Chapter Twenty-Four

Although Charley and Alex chatted quite amicably for most of the evening, by half past nine their conversation had more or less dried up. They’d enjoyed the pizza and Charley had had a can of lager but she didn’t want to get drunk. She needed to keep her head clear for what was about to happen.

If they had been on a first date, she’d be dying to go home now so that she could recall their first kiss in detail, think about what had happened, analyse everything Alex had said to her. She’d go to bed with a big grin as she looked forward to their next date. Now she was so nervous that her left leg kept shaking involuntarily.

She was worried about the night to come even more than she wished she’d never run away. The caravan was cold, despite the gas fire being on full so Alex fetched the double duvet from the bedroom, she made coffee and they settled down underneath it and watched television. It would have been great if there wasn’t an atmosphere. For her, it was an atmosphere of dread.

She wondered if Alex was nervous. He was only just sixteen. Was this the first time he’d slept with anyone? She wanted to ask him but didn’t dare. What if he’d been with lots of girls and she wasn’t good enough? She glanced over at him. He was checking his phone again. He’d been doing that regularly for the past couple of hours. Was he regretting letting things go so far, too?

She drifted off to sleep for a while and when she woke up, she and Alex began to fool around. She tried to enjoy it, hoping it would be over soon. There had been a bit of kissing and fumbling earlier but neither of them seemed to want more. And now Alex had stopped again.

‘I’m tired,’ he said, pulling back the duvet. ‘I’m going to brush my teeth and call it a night.’

Charley fought back tears. What was wrong with her? First Aaron and Connor made up rumours and now Alex didn’t want to sleep with her? Was she – what was the word they used at school – frigid? Did she give off ‘keep away’ signals?

Then she gasped, all of a sudden understanding that he wanted to get into bed with her. Maybe he felt it would be more comfortable, or more romantic? Either way, it sent her into a complete panic. How would she take off her clothes?

Charley cleaned her teeth after Alex. With dread, she came out of the bathroom. Alex stood in the kitchen area waiting for her.

‘I don’t know about you,’ he said, hardly able to look at her, ‘but I think it’s too cold to get undressed. I’m going to sleep in my clothes.’

The relief must have shown on Charley’s face, because Alex grinned.

‘You obviously don’t mind then?’ he asked.

‘I – I’m not sure.’ Charley gulped. ‘Don’t you want to sleep with me?’

‘Of course I do!’ Alex looked sheepish. ‘I mean – well, I think you’re gorgeous but it’s just that … I’ve never done it before.’ He smiled awkwardly. ‘I think I’m more scared than you are.’

‘I’m not scared,’ retorted Charley.

‘It was your leg that shook every time I came near you.’

It was Charley’s turn to grin. There really was no point in getting mad at Alex. She didn’t want to sleep with him either.

‘You can take the double bed,’ he told her as they stood there awkwardly. ‘I’ll have one of the smaller beds.’

A few minutes later, Charley lay in the dark, fully clothed underneath the double duvet. Even though Alex was only a few feet away, part of her wished he was here with her. He could warm her up and cuddle into her, even if they didn’t want to do anything else. She pulled the duvet closer around her neck and tried to get to sleep. The quicker she did, the quicker the morning would arrive and she could go home.

Alex knocked on the bedroom door a minute later. He got into the bed beside her.

‘Don’t panic,’ he said. ‘I’m not going to do anything. It’s just warmer under the duvet.’

It was so quiet that Charley could hear the silence ringing in her ears. She could feel her heart beating wildly inside her chest. She didn’t dare move a muscle and she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

Again, she wished she was at home. She couldn’t wait for the morning.

Louise never went to bed that night. Reece went home about ten and, despite Matt sleeping over in the spare room, Sam had insisted on staying downstairs with her – a fact that she was grateful for.

It was five a.m. Both she and Sam had stayed awake until the early hours but she was the only one awake again now. While Sam dozed, Louise thought about Charley. She prayed she’d be okay and that this was some kind of schoolgirl prank that she’d thought up to wound her mum. If it was, it had definitely done the trick. Louise was hurting so much there were no words to describe her pain.

She thought back to the first time she’d seen her daughter. She’d been at the hospital with her mum and Sam, trying to make out that she was brave at eighteen when really she didn’t have a clue what to do and when. The nurse had put Charley into her arms and she’d fallen in love with her, forgetting all the pain of the birth. A few days later, she’d taken her home to her parents as a six pound bundle of screams and baby powder. If it wasn’t for her mum and dad helping out, she wouldn’t have coped as well as she did. But despite her downfalls, Louise always did the best she could for her daughter.

She remembered Charley’s first steps, her first day at school. When she learned how to tell the time. The first width she swam in the pool, after she’d seemed to swim but get nowhere for ages. The time she’d dressed up as a rat in the school play, The Pied Piper of Hamlyn. When she won a prize from the school for the best written essay.

She recalled what a stubborn minx she’d always been but what a lovely warm character Charley was too. And over the years, she’d turned into a beautiful young lady, one Louise was proud to call her daughter. She felt so ashamed that she hadn’t let Charley know that, because she’d been too wrapped up in herself.

If she came home – no, when she came home – Louise was going to put that right. She’d start by telling her all the things she should have said. She’d stop messing around and act like a parent should. And she would make it known that she had the best daughter in the world.

She started to cry again. Please don’t let memories be all that I have left of her. Please let her be okay.

Despite her anxiousness, Charley managed to get a little sleep, but she still woke up early. In the dark, she could just about make out the shape of Alex sleeping next to her. She couldn’t see his features, just his shadow, but she knew he had his back towards her. She turned on her side and squeezed her eyes shut to stem the tears threatening to fall.

Last night had been one of the worst nights of her life. She remembered tossing and turning, thinking about how mad her mum would be when she finally got home. She remembered scooting across to the other side of the bed when Alex turned over. More than anything, she remembered wishing she was back in her own bed the whole night through.

‘Morning,’ Alex said, making her jump. She hadn’t realised he was awake.

‘Morning,’ she replied.

‘What time is it?’

She shrugged then realised he couldn’t see her. She reached over for her phone and illuminated the screen.

‘It’s quarter past six.’ Charley saw an icon indicating another voice message. She hoped it was from her mum. She went through to the kitchen and called it up.

‘Charley, it’s Mum. I know you might not be able to hear this message or even respond to it in any way but I just want you to know that I’ve called the police and they’ll find you soon. And if this isn’t Charley answering this phone … if this is Alex I’m talking to and you hurt my little girl, I … I … I’ll fucking kill you!’

There were a few sobs and then the call ended.

Oh, no!’ Charley was horrified. Everyone knew about Alex! Her mum must have contacted Sophie. She was the only one who Chaley had spoken to about him.

‘What’s up?’ asked Alex.

Charley turned to see a light on in the room. Alex was sitting up now, his spiky hair in a definite bed head style. Somehow his good looks of yesterday had gone and she saw him for what he was. A sixteen-year-old boy who’d befriended a fifteen-year-old girl. And now both of them were in big trouble.

‘It’s all gone wrong!’ Charley burst into tears. ‘My mum’s rung the police and reported me missing. I can’t go home now. She’ll—’

‘Whoa!’ Alex interrupted. ‘Wait a minute! She’s contacted the police?’

‘Yes! She rang them last night.’

‘And are they looking for you?’ Alex was pulling on his shoes.

‘They must be! What am I going to do? I can’t go home now. She’ll kill me.’

‘They’ll kill us both if they find us here.’ Alex was up now and running a hand through his hair. ‘I’m in so much trouble.’

No, you’re not.’ Charley was going to learn by her mum’s mistakes and admit the truth. ‘This is my fault.’

‘But, can’t you see? I’m sixteen and I – I suppose I’m responsible for you. If I get caught with you and they think we – we’ve – you know, then I could be in trouble.’

‘But we didn’t – you know.’

‘You have to ring her. Tell her you’re okay. It might not be too late.’

‘I can’t!’

‘But you might get away with it if you talk to her.’ He came to her then. ‘Think about it. She’ll be so pleased to hear from you, the police will stop looking for you and we – we can grab a coffee before you catch a train back.’

Charley paused. Was it really that easy? Alex went outside the caravan to switch off the gas. She flew down the steps beside him, the chilly sea air catching her breath. ‘Alex!’

‘Ring her!’ he shouted above the noise of the wind. ‘We have to go. Get your things.’

Charley didn’t understand. What was all the big rush?

‘What’s going on?’ she asked him once they were back inside. ‘Why are you so afraid of the police?’

‘I’m not.’

‘Yes, you are. It should be me who’s scared. I have to go back and face the music. You can just disappear into thin air, can’t you?’

‘Do you want me to do that?’

‘No!’

Alex paused for a moment. ‘My old man’s a copper,’ he admitted. ‘He’ll go mad if he finds out what I’ve done.’

‘Ohmigod!’ Charley gasped. ‘You idiot!’

Alex grinned nervously. ‘I know.’

There was nothing for it but to admit defeat. Charley dialled a number on her phone.

‘Where can she be?’ Louise asked Sam for the umpteenth time that morning. They were in Louise’s kitchen and it was half past six. Although Reece had gone home at ten after the police had been alerted, Sam and Matt had stayed over. Sam wouldn’t have left Louise, the state she was in, but neither had she wanted to. Charley was such a huge part of her life; she needed to know that she was safe too. Louise had finally gone to sleep, with exhaustion, about two a.m. Sam had stayed downstairs with her, urging Matt to go on up to bed.

They were both sitting in silence when they heard Matt coming down the stairs. Louise’s heart lurched when she saw him barefoot in hastily pulled on clothes. Because he was smiling.

‘Guess who I’ve just been woken up by?’ he asked, waggling his mobile phone in the air. ‘I got a call from Charley. She’s okay!’

‘Oh, thank God.’ Louise stood up and hugged him. ‘Where is she?’

‘She’s safe and she’s sorry and I’m going to pick her up.’

‘Yes, but where is she?’

‘She’s in Rhyl.’

‘Rhyl!’ Louise and Sam said in unison.

‘What the hell is she doing there?’ Louise added.

‘Apparently, she got a train,’ Matt explained, ‘went to the seaside, hung around a bit and then was scared to come home.’

‘And what about this Alex? Was he with her?’

‘I didn’t ask. I thought it best not to. She’s probably scared enough about what you’re going to say anyway.’

‘Too right she should be scared,’ Louise said. Then she laughed with relief. ‘I’ll kill her when I see her! How long will it take to get there?’

‘About three hours I reckon. I’ll have a quick cuppa and then I’ll go to fetch her.’

‘Are you sure? I know she can catch the train and I could meet her at the station here but I want her with me. I could get the train to Rhyl and then travel back with her?’

‘No,’ said Matt, shaking his head. ‘It’s fine. I’ve checked the trains and they don’t start for another couple of hours anyway. I’d rather have her in my car safe and sound.’

Louise’s heart went out to him.

‘Well,’ Sam hurried them along, ‘don’t you think you should get on your way then?’

‘I’ll get my coat.’ Louise smiled again.

‘Wait!’ Matt touched her forearm. ‘Do you think that’s wise?’

Louise looked at him as if he had three heads. ‘Of course I do.’

‘But what happens if she’s frightened and she—’

‘Frightened of me?’ Louise looked appalled at the thought. ‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘Matt’s right,’ said Sam. ‘Charley was upset enough to stay out overnight. Shall I go instead? She always speaks to me and—’

‘Oh, that’s right, get another dig in,’ snapped Louise. ‘You always think you’d be better at playing mother than me.’

‘No,’ Sam reassured her. ‘Maybe the reason she ran away could have been sparked by me as much as you, so she might want to chat it through first.’

‘What reason’s this?’ Matt wanted to know but Sam shook her head.

‘Just women’s talk,’ said Louise.

‘We can be home in a few hours,’ Sam said. ‘Why not go and do some shopping and treat her? Buy her something nice to eat for later, just the two of you. Get her that chocolate cake she likes and stay in with her. Talk to her. Try to find out what’s wrong rather than ...’ Sam stopped, realising she’d said too much.

‘Rather than storm in and have a full-blown row before she’s even got her feet through the front door,’ Louise finished off for her.

Sam said nothing.

Matt jangled his car keys up in the air. ‘I can’t wait around for you two all day. Which one of you is coming or am I going alone?’

‘Sam’s right,’ said Louise with a sigh. ‘The last person Charley will want to see is me. You two go and bring her home and I’ll have a chat to her afterwards.’

‘And you’d better ring the police. Let them know she’s safe.’

Louise baulked. ‘How stupid am I going to look?’

‘You did what any responsible parent would do,’ said Matt. ‘They’re probably used to these kinds of things resolving themselves overnight anyway.’

Once they were ready, Louise followed them to the front door. ‘Ring me when you have her, won’t you?’ she asked.

Despite the unresolved argument hanging over them, Sam gave her friend a hug. ‘This will sort itself out, you’ll see,’ she smiled.

Louise watched them drive off in Matt’s car before closing the door. It was only then that she sunk to the floor, collapsed in a heap and sobbed.

Her little girl was safe.