Nick and Charlie

Chapter 4

"Dad, where's the panadol?" I ask, walking out of my bedroom clutching my head. I have a splinting headache.

"It's in the cabinet, why darling?" Dad asks, reading the newspaper. It's Saturday and Nicolas Pardini has been back for 2 weeks and he's already making me literally sick.

"I feel terrible," I say, and he frowns at me.

"You sound a little husky as well. Make sure you have some tea," dad says, and I nod, filling up a cup with water.

"I have to go to Parent-Teacher interviews now, Auggie is with Hannah and should be back in a couple of hours. Look after yourself and remember to rest," dad says, picking up his briefcase and kissing me on the head. I frown a little, waving him out. It's times like these I wish my mum were around.

When Auggie and I were 7, my mum left. She didn't say anything, just up and left. She didn't say goodbye, tell us where she was going or why. We would have thought she'd been killed or kidnapped if it weren't for Auggie, who was really into film-making at that time, filming everything around him, who managed to get a clip of her walking out.

But my family has adjusted to living without her, so I stop sulking and make a cup of tea. I get a blanket and curl up on the couch with my tea, and turn on the T.V. my phone beeps.

Charlie, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeez call me I need help with something. Jane.

I call Jane and she picks up.

"Hey Charlie,"

"What's up Jane?"

"Well, you know how Seb was-"

"You have a thing for Seb?" I hear her breathe in.

"Am I that obvious?" she asks, and I laugh.

"No, you're not, I've just had my suspicions for a while,"

"Yeah, well, he's the only other one I know doing photography, and I get nervous around him and I think he thinks I'm a rude ass," she says, and I stifle a laugh.

"Jane, you'll be fine. Just, I don't know, offer to help him with your next assignment. What is it, by the way?" I ask, and she sighs.

"We have to make a video that shows emotions, with like models and pretty people doing emotional stuff or something, I don't really pay attention that much," she says, huffing.

"Well, maybe you guys can work together on that?" I say, and I can hear her contemplating through the phone.

"Yeah, I guess. I have to go look after Max," Max is Jane's younger brother.

"Ok, well, I'll leave you to it. Bye," I say, and we hang up.

I'm watching Rush Hour 2 and having laughing fits, which end up in coughing fits and then me taking a sip of my tea.

I decide at 12:30 I should probably get some breakfast. I take the bread out of the breadbox and place it on the kitchen bench.

I hear the doorbell ring just as I'm putting the slices of bread in the toaster. Weird. Auggie wouldn't be home this early and PT interviews go until 5.

I walk down the hallway to the front door and see a silhouette of a person in the stain glass window. I open the door and see the bane of my life, Nicolas Pardini, with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Next house over," I say, closing the door in his face. The doorbell rings again.

"What do you want, Pardini?" I ask, sighing, and he smiles.