Falling

Chapter Eleven

I shut the door behind me as I walk in my house. I just stood there for a second to remember the flavor of Nate's lips. The tingles I felt when he kissed me. My stomach received the kind of butterflies you get when you are on an air plane and you're landing. I couldn't help but smile at that the thought of him kissing me again. 

It was such a simple kiss. It didn't even last more than ten seconds. But those ten seconds were enough to make my mind go wild and my stomach launch in every which way.

"Oh, you're home?" Wendy asks me, interrupting my overwhelmed self.

"Yeah," I reply standing up straight. Wendy looks out the window.

"Was that a boy dropping you off?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"What's his name?" She interrogates. I smile, harshly.

"Doesn't matter." I tell her vaguely. I begin to walk to my bedroom.

"I washed your laundry, Charlie." Wendy sighs. I turn back to her and see her facing me. "I noticed you really like wearing the color blue..." She continues. She isn't looking at me. I raise my eyebrows. "And I also noticed the smell of alcohol." Her eyes meet mine. "I didn't tell your father." She reassures me.

"And?" I ask.

"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. I know your father might not understand exactly what you're going through." I fold my arms and give a slight laugh.

"And you think you do?" I scoff. "How could you possibly know how it feels to be me?" Wendy gives a long sigh. Like she was expecting that reply.

"I am just saying that if you need anything, I am here for you."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I turn back around and begin to stomp away from her. What makes her think I would ever talk to her about anything? I stop when something else pops into my brain.

"Actually, you know what? Maybe there is something you could help me with." I march back over to her. "If there was anything you could fix for me it's that you whored your way through my family, splitting us up. Can you fix that for me, Wendy?"

The look on her face was utter shock. I can't believe I just said that. I was going to be in deep, deep shit. I bit my tongue from saying more and went upstairs.

What happened to the happy Charlie I was just minutes ago?

Later that night my dad came in to talk to me. I thought he was going to yell at me for what I had said to Wendy.

"Lottie?" He says, carefully as he knocks on my door, coming in. I was sitting on my bed, prepared for the lecture of lifetime.

"Yeah, dad?" I spring up in my bed.

"Spring break is coming up."

"I know?" I was not expecting him to say that.

"And Demi has a trip to San Diego for a track meet."

"Okay?"

"Wendy and I have to chaperone the trip. We were wondering if you were okay with taking care of Andrew while we were gone?" He was sitting next to me uncomfortably on my bed. He wasn't mentioning my barking at his wife. His silence about it only made me feel guiltier. "Charlotte?" He asks, regaining my attention.

"Yeah!" I say literally jumping out of my train of thought. "Yeah, I can totally take care of Drew over the break."

"Great," He says. He puts a gentle hand on my leg. "I love you Charlotte."