Alerrie: His Son

Seven.

*this chapter features swearing*

Jordie's POV:

Honestly, I didn't mean to read my mum's texts. The phone was upright on the table and mum had gone upstairs so I was going to call her to let her know she'd got a text - I was just trying to be helpful. I picked it up and read the notification when it buzzed.

Alex💙: Is next Tuesday good for you?

Alex? As in my dad Alex? Why was my mum texting him? Why was he asking when she was free? And why was there a heart after his name?

It took me by surprise, seeing that she was communicating with my dad, so I decided to delve a little deeper. I already knew her password so it didn't take long for me to open up her chats. Tapping on her one with Alex, I scrolled to the top of their conversation.

Alex💙: Hi, it's Alex. Is this Vanessa?

Vanessa: Yes it's me.

Alex💙: I just read your email. Sorry for not replying to the first one, I was just pretty shocked tbh. Do you fancy meeting up to talk about the situation sometime?

Vanessa: That would be great, thanks.

Boring. I kept scrolling until something caught my eye. A text from my dad.

Alex💙: Just in case you ever need me, my address is (address).

I didn't think twice before copying the address into my phone notes. Suddenly, I heard my mum coming so I quickly switched off her phone and replaced it on the table. I scurried upstairs, smiling as I passed her. Once I was safely in my room, I opened my phone and copied the address into maps. It wasn't too far away - an hour or two in the car, tops. I bit my nails and thought about what I was doing.

Could I really go? My mum would kill me if she found out.

I discarded all sense and checked train times. There were a few leaving tomorrow, from my station to the one closest to Alex's address. Most notably was one leaving at 1:15 and arriving at 2.

I could get to his house in time for lunch. No, that would be ridiculous. That would mean skiving school and going behind my mum's back. But I'd get to see my dad...

I weighed out the pros and cons and it didn't take me long to come to a decision. I started packing a back for tomorrow's adventure.

-the next day-

The day started off as normal. I got dressed, packed my school bag and went to school. However, in my bag, amongst the two books I needed, my planner and a couple of pens, there was a bag of things that most people would be confused as to why I was bringing to school. Inside the bag was a wallet of money, a spare set of clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, trainers, a phone charger, two battery packs, headphones and a print-out of the train times and the route I would take from the train station to Alex's house. It wasn't a particularly cold day, but I brought my coat anyway so I could stuff my food for the day - two bars of chocolate, a packet of biscuits, an apple, a banana and a pot of pasta I'd found in the fridge - inside it, and so I could use it as a pillow if I ended up having to sleep in a bus shelter or something.

My plan was to sneak out of the school grounds during lunch. That way, it would take at least an hour for the school to inform my mum that I'd disappeared. Then I'd walk as quickly as I could to the train station, buy a ticket and get on the 1:15 train. In my opinion, it was foolproof. I could feel excitement bubbling up inside of me; I was finally going to meet my dad.

My last lesson before lunch was French and don't get me wrong, I love France, but every time I step into a French lesson it feels like each second is an eternity. After suffering for an hour, having to listen to Madame Smith (Seriously, I don't get why French teachers feel the need to call themselves 'Madame'. The fact that their surnames are 'Smith' and 'Brown' kind of gives it away that they're not French.) droning on about verbs in an excruciatingly awful French accent, the bell finally rung. Everyone rushed out of the classroom in the direction of the dining centre, but I slipped away when no one was looking and snuck down a staircase. Now, for the hard part. The school gates were always open as people were constantly coming in for meetings, but there was always a teacher watching the pathway leading up to it. I had to figure out a way to get past without them noticing. That's when I saw the bushes. They ran alongside the pathway and would conceal me pretty well if I hid behind them. The only problem was that they were most likely covered in fox poo. However, I didn't have any other options so, holding my nose, I crept behind them. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, someone shouted my name.