Nobody's Perfect

[Chickiboomxx]

Story Title: Nobody's Perfect

Type of story: Long fiction

Main characters: Charlie, Brax and other characters

BTTB rating: T

Genre: Romance, family, drama, mystery

Does story include spoilers: Yes

Any warnings: V/D, L & A.

Summary: Charlie and Ruby moved from the bay a couple of years ago but when they return, things have changed a lot. New people have arrived and new romances are to be had. But when the truth reveals itself, will the relationships survive the bumpy journey?

Chapter 1-

Charlie parked the car at the caravan park and she and Ruby climbed out, excitedly. They had left the bay a couple of years ago when Ruby had discovered Charlie was her mother, to rebuild their relationship and sort things out. Now, Charlie thought their relationship was fixed and they were closer than they had ever been before so coming back to Summer Bay seemed like the best option. Charlie knocked on the door of what she hoped was still Miles' house and waited, nervously for it to open.

Charlie! Ruby!" Miles said happily, looking very surprised to see them standing there. He gave them a hug before saying, "Wow, I didn't know you were coming back! When did you arrive?"

"About five minutes ago," Charlie laughed. "Would we be able to rent a caravan?"

"Of course!" he handed her some keys and then they sorted out the payment.

"It probably won't be for long," She said. "It's just until we find somewhere more permanent."

"So you're staying in the bay for good then?" Miles asked, hopefully.

"Yes," Ruby answered for Charlie. "I wonder if Leah would let us stay at her house again."

Miles bit his lip. "Err well, there's something I need to-"

"Honey, will you fetch me some towels from the cupboard?" A voice shouted. Miles looked uncomfortable.

"Was that-" Ruby began but Charlie nudged her. "Leah," Ruby finished, ignoring Charlie.

"One second," Miles said, apologetically, hurrying out of the room. Charlie and Ruby heard him talking and then a minute later they heard an excited squeal and Leah appeared, a towel wrapped around her wet body, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ruby, Charlie!" She threw her arms around them both. "You're back! How long are you staying?"

"We're back," Charlie smiled, hugging Leah. "And we have no plans to leave again."

"Ah good," Leah sighed in relief. She noticed them both look at her and then at Miles who had just walked in.

"Err well, about that...not long after you left we sort of...yeah." she said awkwardly.

Charlie nodded then smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks, Charlie," Leah smiled.

"What other exciting things have happened since we left?" Ruby asked.

Leah took a deep breath. "Well...heaps to be honest. Take a seat, this will take a while"

Charlie and Ruby sat down and waited for Leah to begin. "Be prepared," Leah warned. She took another huge breath and then stopped. "Are you sure, you want to hear this? You might be surprised. A lot has changed."

Charlie nodded and then Leah began.

"Okay then, Martha and Hugo left the bay, Annie and Jai also left to go to Japan and Geoff left to be a minister. Rachel, Tony and Harry left to America where Rachel got a job. Gina Austin married John Palmer. A lady called Bianca Scott moved to the bay with her teenage sister, April and April is dating Dexter Walker, whose family came back to the bay. His sister, Indi got married to Romeo Smith and Indi's father, Sid is now with Roo who is Alf's daughter. Alf's good friend, Marilyn also moved to the bay a while ago. She and Sid were together for a long time before Roo came. They were living together and talking about having a baby but they broke up. Marilyn and Roo are both currently living here now along with Alf, Romeo, Miles and myself. Elijah who is a reverend also moved here a while ago. Elijah and I were together for a long time and he and VJ were very close but then...well let's just say we broke up too. Nicole had a baby called George. She and...Angelo got together and left the bay with George. Um...a girl called Kelly and her brother, Dean also came to the bay and they're staying with Xavier's family. Also, a new gang of boys from Mangrove River came to the bay and they're causing a lot of trouble too... So there you go."

Charlie gulped. "Wow! How long was I away for?"

Leah smiled. "I know it's a lot to take in. That's only half of the gossip but the rest can wait for another time. Why don't I mind you a nice coffee and you can relax," She suggested.

Charlie was lost for words so she just smiled and nodded, gratefully. Ruby's eyebrows seemed to be stuck permanently at the top of her forehead and she just stared open mouthed at Leah as she bustled around in the kitchen.

"Drink, Ruby?" Leah called.

"Yes please," Ruby replied, snapping out of her trance.

A few hours later, Ruby and Charlie were settled in their caravan. They had decided to save the reunions for tomorrow. Charlie was thinking of becoming a police officer again and Ruby was being enrolled back in Summer Bay High straight away which she was not looking forward to. As she and Charlie ate dinner, Ruby decided to bring the topic up again.

"Mum?" Ruby said sweetly, smiling up at Charlie.

"You only call me Mum when you want something," Charlie sighed. "Spill."

"You know how you wanted me to start school again, straight away?" Ruby said slowly.

"I know where this is getting Ruby Buckton and I'm not having this discussion with you again. My answer won't change. You're starting school again on Monday which leaves you two days to relax and get settled."

Ruby groaned. "But Mu-um that's not fair! You don't have to start work on Monday."

"That's because I don't have a job yet. I still need to make a visit to the police station and see if I'm able to start again."

Ruby sighed, realising she was getting nowhere. She carried her plate to the sink before giving Charlie one last pleading look.

"No, Ruby," Charlie said, firmly. Ruby's angelic face turned into a deadly glare as she stormed out of the door.

The next morning after breakfast, Charlie decided it was time to go for a walk. She might say hello to a few people too. Charlie couldn't really say she was looking forward to it. As Leah had explained, so much had changed since they had left. Ruby had left a note to say she had gone out to get some fresh air so Charlie freshened up, got changed and then left the caravan.

She headed straight to the beach, happy to see nothing had changed there. She kicked off her shoes and walked along the sand, the breeze whipping her hair around. She heard a wolf whistle from behind her and she spun around to see a good looking man, admiring her. His chest was bare showing off a tattoo reading BLOOD AND SAND.

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks Dingo x, lozlovesh&a, elikell, teespazzr, ~JarlieFanEver~, callyha, soph1303, -Carina-, Kristen, Angel90 and mft for the nice comments! Sorry this chapter isn't very long.

Note: The River boys aren't involved in drugs, they're just generally up to no good.

Chapter 2-

The man smiled at Charlie before holding out his hand. "Darryl Braxton but please, call me Brax."

Charlie hesitated before shaking his hand. "Charlie Buckton," she sighed.

"Haven't seen you around before. Are you new to the bay?"

"Not exactly. I left the bay a couple of years ago due to...reasons and now I've returned."

"Alone?" He asked, cheekily.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "You're certainly one to say what's on your mind."

"You're certainly one to avoid the question."

"Fine, no I did not come alone and if you don't mind, I should get going," Charlie replied.

Brax's smile faded a little. "Who's the lucky man?"

"There is no man," Charlie sighed, turning away.

"Woman?"

Charlie just shook her head and began walking away. "Goodbye Brax," She answered over her shoulder.

"Would you like to have a coffee with me sometime?" he called after her.

Charlie just smiled and carried on walking, ignoring the chuckles from behind her. Once she was off the beach, she couldn't resist taking a quick look out of the corner of her eye to see where Brax was. He was standing in the same place on the beach staring at her. He saw her looking and gave a charming wave. Charlie couldn't help but grin back at him, a girlish giggle escaping out of her lips. She snapped out of it quickly, closing her mouth and turning back around, setting off to Irene's house.

She knocked on Irene's door, trying to get Darryl Braxton out of her mind. It swung open to reveal a slightly flustered Irene.

"Charlie, love!" Irene pulled her into a hug. "You're back! When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Charlie replied, happily.

"Are you getting your job back?" Irene asked.

"I'm actually going to the police station after this to see if I'm able to start again."

"Ah, that's good. Have you met April and Bianca yet?"

"No, I haven't. Leah's mentioned them though. Are they staying with you?"

"Yes, they are. April's at her friend Dex's house at the moment but Bianca's just in her room. Let me give her a call."

"Bianca!" Irene called. There were footsteps and then a pretty woman with long blonde hair came into the room.

"Bianca, this is Charlie Buckton. She was a police officer but she left the bay a couple of years ago with her daughter Ruby."

"Hello, Charlie, it's lovely to meet you. Would you like a drink?"

"Yes thanks," Charlie smiled, following Bianca into the kitchen. "So when did you come to the bay?"

"Last year, sometime in July,' Bianca replied, opening the cupboard. "Coffee?"

"That would be great, thanks," Charlie said. Bianca got busy making them both a coffee, chatting away to Charlie happily like they had known each other for years. Charlie found that Bianca was very easy to talk to and she knew they were going to become good friends.

"Where's Ruby?" Irene asked, coming into the kitchen.

"When I woke up this morning, she wasn't there. She had left a note saying she was going out for some fresh air. She's probably back at the caravan now," Charlie replied.

"I'm going to have a quick walk now anyway. I'll see if I can find her," Irene said, disappearing out of the door.

Bianca handed Charlie a mug of coffee and Charlie took it gratefully. "Thanks," She smiled as they both sat down on the sofa and got lost in another conversation. Charlie found it fun to talk to Bianca but her mind was still elsewhere. Wandering around with Darryl Braxton.

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks elikell, Kristen, Lucii, Angel90, lozlovesh&a, Danni02, -Carina-, Dingo x and ~JarlieFanEver~ for the comments! They're really nice to read

I apologize for not having posted another chapter sooner. I've been really busy lately but I'll try to post more frequently from now on.

Chapter 3-

The next morning, Charlie and Ruby were still exhausted. They had got together with lots of friends yesterday and hadn't got to bed until very late. Charlie hadn't had time to go to the police station in the end so she had decided she would go at some point this morning. Ruby, still half asleep rubbed her eyes as she made her way over to the table where Charlie was sitting, reading the paper.

Charlie looked up as Ruby entered and laughed. "Good morning Ruby. Or should I say good afternoon?"

Ruby yawned and looked at her watch. "It's still morning...just." She walked over to the cupboard and grabbed some cereal from the shelf and then stopped and stared at it. "When did you get this?"

"I took a quick trip to the shops this morning to grab some essentials," Charlie replied.

"You must have got up pretty early," Ruby said sleepily, finding some milk and tipping it messily over the counter. "Whoops."

She grabbed a cloth to wipe up the mess while Charlie grabbed her bag.

"I'm just going to the police station," She said. "Hopefully there's room for me to start again. If not then I'll move on to plan B."

"Which is?" Ruby asked.

"Just sit on my butt and think of another option."

Ruby sighed. "Fingers crossed then."

"Bye," Charlie smiled, opening the caravan door and disappearing outside. Ruby finished her cereal, got changed and freshened up before leaving the caravan too. She headed down to the beach and was enjoying being alone until she heard a voice.

"Ruby?"

She spun around to see Xavier standing there, staring at her incredulously, another girl in his arms.

"Xavier," She breathed. When Ruby had found out about Charlie being her mother and the two of them had planned to leave the bay, Ruby had very sadly ended things with Xavier, telling him that she was moving away and that there was no hope of them staying together. It had been very hard due to the fact that Ruby was still in love with him. And now, looking at him with this other girl, brought back memories but she forced herself to pull it together.

"You must be Kelly," She said, forcing a smile and shaking the other girl's hand. "Leah told me about you. I'm sorry I can't stay and chat but it was very nice meeting you." She turned and began walking away.

"Ruby, wait!"

Ruby took a deep breath before slowing turning around to look at Xavier. "Yes?"

"We saw you heading down here. You were on the beach for about five seconds before seeing us and now you suddenly have to go. We haven't seen each other in years. Don't I get a hello?"

Ruby sighed. "Hello," she said stiffly. "Happy? Now goodbye Xavier. I'll see you around, I guess."

Xavier watched her leave, feeling the love he had felt for her years ago, come flooding back.

Charlie walked into the police station and up to the main desk. There was a male police officer there that she didn't recognize.

"Hello, I'm Charlie Buckton. I used to be a police officer here but then I moved away and quit my job. I called you a couple of weeks ago about getting my job back so I'm just here to check my spot is still available."

He rustled through some papers on the desk.

"Ah yes, Miss Buckton. We currently have a temporary police officer filling your spot but now you're here again, we'd be happy to have you back. We just need you to sign some paperwork and then you'll probably be able to start on Monday if that's okay."

Charlie smiled. "That's great, thanks."

Half an hour later, after having confirmed everything down at the station, Charlie headed to the Surf Club, happy that everything was sorted out. She headed up to counter and was about to order a coffee when she was approached by Brax.

"Charlie!" he smiled. "Fancy seeing you here. Want to take me up on my offer?"

Charlie quickly tried to think of an excuse to get out of it but then stopped. One coffee couldn't hurt. True, she didn't really know this man but this would be a good way to get to know him better.

She sighed. "A quick coffee but this is not a date and it doesn't mean anything."

"If you say so," Brax said, flashing her a cheesy smile.

Charlie couldn't help but smile as they ordered two coffees and sat down at a table. As soon as the coffees arrived, Brax turned his full attention to Charlie.

"So, tell me about yourself, Charlie," He said, taking a sip of his coffee.

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks Dingo x, ~JarlieFanEver~, lozlovesh&a, elikell, Angel90, Lucii, -Carina- and soph1303 for the lovely comments!

Sorry, this chapter's very short!

Chapter 4-

Ruby marched off to the Surf Club, trying to forget all about Xavier and that stupid Kelly person he was with. Assuming Xavier hadn't told Kelly about their history, he would probably have a little explaining to do. She walked inside, head held high, banishing all the thoughts revolving around Xavier, out of her mind. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and began walking confidently towards the counter but somehow managed to trip over an empty coffee cup and instead landed on her face, a little squeal escaping from her mouth.

"Ruby?" Charlie came hurrying over to her, followed by a man who helped Ruby get up off the floor.

"Don't worry, Charlie, I'm fine. I just tripped," Ruby assured her, ignoring the throbbing sensation in her nose. "You get back to your date and I'll see you back at the caravan later where I will be waiting for you to come home and tell me the juicy details."

"One, it's not a date and two, I can assure you there will be no 'juicy details' for me to tell you," Charlie replied, her face turning a light shade of pink. "And yes Ruby, if you're sure you're okay then I will see you back at the caravan later."

"Don't you worry, when I'm finished with your sister, I'm sure she'll have plenty of juicy details to tell you," Brax grinned.

Charlie's pink cheeks turned crimson. Ruby didn't know whether it was because of his last cheeky comment or the fact that he thought Ruby was Charlie's sister. Ruby opened her mouth to correct him but Charlie shot her a warning look and shook her head quickly.

"Well, I will leave you to your date," Ruby smiled. Charlie nodded and she and Brax went back to their table. Ruby headed up to the counter and ordered a smoothie, taking it back to the table the furthest away from her mother.

A boy, about her age came up to the table and smiled at Ruby. "You okay? That was a pretty impressive fall back there."

Ruby groaned. "I was hoping nobody had seen that."

"I'm Casey by the way. Casey Braxton. And you are...?"

"Ruby Buckton," Ruby said, smiling and shaking his hand.

"Who's that woman that came up to you before? Is she a friend?"

Ruby hesitated and then after taking another look into the boy's eyes, realised that she could probably trust him. "That was actually my mother," she admitted.

Casey's eyes widened in surprise but then when he saw Ruby's embarrassed face he said quickly, "I'm not going to judge you. It's just the person she's sitting with is my older brother so I was just wondering if you knew what was going on with them."

Ruby motioned for him to sit down and then said, "Well, Charlie's never mentioned him so it's probably recent. Whatever it is though, she's trying to convince herself, it's nothing."

Casey sat down and looked at Charlie and Brax. "Doesn't look like nothing to me."

"My thoughts exactly," Ruby said. She slurped the last of her smoothie up and was in the middle of another conversation with Casey when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Ruby?"

Ruby broke her gaze with Casey and looked up to see Xavier standing in front of them but this time he was alone. "Ruby, can I please talk to you?"

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks sooo much for the comments, soph1303, lozlovesh&a, Dingo x, ~JarlieFanEver~, elikell, Lucii, Angel90 and -Carina-.

I really enjoy reading them. I apologize again for the shortness of the chapter. I've only just managed to get on here and it had to be quick.

Chapter 5-

Ruby swallowed and looked across at Casey awkwardly.

He looked at her and then at Xavier before saying quickly, "Um yeah, I have to go now so I'll see you soon Ruby?"

"Um... yes," Ruby smiled as he stood up. Casey rummaged in his pocket and then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He scribbled his number down, handed it to Ruby and then walked out of the door, giving her a little wave over his shoulder.

Xavier watched Casey leave before sitting down in the empty chair and glancing up at Ruby. "Who was that?"

"That isn't really any of your business," Ruby snapped, stuffing the piece of paper in her pocket.

Xavier put his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry, sorry, just curious."

"So...what did you want to talk to me about?" Ruby asked, trying to calm herself down.

He swallowed. "Well...I was just wondering... what's the deal with us? I mean...before you left we were together and now you're back..."

"Well obviously you've already figured that out Xavier or you wouldn't be with Kelly, would you?"

"Ruby let's just forget about Kelly for a minute. If I wasn't with her then would you consider getting back together with me?"

Ruby hesitated. "Xav...why are you asking me this? What if I say yes? Then what? You're gonna break up with her?"

"That's the thing Ruby, I just don't know. You left and I was still in love with you. I never stopped loving you but then Kelly came and we just sort of clicked. I was unsure at first but then I realised that you probably weren't coming back. Now you're back and... I just don't know what to do."

Ruby grabbed her bag and stood up. "Well I'll leave you to figure it out then shall I?" She hissed, storming out of the building.

A few hours later after her date with Brax, Charlie entered the caravan, still smiling. Ruby was sitting on a chair, staring into space looking a little sad. She suddenly noticed Charlie and bounded up to her, her face instantly changing into a huge grin. "How was it?"

"It was...great actually. He's nothing like I thought. Under all that cheeky, cocky attitude, there's a very sweet, caring man." Charlie grinned and began daydreaming, quickly interrupted by Ruby who was bombarding her with questions.

"Do you really like him? What's his name? When are you seeing him again?"

"His name is Brax and I'm seeing him tomorrow evening. We're going out for dinner," Charlie said happily.

"Wow, it must have been good," Ruby laughed.

"What were you up to today?" Charlie asked Ruby curiously.

"Um well after my little incident in the surf club, I got chatting to a boy called Casey. He's Brax's brother and he's really nice. Then...um... well that's it really."

Charlie wasn't sure Ruby was being entirely truthful but she didn't push it. Instead she said, "Well, I'm going to go and have a shower," and disappeared out of the room. Ruby watched her leave, and then pulled out the piece of paper with Casey's number scrawled on it. She added him as a contact and then typed a quick message to him.

I'm really sorry about earlier. I was having a really good time until he showed up. I was wondering if you wanted to meet up again soon?

Ruby

[Chickiboomxx]

I'm really sorry for not posting another chapter up sooner. I've been quite ill but I'm feeling better now. Thanks lozlovesh&a, Kristen, elikell, Angel90, ~JarlieFanEver~, Lucii, -Carina-, Dingo x and Danni02 for the comments. They mean a lot

Chapter 6-

Brax opened his front door, smiling to himself. Charlie must have liked him if they were seeing each other tomorrow night. He was about to sit down but found that there was already someone occupying his seat.

"Hey Brax, where have you been?" Heath asked grinning up at his brother. "Fancy partying tonight? My friend Dave has just got this really nice place and he's throwing a big party there at eleven o clock. He says we can come along if we bring some beer."

Brax sighed. "We went to a party last night."

"So? This ones going to be bigger and better. It's got three stories and a massive swimming pool. Come on Brax," Heath said.

"I don't know Heath. Normally these parties end up with us all being drunk and getting into trouble with the cops. Not my idea of fun."

"Fine be a goody goody but I can assure you this is going to be legendary. You don't know what you're missing out on."

Brax rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Heath pretended to look offended. "I'm your brother and I wanted to see you. Is that a problem?"

"How did you get in?"

"The door was open," Heath shrugged. "Always is."

"Where's Case?" Brax asked ignoring his brother.

"I dunno. But he's coming to the party tonight, I've already asked him."

"What?" Brax demanded. "Casey coming to this party? I don't think so."

"I asked him earlier today and he said he'll be there. If you have a problem with it then tell Casey that but he's old enough to look after himself Brax. You don't need to baby him."

"I'm not babying him, I just don't think it's a good idea letting him come to this party. There's going to be drinking and fights and the usual mayhem going on."

Heath picked up a beer from the coffee table and took a swig while Brax glared at him.

"Heath, would you mind going back to your own house? I have to find Casey and I don't trust you here alone."

Heath downed the rest of his drink and made for the door. "I'm expecting you to show your face at this party Brax. Or maybe you're not a true River Boy after all."

Brax took a deep breath, looked out of the window and after making sure Heath was gone he left the house too, dialing Casey's number as he went.

A few hours later Charlie found Ruby lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Charlie looked at the bundle in her hands before slowly backing out of the room again. Now probably wasn't the best time. The floorboards creaked, making Ruby turn her head around sharply.

She sighed. "Charlie what are you doing?" She eyed the items in Charlie's hands and groaned. "Don't remind me."

Charlie rolled her eyes and approached her again shoving the bundle into Ruby's hands. "I picked it up for you earlier. And don't complain, I don't think it's that bad."

Ruby unfolded her new school uniform and held it up. "Maybe it's not that bad but it doesn't change the fact that it's a UNIFORM. For the SCHOOL that I'm starting TOMORROW."

"Well if it makes you feel better, I'm starting work before you. Tonight in fact. The police station called me earlier to say that they needed me sooner because a member of their staff is sick. I'll be going there in an hour or two."

"Which you actually sound happy about," Ruby grumbled.

"At least you'll know people, Ruby. You'll know Xav- Casey and lots of your friends from a while ago."

Ruby just mumbled something quietly and turned her back to Charlie. Charlie sighed and left the room.

At ten to eleven, Casey was all ready for the party and was looking forward to it. Brax had tried convincing him not to go but Casey had complained and eventually they had agreed that Brax would come and pick him up and they would go together but only for a little while. He heard Brax's car pull up outside the house and he hurried to the front door. Brax beeped his horn and Casey left the house and climbed into the car next to Brax.

"Remember, we are just going for a bit to please Heath and then we are leaving before things get too violent, okay?" Brax said.

"Fine," Casey sighed. They eventually arrived at the destination of the party and even Brax had to admit it was very nice. The house was huge. Lots of cars were parked outside the house and they could already hear music and voices.

Dave greeted them at the door and took the six-pack of beer that Brax had handed him with gratitude. "Thanks mate. Come in."

Most of the people were outside, crowded around the huge pool, dancing, drinking and talking. Brax and Casey spotted Heath with a group of girls and made their way over to him.

Heath spotted them, smiled and nodded at Brax. "I knew you would see sense eventually."

Soon the party really got going. More alcohol was consumed and the atmosphere was getting more dangerous. A few of the older boys had drunk far too much already and were throwing a few wild hits at the people that annoyed them.

"Oy, you wanna come and have some beer with us?" A drunk man asked Casey, grabbing his arm and leading him over to his friends.

Brax glared at the man and dragged Casey back. "He's staying with me, thanks. And he's not allowed to drink."

"Who are you, his father?" The man retorted, thrusting a strong beer into Casey's hands. "He can do what he likes."

"Casey come on, let's go," Brax said urgently to Casey.

The man pushed Brax away causing him to stumble over. The drunk man and his friends laughed at him.

"How about a swim?" The man asked, shoving Brax closer to the pool. Brax shoved him back. "No thanks."

Soon the two of them were wrestling as a crowd formed around them and began laughing and cheering.

"Oh no, I think the cops have arrived!" A girl shouted, running towards them.

Brax tried to break free of the headlock the man had him in but he couldn't. Instead he was pushed closer to the water. People were running into them, trying to leave before the police got to them. A large man came slamming into Brax, causing Brax and the drunk man to fall into the water. Brax emerged from the bottom to see the place nearly deserted. But his eyes were only focused on one spot. A familiar lady in a police uniform was staring down at him in shock. He wiped the water and blood from his eyes and looked back at the lady.

"Charlie?" He asked, wishing he would disappear.

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks so much for the comments, lozlovesh&a, ~JarlieFanEver~, soph1303, Angel90, Kristen and elikell for the comments. They're so nice to read.

I'm really sorry about this chapter being very short. I only have a little while to write this.

Chapter 7-

"B-Brax?" Charlie stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Brax quickly climbed out of the pool, his dripping clothes leaving a wet puddle on the ground. "I...well I...Heath wanted me to come and Casey was going to go as well...so I agreed to bring him here just for a little while...but then people got drunk and this guy tried to start a fight with me so..." He finished, lamely.

Charlie shook her head and sighed. "I just didn't think you of all people would be involved in this."

"What about you? You never told me you were a police officer!" Brax pointed out, staring at her uniform.

This time it was Charlie's turn to look sheepish. "Well...I guess I didn't think it was that important. Do you by any chance know who the River Boys are? The other officers told me it was probably them behind this party."

Brax swallowed. He opened his mouth to tell Charlie the truth but Heath and Casey chose that moment to come over.

"We're the River Boys," Heath informed Charlie, pointing to the three of them. "There are more of us of course, including lots of the people at this party but-"

"You're the River Boys?" Charlie gasped, looking accusingly at Brax. "Well that's just-"

"Charlie, I can explain!" Brax interrupted, grabbing her arm as she began to turn away. Charlie glared at him and pulled his arm off her, turning around and storming away, ignoring his protests. "And dinner's canceled!" She added over her shoulder.

Brax put his head in his hands and groaned.

"Dinner?" Heath asked. "Dinner? You were going to dinner with a police officer?"

"Shut up Heath!" Brax told him. "If it wasn't for this stupid party..."

"No, I'm sure she still would've found out in the end," Heath said, happily.

Casey looked at Heath. "Why do you sound so happy?" He asked. "We're probably going to get in a lot of trouble with the cops now."

Heath shrugged. "That's not new."

Brax spotted the police officers heading their way and sighed. "Are you going to arrest us? Because if you do then that would be stupid. There were hundreds of people at this party, just because we happen to still be here-"

"No we're not going to arrest you. But we need you to tell us who hosted the party in the first place," a male police officer said.

"Dave Marido," Heath replied.

"Is this his house?" The police officer asked.

"Yes," Heath said. "Now please can we go?"

The police officer shooed them away and the three boys quickly scarpered, jumping over the garden fence and running to the car.

Charlie watched Brax and his brothers leave, feeling a mixture of anger and confusion.

"That was the last time, I am ever coming to one of your friends parties," Brax snapped at Heath, as they arrived at Brax's house.

"Hey, hey calm down. We didn't get into any trouble did we?" Heath pointed out.

Brax grabbed his phone and sent a message to Charlie:

Charlie, it's me.

I'm really sorry but please can you let me explain?

If you want to hear me out then meet me at the

Surf Club tomorrow at one o clock.

Hoping to see you there,

Brax

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks so much for the comments Lucii, ~JarlieFanEver!~, -Carina-, Angel90, elikell, lozlovesh&a, Kristen and soph1303. They make my day.

Chapter 8-

After her shift, Charlie drove back to the caravan park, still feeling a mixture of emotions. She wanted to make herself hate Brax but it was hard when he was just so...Brax.

Charlie's phone beeped as she parked the car and she climbed out, pulling it out of her pocket as she made her way through the darkness and towards the door of their caravan. She glanced at the screen, sighing when she saw who it was from. Brax, of course. Instead of opening the message, her finger hovered over the delete button but she forced herself to have a quick look, just in case it was something besides useless apologies.

Her eyes scanned the screen quickly. Let him explain? What good would that do? She turned her phone off and opened the door, blocking the message from her mind. She tiptoed across the floor, reaching for the light switch, trying her best not to step on the creaky floorboards and disturb Ruby, who was probably asleep.

"Hi mum, how was your shift?" The light flicked on and Charlie saw Ruby standing in the bedroom doorway in her pajamas.

"Um, it was okay I guess. Did I wake you up?"

"Nah, I was already awake. Just thinking about...things."

"Well, I'm exhausted, so I'm gonna get some sleep," Charlie said, pulling off her shoes and walking into the bedroom. She changed into some pajamas and then gave her teeth a brush, climbing into bed, yawning.

The next morning, Ruby's alarm beeped loudly and she sat up, wearily. Just one more extra minute in bed couldn't hurt, could it? she thought, her head flopping back onto the pillow. Her eyes closed again and soon she was sound asleep.

Ruby's eyes opened and she smiled, rolling over and stretching. She glanced at the clock, thought for a minute and then jumped up quickly. "Holy s**t!" she cried, grabbing her uniform and yanking it on. She attacked her hair with a brush and then ran into the kitchen, skidding up to the counter. A note from Charlie was stuck there and Ruby pulled it off, reading it quickly.

Hey Rubes,

I have a shift pretty early this morning so that's where I am now.

I hope you're up and ready for school in good time,

I wouldn't want you to be late on your first day back.

I'm trusting you to be responsible and sort yourself out.

I will see you later,

Charlie xoxo

Ruby groaned and grabbed some cereal from the cupboard, gobbling some down straight from the packet. She poured a little bit of milk inside her mouth too and crunched it all up but it just tasted of cardboard. She gave her teeth a brush and shoved her school things into a bag, slipping her feet into some shoes. Her mind didn't seem to be working properly and she couldn't remember if she had forgotten anything but she didn't really care. In a flash, she had grabbed her bag and disappeared out of the door, trying not to imagine the teacher's reaction when she showed up late.

The bell rang loudly and Casey Braxton hurried into the classroom with his other classmates, sitting down in an empty seat at the back. His teacher, Miles Copeland walked into the classroom too, looking around, happily. "Good morning class," he said, standing at the front of the classroom. "We have a new student with us today..." He looked around the classroom. "Well...we will do soon. I don't know where she is but some of you knew her before she left the bay. Ruby Buckton?"

Lots of people started talking at once and Miles held up his hand and shushed them. "Anyway, I hope you will make her feel welcome again and be nice to her. So, we better get started on the lesson..."

Casey perked up at the mention of Ruby, feeling happy that he would get to see her again soon. He look expectantly at the door but nobody appeared.

About ten more minutes into the lesson, the classroom was quite except for the scribbling of pens and rustle of papers. Soon, the silence was broken as someone skidded into the room, falling over. "I'm really, really, really sorry I'm late!" Ruby burst out, climbing to her feet, looking embarrassed. She turned to Miles and her face relaxed slightly.

"Well Ruby, I'll let you off seeing as it's your first day. Please find a seat and I'll explain what to do."

Ruby's eyes darted nervously around the room but when she spotted Casey, she smiled and hurried over to the seat next to him.

"Hi," he whispered as she sat down and unpacked her things.

"Hi," she smiled. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Your entrance was even more spectacular then the first," Casey laughed.

Ruby flushed but she giggled too, feeling that her day wasn't going to be as bad as she thought.

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks for the comments, Kristen, Angel90, -Carina-, lozlovesh&a, Danni02, soph1303, ~JarlieFanEver~ and elikell. I love reading them

Chapter 9-

Brax sat at a table at the Surf Club, staring hopefully at his watch. It was now twelve fifty and his hopes of Charlie showing up were fading slowly. He really wanted her to come and hear him out. He hadn't actually planned what he was going to say to her but he knew that these things couldn't really be planned. He would just say what came to him...if she came that is.

Charlie grabbed her bag and left the police station. She had finished her shift and decided to head to the Surf Club to grab a coffee. She was about leave when she remembered something. That's where Brax had wanted to meet her. Apparently he had a very good reason for not telling her he was a River Boy. She looked at her watch. Twelve fifty five. If she wanted to, she could probably still get there in good time...but did she really want to? Charlie thought for a minute and then made her decision. Yes, she would go and see what he had to say. If he had a good reason then maybe she would consider forgiving him and if not...then she wouldn't.

Charlie spotted her car on the other side of the road and started to walk over to it but when she was halfway there, a rumbling noise appeared out of nowhere and a car came skidding around the corner. Charlie saw everything in slow motion. She tried to move her legs but they seemed to be cemented into the road. The car screeched and tried to stop but it was too late. It whammed into her and she fell, her vision going black.

A while later, Brax's eyes flickered to his watch again. It was half past one and yet he was still sitting alone. He sighed and stood up, heading to the door. The woman behind the counter smiled at him sympathetically as he left the building.

He put his hood up, tucked his hands into his pocket and put his head down, walking miserably towards the beach. A couple walked past him, hand in hand, staring lovingly into each others eyes. Brax watched them, wishing that couple was Charlie and him. He wanted desperately for there to be something he could do, anything he could do to get Charlie back. And then he knew.

Brax knocked on the door and waited, patiently for it to open. When it did, his mother was standing in the doorway, eyebrows raised.

"What are you doing here, Darryl?" She demanded, looking at him like he was a piece of filth.

"Is Heath there?" Brax asked, trying to peer over her bony shoulder.

She rolled her eyes and disappeared, leaving the door open a jar. Brax waited for her to return but when she didn't, he pushed open the door and went inside. Heath was just walking towards the door, looking a little confused.

"Hey bro, what's up? We're meeting the boys at the national park tonight. We're gonna spice it up a little if you know what I mean," He smiled, pulling two spray cans out of his pocket.

Brax shook his head. "I'm not going."

"What?" Heath asked, looking surprised.

"You heard me. I'm not going."

"What do you mean?"

"God, Heath! Do you really need me to say it again?" Brax shouted, his temper rising. "I'm sick of this! Sick of the River Boys! Sick of everything to do with them! I don't want to go to parties every night and spend the rest of my time getting into trouble with the cops for vandalizing local places! That's just not who I want to be! I can't even be with the person that I like because of who I am. Or should I say who I was? There's no point pretending to be something that I'm not."

Heath's mouth hung open. "So what you're saying is-"

"So what I'm saying, Heath, is that I quit. I don't want to be a River Boy any more."

[Chickiboomxx]

Thanks so much for the comments, soph1303, lozlovesh&a, elikell, Angel90, Kristen, teespazzr, -Carina- and ~JarlieFanEver~. They're really nice to read.

Chapter 10-

"W-what?" Heath stammered, looking surprised and angry at the same time.

"Do you really need me to repeat myself again?" Brax sighed, looking at his watch. "I really need to find Charlie."

"Being a River Boy isn't just something you can quit, Brax," Heath told him, sounding annoyed.

"I just did," Brax replied calmly. Before Heath could say anything else, he turned around and walked out of the door. He climbed into his car and drove to the caravan park, assuming that's where Charlie would be.

Once the car had been parked, Brax hurried out and raced up to her caravan. He knocked on the door and waited. There was no answer. He approached the side window and tried to peer through the gap in the blinds. He couldn't make out shapes but he could see that there were no lights on inside. Brax scratched his head and thought for a minute.

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice said from behind him. Brax spun around to see Colleen standing there, frowning at him.

"I was looking for Charlie," He answered. "Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"Depends why you were looking for her," Colleen said, curiously.

"I...well I can't really say that's any of your business," Brax responded.

"I suppose she could be at the police station, but then again maybe she's not," Colleen finished, picking up her bag and continuing to walk.

"Yes of course, thanks Colleen!" Brax smiled, climbing back inside his car. He started it up and drove towards the police station, hoping that's where she would be. He turned the corner but stopped the car abruptly as he saw something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight. A body was lying in the middle of the road, dressed in a police uniform. Brax pushed his car door open and went to crouch down beside the body.

He took a look at the face and gasped. "Charlie!"

Brax examined her. She was unconscious. The bottom of her shirt was up, exposing her belly. The whole area around her hips was covered in scrapes and bruises and looked like she had fractured a bone. He scooped her up into his arms and looked around, desperately. He had left his mobile at home so instead he hurried her into the police station. The police officer at the desk looked startled as Brax showed him Charlie's body and explained what was wrong.

"We better call an ambulance," the police officer said, picking up the phone on the desk. He dialed triple 0 and spoke with the person on the other end of the line before putting the phone down and turning to Brax. "The ambulance is on its way. For now, just lay her down and we'll see what her other injuries are.

A little while later, they had arrived at the hospital and Charlie had been put in a hospital bed. Sid was busy examining her while Brax sat down beside the bed, hoping she would be okay.

"Well, it seems that she has a hip fracture," Sid informed him, looking at the ex-rays. "She'll may be needing surgery on that. Her cuts will also need to be cleaned and bandaged soon."

Brax nodded, feeling relieved that Charlie was okay. He reached over to squeeze Charlie's hand.

"She should be waking up soon. Call me when she does, I'm just checking on another patient." Sid said, walking out of the room.

Brax waited for a bit longer, unable to stop looking at Charlie. Eventually, her eyes flickered open and she looked around, confused. She spotted Brax and then she gasped. "I finished my shift-I was coming-but then the car came and-"

Brax stroked her head. "Hey, hey, it's fine, I'm just glad you're okay. You've fractured your hip and earned yourself a few cuts and bruises but you're gonna be okay."

She nodded. "Brax, I'm really sorry for getting mad at you. If you want to be a River Boy then that's your decision but I just hated seeing you in the middle of that."

"You had every right to be mad. That's way I went to see Heath today and told him that I'm not doing it anymore. So from now on, I'm no longer a River Boy."

"You didn't have to do that," Charlie smiled. "But I'm glad you did. I-I hope we can still go out for dinner soon."

"I would love that," Brax grinned.