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"Let's have a game of pool", Bridget suggested after the washing up had been done.
Loren had cooked vegetable soup, which Bec, Garry and the four other kids had absolutely devoured. All through dinner, Loren had stared at the empty chair belonging to Charley, not touching her soup.
Charley going back to Perth was going to bring on some major changes. Instead of eight places at the dinner table, there would be seven. And the chore chart would have to be redone- it wasn't fair, Loren cooking by herself, even if she was the resident chef. She was the only one with any cooking skills to speak of.
"Okay!" Cassie agreed, stacking the bowls in the cupboards.
Loren slipped towards the stairs, quieter than a mouse.
Garry nudged Bec in the side. "The old Loren's back".
The old Loren was shy and quiet, avoiding the group a lot of the time. They loved their new Loren.
She nodded. "I'll go talk to her".
Another huge difference between her year at Solar Blue and the year she was in charge of was that Bec and Garry spoke to the kids. The kids trusted them- not that the teenagers in her year didn't trust Deb and Simmo, they'd rather talk to their roommate. When something serious was up, Deb and Simmo sent Jilly upstairs.
While the other four and Garry got the game of pool ready, Bec snuck up the stairs to Bridget and Loren's room. She tapped on the door, to find Loren leaning against the wall, hugging her beloved toy dolphin as if her life depended on it. Her chocolate brown eyes were bright with tears, as she turned to Bec.
"Loren?" Bec said worriedly.
She sat on the end of her bed, and the younger blonde girl rolled over to her. "Bec, I miss Charley!"
That was all it took for the tears to start to fall. The tears she had been holding in since they found out he was going to have to leave.
"I miss him too, Loren. We all miss him". Bec pulled the girl closer to her, and hugged her tight. "You know, you and Charley reminded me a lot of me and Edge, when we were here. But you remind me of Fly Watson. Cassie reminds me of me".
Loren tried to smile. "It's not the same, you know? Now there are seven people at the table, a seat missing in the mini van, and only five boards on the six board rack outside! We always had a partner, and now I'll either have to miss out or make a group of three".
"I know". Bec rested her chin on the top of the younger girl's head, her arms around her.
In her year, it was different. There were four girls and three boys, instead of three of each. Anna, Bec, Fly, Perri, Edge, Heath and Matt. The extra row of seats was up in the mini van, and an extra chair was always at the table. Whenever they partnered up, someone was left out. That someone was always Anna- but their problem was solved when Bec introduced her to her twin brother Joe.
Right now, Bec knew Loren didn't need to hear that. She needed comfort, and Bec was willing to give it to her if she'd take it. Which was doing. Bec didn't think it was appropriate to add, but she did anyway. Therapeutic baking was always a winner when she was recovering from her heartache. Of course, Bec was a horrible cook and ninety percent of the time, she had to dispose of her efforts. Loren giggled to herself when she learned this small fact.
"How are we going to play teams when we play pool now?" Loren asked suddenly.
Whenever they played teams for pool, it was Bec and Garry against Loren and Charley, Bridget and Guy and Cassie and Adam. She saw the problem immediately.
"I don't know, Loren".
She didn't know the answer to a lot of things. But she knew Loren wouldn't be the same until Charley came back. None of them would be.
