Family Portrait (Fam Series #1)

Chapter 54 - The Paddocks, Torquay

A/N - I know it's a dark and intense chapter, but please remember this is just a story and no offence or humiliation is directed at Charlie Curnow or Zaine Cordy.

Zaine -

Loyalty.

What a word that is - the sort of word where you can immediately feel strength yet betrayal at the same time.

Unworthy.

Unreliable.

Dangerous.

Psychotic.

Criminal.

The reason why I'm listing synonyms here,

                    is because I swear to god, I've seen the war.

Not a war containing guns and bullets (although I honestly would be lying if I said I wasn't preparing myself for coming face to face with one), and not a war with real live ammunition. No helmets and camouflage. No combat. No dangerous explosives (besides Ashleigh Templeton's bipolar mood swings).

A war of someone who promised to so many people he'd stay loyal,

and then broke that promise a million times over.

And it all started with him being arrested for carrying drugs in his bag, when he was caught at a police station.

Yes, you know what I'm talking about. Is it all coming back to you?

Lucky you. You were able to forget about it, and you were able to move on with your life.

Charlie was arrested with his two older brothers George and Ed a month or so ago, for violence and assault where he punched Andrea White's face at the Geelong Railway Station in broad daylight. He and his brothers were released that day, but after the police did a random search of the contents in Charlie's bag, he was found to be carrying illicit drugs.

He was arrested again and held in a different cell to the one he and his brothers were in, and he was not allowed out until Cassie and Dave bailed him out. He had to go to the Melbourne Magistrates Court and everything. It was radical. Even Jayden's older brother Daniel Sayers was shocked, and he's the biggest junkie I know.

But being arrested and sent to court didn't teach Charlie anything. In fact, it's made him worse, if that's even possible.

I'm talking about drug addiction. He doesn't even try to hide it anymore. You drive around Greater Geelong and you always see him off his face, smoking something. I don't know what's happened to him. Adeline won't let him anywhere near their twins. I'm pretty sure she's petrified of him.

"Goddam it. MOVE! What are you waiting for, a signed invitation?" I yell, blasting my horn as I sit behind some moron who's using her phone at a green light. I sigh as I lean my head on my hand - this is not cool. I just wanted to leave my parents' house and go and see an older sibling, and go to a work media appearance. But no, this woman absolutely must take selfies of herself while DRIVING. This is SO not cool.

Deciding to bail out because I don't want to spend the rest of my night being stuck behind her on the highway, I turn into a main road and head through the Geelong CBD instead, deciding to go along the beach. Another bad idea Zaine. Like the traffic would be any better, it's summer.

I stop my car as I join the cue at the red light, annoyed that I'd be stupid enough to come this way. Selfie girl was probably the better option - she reminded me of Ashleigh a little bit. I look out my window at the water as I suddenly see someone familiar, sitting on a bench next to the indoor carousel at Western Beach.