𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 away from the Chateau.
The whole ride home, my vision was foggy and my cheeks were puffed and wet, making it hard for me to even see where I was going. But it wasn't the fact that the tears were clogging my eyesight, it was the matter of leaving my friends behind me. I had told them about my parents. I had spilled my biggest secret. I had told them that I had been lying the whole time, but yet, I was still the one running away, not them.
Kiara and Pope seemed fine— even ecstatic— when it clicked in their minds. They were happy, which was unexpected, to say the least. What was expected, had happened with John B. There was no excuse that I could think of that validated my reasoning to be mad at him. He had every right to be upset with me, and so I tried to stop the tears from flowing on the bike ride home, but they just wouldn't go away. I didn't know if we were broken up. I didn't know if the next step of the project was going to be put on hold, or if they were going to go on without me.
In all honesty, as I drove home, I began to think if it was best they continued. They were the ones that needed the money, anyways. But it hurt more than ever, to think about never hanging out with them again. It hurt to think of possibly never playing the ukulele with Kie anymore, no longer hearing Pope's sarcastic complaints or hear him talk about something factual to put us in place, and it hurt to imagine never joking around with Jj anymore. I didn't want to lose John B either, but he seemed fine with loosing me.
When I stepped off the bike in front of my grandparents' home, the sun beginning to set over the water, I didn't even bother to wipe my eyes. I sniffled as I stepped up the stairs. Two heads rose up as I approached the door. My fingers were slightly shaking as I wrapped them around the door handle, immediately pushing it open and causing a loud creak to break the silence in the house.
"Hey, bug," Caroline greeted, as usual, her voice soft and sweet. "You're home." She slowly stood up from the couch.
I was looking down to avoid their eyes, using my feet to slide off my shoes.
When she stepped towards me, I could see her face drop. "Oh my— what's wrong sweetie," her voice immediately shifted to a concern, her hand grabbing onto the side of my arm. They had never seen me walk in crying.
"Nothing." I mumbled, quietly. As Daryl stood up and looked at me with narrowed eyebrows, I wiggled away from Caroline's hands and whisked past her.
"Charlotte, honey, did something happen?" Caroline was calling after me, her voice really worried, but I didn't look back.
I could hear her steps following me on the wooden floors, but before she could catch up, I stepped into my bedroom and shut the door. She halted outside of it, not barging in.
The tears automatically piled up at the brims of my eyes when I sat down on my bed, my silent cries carefully low so they wouldn't hear. I couldn't help but sniffle, though.
As the house then grew quiet, I just knew that the both of them were exchanging concerned looks outside my door, Caroline's hand probably covering over her mouth.
"What do you think happened," I heard Daryl quietly whisper, after long moments of silence throughout the home. I could tell that they were in the kitchen, standing right at the beginning of the hallway.
"I don't know," Caroline whispered back, her tone of voice sad. "Oh my goodness."
Daryl suddenly scoffed, "I swear to god— if it's that Routledge kid, I'm going to—"
"Shh!" Caroline shushed him, "She can hear us, Daryl."
"No she can't," he bickered back.
I could definitely hear them, even though my head was buried under my bed covers.
"There's no one in the house but us, you idiot," I heard Caroline hit his arm, "Of course she can hear us."
"I'm going to talk to that kid," Daryl huffed impatiently, his voice angered. I could hear his steps walk further away, marching over to the front door, "Routledge, where's he live, off of George and Wen—"
"Daryl, stop it!" Caroline seethed, cutting him off, her steps following him, "God, you're so immature. You know what you're gonna do, you're gonna go in there and talk to her."
"What?" He retorted, their voices approaching again. It sounded like she was pulling him towards my room. "I'm no expert Carol, but it seems to me that she just wants to be alone," his voice was sarcastic.
"Go in there and talk to her, you big baby!" She ordered, fed up with him.
"No, you do it, I did it last time!" He argued, chaotically.
I knew that they never had a daughter to comfort about boy problems.
Caroline scoffed, "You're a child, Daryl, you are a child."
Then, there was a shuffling of steps stumbling towards my door.
There was a long pause.
Then, a knock.
"Hey— uh, bug," Daryl's voice was lowered, more calm now, "You okay in there?"
I sniffled.
There was another pause, and a series of muffled whisper-shouts.
"Can I— can I come in, bug," he said through the door, leaning close to it, "You need some company?"
I sniffled again.
With my face buried underneath the blankets, I heard the door creak open, ever so slowly. The room was quiet as slow steps made their way inside, followed by Daryl quietly clearing his throat. I couldn't see him, but felt the bed sink at my side. I could feel Caroline's presence in the doorway.
"Did somethin' happen, Charlotte?" Daryl asked, his voice much softer.
I swallowed the air in my throat.
"You don't have to tell us, sweetheart, it's alright," Caroline spoke out from the doorway, speaking calmly.
A sniffle was heard coming from under the covers, again. I was leaning my back against the headboard of the bed, my legs folded up to my chest, and the blankets draped over my whole body, hiding my face.
"I messed up," My tone came out nothing higher than a whisper, and the words were barely audible through the cracks in my voice, and the shielding of the blankets.
"You messed up..." Daryl repeated, "What does that mean?" I could tell he was glancing to Caroline.
Another tear fell from my eye, "I really messed up,"
There was a pause.
"Messed up on what, honey," Caroline sounded nothing but sweet, as her steps slowly entered the room. "Your friends?"
I shook my head, slowly.
The bed lowered again, "Is it Sarah," she asked, quietly, now sitting beside her husband.
I shook my head another time.
She breathed out slowly, "John B." She said, her voice dropping sadly. She knew.
I felt the tears bubble at my eyes again, and my mouth unintentionally let out a small whimper, as I subtly nodded my head, the blanket moving with me.
"Oh sweetie," Caroline placed her hand on my knee when she heard me cry, her hand beginning to naturally trace small circles.
"He's really mad at me," I winced, "Really, really, mad."
"Hon," Caroline whispered out, sadly.
I swallowed, and gripped my hands around the blanket over my head, pulling it down. The cold air in the room hit my face instantly, causing the wet tears on my cheeks to grow icy, and my eyes to puff up even more. Wisps of hair fell in front of my eyes, and the top of my head was a total mess, pieces of hair flying in every direction, resting down over my shoulders.
"Come here," her face fell when she saw me, her arms immediately reaching out.
My face broke down when her fingers grazed my shoulders, pulling me in as she leaned forward. While her hand began to rub small circles on my back in a comfortable motion, Daryl's face saddened and he reached forward as well, wrapping his arms around his wife, and also me, in a tight hug. My forehead was buried in the crook of his neck, while he leaned his head on both me and Caroline.
Even though my heart was aching, I still felt it warm up. My parents hadn't hugged me since I was a little girl.
And now sitting in my bedroom, as the sun disappeared over the water, and both of my grandparents had their arms wrapped around me, I felt loved— more than I've ever felt before. As Caroline's small hand traced mindless shapes on the material of my t-shirt, I thought of what John B had said, "Were you just planning to leave the island at the end of the year and just go back to New York like it didn't matter?".
When I had first stepped foot on the docks, after the Ferry ride, I was, in fact, planning to breeze through the next year, hopefully cruise through public school all by my lonesome, and go back to New York at the end of it. I wasn't planning on introducing myself to anyone other than my grandparents. My image of summer was already set before I had left New York— I was going to be staying home most of the days, watch Netflix on my phone, go on boat rides, and swim in the water. Making friends didn't even seem possible in my mind.
But things changed. A hurricane had hit, and every power source had blown out of existence, which undeniably caused my Netflix idea to be thrown away. The hurricane had hit, and I decided it would be a good idea to go and get truck oil at the gas station during the beginning of it. My dumb decisions had landed me a spot in the Routledge kid's dirty brown van, and from there, we couldn't stop running into one another. I couldn't get away from him, and even if I had chosen to stay home, on the contrary, and did nothing, there would probably be a knock at the front door eventually.
The first time he'd shown up at my bedroom window, and I let him inside, I knew that my plans were already demolished. My intention of staying quiet, minding my own business, and riding through summer by myself was long gone, and I knew it. Even though we weren't friends, I would be seeing the Pogues at school, and they would remember me, along with John B. It was unavoidable. And that had been part of the reason I was so stubborn and so angry towards him at the start of all of it. I was mad that my summer wasn't going according to plan— and also because he generated a barrel of bad luck.
And then, when I least expected it, a relationship walked in. When he had almost kissed me that night after the graveyard, I was completely sure of it— I liked him, not just as a friend. From then on, I acknowledged every single day we'd spend together, every little thing that we would do and say. And then, he had kissed me. In the rain, outside my front door, he had kissed me for the first time— and I knew, it was more than a cheesy crush.
I sobbed harder as the thoughts began to enter my head nonstop, my tears creating a small stain on Daryl's plaid shirt. With my hands clutched onto his shoulders, and Caroline's arms around my back, I didn't want to let go.
The three of us sat there until my small cries slowly began to diminish. Caroline carefully pulled away first, her tiny hands resting on my shoulder blades. She looked like she was about to cry, just by seeing me so sad and upset.
"Look— hun," she said, quietly, "I know this is your first relationship, you don't have to tell us what happened," she treaded lightly, remembering when I had told her all about John B and how he was my first kiss— the night it happened. "But it's not always going to go smoothly."
I was looking down at my hands on the blankets covering my legs, as Daryl wiped a fresh tear from my cheek with his thumb.
"Your grandfather and I got into so many arguments when we were younger," she lightly laughed, "It's only natural, bug."
"But this," I was speaking slowly, trying to get the words out without crying, "This is different, grandma. And I don't know what to do."
"Sweets, it's going to be okay," she patted my leg comfortingly, "You're both young and dumb," she laughed, joking.
The tiniest of smiles tugged at the corner of my mouth, from seeing her smile. Mine was barely even showing, just a small twitch of my lips.
"And if he's right for you, then he'll come back," she tilted her head to the side, sympathetically. "That, I know for sure."
"But what if he doesn't," I played with my fingers.
"Then it's his loss, bug," Daryl chimed in, looking at me over Caroline's head.
"Look, when your grandfather and I were first dating, back in, like, what," she looked to him, "Seventy-two? He was my first boyfriend as well." She grabbed both of my hands, "We broke up after five months,"
"Tried new things, met other people," Daryl continued.
"But it just didn't feel right." She finished.
"It didn't feel right?" I repeated, eyebrows softly narrowed.
"You see, no one made me feel the same way as he did," She chuckled, her thumbs rubbing over my hands. "And even though he can be a real piece of shit, even to this day,"
Daryl's smile fell from his face, replaced with an offended look.
I quietly laughed.
"Look at us now, bug," her eyes were glossy, almost as if she was going to cry, "We have a granddaughter."
Then, when she turned her head around and softly smiled at her husband, and he genuinely smiled back, I could tell they were more than in love. And when they both looked to me, Caroline's hands holding mine, I could tell that they loved me, too.
I genuinely felt my heart warm up as much as it could, and I couldn't help but let a huge smile spread over my face, even though the dried tears on my cheeks stiffened it.
We sat there, smiling for a minute.
"Can you tell me about my parents," I suddenly asked, after a long moment. My voice was quiet.
Caroline looked back, again, and the wide smile was slowly falling from her face, but she tried to keep it on. Daryl cleared his throat.
"Your parents, bug," Daryl asked, for clarification.
"Yeah," I said, followed by a tiny nod.
Caroline breathed out, "Well, both of us grew up on the Cut," she started, referring to her and Daryl.
"Went to high school here, met one another, all that cheesy stuff," he chuckled.
"Then, time flew, and before we knew it, we were buying this little house, planning on starting a family," she looked around the room.
"And, dad?" I grinned.
"Your father grew up here, as you know," Daryl said, with a tone of admiration, "In this tiny place we made home."
"We were planning on having another kid," Caroline said, sort of sadly, "But your grandpa got the motel business handed down to him, and everything just got so busy, you know."
I nodded, understanding.
"And then," Daryl sighed, as if what he was going to say next was important. "He met your mom."
An image of her slid into my mind.
"When Danny turned eighteen, he wanted to travel the world," Caroline continued, "At first he called us at every stop, every country he went in, we would get a call. Until he just, stopped."
"What do you mean," I furrowed my eyebrows.
"He met your mom in France," Daryl spoke casually.
I thought about 'A Night In Paris'.
"They fell in love," Caroline smiled.
"So, mom was French?" I questioned.
"No, just lived there," she answered.
"Before we knew it, Danny was flying back to Kildare and gathering all of his stuff, that's the first time we met her." Daryl huffed, "Pretty much, the only time."
"And, then what?" My voice came out with a confused tone.
"And then they moved to New York." Caroline said, with her lips formed in a tight line.
"Mom was never from here?" I asked, slowly.
"No, she wasn't," Daryl shook his head.
Something felt off in my mind. If my mother only ever came to the island one time, to help my dad move out, what did she have to do with Ward Cameron? What was "all that shit he did to Cecile". Something wasn't right, but I held my tongue.
"Danny left for New York City a few days later," Caroline spoke. "He was supposed to take down the business, but you know, things change."
"We always knew, since he was little, he wasn't going to stay on the island forever, like we did," Daryl looked down. "He didn't like the water, he always wanted to live in the city, or somewhere else. He always talked about wanting to be an actor."
"Really?" I said, sort of surprised at the last part.
"Yeah," Caroline chuckled, "We even signed him up for acting classes when he was in high school, thought he just wanted to do plays or commercials, or something."
"But then we actually saw him on TV," Daryl admired, "With your mom."
"Was I born, then?" I asked.
"Yeah, you were born." Caroline smiled, but sadly. "We didn't know about you until you were three."
I felt my heart sink.
"They haven't come back to the island since he moved out," Daryl frowned, "And that's why we were so surprised when we got the call that you were coming to stay with us. Never thought that Danny was going to send his kid here, if he never liked it."
"So, you guys were the only other people that knew about me?" My voice dropped in volume, my lips departed in a small shock.
"Yep." Caroline nodded firmly. "Pretty crazy."
"And do you know why, that is?" I asked, my voice quiet, "Why no one else knows? Why I've never left New York."
Caroline looked to Daryl uncertainly. He fake-coughed.
I swallowed, hard. I was potentially about to get the answer to what I've been wondering about my whole life.
"Many reasons, Charlotte," Caroline sighed, after a moment. "You'll know when you're older, that's what we were told. But mainly, they wanted to keep you secret, to keep you safe."
"Safe from what," I lowered my eyes. My mind was racing with all of the information.
"Media, and all that," Daryl spoke. He sounded sure, but I wasn't sold.
There was something that they weren't telling me, I was smart enough to realize it.
"Anyways," Caroline's voice perked up, lightening the mood as she tapped my leg, "We're just overly glad that you're here."
My teeth bit down onto my bottom lip. "Yeah, me too," I smiled.
___
It had been four full days since I last heard from the Pogues.
I was beginning to think that they were continuing the project without me, and that they already had all of the gold. I had envisioned them in the basement of the Crain house, with their barrel, retrieving all of the four-hundred million, without me. I didn't want to go and see them first.
And, on top of that, I hadn't heard from Sarah at all, either.
The four days of lonesome, were spent with my grandparents. The first day, I had helped work with them at the motel, sat at the front desk while they managed everything in the back. The whole time I was there, I had been sitting on the rolling chair with my chin perched up on my open palm, frowning down as the hours passed. The days after that, i went on boat rides, swam in the water with both of them, and helped clean the house.
Now, I sat in the living room, my fingers peeling open a new book that Caroline had gotten from the library, during the second day. Caroline and Daryl were out at the grocery store, and this time, I had decided to stay home. I had the radio playing softly in the background, and all the windows closed, to keep out the strong heat. My back comfortably slouched into the back of the futon cushions, and my legs resting on the coffee table, I hummed along to the tune as I read.
Then, suddenly, there was a shout that broke the silence.
"Hey, Charlotte!" The voice yelled, from outside of the house.
My heart sank to the floor.
Immediately, I threw the book down, not even bothering to keep my page, as I rushed for the screen door. Through the tattered screen door, I could see the dirty brown van parked on the side of the road, figures in the windows.
And then there he was, standing in the middle of the front lawn, with a can of Cherry Cola in his hand.
✰༄✰
𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰
𝐢 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞. 🥺
𝐇𝐀𝐇𝐇𝐀𝐇𝐀
𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 🥺✋🏻
- i know that the information about
her parents isn't complete, and they
could've said more, but there's a
reasoning for that, obv.
everything will be answered soon 😏
THE TEA IS IN THE FUCKING KETTLE
IM NOT KIDDING
— POSSIBLY NEXT CHAPTER will
have something EXTREMELY
important. not even joking man.
be rEaDy
also, the new book cover 😏
𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 !!