13. Protection
"Get in the car, Nick," said Helen. "I'll drive you home. I need to speak to your mum."
Nick exhaled, having expected this instruction but still not liking it. Charlie's hand was fisted in the side of Nick's t-shirt and he didn't want to pry it away any time soon.
Helen turned to Jane, Julio and Charlie, glancing as well toward the open front door.
"I think it's best if the rest of you stay in your home for now. Don't go anywhere else until I call you. That's probably not going to be until morning now, so please do not call or text anyone else other than myself and then only if it's an emergency. That goes for your other children as well, okay, Mr and Mrs Spring?"
Julio nodded.
It took Jane a few moments to follow suit. Julio had his arm around her. Nick suspected Julio was grounding himself as much as Nick was with his own arm around Charlie.
"Can't I go home with Nick?"
The smallness of Charlie's voice made Nick's heart clench painfully. He could tell even Charlie knew the effort was fruitless but was grateful for him trying at least.
Jane made a noise, somewhere between a scoff and a tut, that made Nick want to slap her.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," said Helen. "But it really is safest for you both to be in your own homes for now. Now, I need to deliver this poor fellow to his owners. Let's leave the boys to say goodnight, shall we?"
She gave Jane and Julio (but mostly Jane) a dangerous look, as if daring them to argue.
Julio tugged his wife's arm and gently led her back toward the house. Nick could see Tori and Oliver standing in the doorway. Obviously, Oliver had not been placated for long.
Helen bent down over the dog.
"Do you need some help with that?" Nick asked Helen quietly.
"That's alright, Nick. Thanks for the offer but I've got him."
"His name was Reggie," said Charlie. His hand in Nick's shirt tightened. "He was a good dog."
Nick buried his face in Charlie's curls and kissed his head. He couldn't help but think of Nellie.
He and Charlie watched Helen carry Reggie the short distance across the road, then turned to each other under the light of the nearby street light.
Charlie let go of Nick's shirt, reached down to grab the bottom of the hoodie he was wearing and pulled it over his head.
"What are you doing?"
Charlie held it out for Nick to take.
"You don't need to give me that back, you know?"
Charlie pressed the hoodie firmly into Nick's hands. "Bring me a fresh one?" he said with a faint smile. "Next time we see each other."
Nick swallowed the lump in his throat and forced a smile in return. "Don't say it like that. People only say that in films and stuff when you know they're never going to see each other again."
Charlie wrapped his arms around him and Nick held him close. "This isn't 'films and stuff' though," said Charlie. "This is real life."
"It doesn't feel like it sometimes," Nick mumbled.
Charlie squeezed him more securely. "But this feels real. Our love."
"You are a little tree…"
Charlie chuckled. "Then you, sir, are a tree-hugger!"
"We both are." Nick smiled down at him as they pulled apart a little. "Two trees in love."
"I can see Helen coming back," said Charlie. "I don't want to go inside."
"I don't want to let you."
"We're just going to have to suck it up, aren't we?" Charlie sighed. "Didn't you hear her? We need protection."
Charlie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Nick truly laughed this time.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Charlie Spring. You are obsessed."
"I didn't say anything. You're the one -"
They both jumped as the police car's horn blared beside them. Helen had gotten back into her car without them noticing and she was now giving them an amused sort of impatient look.
Their mirth had been short lived.
Nick turned back to Charlie and kissed him hard. Charlie stood on his tiptoes in reciprocation.
"I'll see you soon," Nick said, breathless.
"I love you," said Charlie.
"I love you, too."
Charlie turned bravely toward the gate. Nick watched him shut it behind him and walk up the path. He returned the sad smile Charlie shot at him before Charlie closed the front door, then wrenched his eyes away and turned to the police car.
Once upon a time Nick would have been thrilled to get to ride in a police car. David would have been jealous. Once. Now, however, he hardly registered anything else all the way home besides the hoodie Charlie had returned to him,
Before he clicked his seatbelt into place, he pulled the hoodie on over his head. Quietly, he brought the fabric up to his mouth and nose and inhaled.
It smelt like Charlie.
Charlie shrieked with laughter as a snowball hit him in the face.
Nick ducked but not quick enough to avoid Charlie's retaliation. A soft thump at his back as the snow hit him and broke apart.
Nick spun around, gathering up another handful. His breath puffed out in front of him as he laughed - but he did not feel cold.
Soft flakes swirled around them. Their feet crunched pleasantly as they chased each other through their private winter wonderland. Charlie's freshly-cut hair was dusted with white beneath his hat. His cheeks were pink both from smiling and the cold.
"Look out!" Nick heard himself yell.
He scooped up a massive handful of snow and stumbled forward to dump it over Charlie's head. Charlie turned away from him, laughing as he dove behind a tree at the last second. The projectile hit the trunk and shattered.
Nick could hear Charlie giggling triumphantly, just out of reach. Nick ducked behind the tree, ready to tackle Charlie into the snow - payback for evading him but - Charlie was not there.
Nick squinted through the flurry. The wind had picked up.
He spun frantically around but he could barely make out the trees in front of him now.
"Charlie?"
Nick moved through the blizzard. The wind whipped violently at his hair. The soft flakes had been overtaken by icy shards which stung and bit into Nick's cheeks.
Not again. Please, not again.
He staggered through the downpour. He could not feel his hands or feet. His breath came in ragged bursts.
A streak of dark green flitted across his vision through the white. Nick whipped around to catch sight of it again but then it was sucked into the frozen abyss.
Nick's feet might have been numb but he could still feel his heart beating in his chest. Perhaps it was that which led him onward, following that streak of colour, only knowing vaguely which direction it had gone in.
Nick didn't know how long he walked for but by the time he collapsed to his knees, he was exhausted and shivering violently.
He was surrounded on all sides by a frozen expanse of nothing but cold and white. His legs gave way and he fell into the snow. He folded his arms around himself, curled into a ball, willing himself to wake up!
"Nick?"
The blizzard dispersed.
Charlie was lying in the snow next to him - dressed exactly how he had been that day - that favourite day - in a patch of sunlight, the fallen snow glittering around him.
"Why are you so sad?" Charlie asked innocently.
"I'm scared I'm going to lose you."
"I would never leave you, Nick -"
"I know that -"
"- but this is your fault."
What?
"I didn't want to go, but you made me. Remember? You told me to hide so I did." The snow had picked up again without Nick noticing. "I trusted you."
Nick could not move.
He watched helplessly as Charlie slowly disappeared, sinking further into the snow.
No! Charlie! No!
"It's so cold under here. You told me it would be safe."
Wake up! Please, let me wake up!
Nick watched as Charlie was entirely devoured by the ice, the last wisps of dark curls disappeared, jet black against bright white for a second, and then he was gone.
And suddenly, Nick could move.
He threw himself at the snow, digging frantically. There seemed to be no end - as if the snow was so deep it would just keep going on and on forever.
Nick was aware of it tunnelling up behind him but he had to keep going. He could rest when he found Charlie.
He removed a clump of snow and - a hand fell out.
It was limp and pale but almost as familiar as his own.
Nick grasped it - it was colder than he had ever felt it. He tugged gently but the pressure was enough to shift the remaining snow -
Charlie's head appeared and then the rest of him tumbled out, carried on a tiny avalanche of snow. He slid to a stop beside Nick.
The Boy Under the Bed was as he always was. Cold and still and empty.
Something warm touched Nick's knee.
He looked, expecting his own tears but -
The snow beneath him was being slowly painted red.
NO -!
Nick moved desperately to cling to Charlie, to never move again, but before their bodies could collide, the tunnel around them began to collapse.
Nick fell forward. His hands brushed the fabric of Charlie's green coat but then they grasped at nothing at all and he was falling through a tumult of ice and snow and sorrow…
Nick woke up with a start. He was panting and sweating and crying. His throat was sore. He had been screaming.
His room was still dark. He had thrown the duvet off completely at some point and the sheet beneath him was twisted and damp from tears and sweat.
As his breathing regulated, Nick began to shiver, despite the mid-June warmth. He could still feel the bone-deep chill as if some part of his nightmare remained.
With shaky legs, Nick managed to force himself to sit up slowly, then move himself across the short distance to the chair where he had discarded his hoodie last night. He had been too warm then.
Nick climbed back into bed, readjusted the duvet over him and snuggled the hoodie as close to him as he could, burying his face in it.
Charlie was alive. He would see him again soon.
It took Nick a while to fall back to sleep but when he did at least he did not dream.
In the morning, the first thing Nick wanted to do was text Charlie, but then he realised he had been specifically instructed not to. Nick showered and dressed without really paying much attention to what he was doing.
Something told him this weekend was going to be a long one.
The presence of Officer Helen Torrance in the kitchen when he got downstairs for breakfast confirmed that suspicion - especially considering the third woman sitting at the table.
"Nicky, there you are," said Sarah, looking up anxiously from her mug of tea. "Would you like some toast?"
"What's going on?" Nick sat down beside his mum at the table. He looked across at Helen and the stranger. She was younger than Helen, maybe thirty, and her expression was much more serious.
"I told your mum to let you sleep," said Helen. "I know this has been a difficult time for you. You must be exhausted."
"Thanks," Nick murmured. "Can I text Charlie now?"
"Straight to business then." Helen grimaced and sighed. "I'm truly sorry to have to do this, Nick, but you have to understand. The new rules that have been set in place are there to keep you safe. This is Officer Kamilah Dawson. She is from UKPPS and is here to be your protection going forward - until we can find the perpetrator and the danger has passed."
"Oh," said Nick. "Hi."
He glanced at Officer Dawson awkwardly. She merely gave a silent nod.
"Officer Dawson will be stationed outside your house at all times. She will take a break in the evenings and be replaced with a local officer when she cannot be there. But during the day she will accompany you everywhere. Don't look so alarmed - I don't mean literally. But she will be close by at all times. And by everywhere, I mean home and school and nowhere else, understand?"
Nick nodded miserably.
"Now, I'm going to have to take your phone off you, I'm afraid."
"What?"
Helen smiled kindly. "I thought you might take issue with that. I am replacing it, however, with this phone."
She slid the phone across the table to him. It looked more like a mini walkie-talkie than a phone.
Helen gave him a sympathetic but encouraging look. Nick took his own phone from his pocket and handed it over.
"I'm afraid that phone doesn't do much. No internet, no texting. But it has a GPS tracker which Officer Dawson will manage at all times. There is also an alert button which will contact her immediately. That is for emergencies only, of course."
Nick took a deep breath. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome," said Helen. "I understand it's going to take some getting used to, but hopefully it won't be for too long. Do you have any questions, either for myself or Officer Dawson?"
"I have a question actually, Helen," said Sarah. "Because Charlie is under the same protection, wouldn't that mean the boys could still be allowed to visit each other? Wouldn't that just make them doubly protected in that case?"
Nick was so grateful for his mum at that moment, but it was short-lived.
The look on Helen's face was that of intense guilt.
"What I'm about to tell you is probably going to cause some upset, but just know, I have done everything I can, and there is nothing I can do to further change what has already been set in motion."
Nick felt his mum's hand squeeze his elbow.
"I was not able to acquire Charlie the same witness protection as I was for you."
Nick met Helen's eye across the table, heart racing with dread. His voice came out as little more than a breath. "What? Why?"
"For a start, we understand the perpetrator believes Charlie is already deceased. Not to mention the fact that the perpetrator having seen Charlie's face is very unlikely. It was determined that the danger was not as prominent in Charlie's case."
Nick could feel ice sliding deeper into his chest with every word Helen spoke.
"What the fuck?" He was on his feet, hands clenched into fists. "What the fuck is the point then? Of any of this?"
"I understand that you're disappointed -"
"Disappointed? You promised us both protection!"
"I did everything I could, Nick. It's difficult to get witness protection approved at the best of times. It's just lucky I managed to get it for you."
"Then give mine to Charlie then!"
"Nicky…" Sarah sounded like she was close to tears.
Nick's shoulders shook as his own hot, angry tears rolled down his face. "You can't expect me to sit back and relax while Charlie is left to fend for himself. What about that note? What about 'two bullets'?"
Helen looked genuinely alarmed. "What do you mean?"
"I gave that note to you. I saw you read it. 'I still have two bullets left'. He quite clearly meant one for me, and one for Charlie. He threatened us both! Not just me!"
Helen frowned. Nick wanted to hit something. His mum continued to grip his elbow, almost as furious as he was.
"My team and I were under the impression that the two bullets referred to yourself and your mother, Nick. If the perpetrator had meant you and Charlie, wouldn't he have sent a note to the Springs too?"
Nick blinked. He hadn't thought about it like that.
"Listen," Helen continued. "I am truly, truly sorry I could not help Charlie further. But this is a good thing, is it not? This means your Charlie is both safe and able to live his life normally, without any more disruptions."
"It's going to be a big disruption when he's barred from seeing his boyfriend when he wants to. Again."
All three other heads turned to Sarah in surprise.
"That boy has been through enough," Sarah continued. "They both have, but at least Nicky has had a safe place to come home to all this time. The same cannot be said for Charlie. They need each other, now more than ever. Is there truly nothing to be done?"
But less than three minutes later, Sarah was showing Helen out the door and Officer Dawson was getting into the car parked outside the house.
Nick sat at the kitchen table, staring at the stupid, brick-like phone in his hands. It took everything he had not to throw it across the room.
Charlie had had a sleepless night. He couldn't get the image out of his head of Reggie sprawled out, unmoving on the pavement, of his mum's mortified face, of his dad's guilt, of his boyfriend's fear.
He and Tori had lain awake for hours, lying side by side in Charlie's bed as he explained to her everything that had happened since the cabin.
Almost everything.
He left out some of the more gruesome details, the more longer-lingering things which were less relevant now that a murder investigation wasn't involved.
One thing could be said about Tori Spring - she was a good listener. Even though in some ways it was easier to tell Tori than it had been to tell Helen, it was harder in some ways too. Tori cared about him in a way no one else did. Except of course Nick. And Charlie cared about her opinion one hundred times more than some random police detective.
When they woke up on Saturday morning, they were both exhausted.
Charlie blinked the sleep out of his eyes wearily and felt a lump at the end of the bed. Oliver was curled up in a tight ball at his siblings' feet, fast asleep, drooling onto Charlie's duvet cover.
Yesterday evening had been stressful and confusing for Oliver. His parents had refused to tell him what was going on for hours as they tried to get him to go to bed and sleep.
Tori had finally caved and, ignoring both Jane and Julio's protests, told Oliver about Reggie being killed and that everyone just had to sort him out and get him back to his owners.
Oliver had cried a lot and it had taken six whole stories from Julio to get him to finally fall asleep in his own bed.
Charlie didn't know when he had crawled into his room, but he was kind of glad he had. It was hard to feel anything other than loved and protected when waking up surrounded by his family. He liked that he and his siblings found comfort in each other. Even if they argued and fought, Charlie knew he could always depend on them both. Especially when the same could not be said for their parents most of the time.
Julio was on the phone when Charlie, Tori and Oliver arrived in the kitchen and he stepped quickly out of the back door when they entered, and slid it shut behind him.
Charlie and Tori exchanged a confused look.
"I'm hungry!" Oliver whined.
"Me too," said Tori with a sigh. "What can I get you, young sir?"
Oliver skipped over to the cereal cupboard, used the handles of the lower cabinets to hoist himself to the higher ones with practised ease. He yanked open the cupboard and pulled out a box.
"Cookie Crisp!" His little face was alight with mischief. "Quick, before mummy wakes up!"
Tori made for the bowl cupboard and Oliver cheered.
"Charlie?" she asked.
Charlie shook his head. "I'm not hungry."
As Tori poured herself and Oliver a bowl full of sugar each, Charlie hovered by the back door, trying to listen to his dad's conversation without being seen. His stomach was a ball of nerves. He knew it would be hopeless right now to even pretend to be hungry.
Julio clicked off his phone and turned to the door. Charlie quickly turned away but knew he had been seen. Charlie scurried away and slid into a stool beside Tori when Julio re-entered the kitchen.
"Was that Helen?" Charlie asked at once. "Can I text Nick now?"
Julio looked exhausted and… angry, Charlie realised. Julio sank against the counter opposite his children - even Oliver was watching him expectantly.
"That was Helen, yes, Charlie." Julio's jaw was tight. Their dad almost never got angry, not properly.
"What happened? Did they get us protection?"
Julio exhaled carefully. "They got… Nick protection."
"Oh," said Charlie. "That's good."
"What about Charlie?" said Tori.
"They couldn't get it for you for some reason. I don't really understand their reasoning but…" Charlie had never seen his dad look so defeated. "I guess we have to trust them."
"That is such bullshit." Tori was on her feet.
"Victoria…" Julio did not raise his voice. He obviously felt the same way but was reining it in for the sake of his children. He glanced at his youngest. "Why don't you and Oliver go and eat in the living room? Put some telly on if you like."
"But dad -"
"I want to stay with Charlie!" Oliver cried.
"Go on," said Julio. "Victoria, please…"
"Fine." Tori led Oliver from the room, taking their Cookie Crisp with them. She slammed the kitchen door behind them, just to let them know she was still pissed off.
"I'm so sorry, Charlie."
Charlie slid from his seat, walked around the breakfast bar and started to make himself some toast. He pressed the lever down and went to fetch the butter and jam. "Did Helen say how Nick is being protected?"
Charlie could feel his dad watching him cautiously, as if waiting for him to scream or shout or cry at any moment.
"From what I can gather, he's not allowed to leave the house except to go to school, and they've assigned him some sort of bodyguard who will be nearby at all times."
"Let me guess," said Charlie. "He's not allowed visitors, either."
"Correct." Julio grimaced. "Helen did advise us all to stay at home this weekend, too. Just in case."
Charlie buttered his toast. "Can I text him?"
"You can try," said Julio. "But I think they've taken his phone off him."
Charlie spread the jam.
"Listen, Charlie… it's going to be okay. We've all just got to be sensible and trust the professionals, even if it seems like they've misjudged the situation a bit."
"I'm fine, dad." He cut his toast into eight even squares. "Nick is safe. That's all that matters."
Charlie left the kitchen with his toast and headed back upstairs, the image of his dad's conflicted, confused face still fresh in his mind.
He had meant what he had said. The flood of relief that had coursed through him at the news that his Nick was safe and protected - no amount of anger or disappointment could diffuse that.
Was he still worried? Yes. Was he still scared? Of course.
But those feelings were ten times less horrific when they only applied to himself. He could deal with those feelings about himself. He had been dealing with them for years in one form or another.
But nothing scared or worried Charlie more than the thought of something happening to Nick.
Knowing it was hopeless, but still not being able to stop himself, Charlie grabbed his phone as soon as he entered his room.
CHARLIE (9:20): i know you might not be able to reply right now… i dunno this whole protection thing seems pretty homophobic to me :( anyway i just wanted to say i love you and i miss you and i'll see you soon ❤️❤️❤️❤️ stay strong 🌲🌲
It was a long weekend.
Charlie avoided the rest of his family as much as he could, feeling a little guilty that they were stuck inside as well, because of him. He only saw them at meal times, where he ate as much as he could, so as not to cause any more stress.
His mum barely spoke to him. He could still feel the tension radiating from Tori and Julio. Oliver was quieter than usual and that hurt Charlie the most.
His text to Nick went unanswered all weekend. This had been expected but that still didn't make it any less unsettling. Charlie at least had that mountain of homework to distract himself with, but the thought of their long-lost date plans made him want to curl up under his duvet and cry.
By Monday morning, Nick was about ready to burst. Being shut up inside all weekend had been one thing, but the forced shutdown of communication had made it almost unbearable.
He had been instructed to go straight inside once he and Dawson arrived at Truham. Nick got out of the car and made his way toward the school buildings as slowly as possible, looking over his shoulder every once in a while, in the direction of the bus stop.
Feeling guilty for having to abandon his boyfriend with no explanation, Nick sat down in form to wait.
It was way earlier than he usually got there and the rest of the classroom was empty. Not even Mr Lange was there yet. With nothing to occupy himself, the minutes passed so slowly he felt like he'd been sitting there for an hour before his favourite curly head appeared around the classroom door.
Nick's chair scraped against the floor as he got to his feet. And then he was across the room and Charlie was hurrying toward him.
Charlie threw his arms around him and Nick lifted him into the air, spun him in a circle, then placed him back down on his feet. They usually tried to keep the PDA to a minimum during form but these were extra-special circumstances.
"Oh my God," Charlie murmured against Nick's chest. "I missed you so much!"
Nick could not get his mouth to form words strong enough to express how utterly miserable he had been for the last two days. All he could do was cling to Charlie as fiercely as he could and inhale deeply, lightening all his senses, enthusing them with Charlie Spring.
"So," said Charlie. "Where's your new clinger-on?"
Charlie glanced around, as if expecting to find someone lurking by the window or in the supply cupboard. "Are they hot?"
Nick scoffed a surprised chuckle. "She's like thirty!"
"That doesn't answer my question, Nicholas…"
Nick smirked at Charlie's impish grin. "She's fine, I guess. Her name is Officer Dawson and I've barely seen her, to be honest, except for this morning. She drove me to school but she's hardly said anything to me that wasn't an instruction."
"Hmm, at least she's not super hot," said Charlie, moving to sit down at their desk by the window. "Then I'd have to be jealous, and I don't know if I have the energy for that right now."
Nick sat down beside him, genuinely a little concerned. "Charlie… you know there's no one else but you, right?"
But Charlie laughed and nudged Nick's shoulder playfully. "I'm joking, Nick! It's just hard to not be jealous of someone who gets paid to do nothing but watch you all day long. Sounds like the best job in the world, to be honest. I would do it for free."
Nick brought his hand to Charlie's cheek and stroked the soft skin there with his thumb. He leaned forward and brushed his lips gently against Charlie's. He kissed him back so tenderly it made Nick's heart flutter.
"I've been so… angry all weekend." Nick exhaled. Their foreheads came to rest against each other. "But you always know just how to cheer me up, Char."
Charlie tilted his head in bewilderment, big blue eyes gazing up at him. That anger was still bubbling somewhere inside Nick and it reared its ugly head again at the sight of the perfect boy in front of him.
"I'm so sorry, Charlie," he breathed. "I can't believe… I should have fought harder… I should have refused to accept their help unless they gave it to you too!"
"Don't say that," said Charlie. "By the sounds of it, we were lucky that even one of us got protection."
"I'm not… ungrateful. I just can't stand letting myself be wrapped up in cotton wool while my own boyfriend gets nothing!" Nick took a deep breath. "You deserve to feel safe, my love."
"So do you," said Charlie softly. "And half of me does feel safe, Nick. The half of me that is you."
"But that's how I feel too, only the opposite. Like half of me has been mercilessly abandoned."
"Well," Charlie sighed. "The only way around it I can see is for me to stick by you at all times. That way Dawson can keep an eye on both of us. Might be more entertaining for her, too…"
"I'm not sure how feasible that plan is, despite it's appeal."
"Where is Dawson anyway?"
"I dunno," said Nick, glancing around. "She's stayed in her car outside the house most of the weekend. She gave me this phone to track me with."
Nick took the phone out and passed it to Charlie. He turned it over in his hands, frowning in sympathy.
"Yeah, it's pretty shit. It doesn't do much. Doesn't even text. It just has this big button that I'm meant to press if I'm in danger or something."
"That doesn't sound that shit to me," said Charlie, handing it back.
Nick shoved it back into his pocket and out of sight.
"It doesn't even let me save new numbers into it. It's shit. Who can remember phone numbers nowadays?"
"Give me your hand."
"What?"
"Hand, Nick."
Nick allowed Charlie to take his hand on top of the desk. He watched in confusion until Charlie took out a pen and began scrawling something onto the back of his hand. When he was done, he capped the pen and sat back to admire his handy work.
Nick chuckled. "Is this your way of saying 'call me'?"
"A cute boy just gave you his number. You'd best do right by him and use it."
Their loving gaze was interrupted by the classroom door opening and the rest of their form started to file inside.
"I almost forgot," said Nick, grabbing his bag from where he had stowed it by his feet. "I've got you a present."
He reached into his bag and pulled out, as promised -"
"Yes!" Charlie gasped as Nick bundled the item into his arms. "A fresh one!"
Nick laughed fondly as Charlie buried his face into the soft fabric of the green hoodie Nick had made sure to wear all weekend.
"Thank you!"
It was hard for Nick to concentrate on his lessons that day.
He knew Dawson was there to protect him but he was beginning to find her hidden but constant presence was making him paranoid. He kept thinking he'd spotted her out of the corner of his eye as he made his way between classes. Twice, Otis asked him why he was so on edge.
"Surely you can go two hours without seeing him," he chortled, as Nick glanced behind him for the tenth time between first and second period. "I would offer to hug you myself, but I'm not sure you'd appreciate it quite the same."
Nick did his best to shake off his nerves and managed a smirk. "Thanks, mate, but all other hugs have kind of been ruined for me now. Once you've experienced the best of the best, nothing else can compare."
Otis mimed throwing up so extravagantly that a passing teacher almost signed his conduct card. Nick and Otis were both laughing so hard as they finally arrived at their next lesson that Dawson momentarily slipped Nick's mind.
When breaktime finally came, Charlie revealed that he had brought his Polaroid camera to school, upon Tao's request apparently. Nick could tell Charlie was as desperate as he was to instil as much normalcy in their day as possible.
It was easy to forget their troubles when the four of them were sitting around the empty tennis courts later that day, sun shining down from a spotless blue sky, eating their lunch and flipping through the assorted photos they had taken.
"Maybe your golden retriever is good for something," said Tao, as they made their way towards their last two lessons of the day. "We never remember to take photos of us as a group. Good gift, Nelson."
Charlie beamed up at them both as he walked hand in hand with Nick, swinging their arms a little. Nick knew how much Tao's approval meant to both of them.
Their friends had become some of the few people Nick and Charlie could truly relax around. Their conversations consisted of nothing but friendly jokes and the occasional snippet of school gossip. When in the presence of Tao and Aled it was easy to forget how much their lives had changed.
Not only for the worst, of course. Holding Charlie's hand at school, even kissing him at school, had become the easiest thing in the world.
Nick knew the happy little bubble would not last for long. At the end of the day, he would have to be driven home by a stranger who was being paid to make sure nobody murdered him. It was hard to forget the change when it was sitting right beside him in stoic silence.
Still, he thought he would have had a whole hour left until then, but as Nick was walking between fourth and fifth period, he glanced up at the road beyond the school fence as he crossed the front yard.
He squinted at the curb side, figuring Dawson's car must be about here somewhere. If he was going to go along with this then he at least wanted to know she was doing her job.
There was one car parked by the side of the road and he was pretty sure it was the one he had been driven to school in. He was too far away to see if Dawson was inside or not.
That's when he saw it.
A black car.
There was little other traffic on that road usually, except before and after school. For some reason, Nick followed the car with his gaze, noticing it's darkened windows.
Nick watched as the driver's side window rolled down and a man looked out.
He was wearing sunglasses and a cap.
He had shaved his beard.
But it was him.
And then he was gone.
The dark car disappeared around the corner.
Nick stood there, frozen, heart pounding.
He hurried to the nearest hiding place he could think of - the secluded tree - and flopped down heavily beneath it. He tried to steady his breathing as he took out his new shit phone and pressed the alert button with a shaking finger.
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