Live Again // Bradley Simpson

Chapter 20: Rehab

"I'll be back in 3 months, I don't want you to leave this place. I want to come and see you all sobered up, okay?" Brad pleaded.

The two were outside the drug rehabilitation centre in Birmingham. Lost souls of teenagers, and young adults alike walked past, minding their own business.

"I don't fit in here." Charlie whispered, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm. "You can't just leave me here. What about University?"

Brad kissed Charlie on the lips, much to her dismay. "They'll take you to those, it's essential to your recovery. You just can't go back to those dorms. I'm not letting you near that Hanny, or even Casey."

"Casey's different." Charlie interrupted. It was true. Casey was like her in a way, suffered from depression from a young age, just for different reasons. She had strict parents, that forced her to do things she didn't want, like University.

Brad shook his head. "I don't care. You can't go back there."

Charlie sighed, there was no point in fighting back. Brad had his way on this, and he just wanted to help. "You should go, I don't want anyone seeing you here."

Brad gave Charlie one last kiss on her lips but Charlie didn't kiss back. Brad took a step back, and looked down at his shoes.

"I love you." He says.

"You love your shoes?" Charlie asks, seeing as Brad wasn't even looking at her. He could have well been talking to his shoes.

"No." He says, looking up. "I love you Charlie. I want you to be better, for me okay?"

Charlie bit her lip, and turned around opening the large door to the lobby of the building. She didn't turn around to give Brad one last goodbye. Or an 'I love you' back. She knew this was probably the end of their relationship. There was no recovery for someone like Charlie.

This was Brads fault. For falling into her dark little word of drugs, depression and hopelessness.

"Charlie. I'll be back for you." He called out, but Charlie had shut the door already and had stopped listening.

Brad took in a deep breath, and made his way back to his car. Ever since finding out about Charlies drug problem, he was plunged into her little world. He found out more horrifying things about her, things he would have never thought. He wished, he longed, just to go back to that week they shared together, making music and loving each other. Not this. He wished he never thought that surprising her would be a good idea, because it only brought this.

He now had to leave her, in a strange place, with strange people to recover from her problems. So Brad could have her back to normal. She was young, only 19, she needed a life. One without drugs, and backpack full of dark childhood memories.

But he knew, once he was back from touring America, that she would be better. Even if Charlie acted like she hated him right now. If she really loved him, she would change for him.

Or maybe he was being selfish.

Charlie was now in front of the reception, she had dumped her things in the trolley and they were wheeled off elsewhere.

"I'm here to like, recover?" She spoke up.

The lady gave her a fake smile, and ushered her into a room. There were about 12 other girls and guys, sitting in a circle staring back at her.

"You're a bit late." She whispered, and shut the door behind her.

"Come sit down." Faked smiled another person.

Charlie didn't smile back, and took a seat next to the dark haired boy, with glasses and dark freckles over his pale face. He reminded her a lot of Chandler and Jason put together. Then that reminded her, what would Jason be thinking right now, knowing that his sister was stuck in a mental hospital for 3 months.

"Why don't we start with you then?" The group leader announced. "Start with your name and your story."

Charlie took in a deep breath. "I'm Charlie Gold, I'm 19. My story is long, and difficult to explain. But I'm here, like you guessed for drugs. But mainly, I'm here because my boyfriend forced me too, he doesn't trust me to keep clean. He thinks I have a whole world of fulfilling dreams ahead of me, he doesn't know how wrong he is. Theres no hope for people like us."

"Thank you for that, let's hope that you can change your mindset here." The leader said. "Now, I hope you don't mind. We do group discussion after someone talks, so anyone here got some questions for Charlie?"

One girl, across the room from Charlie coughed. "I know exactly who you are."

Charlie looked up at her, and knew exactly who it was. "Lucy."

She smiled, that white pearly smile that Charlie longed for. "I never thought I'd see you here."

"I never thought I'd be here." Charlie replied.

"It's been too long Char. Way too long." Lucy said.

"How do you too know each other?" The group leader interrupted.

Charlie was first to reply. "She was my first love."