The things we never had

Chapter 18

As Charlotte was eating her dish, she suddenly looked up at me with curiosity in her eyes. "I want to know everything about what happened in London," she said, her tone light but eager.

I smiled, unsure of where to start or how much to share. "What do you want to know?" I asked, playing for time.

"Tell me about your friends," she replied, leaning in as if settling in for a good story.

"Okay," I said, thinking back. "I had a big friend group, mostly just girls. But they weren't really my friends, you know? My actual friend was Max. We were in the same classes from Year 7 to Year 8, and then this year we had slightly fewer classes together, but we were still around each other a lot."

I paused, remembering how different life had been back then. "Our school was in a pretty rich area. It was a public school, but most of the students were still better off. Max was the type who just walked up to people and started talking, and that's basically what he did with me. He started yapping, and I guess I yapped back. We just clicked."

"But," I continued, hesitating for a second, "we didn't have much money. Like, to buy food and stuff..."

Alex, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly interrupted me, his voice sharper than usual. "Wait, what do you mean by that?" His tone was darker, and I could feel the tension in the air as everyone's eyes turned toward me, waiting for an explanation.

I shifted uncomfortably. "We didn't have a lot of money," I said quietly, trying to downplay it. "It was either food or electricity. We had to choose."

"That's not right," Alex said, almost as if he were trying to correct me, as if what I'd said couldn't possibly be true.

"No, I'm pretty sure," I replied, a bit more firmly this time. "If I was in control of the finances, on a good month, we had maybe 50 pounds to spend after rent and bills."

Alex's face hardened, and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Sophia," he said, his voice filled with disbelief. "I gave Amy money every month. Over 10k. I knew she took both of you when she disappeared, but we didn't know if you were dead or alive. So I kept sending the money, just in case. I wanted to make sure that if you were out there, you'd at least have money to survive."

My stomach dropped as his words hit me. My voice came out soft and hoarse, barely a whisper. "We didn't get any of that."

The room fell silent, the weight of my words hanging in the air. My mind raced, tumbling through thoughts and memories, trying to make sense of it all. If Alex had been sending that much money, where had it all gone? Why had we struggled so much, scraping by on what felt like nothing?

Alex's expression was a mix of shock and anger, and I could see the frustration in his eyes. He wasn't just upset at the situation—he was furious at the thought that we'd been deprived of what could've made our lives easier. Everyone around the table was silent, processing the revelation.

Alex didn't say anything in reply. His expression tightened as if he was holding back a flood of emotions, but instead of speaking to me, he picked up his phone. Without a word, he started speaking in their native language, his tone fast and controlled. I couldn't understand what he was saying, but it was clear that he was upset. His voice was sharp, almost biting, as if every word was a command.

He spoke for a few more seconds, his gaze distant and focused on something beyond the room, before abruptly hanging up. The silence that followed was heavy, and I could feel the tension ripple through the room like a wave. Everyone exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak.

I shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what had just happened or what Alex was planning. Whatever he'd just done, it felt significant. The energy in the room had changed, and I could tell that something was going to happen. But for now, the only sound was the clinking of cutlery as people quietly resumed eating, lost in their own thoughts.