Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed etc :) Means a lot :)
Now, in this chapter, theres some old and familiar faces in this one :) This is also going to be a little short, as its showing you how much Lauren's absence has affected them.
Enjoy :) X
Joey awoke to a room that was becoming increasingly familar to him. He rolled on his back and saw Carli asleep next to him. He sighed and climbed out of bed, getting changed into a pair of jogging bottoms and a tshirt, before slippping out of the bedroom and downstairs. He headed into the kitchen and grabbed his car keys. He was about to open the front door when Carli's voice stopped him.
'Going already?' she asked. Joey sighed, but didn't turn round
'Yeah, got a few things to do.. I'll see you later' he said, before opening the door and rushing out to his car. He opened the drivers door and climbed in, slamming shut. He let his head fall onto the steering wheel. Ever since Lauren had left him, he had been a wreck. Carli had heard what happened and gone to comfort him, which slowly lead to them getting back together. But Joey knew it would always be Lauren and that Carli was a rebound, and he knew she knew she was too. He fished into his pocket and unlocked his phone, searching through his photos of Lauren, what he couldn't delete and clicked on his favourite one of her. She dressed in his shirt and a pair of his Calvin Klein boxers, smiling at the camera with the tip of her tounge peeking out from between her teeth. He sighed and set it as his lockscreen photo, before throwing the phone to the floor in passenger side.
'What are you doing to me, Lauren? You're here but you're still affecting me!' he muttered to himself. He lifted his head and started up his car, before beginning the journey back to his mums...
Meanwhile, back in Walford, Max awoke to rain and a cloudy morning. He sighed and sat up, rubbing his hands over his face, before glancing to his left. Kirsty Wright was laid next to him, and was also Max's girlfriend of eight months. He had already moved her in, something what hadn't gone down well with Abi.
Flashback
'WHAT? SHE IS NOT MOVING IN HERE!' Abi screamed at Max. Max rolled his eyes at his youngest daughter and sighed.
'Yes, she is, Abi. End of!' he said. Abi scoffed and shook her head at her Dad, before folding her arms.
'Fine! If shes moving in, I'm moving out! and I'll live with Jay!' said Abi. Jay, who had been laid on the sofa, sat up in shock.
'What?' he asked, his eyes widening at Abi's admission.
'I'm not staying here if she moves in!' Abi shouted, pointing at her Dad. Even since Lauren had left, Abi's anger had been showing more frequently. Before Lauren left, Abi was quiet. However, now she was different.
'Abi! Don't be stupid! You're not moving out! That's final!' said Max, his voice having a sharp edge to it. Abi growled in her throat.
'If Lauren was here, she'd have something to say!' Abi said. Max rolled his eyes.
'Well, Lauren's not here, is she? Its us and Oscar now..' said Max gently. He knew Lauren moving away had hurt Abi. It had hurt him, but Lauren was over eightteen and he couldn't stop her...
End of flashback
Max sighed and climbed out of bed, grabbing his dressing gown and throwing it on. He slipped out the room and headed into Oscar room to wake him up.
'Oscar, wake up. Time for you to get ready for school' Max said softly. Oscar groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.
'Morning Daddy' he said sleepily, before a yawn escaped from his mouth, making Max chuckle.
'Come on, get up...' he said, kissing his sons head before leaving the room...
Abi was awoken by her phone going off at ten in the morning. She groaned and rolled over, grabbing blindly at her phone. She cracked open an eye and smiled when she saw the caller ID.
'Lauren, it's ten in the morning over here...' whined Abi playfully. Lauren laughed on the other end of the line.
'Well, Abigail, get your butt online and start a Skype call. Talk to you in a minute..' Lauren said, beofre hanging up. Abi sighed and chuckled to herself, before grabbing her laptop and loading it. She logged onto Skype and immediately Lauren came onto the screen, requesting a call. She clicked accept and smiled as Laurne's face appeared.
'Hey, little sis... How are you?' Lauren asked, smiling
'I'm good. Missing you, but I'm good' replied ABi, smiling back at her sister.
'Aw, I miss you too, darling. I'll be home soon for a week or so... Might come and spend Christmas with you, Dad and Oscar' said Lauren, smiling. Abi gasped and squealed.
'YES! Oh please, Lauren. That wouldbe so great!' Abi exclaimed. Lauren laughed and nodded.
'I'll see what I can do... So, how are things over there?' Lauren asked. Abi sighed.
'Crap! the weather's crap, my life feels crap at the moment.. The only good thing is Jay!' said Abi. Lauren playfully gasped and clutched a hand to her chest.
'University's not going great? What have you done to my little sister?' teased Lauren. Abi rolled her eyes and smiled.
'Shut up! Anyway, howse Mum doing?' Abi asked. Lauren nodded and took a sip of her water.
'She's fine! She's enjoying a meal with Bryon at the moment, so me, Lewis and Rich have been banished to our rooms' said Lauren. Abi heard a door open and heard Richard's voice through the connection. Lauren held up a finger and disappeared from view for a minute, before she reappeared with Richard.
'Hey Abi! How are ya?' Richard asked, as he propped his head on Lauren's shoulder. Abi smiled
'I'm fine thanks, yourself? You'd better be looking after my sister!' she replied. Richard laughed and tickled Lauren, who screamed and giggled.
'Of course I am! What kind of person would I be if I wasn't?' replied Richard, kissing Lauren's head. Lauren smiled and wrapped his arm round her shoulders. Sometimes, Abi thought, that if Tanya hadn't have married Richard and Lewis's Dad, Richard and Lauren would be a couple. They acted like one sometimes, without the kissing. Although, Abi knew he was very protective of Lauren, giving that Lauren had told Richard everything what had happened in life, after he had found her curled up in the bathroom one night crying her eyes out.
'Good! Otheriwise, I'll have to fly over there and hit you!' teased Abi, giggling. Lauren laughed and looked at her watch.
'Right, missy. We've gotta go... We're going out on the town and Mum and Bryon will, hopefully, have finished their meals now... So, I will speak to you tomorrow. Give my love to Dad and Oscar...'
'Okay, I've got Uni in an hour anyway, so I've got to get ready. I'll talk to you tomorrow! Love you!' said Abi
'Love you too, little sis! Byeeeee!' singsonged Lauren, before ending the call, ABi's mood deflating instantly. She smiled sadly and sighed. It was hard without Lauren, and she knew that what Lauren did was for her own good, but sometimes, Abi wanted to be selfish and ask Lauren to come hom, but she knew she couldn't. Lauren finally had her life back on track, and Abi wasn't going to ruin it by being selfish...
R&R and you might get another update tonight :P Xx