When Hearts Collide

Charlie picked at her food and nursed another beer for nearly an hour before finally her father returned to the table to join her.

"Sorry 'bout that," He sighed, pouring himself into the booth.

Few words were exchanged between them while he caught up with his burger and fries. Caleb's plate, on the other hand, remained untouched. After her father finished his burger, Charlie sighed.

"Caleb said that he was.... alright..."

"He is," Bill assured his defeated daughter. Her eyes didn't lift from her plate. "He just.... wasn't expecting to see you, Charlie... not so.... soon."

Charlie shrugged her shoulders.

"I should have never came home," She muttered.

"Come on, Charlotte," Her Dad sighed, reaching for his beer. "You've had plenty of people here waiting a long ass time for your return.... aside from Jamie."

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"Besides... how did you think he was gonna react?" Bill asked, brows knitting together. "You think he was just gonna.... run to you with open arms? No. He hasn't seen you in seven damn years, Charlie. It was probably a fuckin' shock to the system."

Charlie picked at the remains of her fries, once again shrugging.

"He'll come around," Her father insisted. "He's a good man.... he really is."

"I think I'm... a little too late," She sighed, reaching for the remains of her beer. By now, the amber liquid was warm, but still went down smooth.

The booth was quiet as Bill finished his meal. After he was done, he got up to pay - taking Caleb's meal over to the bar for him. Charlie sat quietly, picking at her cuticles. Casually, she stole a glance over her shoulder, finding Bill at the bar with her brother and Jamie. While Sue was ringing in the bill, her father was making light conversation with the boys.

He must have mentioned Charlie, for Jamie's baby blues flickered in her direction. Having been caught, Charlie looked away, eyes falling to the mess of ketchup on her plate. She inhaled deeply, beginning to fidget with the ring around her neck to preoccupy her mind.

After a few minutes, her father returned.

"You ready?"

Without a word, Charlie stood, following her Dad out of the restaurant. She hugged her arms across her chest, casting one last look in Jamie's direction. Their eyes met again, staying locked until she made her way out the front door.

The cool, nighttime air was refreshing against her warm cheeks. As she walked, Charlie could feel the alcohol circulating through her body. She inhaled deeply, kicking stones across the parking lot with the toe of her shoe.

"Don't worry about tonight, alright?" Bill assured her as they approached the truck. "I'm sure the next time you see him, it'll go.... better."

Charlie rolled her eyes.

"I'm not holding my breath," She grumbled.


That night, Charlie tossed and turned in the bed she used to call her own. Flashbacks of her relationship with Jamie tortured her, keeping her awake for much of the night.

As she lay awake, staring out the bedroom window at the starry night sky, Charlie reflected on the first time she ever saw Jamie. Funnily enough, her reaction had been similar to that of hours before, seeing him at Josie's.

It was the first day of grade eight when she met Jamie. He had been a new student. In a small town like Grand Marais, word of his arrival had travelled fast. Most of the girls in her grade were desperate to meet the rumored new boy in town - however, Charlie was considerably less interested. She was busy doodling in the margins of her notebook when the classroom door first opened.

"Class, we have a new student joining us... all the way from Chicago," Mr. Moyer told them cheerfully. "Please give a big, warm welcome to... James Andersson."

Charlie looked up from her doodles, finding herself suddenly engrossed in the new student at the front of the class.

James was tall and lanky, even in the eighth grade. His dark hair was trimmed short back then, in military style. He sported a Metallica t-shirt, a pair of Levis, and black Chucks. But his eyes... his eyes were the bluest blue that Charlie had ever seen. She was transfixed.

As James scanned the classroom, his eyes fell on Charlie. They shared in a long, awkward stare while the rest of the class chorused together for an obnoxious "Hello, James".

"Jamie..." He said, eyes never leaving Charlie's line of sight. "My name is... Jamie."

"Well, Jamie," My. Moyer gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "Why don't you take a seat at the back... in one of those empty desks?"

Charlie watched as Jamie wove his way through the desks, Chucks slapping against the tile floor. He took a seat in the last desk in the row over from her, leaving plenty of opportunity to steal glances.

"Miss Briggs,"

Charlie turned in her seat, back toward the front of the room. She could feel her cheeks beginning to blaze from embarrassment.

"You'll have plenty of time to chat with Mr. Andersson during lunch," Mr. Moyer teased, picking up a piece of chalk and returning to their opening lesson. With a sigh, Charlie slunk lower in her seat, looking over her shoulder to find Jamie smirking at her.

The rest had been history.

At lunch, Jamie had strode over to her, taking a seat in the desk in front of hers. He sat backward in the seat, legs dangling under Charlie's desk. The usual desk resident, Brittany Morris, had also switched seats for lunch break.

"Hey," Jamie said.

"Hi," Charlie smiled, setting down her pencil.

"Whatcha' drawin?" He asked, peering over her lunch bag to get a glimpse of her artwork.

"Mmm, some.... elves," She told him sheepishly.

"Elves?" His face lit up. "Like, Lord of the Rings elves?"

"You like Lord of the Rings?" Charlie beamed, never having believed in love at first sight until that tender moment. Not only was Jamie cuter than any other boy she'd seen before, but he also had great taste in music and movies.

"More like love," Jamie laughed, taking another bite of his granola bar. He stole another glance at her drawing. "You're really talented."

"Thanks," Charlie murmured shyly, tucking a few strands of mousy brown hair behind her ear. "So... you like Grand Marais?"

Jamie shrugged his skinny shoulders.

"It's... pretty lame," He told her flatly. Charlie smirked.

"I bet Chicago was... amazing," She sighed, dreamily imagining the flashing lights and sounds of the big city. Charlie liked to imagine herself living in a big city someday, perhaps as an artist or a famous actress.

"It was alright," Jamie, yet again, shrugged. "I miss it."

"So... why'd you move here?" Charlie asked, eyebrows raising. "Your parents had a change of heart about city life?"

Jamie stared at her for a long moment, his face frozen.

"No... they, uh...." He trailed off, eyes falling to the floor. "It's.... complicated."

"It's okay," Charlie assured him. "You don't have to tell me."

"Maybe... one day," He nodded.

"Cool," Charlie smiled.

From that moment on, they were inseparable. It was rare to find one without the other. Though some of the guys in their grade teased Jamie for spending so much time with Charlie, it didn't seem to bother him. They spent every recess together, not to mention Charlie often invited him over to her house after school to watch movies and hangout.

Though Jamie was reluctant to let Charlie in on his home life, eventually, after a month of friendship, he finally invited her over after school. The two walked side by side from the school to his house, only a few blocks away - unlike the hour long bus ride they endured to get to Charlie's.

Once inside the cozy cottage, they were greeted by an older woman with silver hair.

"You must be Charlie," She sung. "I'm Jamie's grandmother, Pearl."

"But you can call her Nana," Jamie told Charlie, shrugging his shoulders. Pearl laughed, retreating from the front room and returning with a plate full of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

"Care for one?" She asked.

Even as an adult, Charlie found it hard to forget about Nana's cookies. It was arguable that Nana's cookies were the best she'd ever had. The soft, buttery texture simply melted in your mouth. The warm chocolate chips oozed with every bite. She remembered that first bite like it was yesterday.

"These are amazing, Nana," Charlie groaned with delight.

"Why, thank you, Charlie," Pearl's face lit up. "Why don't you two take these and go play? I've got to finish cutting up veggies for dinner."

Jamie took the tray of warm cookies and guided Charlie down a short, narrow hall to his bedroom. Inside, the royal blue walls were covered with posters - mostly of bands and athletes. There were model cars set up on a shelf above Jamie's bed, glued and painted by hand.

Charlie set down her book bag, looking around the room.

"Must be nice, having your grandma here to cook all the time," She joked, reaching for another cookie.

Jamie's joyous expression shifted.

"Actually, Charlie... I.... I only live with her,"

Charlie frowned.

"Where are your... parents?" She asked, taking a bite of her cookie. The sweet melted on her tongue, capturing her in a moment of temporary bliss.

With a sigh, Jamie set down his half-eaten cookie.

"You're the only person I'm gonna tell this to, so.... please... please, don't say anything," Jamie sighed, looking to her with pleading, blue eyes.

"Pinky promise," Charlie assured him, offering him her dainty finger. They locked fingers and shared in a look of trust.

After Jamie pulled his hand away, he inhaled deeply.

"My parents... died," He confessed, eyes growing teary. Jamie's bottom lip began to tremble. "In a.... a car accident. That's why..... that's why I'm even... here."

Unsure of how to respond, Charlie did what she thought was best. She set down her cookie and wrapped her skinny arms around Jamie, pulling him in for a hug. Within a few moments, Jamie's arms wrapped around her, returning the gesture. He cried into her shoulder, and she cried into his, as if feeling his pain.

"I'm never gonna let go, okay?" She mumbled into his damp shirt.

As the morning light began to trickle through her bedroom window, a single tear rolled down Charlie's cheek. She rolled over onto her side, staring at the collage of photos hanging from her wall. Her eyes immediately picked out a photo of her and Jamie from the eighth grade, having dressed up as elves for Halloween. She sniffled, hugging her pillow a little tighter into her side.

Guilt weighed her down, pinning her to the bed. Her heart was heavy with shame while her stomach wound itself even more tightly into knots.

Though she tried to be hopeful, one thing was certain: some things would never... and could never... be the same.