, Halley glanced around, to see Alfie standing there. He strode into the flat and took a seat beside Halley.
"Who are you?" He demanded when he noticed June.
"I'm June," June offered him her hand, "I'm James's girlfriend."
"Jamsie has a girlfriend?" Alfie asked, looking at Halley, who rolled her eyes.
"Who are you?" Hope asked Alfie politely.
"This is Alfie," said Halley, "he's my uncle."
"Uncle? I would have said cousin," June said.
"Family. Complicated," Alfie waved his hand, he turned back to Halley, "did you go shopping?"
"There's food in the fridge, don't eat the pizza, that's mine."
"You're a star comet!" Alfie grinned.
Halley pursed her lips.
"I should leave," June got to her feet, "James is in the shower, could you tell him I had to go?"
"Of course," Alfie said, his head stuck into the fridge.
"I'll see you soon Halley," June waved.
"Yeah, see you soon."
June left quickly, Halley continued staring at the door, even after the woman had gone.
"I really don't like her!" Halley commented eventually.
"Aw, are you jealous Comet?" Alfie flung his arm around her.
"No, I'm allowed to not like a person."
"You're jealous."
"No, I'm not!"