Being Wrong | ✓

Part 13

Charlie wasn't really sure if he slept that night, or how much. It felt like his brain was alert and buzzing all night, but morning came more quickly than he'd expected.

It had been light for a couple of hours by the time Charlie's dad opened the bathroom door, glanced at Charlie disinterestedly, and then went to take a piss. He left the door open after he was done, so Charlie followed him out and sat down on one of the beds.

Charlie didn't feel as tired as he should have from the little sleep he'd managed to get and all the stress of the previous night. He knew it would hit later, when he no longer needed to be alert or when he finally hit a firm breaking point, but for now his brain was cobbling together all its reserves out of necessity. If it took him too long to find a way to escape, he'd be left battling against the worst his own mind had to offer on top of everything else.

"We're going to be doing a lot of driving today." Charlie's dad peered out of the motel room door, then waved Charlie over as he stepped outside. "We'll stop at Hervey Bay and get some fish and chips for breakfast, then follow the Bruce Highway up North for the rest of the day."

Charlie glanced around the parking lot as they walked towards the car, but they were alone. He climbed into the back seat of the car and did up his seat belt. "Where are we going?"

"Way up North. One of my mates found me some work up there."

"Oh."

"We'll figure things out and get settled down again." Charlie's dad turned the key in the ignition. "Let's see what's on the radio."

The reception was staticy and the car's audio always sounded tinny, but the music from the radio steadied Charlie, gave him something outside of his own head to focus on. As they drove, Charlie stared out the window and read every street sign they passed and memorised landmarks and street names. It was less than an hour before they turned off towards Hervey Bay.

Despite everything that was going on, Charlie still found himself sitting up taller and craning his neck as the first glimpse of the sea. He really did wish he'd been able to go back there again with his parents. Maybe one day he could go with Travis, but only if he could get back to him first. He had to.

Charlie's dad skipped past the more convenient parking spots and headed up a hill to a more secluded spot that overlooked the water. It was pretty, but it was a complete dead end that nobody else had bothered with on a slow Monday morning. The ground dropped off sharply surrounding the parking area, making it so that even on foot the road was the only way out.

"Okay, I'm gonna go get us fish and chips," Charlie's dad told him. "You're going to stay here and not get out of this car."

Charlie stared out over the water. It looked sparkly in the morning sunlight. "Children die in hot cars."

Charlie's dad rolled his window down halfway. "Do not get out of the car, Charlie. I'm serious."

"I won't."

That was even the truth, probably. There was no one here, nowhere to go except down the same road his dad was now walking down which led straight to the fish and chip shop.

School would have started by now. Charlie was missing his first class. Travis would definitely know he was missing by now, and of course his grandparents. Would anyone else notice or care? Did it matter? Somehow the fact that Travis would know, that Travis would care, gave Charlie strength. He didn't think he could do what he needed to otherwise.

If Charlie was going to succeed in getting back to Travis, it would almost certainly mean his dad was going to prison. Maybe that was even a good thing, maybe it meant his dad would avoid the same pointless end his mum had eventually come to, but it would definitely mean he wouldn't be playing any significant part in Charlie's life in the near future. When the alternative was Travis, that was definitely good.