Chapter Five Hundred and Forty Eight
"Fuck off and leave me alone!" Indi snapped at her brother.
He had been following her around all morning with his video camera, commentating all her movements as is he was David Attenborough filming some sort of nature documentary and he was becoming extremely annoying.
"And now the University Student becomes volatile…" Dex said.
Indi turned to the camera, looking extremely annoyed.
"If you don't get that camera out of my face, I am going to break it," she warned.
Dex quickly shut the camera down and put it away.
"Why are you in such a bad mood?" he asked. "Still fighting with Romeo?"
"No," Indi said quickly. "We sorted everything out last night."
She sighed and returned to the mirror where she had been applying her make-up, ready for her day at Uni with Nicole. But the truth was, she still wasn't happy. They had made up last night but really, it felt like once again, they had papered over the cracks. Things still weren't right between them and she had no idea how to fix them.
"If you're not ready in one minute, you're walking!" Charlie called, standing by the door in her uniform.
Joey trotted towards her and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her.
"I'm ready," she said with a grin.
"Oh, don't start that," Charlie warned, kissing her again.
She wrapped her arms around her, interrupted only by Ruby clearing her throat, VJ stood by her side looking a little intrigued.
"Everyone ready?" Charlie said with a slight blush.
"Ready," Ruby said.
Joey waved them off.
Leah wasn't entirely sure how she felt this morning. She and Robertson had had a lovely evening. Dinner had been amazing. He had chosen a posh restaurant with delicious food. He had been delightful company, charming and complimentary.
But she just didn't feel that spark. There was something that didn't sit right. She couldn't let go of everything that had happened with Alf and the Penn Graham case. She wanted to. She wanted to separate his job and his personal life. She wanted to tune into his jokes and his charm but in the back of her mind, there was a nagging voice that told her that beneath it all, there was a ruthless man with tunnel vision. There was a man she didn't want to get on the wrong side of.
So at the end of the night when he had kissed her goodnight, she had turned him down and told him as gently as she could that there wouldn't be a second date. He had been disappointed but accepted it. Now, Leah just hoped that she might meet someone she really clicked with and would stay in her life forever.
At school, Ruby immediately noticed that Romeo wasn't in a good mood. She approached him as casually as she could manage and asked him how he was.
"Oh, fine," he said. "Indi and I made up."
She forced a smile even though inside, she was disappointed.
"That's great!" she lied. "You managed to talk things through."
"Yeah, Joey gave me a nudge," Romeo said.
Ruby grimaced a little, irritated with her step-mother for constantly doing the right thing.
"She's helpful like that," she said.
Romeo sighed heavily and leant against his locker.
"Why don't you look as happy as you should?" Ruby wondered.
"I just… I'm not sure it's fixed anything," Romeo admitted. "I just kind of feel like we've stitched this wound until the next one opens. Does that make sense?"
"I think so," Ruby said.
"I don't know what to do about it. I don't want to lose her, Ruby but I can feel her slipping away from me."
Ruby put a hand on his shoulder. He froze. He didn't understand why physical contact with Ruby was affecting him in such a way. He was positive he wasn't attracted to her. He was in love with Indi. He was finding it so confusing.
Charlie stopped at the restaurant before her shift and helped Joey open up. Angelo arrived with rather a spring in his step a few minutes later.
"You look happy," Charlie remarked.
"I might have hooked up with someone last night," he revealed. "Hey! You don't have to look so shocked!"
They both rearranged their expressions.
"It does happen sometimes," he grumbled.
"So… who is she?" Joey pried. "What's her name? Where's she from? Are you going to see her again?"
"Nadia. Melbourne. No."
"Oh," Joey said. "Why not?"
"She left early this morning and didn't leave her number," he said. "But maybe she'll come back to the restaurant sometime. You never know."
Charlie and Joey exchanged glances.
"Are you upset or…?" Joey asked.
"I got laid," Angelo told her. "How could I be upset?"
Charlie chuckled and shook her head both at Angelo's nonchalance and Joey's confusion. Angelo wanted whatever he could get and Joey couldn't imagine anything but forever love. Thankfully, that's what she and Joey had and would always have.
"Anyway, it's given me an idea," Angelo ventured.
"Should we be worried?" Joey asked.
"No, I swear," Angelo told her. "It's just, you know it's Valentine's Day soon?"
Charlie and Joey both nodded. They had been musing over plans.
"I wondered if you'd let me host a Single Night," Angelo requested. "I'll organise the whole thing. You won't have to do anything, I promise. I'll sort food, drinks, entertainment, everything."
"That sounds fine to me," Joey said. "Charlie?"
"Yeah, go for it," Charlie said. "You've run a couple of successful events now."
Angelo beamed at them happily.
"Hey, can couples come to this party?" Charlie asked.
"Um…" he said awkwardly.
"I think they can if they own the place," Joey decided.
"Well, to be honest, the more people that come the better!" Angelo said.
Xavier had been pestering April all day about her protest and what she was planning for the chemicals. He had hardly slept and so many times he had been close to telling his mother the truth. But he was scared of getting April into trouble. He didn't want to be responsible for her being thrown out of school.
April had explained that she had had help online to research how to safely damage some machinery, to protest against damage to the local environment. But Xavier was still desperately worried about her safety and the safety of other people. He was torn between loyalty to April and doing what he knew was the right thing.
"Good afternoon," Joey greeted cheerfully when Alf walked through the door. "How are you doing?"
Alf smiled at her. He actually looked happier than he had in a long time, like a weight had been lifted off him.
"I'm very well, actually, Joey, love," he said. "Listen, I was wondering if you were free tonight. And you both too."
He called over to Angelo and Claire.
"And of course, Charlie and Ruby," he added.
"Um, of course," Joey said cautiously. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," he said. "I just wanted to spend the evening with my loved ones. Will you come over to the house? 6pm. Will that mess up the rota?"
"We can sort it out," Joey said. "Don't worry about that."
He patted her hand and thanked them all in advance for coming, passing Liam on his way out. The former rock star looked around before Angelo waved him over. He was sitting at a table amid a load of paperwork. Liam came to join him.
"How can I help you?" Liam asked, hoping it would be quick as he was on his lunch break from work.
"How would you feel about performing a gig at my Singles Night here on Valentine's Day?"
Liam sat back, considering it. He didn't perform in public anymore. He hadn't done it in a long time and he missed it terribly. But along with performing came drugs and chaos and that was not a life he wanted to go back to. He loved his life of peace, tranquillity and happiness with Bianca. He didn't want to do anything to disrupt it.
"Please, Liam?" Angelo begged. "I really want this night to be a success. You were the first person I thought of. I am absolutely positive and Liam Murphy performing will be the ultimate draw."
The compliments were really all Liam needed to accept.
Xavier was not in a good mood as he barged into the Beach House. April sprung out of her seat where she had been vigorously typing away.
"What's going on?" she asked nervously.
"What's going on is that my mother just accused me of stealing those chemicals!" he snapped.
April blanched, stuttering when she asked him why.
"Because I started researching them," he told her. "I was so worried about them and you, wanting to know how to make them safe, how to get rid of them."
"I don't want to get rid of them!" April snapped.
"You have to!" Xavier shouted. "If you don't, I'm telling my Mum exactly what you've been doing and what you're planning!"
"You wouldn't!"
"I would," he said resolutely. "This is too far, April. I don't know what happened to you over the summer but you're not the same person I fell in love with."
It was six o'clock and Charlie and Joey arrived at Summer Bay House with Ruby and Claire. None of them knew why they had been summoned or why Joey had needed to leave the restaurant without any management. But Alf had called so they had come.
Morag, Romeo and Nicole were already at home with Alf when they arrived and had helped him put together a buffet. Alf was pleased to see them all. Ruby was pleased to see Romeo. Shortly behind them, Marilyn arrived, closely followed by Colleen, Irene, Angelo and Leah.
"So, Alf, put us all out of our misery," Morag requested. "What are we all doing here?"
Charlie held Joey's hand, knowing she was worried.
"Well, I've got some news," Alf said.
Marilyn also looked worried. Charlie opted not to comfort her. She was still a little stung after what had happened with Nicole the other day.
"I've decided to go away for a few months," Alf said.
"Away?" Collen said worriedly.
"Yes," Alf said. "I'm going to go travelling for six months."
"What, like a millennial backpacker?" Morag asked.
"I don't know what a millennial is but yes, a little like a backpacker," Alf told her. "I want to go and explore the rest of our country. I want to go to Europe and America. I want to go everywhere. I've lived most of my life in the Bay and for so long, it's felt safe and it's been my home but at the moment, it's stifling me."
"Is it us?" Joey asked worriedly. "Have we done something?"
"No, no, of course not," Alf said. "I mean, John pissed me off a bit."
He chuckled. So did some of the others.
"But no," he said. "It's just all of this stuff that's gone on with Penn Graham and Robertson and being in jail for those weeks. I need to set myself free. And I can't do that by just staying here and doing the same thing every single day."
"I get it," Angelo said.
Alf nodded at him, knowing he understood.
"I will miss you all," Alf said. "And I am not leaving forever, I promise. Six months and I'll be back with you."
"You'd better be!" Charlie joked.
"And if one of you will give me a lesson on that Internet thing then I can keep in touch with you all very easily," Alf added.
"I can teach you," Romeo offered.
Alf thanked him sincerely.
"When are you leaving?" Nicole asked.
"Tomorrow," Alf said.
"Tomorrow?" Joey shrieked.
"Tomorrow," he confirmed. "But I promise I will keep in touch and I promise I will be back."
Charlie hugged her girlfriend closer, knowing how upset she would be feeling.
"But for tonight, I'd love it if you could all stay and eat and drink and spend time together."
Xavier wasn't sure how he had done it but after a long, long talk, April had agreed to pour the chemicals away and step down from her plan of attack. Now, the pair of them were carefully pouring the liquids down the sink in the kitchen. They were wearing gloves but the fumes were stronger than either of them had anticipated. They were strong. They were so strong.
"I am going to miss you so, so much," Joey said, hugging Alf goodbye.
"I'm going to miss you too," Alf replied. "But you do understand why I have to do this?"
Joey sighed heavily and nodded.
"I do," she said. "I think this will be really good for you. Once Romeo has taught you 'the Internet', I want updates every single day of everything you're doing, okay? I want to live vicariously through you and all your explorations of the world."
"Hey, perhaps you and Charlie can come and visit me sometime?" Alf suggested. "Take a big holiday?"
Joey beamed at him. That sounded like a great idea.
"Don't leave before I've got here to say goodbye," she warned.
"I promise," she said.
She hugged him again and then gathered Charlie, Ruby, Claire and Irene, the latter of whom they were giving a lift home to, so that they could depart.
Xavier felt like he couldn't breathe. His throat hurt and his eyes stung. He felt sick and dizzy. He tried and failed to reach out for April. Then everything went black.
A couple of feet away, April was struggling just as much. She stumbled towards the kitchen door, desperate for fresh air. She managed to open the door and half fell out of it, equally dizzy and sick and unable to breathe. Then for her too, everything went black.
Next time… It's a rush to save Xavier and April's lives, Nicole is frustrated with her pregnancy and Alf bids farewell to the Bay…
