The Bad Boy of Waterloo Road

Chapter Eight.

After having time to reflect on yesterday's events, I'm currently heading to Finn's house to apologise for my actions and hopefully be given the opportunity to explain to him my reasoning behind divulging that information to my dad. Am I confident that he'll give me his time? Absolutely not!

I've had to sneak out the house to go and see him as my dad is at work and due to the fact I am grounded, this is the only chance I'm going to get before I'm put back under house arrest. I should be fine as long as I can visit Finn and get back home before the end of the school day and in time for when my dad gets home.

Strolling up the hill, I passed some very modernised looking houses along the side of the street until I eventually found the one that belonged to Finn's family. It looked very similar to several others in this neighbourhood, except for the two empty parking spaces in the driveway, confirming to me that he was, yet again, left at home alone and both his parents were away working.

I stood at the bottom of the concrete steps for a moment, pondering whether coming here was a good idea or not. He is still obviously really hurt and angry at my actions but I knew that I had to be given a chance to explain everything and that he couldn't ignore me forever. Taking a deep breath in, I climbed the steps upto the front door, my knuckles tapping against the solid oak surface before stepping back, praying that he answered.

A pane of glass was a feature of the door, giving a small insight into his home if you looked close enough. Through it, I could see his figure approaching, the door opening seconds later to reveal him. He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and some black joggers, both of which were slightly creased as if he'd slept in them, his eyes sunken and hair a dishevelled mess. Our eyes fixated on each other for a matter of moments, neither one of us wanting to speak but eventually, Finn broke the silence.

"Mr. Byrne sent you here to spy on me, has he?" He asked harshly, not even bothering to acknowledge the fact I was stood at his door. "Helping him write his little report to Social Services?" He added, allowing me to shake my head.

"No, he doesn't even know I'm here." I truthfully replied but all he did was scoff. "I'm here to explain myself if you'll let me." I admitted but part of me still knew that he would difficult to get around.

"Save it! Just go!" He exclaimed, beginning to close the door but I managed to slip a foot inbetween the door and its frame, the motion of the door stopping as it hit my foot.

"Please Finn." I pleaded, still staring at him.

Hearing him sigh, I was shocked to see him pull the door open again, motioning for me to walk inside. I stepped over the threshold into the hallway, following the corridor down to his open-plan kitchen and living space. My eyes immediately fell onto the amount of takeaway cartons and empty bottles of god knows what strewn across the work-tops. I also happened to notice a rather hefty load of unopened letters in a pile on top of the coffee table. If my dad ever discovered that these were Finn's living conditions, it would be an instant call to Social Services. However, that is not the reason I'm here. I want to make this situation better, not worse.

"Got a problem?" I heard Finn's voice say from behind me, startling me somewhat.

I turned around to face him, his body frozen with his arms folded across his chest. I knew the amount of mess was none of my business but I couldn't stop myself from bringing it up because it's not normal for someone to live in these conditions.

"How long have your parents been away Finn? There's like weeks worth of mail and takeaway cartons here. When was the last time you tidied the place?" I asked, using my hands to reference to the extremely messy living space I was currently standing in.