Darcy was shocked, Charlie was confused and Caroline was disgusted. I sighed and started to get up when I heard a gasp from the top of the stairs. Jane was at the top of the stairs looking down at us. "Lizzie, are you okay?" she asked running down the stairs.
"I'm fine, just fell down some of the stairs and my leg came off" I explained. Jane's eyes immediately sharpened and she looked at the three other people in the hall.
"Do you have a problem with my sister?" she asked coolly.
"No!" said Charlie eyes wide "Lizzie, I'm sure you would like to sit down. Why we don't we go sit in the living room until you have got your breath back?"
"Sure. I suppose I owe you an explanation" I got up with Jane's help and we walked to the living room and I sat down on the sofa with the arm on one side and Jane on the other. "when I graduated from college with a degree in culinary arts I joined the army with my friend and everything was great for a while but then I got posted to Afganistan with my friend and that was fine for a while but then one night when I was on duty with my friend we hit a road side bomb and he was driving and died while I lost my leg. And then I had to go to a rehabilitation center for five months. The night I met you was my first night of freedom after I got out" I smiled and looked up at the three other people in the room.
Darcy suddenly stood up from the armchair in the corner and walked out of the room with a
muttered "Excuse me".
Charlie was staring at me in awe and he rushed over to me. He pulled me up out of the chair and hugged me hard "you are so strong I can't imagine going through that, it's an honor to know someone like you." He gushed smiling brightly.
Caroline was sitting on the couch still and looked at me with hard eyes as she smiled and said "I can't imagine how hard that would have been" she simpered and walked out of the room at the same time as talking about going to see Louisa.
I sighed; well at least I had the important person's approval. If Jane liked Charlie she wouldn't date him if he didn't like me, which was completely stupid but she said it was her big sister privilege.
We stayed in the room for a little bit and then Jane felt sick again and we went back up stair after she threw up in the downstairs bathroom. We sat in the room we were sharing and watched tv for a bit until Jane fell asleep and I went to bed in the other bed in the room.
The next morning I woke up later than Jane and came downstairs to hear her on the phone with our mother. My mother and I never got on well, she had favourites out of her four daughters and I wasn't one of them. My mother loved Jane though and called her every other day. She disapproved of me and my book-worm ways. She said I was going to be a crippled old maid when she once came to the rehab clinic and hadn't come back to visit me the whole time I was there. My father came twice, I was his favourite but he loved his books and hated leaving his shop to mother and her gossip group.
"yes mum, I'm fine I had a little bit of food poisoning and Lizzie's here too and she's looking after me"… "Mum, Lizzie can look after me fine"… "No I don't need you to come"… "No, I won't tell you where Charlie lives" she said goodbye and hung up on mother and turned to me.
"You know she hates me, right?" I asked.
"Mum doesn't hate you she just doesn't think you have your own best interests at heart" said Jane sweetly.
"She didn't visit me for five months while I was in rehab and I only saw her when I got out because dad made her come" I said raising an eyebrow at her.
"She loves you" said Jane closing the matter when Charlie came through the kitchen door. He yawned and made some cereal for himself for breakfast before he noticed us and asked if we wanted anything to eat and showing us were it was.
"So I was thinking that I could drop you off at your apartment this morning and then next weekend I'm having a housewarming party and you could come to that?" asked Charlie
"Sure" said Jane and I nodded. We ate in silence until Caroline came down.
"Charlie! I neeeed you to take me and Louisa to the mall in this town. I can't stand not being up to date in the latest fashions and I'm not right now!" she said loudly drawing out the words so they sounded whiney.
"Okay, I take you after we drop off Jane and Lizzie at their apartment" said Charlie. Caroline sneered when his back was turned.
"Fine" she said and walked out of the kitchen with an apple in her hand.
"Okay so when you guys are packed up I'll call Caroline and Louisa. I hope you could tell me where the mall is because I don't and after I drop off Caroline and Louisa, I can drop you off at your apartment building." He smiled at us and walked out of the kitchen when we agreed.
When we were ready we told Charlie who called his sisters and we all left the house. When I
asked if Darcy would be joining us I was told that he never got up until noon. This cemented my dislike for him, I couldn't stand people who are lazy and don't work for what they have, I knew Darcy was rich but I also knew it was inherited money. As we drove Charlie talked to Jane about a lot of stuff and Caroline sat on her phone along with Louisa. I sat reading my kindle in the back squished between Caroline and Louisa.
"So Caroline, I noticed other cars in the garage so why did you need a ride from Charlie?" I asked cursorily.
"I don't know how to drive, it's unladylike" she said not lifting her head from her phone.
"What does it mean to be ladylike then?" I asked affronted because she knew I could drive or I could until I lost my leg.
"To be able to sing, draw, dance, play and instrument and know at least one different language. Also she has to have an air of grace around her at all times" sniffed Caroline.
"Who do you know like that?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"Many people, me, Louisa, Darcy's younger sister Georgina and many others" said Caroline stiffly.
"Okay…" I said as the car stopped and Caroline and Louisa got out of the car. We pulled away from the curve of the parking lot and started to make our way to our home.
It only took us 10 minutes to get to our apartment where we said thank you to Charlie.