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"We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone." - Ronald Reagan.

Dedication: JadeEmelee for the amazing cover! Thank you!

Recap:

"There's doubt there, I can see it in your eyes," he whispered. "Oh my God, I'm so stupid for thinking you wouldn't judge me."

"Xavier-"

"Don't bother," he said, backing up. "I'm done."

With that, he stormed towards the front door and slammed the door shut.

Well, tonight has definitely been a disaster.

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Despite being exhausted, I only got about 1-2 hours' sleep last night.

I stayed up pacing, sick with worry. Literally. I had been vomiting majority of the night. I think the alcohol partially had a role in it, but also the anxiety of not knowing where Xavier was. Or what he was doing. Or if he was okay.

It was literally making me sick.

Rolling over, I lit up my phone. No messages or calls, not that I expected any.

The time read 6:47am. With a reluctant sigh, I pulled myself from my bed, dragging my feet to the shower. My skin was clammy and I felt extremely gross. My stomach had an uncomfortable, clenched feeling and my mouth was continuing to water.

After turning the nozzle to the hottest it would go, I pressed my forehead against the glass pane, waiting for the water to heat up.

I sighed as the hot water ran over my scalp. I titled my head back and washed my make up from last night from my face. I felt my tense muscles unknot. Considering I spent most of last night in tears, my face was a complete mess. And my breath would probably knock a baby elephant over.

Fishing out my toothbrush, I spent a solid few minutes scrubbing my teeth, as I lent against the cool tiles.

I was showering this long because it was making me feel 10x better, but at the same time, it was dragging out the inevitable. I was going to have to go downstairs and face my father, who accused me of doing drugs.

After washing my face and body, I reluctantly stepped out of the shower. As slow as possible, I toweled off and threw on a loose, beach dress, throwing my hair into a bun. I moisturised, for the first time in over a month, and even painted my nails.

I was literally doing everything I could think of, to avoid going downstairs.

My stomach grumbled and I felt a slight ache form. I can't remember when I ate last.

"Faith." I jumped, knocking over my nail polish bottle. Moving faster than I thought possible, I righted it and glared at the door.

"Yes?"

"You can't avoid me forever. Is that nail polish I can smell?"

"That is correct."

"Wow, you really are avoiding me," he muttered.

"I wonder why," I snapped back.

"Come down to the kitchen. We need to talk."

"Busy, sorry," I said snippily, packing away my nail polish.

"I made you toast."

"Not hungry, thanks," I replied back, despite my stomach basically howling the opposite.

"I think people in the next state could hear your stomach."

I sighed. "Fine."

"Fine," he mimicked, before I heard his steps descend away from my door.

I sat there for a few moments, just going over last night's nightmare in my head. So much happened in such little time.

Chase tried to stick his tongue down my throat, Xavier bashed him, the cops busted up the party, we finally made it home and then dad kicked Xavier out. And accused me of doing drugs.

It was literally a nightmare that somehow had happened in my reality.

Lighting up my phone one last time, I got to my feet and stretched.

It was now or never.

Slowly, I padded down the stairs.

"I thought you said you already made me toast," I stated as I walked in to dad pulling two pieces of bread from the toaster.

"I knew you'd take your time and it would have been cold."

"True."

I sat heavily down onto the stool and watched silently as he spread vegemite across my toast. He slid it towards me.

"Water or juice?"

"Water, just brushed my teeth."

He filled my cup and placed it in front of me. He leaned on the bench and watched me as I took a tentative bite.

"It's not poisoned, is it?"

He rolled his eyes. "Funny."

"Wasn't really a joke," I muttered, taking another bite.

"I'm sorry for how I approached the situation last night," he sighed, shaking his head. "Jess rang me and we got in a fight."

"Is this your girlfriend from up North?"

"Yes," he answered, leaning forward onto his elbows. "She completely ended things with me, again and I wasn't too happy about it. So I had a few drinks to cool off. And then Andrew rang me, and said all this stuff. Which I normally wouldn't believe, but I have been away, I don't know Xavier well and you have been doing some things you usually wouldn't."

I didn't reply as I continued to eat my toast. I drained my water and slid the cup towards him. He re-filled it, before sliding it back.

"I don't know if it was the drinks or because I was already angry, but I decided to have a look around. That's when I found everything. I was so disappointed in you, Faith. It literally crushed me."

"Dad," I finally said, looking him straight in the eye. "I have not and will never do drugs. That is a promise I made to you when I was younger and it's still a promise I plan on keeping."

He let out a relieved sigh. "Okay. I believe you."

"Gee, that's big of you."

"I'm sorry, okay?" he muttered. "Do you see where I'm coming from?"

"Yes but I still think you acted completely ridiculous."

He made a face at me and I made one back.

"Explain the drugs I found in Xavier's room, then," he continued. "Does he do drugs?"

"He said he hasn't. I've never seen him do it and we spend a lot of time together. So I believe that he hasn't. I wouldn't be with him if he did."

"Okay," he nodded. "Why did he have drugs then? And don't saying he was holding for a friend or something stupid like that."

"It's not my place to say, but I've wanted to tell you from the start, so," I shrugged.

"Tell me what?"

The words, the very words I have wanted to tell dad ever since I first found out, poured from my mouth. I explained the death of his mother, the custody of his step-father, the things he was made do, about Chase. Everything. I hardly drew a breath as the words tumbled from my mouth.

His lips were parted and his eyes wide as he stared at me.

"No bullshit?"

"Okay, your arguments last night was that I was drunk and I was swearing. And now you're swearing and tell me you were drinking last night too. You're a hypocrite."

Dad paused. "I'm the adult."

"Which makes it worse," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Shut up."

"Real mature."

"Let's get back to the topic on hand, shall we?" he suggested, shaking his head at me. "That's really true?"

"That's what he told me. And ever since Chase arrived at school, he has just been up to something. When we saw him and Megan at the beach, it only proved my point. She's always out to get me, so she would be a perfect partner in crime for him. There's no other reason why they would be hanging out, surely."

"We need to report this to the police."

"That's what I said! But Xavier got all pissy and stormed out and then had his accident-"

"Oh, so that's what happened," dad said. "Huh."

"Oh and we think Chase was a part of that," I said, shifting in my seat. "Xavier claimed a black car was at the intersection and that's what he hit. And then we went to the supermarket and a black car, with damage on the back of it, was there and Chase was driving it."

"This sounds like we're in the middle of a plot in some book," dad laughed but the laugh wasn't quite genuine. It was more like an hysterical, 'can you believe this', kind of laugh.

"I know, right? I would be a kick ass main character."

"Nuh uh," dad protested. "I would be the funnier one, the better looking one..."

"Oh please! You would just be the weird dad that comes into the book every now and then, that no one really cares about."

"And you would just be this fiery, little girl with red hair and a mouth on her."

"Hey!"

"What?"

"That's-"

"True?"

"Shut up," I laughed.

"So, back to the topic. What are we going to do about this?" he asked slowly. "I feel terrible. That kid has been through enough. I shouldn't have kicked him out."

"Honestly? I don't know. I feel getting the police involved could be messy. I really think Andrew would retaliate. Drug dealers always have 'friends'. We'd end up being a hit or something."

"We can't do nothing about it. And how did you keep all this to yourself for so long?"

"It hasn't really been that long and I cracked as soon as he told me. I wanted to ring you and get you home, but no, that wasn't an option apparently."

"I must have known."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to ignore that comment. Anyway, I think we just need to find Xavier and go from there. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Get dressed, let's go for a drive around town, see if we can find him."

"I'm ready to go," dad said, standing to his full height.

I glanced at him. "I'm not letting you leave the house in those board shorts."

"You don't like them?" he asked, staring down at himself.

They was so old, they looked like they were ready to fall apart any second. The brown was faded and patchy. The pattern ran in white and purple zig zags, making it looked like someone had vomited on them, and then played with it.

"Oh my God, go and change. And then burn them. They hurt my eyes."

He chuckled, shaking his head at me. He had taken one step on the stairs, before he looked back.

"I'm really sorry for having doubted you, Faith. I do know you're sensible and I do know I can trust you."

"I know."

"I just wanted to clarify that," he replied with a smile, before jogging up the stairs.

I lent back in my chair and stared down at the bench, a pool of guilt rising in my stomach.

Dad may have doubted me, but I was the one who doubted Xavier, when he thought he could trust me. I let him down.

It's all my fault he left.

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What do you think about Michael and Faith clearing the air? Do you think he was right to react the way he did?

And what do you thinks going to happen now that he knows the full story?

Thanks for reading!