Dodger

I brushed myself down and shook my head as I saw the security guard approaching, he was followed into the room by a middle-aged woman, who ran over to Tyrone with a look of horror on her face. “Are you okay, Tyrone.” She was an American. ‘Don’t tell me his mother’? “What happened?” she demanded and she was looking at me. My eyes switched from her to Tyrone and stayed there. He looked away. “Better ask him,” I said. “He’s responsible.” “What? He’s the one who fell over...

Thank you @BlindAmbition The chapter was about Alex, who we know is a bully and a user. I wanted to show why he's like he is because I know that most kids like him are that way for a reason. He's been neglected by his parents and as you point out, he has had no guidance or parental control. His older brother has been a poor role model but to be fair, they have both had to fend for themselves from an early age and it really isn't surprising that they've turned out the way that they are. Alex told Robbie that he wouldn't be able to go out unless Robbie stayed over. It may have been a ploy, but the message was clear that he wasn't prepared to leave Luke on his own, even to go on a date. Neither would he trust his dad to look after him, should he choose to come home. Alex may be a rogue, but this shows a responsible side of his character that goes way beyond his years. Most kids his age wouldn't have to deal with those issues but he accepts his fate and does his best for his dysfunctional family. With Jake now on his case and his friendship with Robbie now in the open, Alex may struggle to maintain his tough guy hetero image but maybe Robbie can help him realise that he doesn't actually need that to be happy.

Thanks, @Dahawk There is a good side to Alex, which he tries to hide because he sees it as a weakness. Robbie is the only person who he feels that he can trust and talk to about his demons and is helping him more than he could possibly realize.

Alex is a bully who uses people for whatever he can get but as is often the case, he is also a victim of a dreadful childhood. He is a fighter because that's the only way he knows but as Robbie is funding out there's also a lot of good in him that nobody else sees. It's an unlikely friendship between two boys whose lives wouldn't usually cross and forged for all the wrong reasons but sex aside, there is a natural bond between these two.

Don values his close ties with the so-called 'Cobourg Mafia' because he knows how important it is to have friends in the right places. On Robbie's first day at school, Don used his influence with the school principle to override Robbie's test results that would have put him back a year, effectively cheating. One thing is for certain, Robbie running away was a huge disaster for Don, which he didn't anticipate and I'm sure that he will do whatever it takes to get him back where he is under his control.

Thanks, Steve. I can always rely on you to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. This is a possible scenario, yes.

Thank you @tesao for your comment. The exchange rate would have been a little more favourable in 2010 than today but you're right it's hardly what you would expect to see posted as a reward. It remains to be seen if the money had anything to do with it in the end but Don will no doubt claim it as a victory of sorts. You're right about Sue and of course, Don did verbally assault Robbie. These issues will need to be addressed if Robbie is to ever feel that he truly belongs in the Taylor family.

Thanks, JayT, and we don't even know if there are any drugs on the premises anyway. The only thing that seems certain is that Robbie is heading home.

Thank you, Benji. We will have to wait for the finer details, but it seems clear that the police wouldn't be raiding Alex's house to look for a runaway teenager. In which case, Robbie's definitely in a whole lot of trouble. Maybe he can shift some of the blame onto Don, whose unreasonable behaviour was, after all, the only reason why he ran away.

Thank you for your comment. I think that we can assume that things are about to get worse for Robbie although how much so will depend on what if any charges are laid against him. A lot of readers have shown concern for Luke and this is understandable. I think that we all sympathise with the kids who are unwittingly caught up in real life situations like this through no fault of their own. Luke will be better off without his dad, that goes without saying, but it would be hard on him if he were to be separated from his brothers, particularly Alex who has been a surrogate parent to him.

Yes, Robbie may well find himself in a position where he needs Don's help. The consensus seems to be that it's a police raid and probably for drugs, it all depends of course, on what they find, or if they find anything at all? Given the situation, Brad may have been tempted to move whatever he may have had out of the house? Maybe that was what he was doing the night before? Thank you for your comment @spikey582

Yeah, Robbie thinks he's been undervalued too, but Alex and his brother think the opposite. $2,000 is a lot of money to a kid but surely loose change to a guy in advertising! It looks to have done the trick because someone must have tipped them off, although I can't see the cops raiding a house to look for a runaway kid. They would need a search warrant for a start and not even Don could pull that off. Thanks for your comment @Wesley8890 and belated birthday wishes for the other day.

Yes, Canadian cops are armed with guns and not batons like they still are in much of the UK. There has been a long running argument for and against arming the police in Britain but recent terrorist incidents have forced the issue and led to more gun carrying 'Bobbies' on the streets, particularly in London. Jake may seem like a tough gangster to fifteen-year-old Robbie, but he's only really a kid himself and barely a few weeks out of school. Nicola and her friends recently gave him a run for his money in the school parking lot, remember. Jake's a bully who doesn't like Robbie but this would be taking it to the extreme. He would be more inclined to give Robbie a couple of left hooks in the street than to break into Alex's house with a gun in the middle of the night.

Alex’s bedroom was unlike any other teenager’s room that I had been in. There were no games console, TV, or computers. No books, posters or even a window to look out of. It really did feel like a prison cell and I was soon bored senseless. I had long since given up banging on the door and past the stage of rummaging through his limited wardrobe. I had tried on all my new clothes and even some of his, and then at some point, I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, the light had been switc

Thank you @mg777 for your in depth review. I really appreciate you taking the time to write down your thoughts about the story and characters. I enjoyed reading your comment and you make some interesting points. Unfortunately, there are guns in Canada but I don't see Jake quite going that far, although he is a thoroughly nasty character. We don't know enough about Alex yet to be sure about his motives for helping Robbie, and I'm not really sure if he even knows himself yet. He's a very mixed up kid but there's some good inside of him that's fighting to get out. Rory still has a part to play in the story, but whether or not he turns out to be Robbie's knight in shining armour is open for debate. Thanks again for your fantastic comment.

Thank you @Rndmrunner I appreciate your comment and the interest that you have shown in the story. I don't think that any of the family will be prepared to accept Robbie's 'never going back' stance. He is a part of the family whether he likes it or not.

I'm not sure what Nathan will think if or when he finds out about Alex and family but he probably won't be as trusting as Robbie is. Thanks for your comment as always.

Thank you @BlindAmbition as always and well spotted. Alex seems to be willing to risk everything to help Robbie all of a sudden, which is a little odd considering the lengths that he has gone to in the past to distance himself from him.

A lot of people would agree that Don needs to be taken down a few notches but barbed wire and bats may be a little extreme. I get your point.though because he has made it difficult for Robbie to ever return. The kids (Daniel, Amy, & Nicola) hold the balance of power here, it will be interesting to find out what has been happening at home in the two days that Robbie has been away. Thanks as always @wenmale64

You're right, Alex hasn't had the best upbringing and doesn't know how to treat friends or partners. He's also extremely vulnerable and potentailly dangerous as Robbie already knows. Thanks @JayT

Glad to see that you're still with us @bubby1234 I'm fairly certain that Robbie will not end up with Alex.

The money will definitely be a temptation for Alex and we all know that he swings both ways. You're right about him being in a world of shit. Thanks @SolarMaxx

Thank you, @Benji Yes, it is tectonically kidnapping although Alex wouldn't see it quite that way. He believes that he's helping Robbie by saving him from his own mistakes. It may have been a mistake of course, for Robbie to go there in the first place but we will have to wait and see. There's no doubt that somebody will come knocking at their door soon looking for Robbie, but they won't get much joy from Alex or his brother and they certainly won't get invited in.

Robbie hasn't got anywhere else to go and Alex knows that. He also knows that Robbie is stupid and impetuous enough to do it anyway, which is why he has had to lock him in the bedroom. Despite their guarded history and Alex's physical nature, Robbie isn't scared of him in the way that he's scared of Jake. He knows that Alex likes him and cares about him even if he will never admit it and will ultimately defend him even against the likes of Jake. Alex has already chosen Robbie over his girlfriend and now he's risking everything by declaring his friendship with a boy who is about to be outed at school. A few months back, Robbie wasn't even allowed to talk to Alex in public. The memory of Amy crying as he ran out of the house has haunted Robbie since he left. Maybe he should have made a bigger effort to contact her although I'm sure that Nicola would have reassured her.

Alex's house was always going to be a dangerous place for Robbie to hide but probably the only place where he wouldn't have been found. Alex is putting himself in the firing line by becoming Robbie's self-appointed protector and it's difficult to see why he would risk everything for a guy who's not even really a friend. Jenny won't be the only one asking questions about their unlikely friendship.