Imperfect

Chapter 16

As soon as I close my door I'm on my computer, replying to all the messages. I had warned my friends that I was coming home early, but I had only managed to tell them that at the airport so I hadn't received any replies because of boarding the plane.

Charlie-Hi Maria. If you hadn't already gotten my other message-I'm back at home. Please don't freak out, I don't know if it's true about Max but I know that he had helped Toby by lending him his phone. I think he was being blackmailed. Even if it is Toby (which is correct) why would he apologise? He clearly doesn't mind hurting my feelings so why apologise? It doesn't make any sense and I'm just as eager to talk to Max as you are.

Maria S-Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! This may be the most annoying holiday in my life! I'm guessing that you don't know this but Max came out to us the other day. He seemed super upset and I don't have a clue what to do! He left straight after, and it kinda turned into a parade after him for a while. Everyone's been texting him none stop, trying to find out what is going on, but he's been ignoring us completely and this is just rattling round my head and I really need to see you. Maybe you can make even the slightest bit of headway with this. I know you'll be busy unpacking and everything but could you please come over to talk! I need it to keep my sanity and I'll bet you need it to catch up with everything. Please, please, please, please, please come! Also I hope you had a nice time in England. Was your grandpa's house dead spooky like you said it would be? Please come!

With this exceptionally long explanation of why I should go round, I shut my laptop and run downstairs.

"I'm going to Maria's, I'll be back later!" I shout to Mum and Dad.

"Okay, text when you get there!" Mum calls.

I don't stop running, I just keep going until I get to Maria's Mums house.

"Oh, hey Charlie!" Mrs Ship greeted me when I knocked on the door. "Maria's in her room. I think she's been freaking out a little bit."

I follow her directions into Maria's room, which she shares with her two brothers.

The TV is on, blurring out 'Horrible Histories' which Kyle seems to be entranced by. Whilst Sam's hurriedly typing on his phone.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!" I greet.

"Maria's got her headphones on behind the curtain." Sam tells me, without looking up from his phone.

I push aside the curtain, which separates Maria's cramped room from her brother's.

"Morning." I say, successfully making her look up from her phone.

"Charlie! It's so good to see you! I'm completely freaking out, this is so confusing and nothing makes any sense! Please tell me you have some sort of answers, NO ONE HAS BEEN TELLING ME ANYTHING!" She shouts as she pulls me into a hug.

"Shush! I can't hear the telly!" Someone yells from the other side of the curtain.

"You shush!" Maria retaliates. "Now please sit!"

I do as she says and we end up sitting on her bead like we're having a mother's meeting.

"So what do you know and what can I fill you in on?" She asks pointedly.

"Err... THEMAN apologised and basically people keep telling me things but I don't know what's actually true." I tell her.

"Okay, so you read the thing that THEMAN posted? Well funnily enough no one's been able to keep in contact with Toby and the only thing Max's done was turn up at Oscar's when we were around. He came out to us then ran out. Some of them followed him and it sort of became a parade as I said. Anyway I don't know if you know this but THEMAN's apparently posted another few lines of abuse. There seems to a steady line of people responding in retaliation, but loads of people have also blocked him so tones of people aren't reading and he has less viewers. But this is all so confusing and I feel like I'm completely lost. I know it's stupid for me to be freaking out this much but you seem completely calm and I feel like you should be freaking out so I'm freaking out because of that and then I'm also freaking out for the both of us, and Max and Toby and pretty much everyone involved in this entire mess. I don't understand it and I feel like I'm on the outside of everything and I know that this isn't even about me-in fact it's about pretty much everyone else and I'm just being an idiot and slowing you down from resolving this mess and not being any help at all and a pretty useless friend!" By this point she was practically bawling her eyes out, and was leaning heavily on my shoulder.