Liam
I couldn't say anything. I was in shock.
I hadn't seen my father since I was eight and the last memory I have of him involves a lot of shouting, a lot of arguing, a lot of blood and a long wait to get into the hospital.
I couldn't believe he was back, a tiny part of me, the part that was still eight and wanted a loving happy family, wanted him to stay. I wanted that happy family again but I knew that that was a long gone.
I felt awful for Charlotte. He had never really hit me but I knew that he hurt her on multiple occasions.
I couldn't believe our mother, the audacity that woman has is unbelievable. She's hardly ever in the house and she wants to add our dad into the mix.
"Cual diablos es tu problema? ¿Por qué no puedes simplemente dejarlo ir?" She asked. What the hell is your problem? Why can't you just let him go?
"Porque es tu padre y mi marido." It was like she didn't know what she was doing was wrong. Because he's your father and my husband.
"¡No me importa! Él es y siempre será un pedazo de mierda. Liam está de acuerdo conmigo, ¿verdad Liam?" I don't care! He is and will always be a piece of shit. Liam agrees with me, right Liam?
She turned to me and looked at me expectantly. I almost choked on air, I wasn't expecting to be pulled into this argument.
"I... uh yeah, yeah." I said and I sounded really unconvincing and not because I wanted him back, I really didn't, but because I'd been put on the spot.
"¿Por qué dudaste?" Why did you hesitate? She asked and I could tell that she was sort of offended or at least a little hurt.
"I didn't.. I'm sorry I didn't mean to. Prometo que también quiero que se vaya." I promise I want him gone too. I said.
"Enough with the Spanish, alright?" My father said angrily.
"No, you know what? You don't get to pass your input." Charlotte said.
"Look, this isn't really up for discussion, it's happening and that's it. But, uh..." her tone suddenly became sad-serious. "There was another thing we wanted to talk about."
I swear to god if they say that they are getting married again I feel like Charlotte may rip this whole house to shreds.
"It's actually about you." She motioned to Charlotte with her hand.
"Me? Why me?" Charlotte asked suddenly intrigued, I don't think there was anything that could actually prepare us for what was about to be said.
It was nothing we would've guessed.
"So, you're father and I have been talking for a few months as I have said and we have come to the conclusion that I think it is time to revisit a doctor." She said, avoiding our eyes and staring at her hands.
I was beyond confused and I could feel the anxiety radiating off of Charlotte, I wished she'd just get to the point already.
"Doctor? Why? What's wrong?" Charlotte asked and I don't think she necessarily grasped that they meant that they were taking her to the doctor.
"We think that when you were younger, they got your diagnosis wrong. You've shown signs of... of what your father has." She paused in the middle, now it was my turn to be confused.
All of a sudden after years of no answer, we learn that he has some sort of a medical condition.
"Wait, what the hell are you talking about? What even brought this on?" Charlotte asked, she sounded completely overwhelmed.
"I always thought that they botched your diagnosis but your medication seemed to work for a little while so I didn't question it. But when you came back and you started lashing out and drinking all the time my suspicions grew again. We think that you may have.. bipolar disorder." She said slowly so that she could be completely sure that she understood exactly what she had said.
I was blown away. My friends had sort of came to the conclusion that this is possibly what Charlotte had but we weren't certain so I brushed it aside but now learning that my dad, and possibly Charlotte, had it my brain became mush.
I looked over at her and saw stress lines between her eyebrows, her eyes desperately searching for any type of amusement in either of their faces. I think she wanted this to be a joke to be honest.
"Wait, so you have.. bipolar disorder?" She asked speaking to our dad.
"Yes." He answered simply.
"Are you... are you medicated?" She asked and I think that this was the question I was dying to ask but just didn't realise.
"I.. I am not, currently." He answered and all hope I had for this to work out just went straight down the drain.
If he wasn't medicated then he would be just how he was when we were children, angry, impulsive, aggressive, abusive. I didn't want either of us to have to deal with that again.
"So you want me to go back to the clinic and get a new diagnosis to get a new prescription but you aren't medicated yourself?" She asked, trying to grasp ahold of the situation.
"Pleas, Charlotte if you would only-" our mother started.
"No! I don't want to hear it. You are both liars and hypocrites and I don't want to hear another word from with of you." She said, almost shouting. She stood up and shoved the stool under the counter, it wobbles but didn't fall.
I could feel that my mother was scared, she didn't want Charlotte to hate her, not that she was really doing much to prevent it from happening.
Charlotte had so many emotions that it was almost overwhelming. She was angry and upset and betrayed and confused and they were just the most obvious ones.
She walked out of the room and stormed up the stairs.
I turned back to our parents, my mother looked upset but my father looked almost... pleased? I was probably wrong about that to be fair.
I sighed and looked away, standing up and walking up the stairs.
I knocked on the door and saw Charlotte rushing around her room with a bag on her bed. My heart sunk.
"W.. what are you doing?" I asked not really wanting to hear the answer.
"I.. I need to go.." she said, running from her bathroom with a bag full of pills.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I don't know but I can't stay here with him. Just seeing him made me want to kill him."
"Are you going to take your meds with you?" I asked, hesitant to her response.
"Yes, I will and I'm also not going running around town again, I don't even have my bike. I'll find somewhere." She said folding some clothes and shoving them into her bag.
"I just want you to be safe." I said quietly, looking at the floor.
She stopped what she was doing and came over to me, she searched all over my face before exhaling and pulling me into a tight hug. Her arms around my neck and mine around her waist.
I exhaled into her shoulder, not knowing when or even if she'd be back. I didn't want to stay with our parents without her, I don't think I could handle it.
"I love you, you know that, right?" She asked and I heard her voice crack, she was almost in tears.
"I love you. I wish it could all just be fine." I sighed.
"Me too." She said and pulled away from me, wiping her nose with her sleeve.
"Where will you go?"
"Maybe to Amy. I'm not sure yet. Will you be ok, I don't want to leave you, you came come with me if you want, I'm sure the girls wouldn't-" she started rambling.
"I think I'll stay with Theo for a couple of days, if he'll let me of course." I said, cutting her off.
"Well, if, for whatever reason, you can't, message me and I'll figure it out." She said.
"You don't have to deal with everything, you know."
"I do. It comes with being the older sister." She smiled and then turned around and walked back over to her bag."ok, what else do I need?" She asked rhetorically.
"Meds?" I asked.
"Got them."
"Money?"
"Yep."
"Clothes?"
"A few outfits."
"Hairbrush?"
She grabs it from her side table and shoved it into her bag.
"Toothbrush?"
"Yep."
"Phone charger?"
"Yes."
"Shower stuff?"
"Yeah."
"Umm.. I can't think of anything else." I admit.
"Well if I need anything I'll just climb in the window using the tree in the back garden." She smiled.
She grabbed her back pack and flung it over one of her shoulders, she walked back over to me.
"Text me?" She asked.
"I will." I smiled.
She walked past me and out of the house without taking a second to stop. I listened for the door to close and then I went into my room to pack my own bag.