Status: Brand New
Charlie Who?
Some Explaining To Do
“Where on earth were you?” My mother’s voice was shaky, this was a clear sign that she was very much upset by my “disappearance”
I kicked off my shoes and walked up my parents slowly.
“I …ugh, went to the Westside,”
Someone in the room gasped, I followed the sound and found my mother tugging on her collar.
“Charlotte! You know the Westside is dangerous! What was your business there anyway?”
I could tell she was very angry, but knowing my mother, she’d rather compact that feeling and cover it up by gorging herself with baked goods. That was the truth. She ate her feelings, however, you can barely tell. She binge eats and then exercises the next day… all day.
“I just wanted to look at the view from the mountainside. You guys always took us when I was little,”
Her eyes grew wide and she gasped once more, squeezing her collar tighter. That’s it. I did it. I broke my mother’s heart. Her eyes began to water and my dad took her in his arms. He looked at me sympathetically.
“Go away!” she shouted
“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t-“
“Go away! Go away!” She repeated, her voice grew louder and louder whilst more and more tears ran down her rosy cheeks. My father shot me another sympathetic look then tended to my mother.
I ran.
I ran from the house. I didn’t even bother to put on my shoes, I just got back into the car and drove straight to Diane’s house, crying the whole way.
“Charlotte?” a middle-aged blonde woman answered the door, tugging her taupe colored cardigan closer to her body
“Can I see Diane… please?” I said whipping the last few tears with the back of my hand
“She’s upstairs in her room,” Diane’s mother stepped aside
I had only zoomed up three steps before Diane’s mother called. I turned around to find her pale face curled up in worry.
“Whatever happened tonight, Charlotte…” she started, “just- just know that my family and I are here for you,”
I nodded and began up the steps. I could hear faint music trailing from Diane’s brother, Adam’s room. I knocked quietly at her door and heard a shout followed by some giggles from behind.
“Shit,” I heard a faint voice from behind; I recognized it as Diane’s, “Hide! Hide!”
The door flew open to reveal a frazzled Diane wearing only track pants and a bra.
“Oh, it’s only you,” she sighed
She opened the door wider and giggled.
“For a second there I thought you were my mom or dad,”
I stepped into the familiar room and flopped onto her messy bed. She kept laughing to herself and sighing, but then she noticed the tears.
“Hey, Char, are you okay?”
I nodded and wiped away a couple of fallen tears.
“We’ll talk about some more right now,” she sat beside me and then called out, “You can come out now!”
Out from her walk in closet, stepped out a familiar pale boy in just boxers. I sat up instantly and struggle for breath. My eyes widen at the sight of him. His dark hair was wild and hung in his indigo eyes. He reached for the fallen clothes on the floor.
“Diane,” I began, “what is he doing here?”
“Hello, beautiful,” Charlie smirked putting on his remaining clothes
“Hey, uh, Diane, I think I should go now,”
What happened next shook me to the core.
Diane kissed him.
He pulled her to him and kissed her. The kiss deepened and Diane swayed to the side. Over her shoulder, I saw Charlie’s eyes spring open, he was doing this on purpose. I turned away and cleared my throat. Charlie walked over to her window and climbed down the tree that was situated conveniently outside. Diane touched her lips and giggled once more, swooning.
I scoffed suddenly forgetting why I was here in the first place, “What the fuck was that?!”
Diane turned her gaze to me and snarled, “What?! What is that suppose to mean? So what, I can’t be happy?”
“Not with him!” I retorted
Diane was shocked. It was basically written all over her face.
“What is your problem?”
“He is!” I yelled standing up and walking over to the window
“No, you’re just jealous because he likes me, not you!”
I sighed and gazed at the dark street below.
“It’s not like that Diane. I’m happy that… you’re happy. Just not with him,”
She walked over to be and closed the curtains.
“Then if it’s not me, then what? I saw how you looked at him today, Charlotte. I know you hate him… but why?!”
I shook my head, tears welled up in my eyes and in a blink they began pouring down my cheeks.
“I don’t know,” I cried, “I honestly don’t know, Diane,”
Her face had bewildered all over it.
“How do you not know?”
“He- he,” I stuttered, “I just feel… scared around him. Every- every time I think about him or- or look at him, I feel… sick,”
Diane still didn’t understand, she just sighed and sat back down on the bed patting the opposite side. I took a seat and took slow breaths to calm me down then I spoke clearly.
“There’s something about him. I mean, I can’t put my finger on it,”
“So you hate him because he makes you feel… sick,” she huffed
“I know it sounds stupid, but it’s true, Diane! You don’t see how he glares at me, for God’s sake the feeling I get makes me puke!”
She laughed. At first it was a small chuckle, but then she grasped what I had just said and began laughing louder and louder.
“I didn’t expect you to understand,” I got up and began walking to her door
“Wait!” she called, I spun on my heel and stared at her.
“Look,” she sighed, “If it really bothers you that much then… I’ll call things off-“
“No, Diane-“
“Let me finish,” she got up and hugged me, “But promise me one thing,”
“Okay,” I whispered into her hair
“Give him a chance,” she whispered, “I think he likes you,”
My heart sputtered and I hugged Diane tighter, just to cover up the fact that I was starting to cry again
.
I woke up the next morning with dried tears on my cheeks and Diane tangled beside me. I stretched out my arms and looked at the clock on Diane’s end table. The lights flashed 6:00 am. I rolled over and curled up, we decided last night that I’d borrow some of Diane’s clothes for school. I tried going back to sleep for we’d only have to wake up in an hour, but then the doorbell rang.
I got up, for I didn’t want Diane’s family to wake up. I ran to the door and cracked it open. The crisp morning air slipped inside applying fresh Goosebumps on my bare legs. Charlie stood there before me.
“Uhm, hi,” I rubbed the back of my neck in awkwardness
“Hey, beautiful, is Diane here?” he leaned against the door frame with a toothpick sticking out of his pale pink lips
“She’s calling it off with you, so you can just turn around and head back home,” that mere sentence took me all the courage in my frail body
“Oh, well that’s such a shame,” he started rubbing my arm with the tips of his fingers, Goosebumps trailed behind his touch
“I was beginning to like her,” he tossed aside the toothpick and cupped my face in his soft hands
My heart sped up and I gulped. My mind was whirring and the little voice began thrashing around in my head, Leave! Leave! Slam the door on him! Move! I desperately wanted to move and do what my conscience told me to, but my body failed to comply. He leaned in closer, I felt his warm breath on my lips and my breathing almost stopped.
“But it’s not like I care. I’ve had my eye on someone else anyway,”
And with that, Charlie Fletcher leaned in and kissed me.
I kicked off my shoes and walked up my parents slowly.
“I …ugh, went to the Westside,”
Someone in the room gasped, I followed the sound and found my mother tugging on her collar.
“Charlotte! You know the Westside is dangerous! What was your business there anyway?”
I could tell she was very angry, but knowing my mother, she’d rather compact that feeling and cover it up by gorging herself with baked goods. That was the truth. She ate her feelings, however, you can barely tell. She binge eats and then exercises the next day… all day.
“I just wanted to look at the view from the mountainside. You guys always took us when I was little,”
Her eyes grew wide and she gasped once more, squeezing her collar tighter. That’s it. I did it. I broke my mother’s heart. Her eyes began to water and my dad took her in his arms. He looked at me sympathetically.
“Go away!” she shouted
“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t-“
“Go away! Go away!” She repeated, her voice grew louder and louder whilst more and more tears ran down her rosy cheeks. My father shot me another sympathetic look then tended to my mother.
I ran.
I ran from the house. I didn’t even bother to put on my shoes, I just got back into the car and drove straight to Diane’s house, crying the whole way.
“Charlotte?” a middle-aged blonde woman answered the door, tugging her taupe colored cardigan closer to her body
“Can I see Diane… please?” I said whipping the last few tears with the back of my hand
“She’s upstairs in her room,” Diane’s mother stepped aside
I had only zoomed up three steps before Diane’s mother called. I turned around to find her pale face curled up in worry.
“Whatever happened tonight, Charlotte…” she started, “just- just know that my family and I are here for you,”
I nodded and began up the steps. I could hear faint music trailing from Diane’s brother, Adam’s room. I knocked quietly at her door and heard a shout followed by some giggles from behind.
“Shit,” I heard a faint voice from behind; I recognized it as Diane’s, “Hide! Hide!”
The door flew open to reveal a frazzled Diane wearing only track pants and a bra.
“Oh, it’s only you,” she sighed
She opened the door wider and giggled.
“For a second there I thought you were my mom or dad,”
I stepped into the familiar room and flopped onto her messy bed. She kept laughing to herself and sighing, but then she noticed the tears.
“Hey, Char, are you okay?”
I nodded and wiped away a couple of fallen tears.
“We’ll talk about some more right now,” she sat beside me and then called out, “You can come out now!”
Out from her walk in closet, stepped out a familiar pale boy in just boxers. I sat up instantly and struggle for breath. My eyes widen at the sight of him. His dark hair was wild and hung in his indigo eyes. He reached for the fallen clothes on the floor.
“Diane,” I began, “what is he doing here?”
“Hello, beautiful,” Charlie smirked putting on his remaining clothes
“Hey, uh, Diane, I think I should go now,”
What happened next shook me to the core.
Diane kissed him.
He pulled her to him and kissed her. The kiss deepened and Diane swayed to the side. Over her shoulder, I saw Charlie’s eyes spring open, he was doing this on purpose. I turned away and cleared my throat. Charlie walked over to her window and climbed down the tree that was situated conveniently outside. Diane touched her lips and giggled once more, swooning.
I scoffed suddenly forgetting why I was here in the first place, “What the fuck was that?!”
Diane turned her gaze to me and snarled, “What?! What is that suppose to mean? So what, I can’t be happy?”
“Not with him!” I retorted
Diane was shocked. It was basically written all over her face.
“What is your problem?”
“He is!” I yelled standing up and walking over to the window
“No, you’re just jealous because he likes me, not you!”
I sighed and gazed at the dark street below.
“It’s not like that Diane. I’m happy that… you’re happy. Just not with him,”
She walked over to be and closed the curtains.
“Then if it’s not me, then what? I saw how you looked at him today, Charlotte. I know you hate him… but why?!”
I shook my head, tears welled up in my eyes and in a blink they began pouring down my cheeks.
“I don’t know,” I cried, “I honestly don’t know, Diane,”
Her face had bewildered all over it.
“How do you not know?”
“He- he,” I stuttered, “I just feel… scared around him. Every- every time I think about him or- or look at him, I feel… sick,”
Diane still didn’t understand, she just sighed and sat back down on the bed patting the opposite side. I took a seat and took slow breaths to calm me down then I spoke clearly.
“There’s something about him. I mean, I can’t put my finger on it,”
“So you hate him because he makes you feel… sick,” she huffed
“I know it sounds stupid, but it’s true, Diane! You don’t see how he glares at me, for God’s sake the feeling I get makes me puke!”
She laughed. At first it was a small chuckle, but then she grasped what I had just said and began laughing louder and louder.
“I didn’t expect you to understand,” I got up and began walking to her door
“Wait!” she called, I spun on my heel and stared at her.
“Look,” she sighed, “If it really bothers you that much then… I’ll call things off-“
“No, Diane-“
“Let me finish,” she got up and hugged me, “But promise me one thing,”
“Okay,” I whispered into her hair
“Give him a chance,” she whispered, “I think he likes you,”
My heart sputtered and I hugged Diane tighter, just to cover up the fact that I was starting to cry again
.
I woke up the next morning with dried tears on my cheeks and Diane tangled beside me. I stretched out my arms and looked at the clock on Diane’s end table. The lights flashed 6:00 am. I rolled over and curled up, we decided last night that I’d borrow some of Diane’s clothes for school. I tried going back to sleep for we’d only have to wake up in an hour, but then the doorbell rang.
I got up, for I didn’t want Diane’s family to wake up. I ran to the door and cracked it open. The crisp morning air slipped inside applying fresh Goosebumps on my bare legs. Charlie stood there before me.
“Uhm, hi,” I rubbed the back of my neck in awkwardness
“Hey, beautiful, is Diane here?” he leaned against the door frame with a toothpick sticking out of his pale pink lips
“She’s calling it off with you, so you can just turn around and head back home,” that mere sentence took me all the courage in my frail body
“Oh, well that’s such a shame,” he started rubbing my arm with the tips of his fingers, Goosebumps trailed behind his touch
“I was beginning to like her,” he tossed aside the toothpick and cupped my face in his soft hands
My heart sped up and I gulped. My mind was whirring and the little voice began thrashing around in my head, Leave! Leave! Slam the door on him! Move! I desperately wanted to move and do what my conscience told me to, but my body failed to comply. He leaned in closer, I felt his warm breath on my lips and my breathing almost stopped.
“But it’s not like I care. I’ve had my eye on someone else anyway,”
And with that, Charlie Fletcher leaned in and kissed me.
♠ ♠ ♠
I put alot of dialogue in this one... more than usual. Well, I hope I explained some things about why Charlotte hates Charlie. It's just a gut feeling, but she's trying to brush it aside now. I also put some new developments on dear Charlotte.Why was her mother so upset about Charlotte going to the mountains?
And who is "us"?
Muahahahah.