For jensy25. Cheeky requests pay off sometimes! Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Ten
It was Friday afternoon and Charlie called home as she started to pack up for the weekend. She had surprised herself and the rest of the corridor by spending a couple of hours with them over the last couple of evenings. Mostly, she had wanted to hang out with Joey. She was warming to a few of her other housemates too but Joey was definitely the closest thing she had to a friend.
"Hello?" she heard her father bark down the phone.
"Hi, Dad," Charlie said, putting a couple of t-shirts in her bag.
"Charlie! Hello!" he greeted with more warmth. "How are you?"
"Yeah, I'm good," Charlie said. "Just packing up to come home for the weekend."
She was met with silence.
"Dad?" she said. "Are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here," he said a little awkwardly. "But um... we're not going to be around at the weekend."
"Why?" Charlie asked shrilly.
Inside, her heart was already breaking at the thought of not seeing her daughter for yet another excruciating week.
"We've been given a free trip away," Detective Ross Buckton said.
"Well, can I come with you?" Charlie asked. "I really want to see Ruby."
"We're leaving in half an hour," Ross said. "You'd never get to us in time."
"Can you wait for me?"
"Not really," Ross said. "We're all packed and ready to go."
Charlie sank heavily onto her mattress.
"I haven't seen her for two weeks now, Dad," she said unhappily.
"You'll see her next week," her father assured her. "And you'll be home for a whole month over Easter. You can spend all the time in the world with her then."
Charlie ignored the silent tears creeping down her cheeks.
"Can I speak to her at least?" she asked weakly.
"Of course you can," Ross said.
Joey knocked politely on Charlie's bedroom door as soon as she got home from the gym. She heard some shuffling around for a few moments before Charlie finally pulled open the door.
"Hi," the wannabe police officer said.
Joey couldn't help but notice how red and sore her eyes were but she declined to comment.
"Hi," she said instead. "I was just knocking to say goodbye."
"Oh," Charlie said, sighing heavily.
She moved back into the room and gestured for Joey to join her, perching on the edge of the bed.
"I'm not going home this weekend," she revealed.
"Oh," Joey surprised. "How come?"
"My parents were given a last minute free trip or something," Charlie said unhappily.
She flopped back on the bed, sighing heavily. Joey gazed around the bedroom that she had never been welcomed into before. It was neat and tidy, as she expected and there were several pictures of the little girl she vaguely remembered seeing on the first day.
"Is she your sister?" she asked.
Charlie sat up quickly as Joey nodded towards the photo of Ruby.
"Yeah, that's Ruby," she said, skipping over the nature of their relationship. "She's five. And I really miss her when I'm away."
"Is that why you go home so eagerly every weekend?" Joey wondered. "To be with her?"
"Yeah," Charlie said. "But they're all heading off for yet another weekend so I'm stuck here."
"Well, let's make sure you have some fun with us instead then," Joey suggested.
Charlie looked sceptical.
"We're hitting the new arcade in town tonight," her friend explained. "And you are coming with us."
"I don't really do video games and stuff," Charlie said doubtfully.
"Well, you are now!" Joey decided. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."
She grinned as Charlie reluctantly relented.
"Okay, what time?"
"We're leaving at eight so I will come and knock on your door just before then, okay?"
Charlie nodded. Joey smiled and patted her hand.
"It'll be fun," Joey promised.
That had become quite the catchphrase when it came to enticing Charlie out of her room.
Next time… Charlie has a nice night out with her housemates and Joey tries to cancel her bet with Brax…