Aaron found it quite . . . fitting? No, not fitting. He quickly got his head round to accepting that Jackson had left him; put them on a break, whatever. It was all the same to him. Jackson wasn't there. Just because he'd accepted Jackson leaving him, didn't mean that he didn't miss him. His chest ached whenever he turned round to find Jackson to see he wasn't there. He was hit by it all again. He thought he'd kept a cool head, as Jackson had packed his belongings and left Smithy Cottage. He could have quite easily flown off the handled and lived up the head case name that he was known as. Instead, he'd kept calm and shrugged it all off as if it didn't hurt. But it did. It hurt even more to see Jackson think everything was fine. He needed him. He'd left through the front door without a second glance. However he couldn't blame him. He'd put him through too much. He was right, they did need a break. Jackson needed time to come to realize he was better off without him and run in the opposite direction, far, far away form him.
"You alright?" Paddy asked as he entered the living room with a plate full of sandwiches.
"Yeah, fine." Aaron mumbled as he continued to niggle at the side of his index finger. It was one of his many bad habits.
"You sure?" Paddy pushed. "What with Jackson moving out and all that. . ."
"I'm fine!" Aaron snapped before quickly adding a little more softly. "Honestly, It's alright."
Paddy raised an eyebrow before he tucked into his freshly made sandwiches. "You thought any more about the solicitors."
Aaron rolled his eyes and shook his head as he inhaled deeply through his nose. No he hadn't. He didn't want to.
"You should do." Paddy told him. "It's for the best. You've got what? Three, two weeks till court." He reminded the teen.
Aaron glared at Paddy. He had tried not to count the weeks down. Even though he'd attended to the solicitor sessions, he kept himself back. Trying not to remind himself, to make it seem more real, He was still trying to kid himself.
"It will soon go." Paddy continued.
He didn't want reminding. Childishly, Aaron stood up from the other sofa and stormed out of the room as best he could on his crutches, Clyde at his heel. He went through the kitchen and out the front door. Ignoring the calls from Paddy behind him. He didn't want anybody else bringing it up again. He'd deal with it when it happened.
Aaron was going to go to the Garage. He was sick and tired of hanging round Smithy Cottage all day every day, popping over to The Woolpack or the Café once in awhile. He needed something to occupy him. He just hoped Cain wouldn't tell him where to go.
"What you doing here?" Cain called out across the forecourt.
Aaron shrugged as best he could. "Come to have a look."
"Missing us are ya?" Cain teased as Aaron walked over to the car he was working on.
"You could say that." Aaron smirked as he hovered over Cain's shoulder as he tinkered about with something. "What's wrong with that?"
"Something to do with the brake cables." Cain lazily answered him.
"I can have a look at that if you want." Aaron hopefully suggested. He hoped Cain wouldn't be as mothering as the others. That he very much doubted.
Cain pulled himself out form underneath the bonnet and looked Aaron up and down. "You've got to be kidding me."
Aaron held his fixed glare. He wasn't kidding. He was bored and in need of something to do.
When he didn't get a laugh off of his nephew, Cain realized he wasn't pulling his leg. He really did want something to do. Who would come to work when they were on leave? He looked down at Aaron's leg again, he heard how serious it had gotten. He didn't want twinkly toes or the vet on his case or worse Chas because he'd stupidly let Aaron work and he'd gotten hurt.
"You brake anything- and I mean your leg." He said jabbing a finger in the direction of Aaron's casted leg. "I'll brake your neck to match! You got me?"
Aaron nodded his head.
"Clear?"
"Crystal." Aaron smirked catching the spanner that Cain through at him with hand.
He spent the rest of the afternoon, underneath the car that Cain had allowed him to work on. Clyde laying in the sun by his crutches that he'd discarded on the floor a little distance from the car. He found that if he laid down on the body board as he worked underneath the car, he had no problems with getting his work down. He couldn't see why he couldn't come to work if he could do all his jobs like this or sort through the paperwork, even though he hated that side the most.
"What the hell?" He heard his mother shriek as he finished tightening a bolt. "Cain! Aaron!"
Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled himself out from underneath the car, glaring up at his mother. "What do you want?"
"'What do I want?' What the hell do you think you're playing at?" She exclaimed looking rather annoyed. "You're not supposed to be at work Aaron, it's dangerous! You could hurt yourself . . . again!"
"And, I'm being careful." Aaron groaned.
"What if Dippy drawers tripped over you?" Chas pointed out, meaning Ryan who was walking by at the time, to get into the garage.
"Hey!" Ryan exclaimed going ignored by the two of them.
"He wouldn't." Aaron smiled. It was a suitable enough answer. "I'd kill him."
"Not before I'd kill you." Chas threatened. "Where's Cain?"
"Inside." Aaron told her. " . . . On the phone."
"Tough." Chas said barging past.
Aaron pulled himself back underneath the car he'd be working on all afternoon and listened to his mother shriek and shout at her half brother who had stupidly allowed Aaron back to work for awhile. A few minutes later after both shouting responses had long since silenced from each of them, Chas came marching out of the garage and paused by Aaron's feet.
"Out." Chas demanded.
"What?" Aaron cried out as he dropped the spanner on his chest.
"Out. Now!" Chas shouted at him.
She was incredibly annoyed. Aaron pulled himself out from underneath again and stood up using the bonnet of the car for balance. He was covered in oil and grease. He hadn't been wearing his overalls earlier so they were covered in splodges and patches that he new won't come out.
"Look at the state of you!" Chas exclaimed as she took in the worn, dirtied state of her son. "Home, shower and change."
"What? Why?" Aaron demanded before he went anywhere.
"Just do it Aaron." Chas warned fixing him with a glare he'd inherited from her.
With an annoyed sigh, Aaron threw the tool, he'd been holding, to the floor with a clang and made his way back to Smithy Cottage, well aware of Chas following him closely behind in her high heels. She didn't say a word as they walked, but he could feel her burning holes into the back of his skull. She was saving what she had to say.
Chas stayed downstairs whilst he went upstairs. He had no idea why she followed him home, or why she'd gone to the garage in the first place. But he had a pretty good idea why she was waiting for him to finish showering. She was going to fit him with a full blown lecture. He hadn't told her about him and Jackson going on a 'break' and no doubt she'd been the last to know and wasn't happy about it. Plus now she was worked up about finding him at the garage working. He tried to make the shower last as long as he could, he was getting pretty good at balancing on one leg, but it still pained after a long while.
"Sit." Chas ordered when he shuffled into the kitchen.
He fixed her with another glare as did as he was told. He wasn't going to give her anymore reason's to lecture him. She had enough as it was.
"What the hell do you think you were doing working at the garage!" Chas fired at him, whirling round.
". . . I work there?" Aaron mumbled under his breath. He was unfortunate for Chas to hear what he said, earning himself a clip round the back of the head. Chas was never afraid of tough lovin'.
"Don't get smart with me Aaron. You're not to old to slap." Chas warned him before continuing with her scolding. "Have you not noticed that your leg is in a cast? Which means you cannot work . . . at all?"
Aaron rolled his eyes. He was aware of that. He couldn't do anything lately.
"If you do any more damage to that leg, you may never walk on it again!" Chas served him bluntly. "You heard what the doctors said. What you've done to it now, is gonna take months of recovery."
"You don't think I know that?" Aaron scoffed. He wasn't stupid, he was reminded every single day when he couldn't walk from his bed to the door without the aid of his crutches.
"No I don't Aaron, so forgive me If I don't. But it's pretty hard to believe when you're doing stupid things like sticking your legs out underneath cars at the garage!" Chas fumed.
"Whatever." Aaron sighed getting bored of it.
"No it's not whatever-." Chas started to bite back before Paddy breezed in through from the surgery.
"What's going on?" Paddy asked slightly alarmed to find the two at each other's throats.
"Stupid here, thought it was a good idea to go to work." Chas grinned falsely at Paddy as she gestured towards Aaron who continued to glare at his mother.
"Aaron." Paddy scolded. He didn't feel as though he needed to say much more on the matter, the teens mother had covered it all.
"Aren't you going to say anything else?" Chas exclaimed, hoping for a little more support.
". . . I-I think you covered it all chastity." Paddy breathed.
Chas shot Paddy a look of 'whatever' his way before turning back to her son. "When were you going to tell me about you and Jackson!" She demanded a flash of fury in her eyes.
Aaron shrugged. What was there to tell? They where on a break, end of. He wasn't going to go running to his mum every time something went wrong.
"You're unbelievable." Chas cried out exhausted. It was like getting blood out of a stone. "I had to find out from Hazel in The Pub this afternoon!"
"At least it wasn't Brenda." Paddy chirped up, shrinking back as quick as he piped up when Chas shot him a withering look.
"Not helping." Chas gritted out to Paddy before turning to Aaron and changing the subject once more. "Solicitors, we're going now."
"No." Aaron quickly told her.
"Tough, we're going now whether you like it or not." Chas threatened him, already heading towards the front door. "Come on."
"I'm not going." Aaron reinforced.
Chas let out a little laugh. "I think you'll find you are. Don't make me get Zak and Cain over here to drag you there. . . 'cause I will."
Aaron glared at his mother for a good ten seconds. He knew she would follow through her threat, she'd done it once before. She had him there. He was going to have to go whether he liked to or not. He didn't want a scene created. The last thing he wanted was to be centre of attention. However, if he was going his mum was staying outside if she were taking him. No way was she sitting through the meeting with him. He'd keep her out of court if he could. He didn't want her to hear any of what had happened. He didn't want to, not again.
A/N – Hope you enjoyed this update. The feedback I received on the last update was fantastic. I am incredibly sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or even petty little grammar errors but I'm such a lazy 'writer' – and I'm not afraid to admit that - But I never seem to be asked to go back and thoroughly read through what I've written. I'll quickly scan through and make sure everything is sort of okay and then off it is to be updated. So, again, I am sorry for that. I know how irritating it can be to see spelling mistakes or grammar errors. I just hope I can improve on that. Don't I know how long this fanfic is It's forever long. I'm not sure whether to break it in to fanfics or just keep it going so there's several chapters, because at the moment – do correct me if I'm wrong (I want to know what you think) – I do think that this has just got started, there's so many unresolved issues and things that could crop up that I haven't covered. Anyways, let me know what you think about that. Thank you for the feedback, how rude just realized I hadn't said that. Thank you!