I made a mistake in the first chapter, I wrote Ruby being a 'sixteen year old', she's actually nearing eighteen years old...after all it has been 20 months =/. I apologise!
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I also apologise for taking forever to update this story, I'm not the best person at being able to sit down and write whenever, I have to feel the inspiration to write, so I am sorry, I realise it must be really annoying.
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And to anyone who is reading any of my three other stories, I will try and update them very soon.
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Until next chapter (where Joey will make her first appearance).
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MissToastie
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Charlie pulled up outside of her house; she grabbed her backpack and headed inside, slamming the door behind her.
"Charlz?" Ruby yelled out from the lounge room.
Charlie sighed and walked into the lounge room and placed her backpack on a chair.
"Err...How was work?" Ruby asked as she muted the TV.
"Fine" Charlie murmured as she looked through the mail that had been placed on the table.
"That's good" Ruby frowned and un-muted the TV.
"I'm going for a sleep would you turn that down?" Charlie said as she walked toward her door.
Ruby heavily sighed, rolled her eyes and turned the volume down.
Charlie closed her bedroom door and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the day over and over in head her.
Surely she wouldn't steal the money, would she? She's Joey Collins...you know her; you know she wouldn't do that. Charlie closed her eyes and repeated what she had told her colleague earlier on.
"Well maybe I didn't really know her at all" The sentence was barely a whisper. Charlie clenched her eyes tight as she felt tears fall down her cheeks. "Another day, another tear" Charlie spoke with anger in her voice; she was well and truly fed up with crying over her ex girlfriends, if tears weren't making their way down her face because of Stacey, it was because of Joey. "Well aren't you full of bad luck" Charlie sarcastically laughed at her self as she wiped her cheeks and turned on her side, she eventually fell asleep.
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Ruby woke early the next morning, six forty-seven, to be exact. Strangely enough ever since she decided to take a year off after completing year eleven she was always awake before eight am. The decision to take the year off had come to mind after her boyfriend Romeo had told everyone he had planned to finish his HSC in 2012 and rather than let him attend school by himself, Ruby decided to take the year off and start year twelve in 2012.
Leaving a note for Charlie, Ruby headed out for her morning run with her best friend Nicole and the new girl in town, Kingsley Morgan.
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"What time is Charlie due in today?" Angelo asked as he took a sip from his coffee.
"She said she'd be in around eight. I told her she didn't have to come today as she was called in on her day off...but, you know Charlie" Watson said as she leaned on the front counter.
"I actually don't think I've met anyone as stubborn as Charlie" Angelo said shaking his head and joining Watson in leaning on the desk. "According to Ruby, Charlie's still having a hard time getting over Stacey. Apparently she's a real nightmare to live with"
"Mmm" Watson said rubbing her temples. "If that wasn't enough, we had some woman come in yesterday claiming that she had been robbed of thirty grand and guess who she said took the cash?"
Angelo raised his eyebrow and shook his head.
"Joey Collins"
"Joey Collins?" Angelo sat thinking were he had heard that name before. "Joey...as in Charlie's first girlfriend?"
"That'd be the one"
"You're joking? Poor Charlie"
"Do you two not have anything better to do?" McGrath said as he walked behind Watson and Angelo. "Because as far as I'm aware of there is a ton of paperwork to be done"
Watson and Angelo both nodded and quickly made their way to their desks to start on the paperwork.
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Charlie had woken up not long after Ruby left for her morning run, she walked into the kitchen and made herself a pot of coffee and took it back to her bedroom. She didn't worry about getting food, feeling that strong coffee and lots of it was the most needed. Waking up almost every hour last night, it had been Charlie's worst night of sleep in a year; She couldn't get Joey off her mind, she was worried sick with 'what if' thoughts of Joey possibly stealing the money, if she had, what would have caused her to do so? Had Joey changed that much in the 20 months since Charlie last saw her? If so was it the company she was now keeping? Did something happen to her to make her go off the rails? Every time Charlie thought of all the possibilities, her stomach churned. Tomorrow was Monday, the day that Amy Stewart had said Joey and her girlfriend would be back home and it was the day that Watson and Charlie were going to head into Mangrove River and ask Joey to accompany them to the station for questioning. It was the day she was going to find out for certain whether or not Joey Collins had changed.
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Ruby arrived back home at seven thirty, deciding against blasting her favourite song, she made her way into the bathroom.
Hearing her sister close the bathroom door, Charlie walked out of her bedroom and into the lounge room, looking up at the clock she shook her head stared at the TV, Sunrise was on and Mel and Kochie were interviewing some guy dressed in a black t-shirt and leather jacket. Out of curiosity to whom the guy was, she turned the volume up.
"Brent, I read somewhere that the lyrics to the song were rather difficult for you to write" Mel said as she looked up from the piece of paper on the desk in front of her.
"Yeah they absolutely were. The song, the lyrics are about my mother and my father, and about the day I said goodbye to them, because I had to go try and I'm still trying every day, to become a man. So, this song is about that. It's about the moment that you wake up and you decide you want to go for every single dream you ever want." Brent spoke to Mel and Kochie as the camera was fixed on him.
"Oh. My God! BRENT!!!" Ruby screeched and jumped up and down excitedly. "Oh my god, Charlie please PLEASE turn it up oh my god!!!"
Charlie did as she was asked and turned the volume up.
"Well it's a very good song Brent, amazing lyrics" Mel smiled at Brent.
"Thank you. I'm glad it's being accepted here and it's gaining a lot of radio play, so I thank everyone who has gone out and bought the single or the album. It really does mean a lot to the guys and me"
"And you will be playing a few gigs here soon, yes?" Kochie asked.
"Yeah absolutely, we will be playing around Australia at Soundwave plus one all ages show in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane." Brent informed Mel, Kochie and the viewers.
"OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD" Ruby squealed as she jumped up and down on the couch.
"Ruby...Ruby please do not jump on the couch" Charlie warned her younger sister.
Ruby didn't hear Charlie and continued jumping until she heard her phone ringing, she sprinted to the table and answered it.
"Oh my god, Nicole!" Ruby listened. "I KNOW!! Oh my god! Shinedown are in Australia! They're coming back to Australia!!! They're playing in Australia!! In Sydney! We are SO going!"
"Ah, no you're not" Charlie said standing up and walking toward Ruby.
"What?" Ruby stared at her sister. "Wait on Nic." Ruby spoke into the phone and moved it away from her mouth. "What do you mean "no you're not"?"
"I don't think it could be any simpler Ruby, you are not going to some concert in the city"
"Why the hell not?!" Ruby demanded. "As if you can tell me what to do Charlie, I'm almost eighteen"
"Almost being the main thing. You are not eighteen; therefore I am not allowing you to go to the concert"
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Ruby raised her voice at Charlie.
"Ruby! Language!"
"I don't give two shits about my language. What the hell does me not being eighteen have to do with going to a concert or not? It's an all age's gig. Obviously not going to be any alcohol or drugs or anything like that Charlie!" Ruby yelled.
"Stop yelling Ruby, I've made my decision and you are not going to the concert and that's final." Charlie said crossing her arms.
Ruby glared at Charlie and placed her mobile closer to her mouth. "I'll call you back later Nic, I need to speak to Charlie. Bye"
"I won't change my mind Ruby, so don't even bother"
"This is crap Charlie, just because you've been in the worst moods lately doesn't mean you can take it out on every Tom, Dick and Harry!!"
"I have not been..." Charlie was cut off by her younger sister.
"YOU HAVE SO CHARLIE! You've been a nightmare to live with. You're always snappy with me, you mope around, and you're impolite to my friends when I have them around, you don't eat, you barely sleep, yet you somehow manage to drink a shit load of booze." Ruby spoke harshly to the older Buckton.
Tears had formed in Charlies eyes as struggled to keep them in.
"You act like you're the first person to be dumped. No wonder Stacey left you for her ex"
Charlie lifted her hand and slapped Ruby hard across the face. Ruby placed her hand on her cheek in shock. Tears poured down Charlie's face as she watched Ruby run off and slam her bedroom door shut. Charlie started to cry heavier, everything Ruby had said had been true. She fell to floor, wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her head on her knees, she sobbed uncontrollably.