His Deepest Secret

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Alissa was in an accident."

The voice on the phone became familiar. Alissa's mom.

"Is she okay?" Charlotte asked. She felt shocked, numb, and scared.

"No. . ." Alissa's mother managed to say. Her voice had cracked and Charlotte could tell she was trying hard not to cry over the phone.

"What happened?"

"She was drinking and driving. . ."

"Fuck. . ." Charlotte whispered.

"She is in surgery right now. We are all at West Peak Hospital. I figured you'd want to know hun."

"Thank you Mrs. Lenson. I appreciate it. Do you know when she will be out of surgery?"

"The doctor said it could take three to five hours," she answered.

"Will you call me with the news when you find out please?"

"Of course. Goodbye Charlotte."

"Bye."

Charlotte looked down at her phone, not noticing how badly her body was trembling.

"Charlotte?" Anderson asked.

Charlotte continued to stare at her phone.

"Charlotte?" he asked a little gentler as he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against his chest. Tears escaped down her face as she laid in his arms. "What's wrong?"

Charlotte looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Alissa got in an accident. She isn't okay."

Anderson softly wiped her tears away. "She will be okay," he told her soothingly. "After medical help, she'll be alright."

Charlotte cried more into his arms, not able to stop. "Why would she drink and drive?" she asked, not able to understand her best friend's motives.

"I don't know," Anderson murmured. "I should take you home. . ."

Without a word, he stood up, got everything of Charlotte's and his keys, and beckoned her to follow him. She got up and walked behind him as he headed down the hall and the stairs and out the door.

It was quiet on the drive to her house. Wasn't it always quiet? The mood was different, somehow. Charlotte could tell something changed in Anderson's mood. She couldn't bring herself to ask him what it was.

Anderson clenched his jaw. Thoughts entered his mind. And they weren't happy thoughts. He pulled over to the curb and let her out.

"Bye," Charlotte said, finally breaking the silence. She looked over at him and waited for a response.

"Goodbye. Text me, yeah?" he asked.

"Will do."

Anderson drove off after making sure she went inside of her house.

- - -

The next day arrived. Monday. The most hated day of every student. Teenagers cringed at the beeps of their alarm clocks.

Charlotte's mother came in her room and gently shook her daughter awake. Her head lifted off of her pillow. "Mom?"

Her mother never woke her up in the mornings. She relied on her alarm clock everyday.

Her mother sat down on the edge of Charlotte's bed and looked at her.

"What's going on with you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked. She was confused.

"You've been gone a lot of these nights. You told me you were at Alissa's last night. And you weren't. I know that was a lie, Charlotte. Otherwise, you would've been in that car today with her."

Oh. Shit.

"I was at Anderson's," she explained.

"That boy who is your project partner?" A huge frown came upon her mother's face.

"Yes. Working on our project since he hasn't been at school lately. We worked really hard last night, and because he is sick, he couldn't drop me off because he was exhausted by the time we finished what we were working on. In the morning, I got the call about Alissa, and he took me home knowing that I had other homework and needed to be home."

"The matter here is that you lied to me. You're grounded. Get home as soon as you get out of school."

And with that, Charlotte's mother stood up and left her room.

What the fuck?

Her mother was never like that. Charlotte felt awkward, upset, and angry. Grounded? Really?

So it was a lie. But grounded for a lie?

Charlotte stood up and started getting ready for school. Twenty minutes later, she had gotten dressed, straightened her hair, put on eyeliner, and got her things together in her satchel. She hated purses, but she didn't mind the over-the-other-shoulder bags.

She walked out of her room and started going down the stairs when she heard her parents conversing in the kitchen. Quietly, she sat down on the second to the last step on the staircase and listened.

"No, Harold. She lied to us. That is wrong!" her mother exclaimed.

"Hunny, she is a teenager who never gets into trouble. I think that her lying for once is a good thing, it shows us she isn't crazy." Her dad chuckled.

"This isn't funny-"

"It isn't funny to you, but to me, I see it as that. You have to let our kid grow a little. Yes, she may have lied, but she was working on her project with that sick kid. Do you really think she would've done anything with him?

"Sick? She didn't tell me anything about him being sick. Why would she be going over there if he is sick?! She'll catch whatever he has!" her mother continued on.

"Gracie! The god dang kid has cancer, okay?!"

"Why hasn't she told me about this?" her mother exclaimed.

"How would I know? You need to talk to her to find out. I'm tired of this. You need to fix your relationship with her."

That set her mother off.

"What do you think I try doing everyday?! Our relationship is broken! And I can't do jack about it. She is never home anyways!"

Her mother was right in front of her father, whose mood went from playful to serious because of their argument. He bit his thumbnail, looked down, and finally looked up towards her.

"When she is home, what are you doing?" He walked out of the kitchen and saw Charlotte sitting on the stairs. She felt embarrassed when her dad noticed she was eavesdropping.

The front door slammed closed as her mother left.

"Come here kiddo. I should probably drive you to school; you're going to be late if I let you walk."

Charlotte stood up and began walking to the front door with her dad. He picked up his suitcase and they both headed out the door. The sound of the car doors unlocking themselves was heard after her dad pushed the button on his car remote. The two got in and buckled up.

"You know how your mother is. . ." he trailed off as he started the car and backed out of the driveway.

"Yeah. . ."

"You two have never gotten along, and I understand that; however, you both need to start putting in an effort. Despite your opposite personalities, you're still her daughter and she is still your mother. If I ask you to do me a favor, will you?"

"What's that Dad?" Charlotte asked.

"If I pay for you two to go have a fun day together, get your nails done, and all that girly crap, will you do it?"

Crap. Girly stuff?

"Alright Dad. I love you."

"I love you too. Thanks hunny. Have a good day at school."

"Have a good day at work," she said as she got out of the car.

Today was going to be an alright day, she hoped.

---

As she was sitting in class, she began thinking.

She didn't realize something until now.

What if his cancer cannot be treated? What all did she know about it? She didn't even know what type of cancer,or what stage it was. She didn't know what treatments he is getting in order to cure it. She didn't know anything.

The two just began dating. It's what she secretly has been wanting all this time, and he is finally hers. But what if. . .

"Charlotte?" Mrs. Benson asked.

Her head looked up to see her teacher, waiting expectantly for her to answer the question on the board.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, what is the answer?"

Charlotte looked at the board that had a complex problem drawn on it.

"37-3i."

"Wrong. Can anyone here explain to Charlotte the right answer since she isn't able to pay attention in class?" he asked.

What a cruel SOB.

The whole class answered. "8-12i."

"Thank you." He wrote the answer on the board.

No, thank you, for making me look like a complete idiot.

Her thoughts didn't stop, despite her teacher's interruption. They couldn't stop. Depression was seeping into her pores, determined to make her feel sad.

Her parents were fighting. Her best friend got into a serious accident. Her mother and her didn't have the greatest relationship. Anderson has cancer.

Charlotte was dating a boy with. . . cancer.

Fuck. . .