Charlie's POV

"Charlie, are you sure you will be okay here?"

I place a box down containing my drum accessories before looking up at my Mother. My Mother did not want me to attend Leeds solely because of the distance. It is about 4 hours away from home she would constantly remind me. If you ask me, I think it's because she likes to know where I am at all times. She likes to have this control over me in almost every aspect of my life. What I can and can't do with my friends. What I wear. My hobbies. Even the kind of boys I am into.

"I will be okay. Tao and Isaac will be here too. It's not like I am doing this uni thing all alone. Tori is here. She is just a few blocks away." I say as I begin to assemble my drum set in my new bedroom.

Tao and Isaac have been my best friends for years. We met at Truham Grammar School for Boys in Year 7 and have been friends ever since. We toured Uni's together and we all fell in love with Leeds. So when we all were accepted, we obviously knew we would be living together too. Tao even made us sign a contract saying we will room together until we graduate. It was a bit dramatic but I understood where he was coming from.

"Can we please hurry up? I want to have everything at least up to my room before Tao gets here. I don't want to be in his and his Mum's  way when they get here." I remind my Dad. He smiles and nods his head.

The two of us head down the 5 flights of steps to the ground floor to the moving truck to get the remaining boxes and bags. As we go back up about 2 flights of stairs, I start to get a strong burning sensation behind my eyes. My vision gets whiter and fuzzier around the corners of my view. I lower the bags to the ground and pinch the bridge of my nose, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. "Charlie, you okay?" My Dad asks, his voice echoing slightly. He must be on my apartment floor. I think to myself.

I take another deep breath before picking the bags back up. "Yeah, I'm fine." I say as collected as I can. When I get in front of my door, my Mother is standing in the common room of the apartment, lurking. What is she doing?

"Is that the last of it, Charlie?" She asks, almost irritated. I just nod my head. Before I verbally add anything, I am grabbed tightly from behind by a pair of thin, long arms. "CHARLIE!"

"Hey Tao." I say through a slight grunt. Him squeezing me is making it harder to hold onto these heavy bags. "I missed you so much Charlie! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages." He finally lets me go, the bags falling right onto my shoes. "Tao," I chuckle. "I just saw you yesterday. With Isaac mind you. We were planning on how today was going to work, remember?" I turn around and see his great big smile. "I know but that felt like a lifetime ago. Isaac said he NEEDED to come earlier. I don't know if you saw Insta." He says.

I grab my phone from my back pocket and look at the screen:

Instagram: Isaac_H_Readz:
My mom has a late shift at work so I need to come earlier than my "scheduled" time so we can get everything upstairs before she needs to leave.

"Will Isaac need help taking things upstairs?" My Dad asks as he walks into the common room from my back bedroom. "I think that would be really helpful, Dad. Thank you." I turn and smile at him. "Tao, do you need any help?" My Dad asks. "YES! I really do. I had to pack the car all by myself. My mom was just over thinking and it was... a lot." He ends with a dramatic sigh.

My Dad and Tao head back down the stairs. Instead of going down with them, I take my duffle bags into my bedroom. I feel my Mother's presence following. "I will put your closet together." She says. I drop the bags on my bed, making a louder noise than I would have liked.

"Fine Charlie, I won't." My Mother says, tossing a shoe into my closet. "I am just trying to help you. You're going to be 4 hours away and I can't be here when things go wrong. I won't be here if you need help." Her tone getting harsher. Not now. Not now.

"Thats not what's happening here. I just want to do things on my own sometimes. I can't live at home forever. Tori is here and she can help me if I need. She's just across campus." I remind her calmly, trying to not let my voice shake. She throws her hands up in the air before grabbing her purse and the car keys on my desk.

"Julio!" My Mother shouts as she walks down the small hallway to the common room. I start to run after her, but I trip on a box that is just outside my doorway. I land on my left shoulder and let out a loud grunt with the bang. I try to get up but my vision goes blurry again. I decide to lay flat on the ground and close my eyes. I try to take a few breaths. I get up slower and walk cautiously to the common room. I see my Dad and Mother talking in the kitchen, right offset the common room. My Mother looks at me before walking out of the apartment entirely. I look from the door to the kitchen and back again.

I grab my upper right arm and start pulling at the fabric, slightly catching my skin underneath.

"Hey Charlie. Can we talk in your room?" My Dad asks while looking at Tao and his Mum. I nod my head and let him lead the way.

"I am really sorry about your Mum. She is just really upset about you and Tori both being out of the house. Her little babies are growing up and she doesn't know what to do. I don't think she was ready." He says sincerely. "I am really proud of you though Charlie. This is a big step and I am really happy for you."

I go and wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace. "It's fine Dad." I pause before letting him go. "Thank you for what you said. It means a lot." He smiles and roughs my curls up on the top of my head.

"I told your Mum we should stay until you and the boys are done but she said she wanted to get home." He says while grabbing his wallet from the top desk drawer. "I just want you to know that even though Tori is here... I am only a phone call away. I can be here anytime you need."

I pull him into another hug, my arms overlapping each other. I feel my fingers pick at my skin again.

"I will walk you out." I say after letting him go. I walk back to the front door and see Isaac and his Mum have arrived. "Tao. Isaac. I can help you in a minute. I just am going to walk my Dad out." I say, trying to hide the sad tone in my voice with a bigger than normal smile.

I walk down the stairs to the ground floor and stop at the glass sliding doors. Don't go outside Charlie.

"I will call you when we get home, Charlie. That okay?" I just nod my head and give him a quick, tight hug. "Tell Mum I said thank you." I say in a whisper. He looks down at me and smiles before walking out of the apartment building.

Without watching him get in the moving truck, I wrap my hands around my upper arms and turn to the staircase. I head up to my floor and see everyone coming down the stairs. "Isaac, Tao. You still need help right?" I ask. Tao's eyes get real wide. "Yes PLEASE! I know Isaac needs help with his BOXES of books and I can't do all of that myself."

The next two hours are spent helping Isaac and Tao with their stuff. "Charlie, we are going to get something to eat for a late lunch. Please come." Tao's Mum says happily. "Isaac's Mum and I will be leaving after that." I just nod my head a little and grab my jacket from my desk chair.

We have lunch at a little salad shop and talk the Mum's about our schedules and classes we are taking. Isaac and Tao do most of the talking, I just sit there a stab at the leaves in my bowl. We get back to the apartment complex around 14:00 and we all say goodbye to Isaac and Tao's Mom's. As the three of us head back upstairs, I get a text from my Dad.

iMessage: Dad
Mum and I just got home. Maybe we can come visit you and Tori in a few weeks for Parents Weekend? I would like that.

I send a quick text back before walking through my messy room to my bed. I shove my bags off the bed and climb in. I wrap myself in my thick blanket and lay on my side, facing the wall. I pull my phone out of my pocket and shoot Tao and Isaac a message about me taking a nap. Tomorrow is our orientation day and I need to relax a little before spending the rest of the night organizing my things.