THE URGE TO RUN was hard to ignore. I'd learnt a little while ago that my mother had Mr Hudson in her pocket, but I realised that only now I may see how far her influence goes.
"Charlie, you're Moms been looking for you." He greeted me, stern features regarding me with disapproval. I watched him warily as he glanced from me to the boys and Jack. "She's worried."
I felt my eyebrows furrow together and I took a step back away from him. With one glance to my left, I could see his police car parked up. To my right, I could see the boat. The distance between the two were equal, he'd have as much of a chance dragging me home as I would escaping me on Jack's boat. Yet, I found myself wondering whether Mr Hudson may be worth my time.
"Don't talk to her," Harry interrupted, stepping in front of me. "Whatever you've got to say, just leave it and step away. Haven't you got a job to do that isn't bugging teenage girls?"
I raised my eyebrows at Harry's protectiveness, but I was glad for it. I'd never liked Mr Hudson, despite him being my best friends Dad. I always wished Joe would tell Mr Hudson what he thought of him so that he'd be forced to consider things from his sons perspective. Yet, unlike Harry, Joe couldn't just say shit to his Dad without Mr Hudson taking a stocktake. Whatever Joe got out of his father, he earned. I could only wonder how much shit we could give Mr Hudson until he tried to take.
"There's no need to get riled up, son. It's Harry, right?" Mr Hudson questioned, eyeing him and then the rest of us like he'd been clued up on all of our names since the beginning of time. "I'm just looking out for her."
Nausea burned in the pit of my stomach once I registered what Mr Hudson had said. There was no way he was looking out for me just because he was concerned about his kids best friend. The interest he was showing me had some motivation underlying it and the only person I could think would trigger it would be my mother. I bet she paid him to find me and take me home. I should have seen this coming.
"She's paid you to find me, right? My mother?" I questioned, glaring at him.
"I've got a job to do in the police department." Mr Hudson continued "Finding missing kids comes within my job description."
I rolled my eyes, not even trying to be polite to him. He knew we knew could see right through him. I just wish I'd seen it coming that my Mom might send him to look for me, but I guess I could see the benefit of it. It makes things clear to me that my mother will do everything in her power to have her way. When will I get to do what I want to do without feeling like I'm stepping all over her cracked glass ceiling?
"I'm not missing, I've been staying with my Nana, keeping her company." I replied, glancing at the boys. "I'm doing nothing wrong, I'm just out with some friends, getting ice cream."
Mr Hudson glanced to the boys like he was expecting to see Joe there, but he shook his head disapprovingly and then offered me a tight lipped smile.
"The thing is, Charlie, your mother is the one who has custody over you, not your Nana." He raised his eyebrows at me as If he was asking me, do you see where I'm going with this? I ignored his questioning gaze and looked away, but he decided to keep on talking. I'd forgotten how much he liked the sound of his own voice. "It's the law, Charlie. You're Mother is legally responsible for you."
I wasn't stupid. Even if she had called the police, she would have had to file a report that her daughter was missing and even then I doubt a runaway teenage girl would be the police department's top priority unless they had some reason to suspect I was in danger. Yet, it doesn't matter what would have happened if she reported me missing because I would bet money on her pride preventing her from doing so. My Mom cared too much about the way it would make our family look if she did. She had reached out to Mr Hudson and asked him directly to locate me for her.
"She's with her brothers, it's not like she isn't with her family. Doesn't that count for something?" Jack suggested, reminding me he was here.
My eyes widened at the suggestion, my heart warming at the thought before panic creeped up inside the pit of my stomach. Mr Hudson glanced at Jack, recognition flashing through his eyes as he pin pointed where he had met Jack before.
"Jack Williams, is it?" Mr Hudson questioned, looking at Jack like he was the new kid on the block, oblivious to the alleyways of Long Shore the locals know not to venture down. "I'm sorry about what happened to your girlfriend, it wasn't right how people talked about her."
Jack balled his hands into tight fists by his side in response to the comment, but he refused to respond to him. I found my eyes trailing to the ground at the reminder of what we knew that Jack didn't and wondered whether it would have been better if I never found out about Alice drinking that night. I mean, what good has that done me now?
"I'll go home." I interrupted, realising I didn't want my mother's scheme's to hurt somebody else.
One way or another, she had hurt Tommy, Harry, Sebastian and me. I didn't want Jack to know her reach had extended to him too. He'd helped Sebastian protect me, despite having his own reservations and conflicts about me. I owed it to him to do this after punishing him for what his girlfriend did without knowing my sister had done the same thing. I realise now sometimes the past can divide you. Yet, what happened with my sister and Kiera is on them. They're both to blame.
"What?" Harry snapped, his eyes shooting over to me before he approached me, placing a hand on my arm like he was scared I was going to run. "You're seriously just going to do what she wants?"
I met Harry's burning gaze and felt myself shrug. "I've got to go home at some point, we all have. We have no money, we've got school to go to, we don't have jobs and our parents are legally responsible for us. There's only so long we can stay away before we're forced to go back out of necessity."
Harry's eyes scanned my face, his features etched with uncertainty. I couldn't blame him, but he hadn't caught up with the page I was on yet. Mr Hudson being here just proved to me being away from my mother wasn't enough. She was still trying to control the narrative and I wasn't getting the space I needed. I wanted her to understand that even though I am sixteen years old, relationships require listening and appreciating. She needed to respect my wishes and there was only one way I could get her to do that.
By now all my parents were traitors, they were all the same and there are multiple relationships that need repairing. I had to negotiate a solution that would make her think about what's good for me and for Peter and my Dad to understand what their complicity has cost them and whether they want to fix it.
Harry looked from me and then to the others uncertainly. Part of me wondered whether he thought my words were a hoax and I would run at any minute. But I knew there was no use in doing that. We had to find a way through this practically.
"If it's what Charlie wants then let her do it." Sebastian stated, nodding at me.
Harry's gaze shot in his direction, but Sebastian just shrugged, unphased by the way Harry's features were darkening in anger. "Are you fucking kidding me? I don't care what she wants, we've all been lied to and she shouldn't just walk back through our front door and let our parents walk all over her. They don't deserve us going on easy on them."
Sebastian shook his head, "When have you ever seen Charlie let someone walk all over her? She won't accept anything even related to an apology unless she wants to. Let her do this her way, this is hard on us, but it's worse for her. This is about Charlie, not us."
I felt my eyes widen at the trust Sebastian's words displayed to me. My heart warmed, realising this was him thinking about what I wanted and what I needed. He was listening to me in a way no one in my family had before.
"He's right," Tommy agreed, looking at his brothers with understanding. "Whatever Charlie wants, we'll do."
I smiled and glanced at Harry's hand on my arm. He looked down at me, conflicted. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He questioned.
I nodded, "It is."
Harry let go of arm. "Okay, if it's what you want. But i'll come with you. You're not getting in a car with him alone, I don't trust him."
My eyes beamed at Harry, appreciating that he was looking out for me. The others said they'd take the boat back to Jack's and then Tommy and Sebastian would drive back to our parents house.
We were going home.
How do you think going homes gonna go down? Do you think their parents will listen to what Charlie wants? What do you think Charlie wants?
Next update: F R I D A Y
(holds me accountable lol)
Please follow on here if you like my work I'd love to reach 700 followers xx