Hi everyone. Many apologies. I accidentally posted the wrong chapter last week – I posted chapter 589 ahead of this one, Chapter 588, so the update last week, would have probably been a bit confusing to anyone who might still actually be reading this story! Both chapters are now posted in order! Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Five Hundred and Eighty Eight
Charlie and Joey awoke the next morning to coffee and breakfast made for them by Ruby. They were grateful but sceptical. Thanking her daughter, Charlie quickly made it clear that she would not be budging when it came to the rules of her grounding. Ruby frowned.
"I get that," she said. "I'm not trying to get round you. I'm just trying to apologise."
"Good," Charlie said.
"But thank you for this," Joey said, helping herself to some cereal.
Ruby had laid out everything they could possibly want to eat for breakfast and offered to cook anything they liked.
"You're welcome," Ruby said, sitting down a little nervously. "So… I go to school and I come home. What about lunch time?"
"You come to the restaurant," Joey told her. "You sit quietly, where I can keep an eye on you and I can tell you off if you're having too much fun."
"Can I have lunch with Casey?"
Charlie and Joey exchanged glances.
"I'll take that as a no," Ruby said glumly.
"You can," Charlie decided. "But that's it. Lunch. No hanging out after school. And if you step out of line, we get stricter. Okay?"
Ruby nodded in agreement, thanking them.
Romeo arrived downstairs and was immediately irritated. Strewn all over the house were Nicole's designs for the new Surf Club uniforms. She'd been working on them for weeks and he was sick of the sight of them. He definitely didn't want to keep having to keep stepping over them while he was trying to have breakfast.
"When's this whole thing going to be over?" he complained.
"When are you going to get out of the house and get a job?" she snapped back.
She was sick of this constant bad mood he was in.
"I actually have two jobs," he pointed out.
She looked up at him from the floor, where she was measuring out some fabric for a last minute change.
"Oh really, because you never seem to be at work?"
"It's not my fault if I can't get the hours," he snapped. "John's the tightest bloke in history and Joey's not exactly my biggest fan right now."
"Oh, why's that again?" Nicole said sarcastically. "Oh yeah, you screwed her daughter and then dumped her! That's right!"
He glared at her and then stormed back upstairs.
Charlie felt sick. She felt unethical. Sitting in an interview room, across from Aaron, the man who owned the house the kids had broken into, she hoped to persuade him not to press charges against Casey without him realising that that was what she was doing. It wasn't the sort of thing she was used to doing. She always played everything by the book. But she couldn't bear the thought of Ruby getting a criminal record, which was what was at stake now. Either Brax would drag her down with Casey or Ruby would hang herself out to dry on purpose.
"So, we have charged the teenager who delivered you the pizza for breaking and entering," Charlie told him.
He nodded, pleased that the boy who had caused him so much trouble.
"From what we can gather, it was a peer pressure thing," she explained. "He's a nice boy who genuinely never intended any harm. It was very misguided but not malicious and he was exceptionally apologetic in his interview. He hasn't been in any kind of trouble before."
"Isn't he one of those River Boys or something?" Aaron asked sceptically.
"He has family associated with the River Boys but he isn't a member of their gang and has no interest in joining them," Charlie said. "He works hard at school, keeps out of trouble. He's actually just won an award at school, despite struggling a great deal with dyslexia."
"It sounds like you want me to feel sorry for him," Aaron said.
"Not at all," Charlie lied. "It's just my job to give you some context into the crime and I wouldn't want you to think that this happened because he wanted to steal from you or damage your property."
"He broke my window," Aaron pointed out.
"He would like to pay for anything that's been damaged, including the window," Charlie said. "And I gather he's spending today writing you a personal apology. He really was devastated over what happened."
Aaron frowned.
"So, it was just kids being morons?" he said.
"I think so," Charlie said.
"We've all done stupid things…" he mused, chewing his lip thoughtfully.
"Unfortunately, yes," Charlie half laughed, silently daring to hope that she could get Casey and Ruby out of trouble.
"And this kid?" he asked. "What's his home situation like?"
"A little troubled, I think," Charlie said. "I don't think he has had the easiest of times."
"And he's dyslexic? But he's doing well at school? Trying hard?"
"He is."
"That's good," Aaron said. "Commendable. And he doesn't have a record? He hasn't been in trouble before?"
"No, this is the first incident he's ever been involved in," Charlie said.
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Look, I don't want to punish a kid who's just made a mistake. I accept that he meant no harm, although I am still pissed off about it. I'd like the apology. And I'd like the damage paid for. But I don't want to set him on some kind of path of crime or for this to be on his criminal record when in the scheme of things, it's really quite insignificant. So can I just withdraw my complaint and can we just forget all about it?"
"Yes, we can absolutely do that," Charlie said. "And I'm sure he'll be really grateful."
It was lunch time and Buckton's was busy. Any concerns that Joey had had about The Pizza Oven opening and stealing her business had almost dissipated. They seemed to be doing decent trade but her regulars had stayed loyal. She was grateful to them and also proud that her colleagues and her establishment were providing something good enough that people wanted to stay. Currently, Nicole had taken over an entire booth to hold a meeting with Roo; she had spent weeks designing the new uniforms for the Surf Club. Dex and April were at a separate table, looking like they were having a somewhat intense conversation. And Ruby, albeit under duress, was having lunch with Casey, practically at the bar, where Joey could keep an eye on her.
"How is she doing?" Claire asked, approaching Joey, who had been watching her daughter carefully.
"She's okay," Joey assured her. "Why don't you go and say hi?"
"Um… I think she might be a little angry with me for ratting her out about the party," Claire admitted. "She hasn't exactly been chatty with me since."
"I'm sure if you go and say hello, she will be absolutely fine," Joey said. "Switch with Scott and be her waitress if that makes it easier."
"I am not a waitress!" Scott declared in his most camp voice, as he passed.
They couldn't help but laugh. Joey hadn't intended to open a gay venue but it seemed to have turned out that way. She had never imagined, growing up, that Summer Bay would have become such an inclusive and accepting place.
"So, what do you think?" Nicole asked nervously, the edge of hope in her voice.
"Honestly?" Roo said.
She paused for dramatic effect. Nicole was desperate for her opinion.
"I love them!" Roo declared.
Nicole flung her arms around her friend, shrieking.
"You do?" she said. "You really do?"
"I really do," Roo assured her. "They're inventive. They're creative. They're certainly different and eye catching. I absolutely adore them. Well done!"
Dex and April returned their attention to each other, having been momentarily distracted by Nicole's shrieking.
"So, what I was trying to say was that I am so, so sorry for leaving the party the other day," Dex said.
"It's fine," April said tightly.
It was pretty much all she had said to him all lunch time, having ignored him all the previous day. He had been horrified to learn of everything that had happened to her after he had left and only relieved that she had left before everything had kicked off with the police. He could only imagine how stressful it had been for her to be thrown in the pool by those vile River Boys. He hated them all!
"I just wanted you to understand that I would never have left you…"
"And broken your promise," she interjected, making it clear that she did indeed not forgive him.
He sighed heavily and hung his head.
"And broken my promise," he agreed. "I would never ever have done that if Summer hadn't been sick. She was throwing up and she needed help. I really had no choice."
"You do know that she was sick because she was drinking so heavily?" April said.
"Well, I don't think there's any point blaming…. I mean, she still needed help…"
"And you do know it was her fault that all those men were there in the first place?" she added. "She's the one who sent the party out of control. She invited them all. It was her fault I got thrown into the pool. It was her fault Casey got arrested. It all happened because of her."
Dex struggled to read her tone. She wasn't shouting but she was clearly hurt and angry.
"I understand," he said. "And I agree. I just… she was so ill, even if that was due to her own decision making and I couldn't let anyone suffer like that."
"But you could let me suffer?" she asked. "You knew that leaving me, I'd struggle without you…"
He sighed heavily. He didn't know how she was ever going to trust him again.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I tried to find you. I tried to get you to come home with me but you'd disappeared and Summer had to go home right then."
She forced a smile.
"Look, it's fine," she said. "It doesn't matter. I don't even care anymore. It's done. Forget about it."
He looked dubious.
"I mean it," she said. "I don't care anymore. I have more important things to worry about than you."
"What… what kind of things are you worried about?"
"Bianca," she replied. "I mean… nothing. Nobody. Look, it's none of your busines. I don't want to talk about it. I trusted you to help me before and you let me down. I'm not trusting you again. I just need to sit here and do what I need to do and Bianca will be okay."
"What do you mean, Bianca will be okay? She's not even here, is she? She's on some course or something today?"
"Yes and I need her to come home safely," April said. "Now, will you just go away, please?"
"April…"
"Go away!" April shouted.
Several people, including Ruby and Casey turned to look at them. He stood up a little nervously, having not even finished his lunch. Ruby waved him over. He took his plate and his glass and joined their table, still worried about April who remained quietly in her seat.
"What's going on with you two?" Ruby asked, the moment Dex sat down.
From the bar, Joey wasn't entirely sure that lunch for Ruby should be a free for all. But she felt sufficiently sorry for Dex and was also concerned about April, who looked exceptionally stressed out. She decided to leave Ruby to it and keep an eye on April. She knew that Bianca was away on a course today and not coming back until tomorrow.
"Honestly," Dex said to Ruby. "I don't know. She's pissed because I left her at the party. I've tried to explain that Summer needed help but she won't listen."
"Well, you know how stubborn she is," Ruby said. "I'm sure she'll calm down eventually."
Dex sighed, looking fretfully at April. He hoped she was right.
"Anyway, how are you guys?" he said. "Are you in big trouble?"
"We're having a supervised lunch," Casey said, nodding towards Joey, who quickly busied herself, serving a customer.
Dex grinned.
"Wow," he said. "You really are in trouble!"
"And I've been charged with breaking and entering and criminal damage so that's fun," Casey remarked.
"Oh, shit," Dex said. "I'm sorry. Can we not explain? Say it wasn't your fault? That it was a collective thing?"
"What, do you want a criminal record too?" Ruby asked. "That'll help you become a Doctor."
"Well, no, I mean… but it wasn't even your idea…" Dex said, trailing off.
"No, it was mine," Ruby said bluntly. "And I feel really shitty about it."
"Uh oh," Casey remarked, looking up.
Ruby followed his gaze to see her mother, in uniform, enter the restaurant with purpose. She strode towards them and pulled up a chair. Politely apologising to Dex, she asked if she could speak to Casey and Ruby alone for a moment. For the second time in the space of ten minutes, Dex relocated. He headed for the bar and wondered if he might be able to speak to Joey for some advice.
"And here he is now!" Nicole said, waving Angelo over to their table.
Angelo looked confused but approached them. He had only popped into the restaurant to get a coffee and escaped the Pizza Oven and the vile River Boys for a while. All he had been hearing about all morning was the party and how most of them had escaped arrest. Then Heath had arrived and everything had kicked off, as evidently, he had been arrested and charged and he hadn't been impressed with his friends showing off. Angelo had vanished at the point that Brax had shown up. That was a blood bath he did not want to witness.
"What's up?" he said, sliding into the booth next to Nicole.
"How would you like to be my model tomorrow?"
Angelo blushed. He didn't exactly think he was model material.
"Me?" he said.
"Yes, you!"
"Um… what about Romeo or Liam or someone?"
"Mr Grumpy, you mean? No, thank you! And Liam doesn't have the look I'm going for. No, I want you," Nicole told him.
He blushed again. Roo watched them interact, wondering if Nicole wanted Angelo for more than his model looks.
"Okay, well… sure," he said. "I knock off work in a few hours. You could come to ours later if you want to show me what I need to do?"
Nicole beamed at him. He continued to blush. Roo stifled a laugh.
Charlie looked at Ruby and Casey's expectant faces.
"I've just had a meeting with Aaron Robson," she informed them, getting right to the point.
Casey swallowed anxiously. Ruby held his hand.
"And he has decided not to press charges."
"Oh, thanks goodness," Casey breathed.
He let go of Ruby's hand and rubbed his face. He was sweating.
"That's amazing!" Ruby said, beaming. "How come he decided…"
"I explained that Casey has never been in trouble before and he agreed that it wasn't malicious, just a very stupid mistake," Charlie said, emphasising the words 'very' and 'stupid'.
She saw tear grateful tears glisten in the boy's eyes and she knew she had done the right thing, even if she had felt uncomfortable doing it.
"I am so grateful, Charlie," he said. "And I swear, I will never do anything like this again. I understand that this is my last chance. I won't screw it up."
"And nor will I," Ruby added. "I promise."
"Good," Charlie said, standing up. "Make me believe it."
Joey had approached Dex at the bar, carefully asking him if he was alright and if he had something on his mind. He had then blurted out that there was something wrong with April, that he thought she had OCD and that she was currently obsessing over Bianca.
"Look, just leave it with me, okay?" Joey said. "I'll phone Bianca."
"No, you can't worry her or she'll rush home and April will never forgive me!" Dex panicked.
"I won't tell her anything," Joey assured him. "It's normal for me to call her. I'll just give her a ring and check in, alright? Then I can confirm to April that she's fine."
"But she'll know I told you…"
"Please let me take care of it," Joey requested, placing a hand on his hand.
His crush on her suddenly sparked up all over again, despite his state of distress. He nodded and thanked her. She squeezed his hand, making him blush.
"I'll call you with an update," Joey promised.
He thanked her again, leaving just as Charlie approached. She took his seat, wondering what was going on. Joey waved it away, saying that she would explain later; she was more interested in what had happened with Casey and Ruby.
"The guy has decided against pressing charges," the police officer confirmed. "So Casey and Ruby are both in the clear. I felt so immoral talking to him. I was manipulating him and he wasn't even aware. That's not the code of conduct I signed up for."
"I know, darling," Joey said, reaching out to hold both her hands.
She raised them and kissed them both.
"But you did it for the right reasons," she said. "And it looked like Casey was exceptionally grateful. Ruby too."
Charlie nodded.
"They were. He looked like he was about to cry," she said. "And they've both promised that they will never ever do anything like this again. I just hope they stick to it."
Angelo had departed, leaving Roo to smirk and grill Nicole about what she had just witnessed.
"What?" Nicole asked nonchalantly.
She couldn't have looked guiltier.
"Um… you and Angelo?" Roo said.
"What about me and Angelo? There is no me and Angelo!"
"But you'd like there to be," Roo said bluntly.
She had never been one to mince her words. She watched Nicole blush and sip her drink.
"He's too old for me," the eighteen year old eventually said. "He's like… Charlie's age. Like, my Dad's age. Gross. I mean, I did date Liam but that was different..."
Roo snorted, pointing out that she was older than all of them.
"You're not suggesting that we go on a date," Nicole reminded her.
"True," Roo conceded. "But I definitely see a spark between the two of you. Come on, what gives?"
Nicole sighed thoughtfully.
"Well, we've spent a lot of time together recently," she admitted. "He's been really kind to me. He listens. He's sympathetic to my situation. And I guess I've been seeing him in a different way to how I've ever seen him before. I think he's very lost, like I've been lately. He's lonely. He wants to find a connection. So do I."
"So, do you think there could be something between you?" Roo wanted to know.
Nicole smiled thoughtfully.
"I don't know," she said. "Maybe. I mean, I never thought he was attractive before but recently…"
She blushed.
Romeo walked past Nicole and Roo, past April and past Ruby and Casey, who were gathering their things in order to head back to school. He approached the bar just as Charlie kissed Joey goodbye. Charlie stopped at her daughter's table, asking them if she and Casey wanted a lift back to school. They accepted readily. She then stopped at April's table and offered her a lift too.
"No, thanks," she said quietly.
Having been given a brief summary of some of the issues plaguing the teenager, Charlie left it and led Ruby and Casey out of the venue.
Back at the bar, Joey was feeling awkward.
"I'm really sorry, Romeo," she said. "I just don't have any more shifts."
"For me, you mean," he said bitterly. "I'm sure you'd conjure something up for Claire or your new favourite pet."
He glared at obvious Scott as he served a customer. Joey sighed and told him he was being unfair.
"Look, I know I upset you and I know I did the wrong thing by Ruby but you said we could put it behind us and I also think you're being unprofessional by bring our personal lives into the workplace," Romeo said.
Joey gestured for him to follow her into her office. He chewed his lip, worrying that he had stepped over the line.
April remained at her table. She had no plans to return to school. She had to sit here and wait for Bianca to call. If she called her, she would disturb her and then something bad would happen. Bianca had promised she would call. April had to wait. She had to be patient and not disturb anything. Then Bianca would call. Then she would know she was alright.
Joey closed her office door and gestured for Romeo to sit on the sofa that she and Charlie had made use of many a time without anyone knowing. She hoped. She pulled out the timetable of shifts and sat next to him.
"This is how everyone is arranged," she said. "These are the hours that everyone is contracted. I can't cut the hours I've promised anyone. Claire has more hours because this is her full time job. Scott has more hours because this his full time job. He replaced Angelo. You have less hours because this was only a part time job for you. In fact, it was only meant to be temporary but I kept you on. It was meant to be part time because firstly, you already had a part time job with John. And secondly, you had school. You have changed your circumstances, Romeo. You can't expect everyone to fit around you because you've had a tantrum and stormed out of school. I have given you a few more hours. I've done my best. But there is no more money to pay you and there are no more hours to give you."
He nodded, accepting and embarrassed.
"And if you ever speak to me like that again and if you ever accuse me of being unprofessional again, you will be on a very significant warning," she added firmly. "And I'm telling you now that that could lead to no hours at all."
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm just… desperate."
"Well, if you're looking for work, may I suggest you improve your attitude a bit?" Joey said. "Nobody is going to want to employ or work with someone who's stomping around town in the mood you've been in recently. You need to sort yourself out."
"I know," he said. "I'm sorry. And I know you'd always help if you could."
She nodded and saw him out. Alone in her office, she pulled out her phone and called Bianca. She picked up on the fourth ring.
"Hi, Joey!" her friend greeted. "How are you doing?"
"Oh, you know me; I'm always fine!" Joey replied. "How are you? How's the course?"
"Boring!" Bianca complained. "I want to come home. But the school paid for this training so I'm legally obliged to stay. Not only is the course boring, there's not a single interesting person here to talk to. I can't even sit at the back and misbehave!"
"I should think not! A responsible teacher, such as yourself!" Joey laughed.
"Oh, we so need a girls' night out when I get back," Bianca declared.
"Now, that's what I like to hear!" Joey agreed. "Let's round up the gang!"
"Now I have something to look forward to!" Bianca grinned. "Oh, hey, I'm being called back into hell. Catch you later?"
Joey said goodbye and headed out of her office, hoping that April might still be there and that she might be able to reassure her.
Romeo left the building thoroughly disappointed. Not only had Joey not given him any more hours and put him in his place, John had bumped him up to a pathetic three more hours. That did not give him anywhere near the full time hours he needed. He had no idea where he should even start with trying to look for work. He was qualified for nothing. He doubted surfing counted as a life skill.
Joey sat down next to April, quickly apologising for startling her.
"Hi," she said. "I um… I gather you're feeling a little worried about Bianca at the moment."
April looked up sharply.
"Dex…" she half realised and half accused.
"He's very worried about you," Joey said gently. "Please don't be angry with him. I forced him to tell me his concerns."
April nodded. If Dex was going to spill her secrets then at least it was to someone she trusted. Joey had really helped her during the party where she had had a panic attack.
"I'm scared there's something wrong with Bianca," she admitted.
"Well, I just spoke to Bianca and she's absolutely fine," Joey assured her.
April immediately accused her of lying. Joey was armed and ready; she showed her the call list on her phone. April let out an audible breath.
"She's okay?"
"She's fine," Joey promised. "She bored and eager to come home and see you. But she's perfectly well."
Tears formed in the corners of April's eyes.
"Right now though, I'm concerned about you," Joey said. "It sounds like your anxiety is very high."
"I'm in control of it," April lied.
"Honestly, it doesn't seem like you are," Joey said as gently as she could. "And that's okay. It's okay not be in control all the time. And it's okay to struggle. We just need to be willing to accept help when we need it. I found it very hard to admit it when I needed help and I let myself get into such a dark place first. I really don't want you to suffer, April. Please, let the people who love you – Bianca, Liam, Irene, Dex, me – let us support you know. Talk. Or don't talk, even. Let us book you an appointment with the Doctor. Take that first step. I know it's scary but it's the first step towards feeling so much better."
April thought about it for a few moments. She liked the idea of everything Joey had said but she was frightened. She was very frightened.
"Okay," she said. "Okay."
"I'll phone Irene," Joey told her. "Sit tight."
Later that evening, with Ruby having gone to do her homework in her room, Charlie and Joey were curled up together in front of the TV. They were quite enjoying having such an obedient teenager in the house.
"So, you've been the hero of the hour," Charlie said, stroking Joey's hair.
She kissed the top of her head.
"Not really," Joey said. "All I did was make some phone calls."
"And talked April off a cliff, it sounds like," Charlie remarked.
Joey shrugged.
"It was Dex who did the hard work," she said.
Bianca had got permission to leave her course early and had come home. Joey had arranged for April to go home and talk things out with her and Irene and hopefully, by now, April would be under the care of a Doctor who would be able to help her sort things out. Joey had contacted Dex, as promised, to let him know what had happened.
"I think you're selling yourself a little short," Charlie said.
"What about you?" Joey replied. "Fixing the situation with Casey and Ruby and the party. That was amazing."
"I still feel like I did something wrong," Charlie said. "It went completely against my code of ethics. But I was so frightened of Ruby getting into trouble. And truly, I didn't want Casey to be charged either. It wasn't his idea. It wasn't his fault."
"Woah, sounds like you're becoming fond of the kid!" Joey teased.
Charlie chuckled and kissed her.
"Maybe I am," she said. "A bit."
Suddenly, she flipped Joey onto her back on the sofa.
"But not as fond as I am of you!" she declared.
"Well, I hope not!" Joey giggled, wrapping her arms around Charlie's neck, drawing her closer.
"Ugh! Guys!" Ruby complained, entering the room. "If I'm trapped in this house for two weeks, you're going to have to calm it down a little! That's only fair!"
She stalked back into her bedroom, muttering to herself, only making her parents laugh more.
Next time… Nicole showcases her designs, Charlie clocks the attraction between Nicole and Angelo and Romeo's attitude goes from bad to worse…
