Yours - A Nick and Charlie Story

Chapter 21: Charlie

"Mom?" I say as she stands outside on the front porch of Nick's house. It hit me that I really haven't been home in awhile.

"Can we talk, Charlie?" She asks me, I hear a slight quiver in her voice.

My mom never has a quiver in her voice. As much as I hated it, she was always able to keep firm and stand her ground. I must admit, I was surprised. I let her into the house. I make eye contact with Nick, and he seems to tell me with his eyes

"Do you want me to leave you two alone?"

I glance and tell him with my own

"Please."

Nick and his mom go upstairs, and now it's just me and my mom.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

I roll up my sleeves,

"Um, yeah, the cuts have started to heal and scab up now." I say making as little eye contact with her as possible.

"I've also been eating. In case that was your next question."

Yes I was mad, but I still had to tell her I was doing better. It's funny how you can get better when you're in an environment that helps you, not tears you down.

"That's good Charlie, I'm glad." she says.

"Thanks, I guess."

A moment of silence goes by, and then she grabs my hands, and it forces me to finally look up at her.

"I'm so sorry Charlie. I know I've been acting awfully towards you, and I didn't give you the help you needed. It's hard to understand these things when you don't go through them yourself. I want to be better, I do, but I don't know where to start. Will you let me be better?" She says this all in one breath. Her eyes are desperate for me to answer.

If I'm being honest I don't know what to say. My mom has apologized before, but never like this. I wanted to forgive her, I did. Did I want to give her the satisfaction, no, but I had to say something, anything.

"Do you know how it feels to have your parents belittle your problems? It's fine that you don't fully understand, but Jesus give me the decency to sympathize! Look, I'm not going to sit here and blame it all on you. No, that wouldn't be fair. But, I am telling you that what I am going through is real, and you... we all have to do better." I say.

No tears, just everything that I meant. I wasn't going to sit and beg my mom to understand. That is up to her.

"Will you come home?" She asked. She seemed almost afraid to ask me.

The truth was I didn't want to go home. However, I missed Tori and Ollie, and I couldn't even imagine what it's been like for them.

"I'll be home tomorrow."

She stands up and we hug. I don't know where we stood, but this was a start to rebuilding the broken foundation. I hear Nick and his Mom come back down the stairs. My mom goes up to Nick.

"I hope you can forgive me too."

"We all have our flaws." Nick says, he gives her a slight grin, but that's all.

His mom and my mom exchange words in a different room, leaving me and Nick in the living room by ourselves.

"So, you're going home tomorrow?" He asks.

"Yes, and I'm sorry, you know I would stay if I cou-"

Nick grabs my hand and intertwines it with his.

"Charlie it's okay, I understand." He says, in the most Nick Nelson way possible.

We just sit together while our parents talk. I don't focus on the words, all I focus on is the feeling of Nick's warmth on me. Though I'm going home tomorrow, I'm also leaving it as well.