ACEL’S P.O.V.
I couldn’t help but think of Charlotte’s face as I stared emotionless at my crowded plate. Not just because she was so beautiful, but because of the bruise that seemed just so out of place on her fragile and delicate face. As I sat at my usual lunch table, which held the smiling cheerleaders, the loud and messy football players, and the guffawing basketball players, I couldn’t help but want too just be alone with Charlotte. Not to question or interrogate her, but to just talk to her.
“Acel, you okay, dude?” Rick, my teammate, asked, slapping me roughly on my back, snapping me out of my reverie.
“What?” I asked, looking around to see everybody at the table’s eye’s on me. “Er, uh, yeah, I’m fine, just...Um, just tired, that’s all.” I stammered, dropping my gaze back down to my hamburger, my jaw tightly clenched. Who could do that to her face? Did she have an abusive boyfriend I didn’t know about? Was it a family member? These questions were gnawing away my insides, and it was actually frustrating to know that I didn’t know.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” Destiny, who’s sickingly sweet perfume wandered into my nose, placed herself right beside me, her left side practically squishing my right. Her hands predatorily wrapped around my forearm as she returned from the bathroom with a smirk, which peeked my interest, but I shrugged it off.
“Nothing, Destiny.” I muttered with a wince. The last thing I wanted to crowd my mind was Destiny, since I didn’t even know what we were. She was honestly just a booty call to me, a good one at that, but just a booty call, but she claimed to be my girlfriend. Frankly, I just let her after several arguments, not wanting to go through the hassle of continuously telling her that we weren’t an item, because Destiny was stubborn as hell. “What took you so long?” I asked curiously, even though I didn’t really care.
“Oh nothing, just a little…Complication in the bathroom, but don’t worry; everything is sorted out now.” She said, smirking at her friends who suspiciously giggled in their small salads, and my eyebrows furrowed as I shook her off my arm.
“Why would I be worried?” I asked, placing my elbows on the light blue lunch table and putting my chin on my fists, eying Destiny as she avoided my gaze, peering down at her simple cup of water. I swear this girl never ate.
“Nothing-“
“You’re little fan, Chubby Charlotte.” Destiny’s friend cut her off before shying away from Destiny’s glare, apologetically looking away.
“…Chubby Charlotte?” I asked at a sighing Destiny, who now just looked agitated.
“Yes, Chubby Charlotte, why, are you interested in her?” I instantly detected jealously, which I didn’t want to get involved in, so I just nonchalantly shrugged, looking away.
“No.” I scoffed. “I’m just wondering why she got the nickname Chubby Charlotte; Charlotte is far from chubby, so why the name?”
“Well she’s not chubby anymore, but she was horribly chubby back in freshman through junior year, don’t you remember? It’s a miracle she dropped all that weight, she looked like a fucking balloon, she was so fat.” She spat enviously, as if hating the fact that Charlotte lost all of her gained weight so fast. I squinted my eyes in concentration as I tried to remember Charlotte before yesterday, and my mind came up blank until I remembered the rumor of a girl going by Chubby Charlotte, cutting herself in the girl’s bathroom back in sophomore year.
“W-W-Wait, Charlotte? As in-“
“The suicidal freak? Yeah, that bitch.” She said nonchalantly, glancing at her nails with a smirk. My eyes widened at her words, and I looked around to see if anybody caught that, which they did.
“Whoa, Chubbs-a-lot is suicidal? It was only a matter of time. I’m surprised she didn’t kill herself back in sophomore year.” Toby, the star quarterback, laughed, fist bumping a few of his friends as I seethed quietly.
“What the hell is wrong with you guys? We’re talking about someone’s life here! How can you just talk so casually about it?!”
“Bro, chill.” Toby said with a soft chuckle, holding his hands up in defense. “It was just a joke.”
“Yeah, a bad one at that.” I spat, ignoring Destiny.
“Alec, why are you sticking up for her? I thought that you weren’t interested in her.”
“Yeah, and I’m not interested in someone like you, Destiny.” I shouted, and now, the whole cafeteria’s eyes were on me. “I can’t believe you could be so heartless-At least Charlotte is far from being like you.”
Her face was burning with anger and embarrassment as she shot up, glaring down at me with crossed arms. “Yeah? Well she sure was heartless when she killed her sister, but I’m sure you didn’t know that did you? It’s no wonder why her boyfriend left her to take care of their child all by herself.” She scoffed with a roll of her eyes before storming away.
Wait, what?
“D-Did she say what I think she said?” I asked to nobody in particular, just wanting clarification to what I just heard.
“Bro, you really are fucking oblivious; you don’t remember when the girl got knocked up junior year?” Toby scoffed with a shake of his head before everybody turned back to their conversations.
Holy shit.
I shot up, ignoring everybody’s calls as I bolted through the cafeteria doors, wondering where the hell someone like Charlotte could be at. It was obvious she didn’t like much attention, so the first place I thought about, besides the classrooms since they were locked during Lunch, was the library. Taking the stairs 3 at a time, I was banging at the library doors in no time, only to no avail when I saw the huge ‘TESTING’ sign on the door. With a groan, I rubbed my face, raking my mind for any sign of where Charlotte could be.
“Oh nothing, just a little…Complication in the bathroom, but don’t worry; everything is sorted out now.”
“You’re little fan, Chubby Charlotte.”
Remembering Destiny and I’s conversation earlier, I jogged down the steps, soon finding myself running through the girl’s bathroom, only to see it was empty. Cursing loudly, I ran a hand through my hair, about to turn and leave before I heard movement in one of the stalls.
“Charlotte? Is that you?” I asked cautiously, slowly walking to the only locked stall to see Charlotte’s converse, making me chuckle under my breath. “Hey, Charlotte, I’m sorry about whatever Destiny said to you-“
“I don’t need you to apologize for your girlfriend. I just need you and her to stay out of my life.”
“Charlotte-“
“Alec, enough.” Her firm voice made me clamp my mouth shut, and a few seconds later, she erupted from the bathroom stall, her face full of anger. We sat in silence, just staring into each other’s eyes, and I willed myself not to blurt anything that wouldn’t help the situation, out. Not being able to stop myself, I glanced down at her stomach to see if there was any sign of her ever being pregnant, but I didn’t see anything but her flat stomach, making me even more confused.
“C-Can we just…Start over?” I suggested meekly, looking down at my shoes with a sigh, shoving my hands in my pockets. “I just hate this hostility, and-“
“What?” Her voice was small, barely above her whisper, sending chills down my body.
“I said, can we just-“
“Yeah, I heard what you said.” She drawled with a playful roll of her eyes, making me crack a smile. “I uh…I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” And with that, that little playful glint that I was almost certain was rare, was gone, leaving the fragile and broken girl I met yesterday.
“I don’t care about Destiny and your little antics. I don’t want her bickering to get in the way of what could be a good…Friendship.” Wincing at my hesitation, I sighed, leaning against the wall. She was silent, I was silent, and it was just comfortable.
“Wow.” I breathed, breaking the silence. “I didn’t expect a girl’s bathroom to smell so bad.” And with that, Charlotte broke into laughter, her hearty laugh reminiscent of wind chimes, making me just smile at her as she threw her head back, and I made it my mission to see this girl be as carefree as she was now, more often. When she sighed, a huge smile on her face, I couldn’t help but blurt out a compliment that made her blush deeply.
“God, you are so beautiful.” She gulped, looking away, her smile dropping as she bit her lip, tucking a loose strand of hair under her ear.
“Yeah.” She said finally with a nod. “I would be okay with starting over.”
“Great!” I breathed in relief, not able to contain the smile on my face even if I wanted to. “So, how about we go get some...Coffee after school or something?”
“I can’t.” She instantly blurted, and I frowned at that, since she literally just said that we could start over. “I mean, I would, but I can’t.”
“May I ask why?” I cautiously asked with furrowed eyebrows.
“Probably not.” She replied with a small smile just as the bell rang. “See you around, Alec.”
“Definitely.” I smiled, and watched as she left.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgX25umVRd
*
“Alec, darling, can you help me set the table please?” My mom asked, walking into the dining room with silverware, placing them where they rightfully go.
“Sure.” I nodded, following her into the kitchen where I grabbed the familiar stack of plates. My mom and I looked alike in so many ways, it was slightly scary. We had the same hair color, same eye color, and same goofy personality, which was one of the few things that made us so close. My sister, Amy, had my dad’s looks, with their honey blonde hair, brown eyes, and more calm personality. My dad was a workaholic which means he was almost never here, and when he was, he was always making phone calls or at his computer, working at home, never taking a break. My mom was also never really here since she was a full time surgeon, but when she was, she was more interactive, finding little stuff to bond with us, like my basketball games or Amy’s tennis tournaments. I wasn’t exactly sure what my dad did except for the fact that he was the CEO for a big company and he always wore fancy suits, and made a lot of money to provide for our family.
A bit too much if you ask me, considering we had more maids then we could ask for, two chefs, three gardeners, and a butler.
“Thanks, love.” Mom said once I was finished, pecking me on the cheek as she took her hair out of her ponytail with a sigh, releasing her waist from the apron strings that were tightly wounded around her figure.
“No problem; where’s Amy-“
“Here I am!” Amy was my 14 year old sister, and when she wasn’t getting on my nerves, she was actually a really chill sister, never prying, only slightly bratty, and very understanding. Clad in a light blue tank top and Hello Kitty pajama bottoms, she placed herself in her assigned seat at the dining table, smiling at me, flashing me her perfect teeth under her only slightly noticeable retainer.
“Hey, A.” I greeted. “How was school?”
“Fine.” She assured with a nod. “I got a 99% on my test.” She beamed at my mom who congratulated her profusely before calling Dad from his office, telling him it was time for dinner. Amy turned to me with a small smile, waiting for her congrats from me, which I gladly gave.
“Good job, A. Soon enough, you’re going to be smarter than me.” I joked, which made her giggle and look away with a playful shake of her head.
Just as mom placed the food on the table, Dad came down; on his phone, but he came down notheneless.
“Yes. Alright. I’ll be at the office tomorrow! Ok. I’ll see you soon, goodbye.” With a sigh, he sat down at the head of the table with mom on his right, smiling at him as he shut his cell phone and tucked it into his breast pocket.
“How are you son?” Dad asked me, nodding at me in acknowledgement as he forced a smile. I always hated how my dad talked to me like I was a client, or a worker at his building instead of an actual father, but I never made a big fuss out of it.
“I’m good, actually.” I said with a smile, looking down at my plate.
“Aw, mom, look at his face! He’s met a girl!” Amy cooed, playfully pinching my cheek, making me swat her hand away with a playful scowl.
“Have not!” I argued, willing myself not to think about Charlotte agreeing to start all over.
“Have to! Look at that smile, you haven’t smiled like that since Victoria.” At the mention of Victoria, I frowned, my jaw clenching as all thoughts of Charlotte flew out the window and I was fixated on the thought of Victoria.
“Amy.” Mom scolded lowly, but she only shrugged.
“What? I’m just saying.” She drawled.
“How was school today, Amy?” Dad asked with a clearing of his throat, obviously changing the subject, veering away from the topic of Victoria. Dinner was filled with subtle debates, conversation, and laughter, until finally, everybody was done and we had all disappeared to our rooms, or in dad’s case, office. Sighing, I lay out on my bed, staring at my ceiling with a natural frown, thinking about Charlotte and what she might’ve gone through. What did Destiny mean when she said she killed her sister? I thought, not believing the idea of Charlotte actually intending to kill someone. I also couldn’t believe I didn’t know Charlotte even existed before yesterday. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that she actually tried to kill herself yesterday; what the hell had this girl gone through? 867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeKA8mXVEkw
*867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7euVxVEhN
“I knew I would see you today, but I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” Were Charlotte’s first words when she saw me, jogging up to catch her just before she slipped past the school doors.
“How are you? I mean good morning. How…How did you sleep?” I asked, internally rolling my eyes at my pathetic response.
“Listen, I appreciate the effort, but I hate the way you’re treating me.” She said, still looking ahead as we weaved our way through the thick crowd.
“Um, you lost me.” I admitted, adjusting my backpack strap on my shoulder as I decided to look forward so I didn’t knock into more people.
“You’re treating me like some…Fragile china doll, or a ticking bomb.” She said simply, her voice light but her words heavy as the realization hit me.
“Shit, sorry, Charlotte, I didn’t mean to-“
“It’s okay.” She assured with a nod of her head, finally meeting my gaze. “Just don’t, okay?” She asked, flashing me that smile that made the whole hall that much brighter.
“Roger that.” I joked, eluding a giggle from her. “So, how about that cup of coffee you suggested yesterday? Are you able to do it today?” I was crossing my fingers behind my back, hoping she would agree, but I was highly disappointed when she sighed.
“Sorry, but I can’t.” She said, flashing me a sympathetic smile.
“Why not?” I couldn’t help but sound offended and a bit hurt, hating how she was dodging around. We reached her locker and I watched as she skillfully did her combination in less than 4 seconds before pulling open the rusty locker.
“Well, I-“
“Alec!” Destiny’s cheery voice erupted down the hall, making me turn to see her sashaying her way towards me in a blouse and a mini skirt, her blonde hair curled to what she would think was perfection.
“Destiny…” I said, much less enthusiastically than her, but she didn’t seem to mind as she placed her hand on my chest when she reached me, leaning me back into the lockers.
“Morning, babe.” She smirked, and with that, her lips latched onto mine possessively, as if sending out a message. “I decided to forgive you for the way you were acting.” She cooed when she pulled away, a huge smile on my face.
“Uh, Destiny-“
“Pause.” She said, placing a finger over my lips. “How about you tell me when you come over tonight? You’re still coming over, right?” There was a twinkle in her eye as she beamed at me, making me roll my eyes.
“Well yeah, but-“I was cut off by a slam of a locker right besides my ear, making me turn to see Charlotte storming away, her books in her hand. “Charlotte!” I called.
“Its fine, Alec, just talk to me when you’re not busy.” She hollered over her shoulder, and even though her voice was small, it was loud in my ears, screaming at me. I was about to chase after her before Destiny forcefully yanked my chin back so I could stare at her, just the way she wanted me.
“But nothing.” She said with a smirk. “I’ll see you tonight.” And with that, she placed one sloppier kiss on my lips, winked, and left, her job done.867Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyMvI5kAqB
