Array
(
[text] =>
The morning came and I woke up as usual wrapped up in Dom, he didn’t half like to spread out during the night and it wasn’t as if my bed was small as I had a king size bed. I looked over at Lucas and he was hanging off the other side of my bed as Dom had spread his legs out and was literally kicking him out of it. Alfie, Sofia and Vanessa were all awake and playing with their phones on the airbed waiting for the rest of us to wake up.
I sat up carefully moving Domingo’s arms from around my waist, he was making me far too hot and I needed to cool off. Just as I was about to go to the toilet there was a knock on my door and Elliot popped his head round smiling.
“Hey mum’s made breakfast, time to get up. She and dad have gone out apparently something important has come up but I promised to wake you so the food doesn’t get cold.” He said.
“Ok thanks El I will wake them all up be down in five minutes yeah.” I yawned back.
“Sure I’ll start dishing up for you all.” He smiled and left as I called out a thanks.
I jumped up and ran to the toilet desperate now, when I came back Lucas, Alfie and the girls had gone downstairs for breakfast leaving Dom to me. He could be pretty groggy if he was woken before he was due so no one enjoyed the task of waking him, silently cursing them I moved towards him. I sat on the edge of the bed and spoke quietly telling him breakfast was ready but he just turned over and ignored me.
I moved round the other side of the bed and sat back down this time taking a different approach to the situation. I began to run my hands through his hair something I knew he couldn’t resist as his mother did this to him all of the time, he opened his eyes and pouted his lips.
“No fair, you know I love that.” He said.
“Who ever said I play fair Dom?” I chuckled.
He jumped up quickly before I could even contemplate what he was doing, he pinned my flat on the bed and straddled me knocking the air from my lungs in the process. He leaned down and promptly licked my face then blew cold air on it, making me yell out and squirm beneath him. I had no chance at all of throwing him off though as he was smaller but stronger than me and I couldn’t even move.
“That’s totally gross stop.” I begged laughing.
“You sound like you’re having fun.” He chuckled.
“DOM, CHARLIE STOP YOUR BLOODY FLIRTING AND GET DOWN FOR BREAKFAST!” Elliot yelled from downstairs.
Chuckling he climbed off me and grabbed my hand to pull me up, then he led me from the room and down the stairs to the kitchen letting go of me just as we walked through the door. I sat at the island next to Lucas and he grinned at us both clearly enjoying the fact that we had just been told off. I looked at the plate that Elliot had placed in front of me and I instantly grinned widely, my mum was epic! There was a full English breakfast in front of me complete with Hash Browns and fried toast, my friends never having been to England absolutely loved it when my mum made English food especially the breakfasts and I had to agree it was great.
“Where did mum and dad go again El?” I asked.
“They didn’t say just said it was important, come to think of it they looked pretty worried as they ran out of the front door. I wonder what’s up?” He mused.
“Strange. It’s also strange for dad to come back for it too it must be important.” I pointed out.
“Yeah I know.” He agreed.
Dom looked at me curiously clearly agreeing that it was strange for my parents to not tell us what is going on, I just hoped it was nothing to do with them and they were both ok health wise. After breakfast Lucas, Alfie, Sofia and Vanessa took off for the skate park again, but I had to clean up my room again and Dom offered to stay behind and help me.
We trudged upstairs not really looking forward to the task ahead, Dom let the air out of the airbed and he fold it up and put it in the airing cupboard for me. I used a trash bag and picked up all of the rubbish that littered my room, then I folded up the extra blankets and pillows handing them to Dom to put with the airbed.
When we were done we plonked on my bed again to chill out, I had asked Dom if he wanted to go catch up with the other’s while I waited for my parents but he said he preferred to just chill out. I grabbed us both some soda’s and we played Fifa on the Xbox, I had taught Dom how to play football as soon as we became friends. At school we had a soccer team, but Fifa actually allowed us to play with English teams and although I had been in America now for seven years, my favourite team was still Chelsea.
For all that Dom was good at sports in real life he was terrible on the computer screen, for some reason he just couldn’t play computer games very well at all. So when I had beat him for the fourth time in a row, he chucked the controller down in a huff making me laugh out loud. As expected he took his huff out on me the only way he knew how to, he jumped me. He straddled me just like he had this morning but this time there was no licking involved it was much worse. He tickled me!
I screamed in agony as my chest and sides hurt from laughing, he had been tickling me now for a good five minutes and I couldn’t take it much longer. He finally climbed off me and collapsed beside me, we were both trying to catch our breath from laughing so hard, I turned to look at him and he smiled at me. Right then my mum came into my room, she didn’t look good and I could tell something bad had happened. For some reason I grabbed for Dom’s hand as I felt like she was going to tell me that I had to move again.
“Charlie I need to speak to you down stairs please.” She said sullenly.
“Can Dom wait for me here?” I asked.
“Sure hon.” She smiled and left the room.
I heard her move to Elliot’s room and ask him to come downstairs too, I turned to Dom and he could see the worry on my face. He squeezed my hand to comfort me and I chuckled uneasily and stood up to leave.
“What if were moving back or something bad has happened to one of them?” I voiced my fears.
“She wouldn’t separate us, not in your final year.” He tried to comfort me. “Go find out and I will be here no matter what it is ok?”
I nodded my head and he stood up and pulled me into a tight hug, I gripped him back I really didn’t want to leave him. I also didn’t want either of my parents to be ill, but I realised I didn’t have a clue what was going on and jumping to conclusions wasn’t going to help anyone. So I pulled away from my best mate, threw him one more anxious smile then left the room to find out what this news was.
I walked into the living room to find both of my parents and Elliot already waiting for me, Elliot must have been jumping to conclusions too as he looked nervous and my parents were very pale. I sat down next to Elliot opposite my mum and dad and waited for them to tell us what was going on.
“We have some bad news boys.” My dad started and my mum finally burst out crying.
“What? What is it?” Elliot and I asked at the same time.
“Your Aunty Jess and Uncle Steven have been… well they have been killed. Murdered actually by their own son.” He continued.
“What?!” Elliot and I asked again.
“Colin it seems had fallen in with a rough crowd and he became addicted to Crack Cocaine. His parents threatened to cut him off if he didn’t agree to rehab and he took them seriously. I don’t know how much you remember about your Aunt and Uncle but they were pretty well off and in his drug infused state Colin thought they were going to give all of the money to Theo his younger brother. So he forged what he thought was a great plan to kill them and make it look like a suicide, however in the end he was caught and well he killed himself in custody.” He paused.
I looked at him in shock, then I looked at Elliot who had gone as pale as my parents. My mother was now inconsolable, it seems she had been trying her best to stay strong for us but Aunt Jess was her sister and I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. If anyone tried to hurt Elliot I would rather die than let them get within an inch of him, he is my brother and I love him so my mother must be dying inside.
“Wait what happened to Theo?” I asked.
“Well Theo was thankfully at a therapy session, he has been struggling with his brother’s sudden downfall and this whole situation has made him completely clam up now.” My dad continued. “Your mother and I have spoken to social services in England and they have advised us that all he needs is love and care, he will also need to continue his therapy and he should come around in his own time.”
“He hasn’t got any family boys, my mum is too old now to care for him.” My mum cried even harder.
“What your mum means is that Steven’s parents passed away years ago and he was an only child and since we live here Theo is literally on his own right now. So we have agreed to take him in, he needs family to get through this and putting him into care would not help at all.” My dad added.
“He’s my nephew I would never put him into care.” My mother sobbed.
“We wouldn’t do that to him no, he needs to be around people that care for him. So he is on his way and will be arriving tomorrow, we have already arranged for him to attend school with you Charlie as he is your age and he can have his own room so you all don’t need to worry about your space.” My dad smiled weakly.
“I can’t believe this.” Elliot spoke up. “How is he going to be able to go to school after what has happened? How can we expect him to be ok with this extreme change in lifestyle?”
“Well of course he won’t be going to school until he is ready and we all need to help him Elliot, he isn’t ever going to be ok with this but hopefully with time he will grow to like America and will find something here that will help him move forward.” My mum spoke again through tears.
Elliot stood up and sat beside her pulling her into his tight embrace where she sobbed even louder. My dad looked ashen and he didn’t know what to say or do for her, I jumped up at the same time as my dad.
“I will go and make some tea to calm you down a bit mum.” I soothed.
“Yes that’s a good idea.” My dad smiled.
I walked to the kitchen and flicked on the kettle, I made my mum some good old Tetley Tea and some digestive biscuits that my Nana Mary ships over for us every few months. My mum loves her English tea and biscuits and she has been paying my Nana in presents to ship the goods over to us for the last seven years.
I took it back to her and she took it from me gratefully with slightly shaking hands, and I held it for a moment to make sure she had a tight grip. She smiled at me to let me know she had it and Elliot pulled her closer making sure she was really ok.
“I think that Theo will like it here, I just hope that he pulls through quickly for his own good you know? It would be a shame for him to lose his life as well when he has been lucky to escape with it.” I said quickly. “Shit I am sorry I don’t think that sounded like I wanted it too.”
“Language Charlie.” My mum said never changing, I smiled.
“No I understand what your trying to say Charlie and I hope you and your friends will make him welcome when he arrives he is going to need someone to rely on.” My dad said.
“I am sure they will my friends are awesome.” I smiled. “Speaking of friends I have left Dom upstairs do you mind if I go, are you ok mum?”
“Sure honey you go to your friend, your dad and I have things to sort out for Theo arriving.” She tried to smile.
I walked away from them feeling slightly guilty for leaving my mum like that but Dom will be wondering what the hell is going on as that conversation took over an hour. I also felt incredibly guilty that I wasn’t more upset, but the thing is I barely knew them I hadn’t seen them since I left England but what had happened was awful and I was going to try my best to help Theo.
When I walked into my room Dom was still sitting on the edge of my bed where I left him, he looking at his hands while he twiddled his thumbs. I leaned against my door frame and watched him for a few moments as he continued to play with his fingers and bite his lower lip in thought.
“Penny for your thoughts” I said making his head snap up.
“Charlie! Your moving aren’t you, I knew it! They can’t make you, you can come and live with me. I won’t let you go.” He said quickly.
“I thought you said they wouldn’t make me move, you were all confident an hour ago?” I smiled now.
“You’re not moving?” He asked. “Then what happened?”
“It’s a long story call your mother your stopping here again.”
……………………………………………………………………..
>>>>>Elliot Adams on the side everyone :o)
Also back to normal updates so next chapter wont be until next week.
[text_hash] => d33e413b
)