Catching The Tigers

Crashing

*CHARLIE POV*
Kristen is almost stomping her high heels over to get her crown. Her hair is so pretty and golden. Each curl lays perfectly and goes past her shoulders even with the flowy curls. Her makeup is done so perfectly with a shimmering highlight and her jawline is distinguished with the contouring. The strapless, red dress shows off her hourglass figure. It's no wonder Andy dated her, she is gorgeous. On the outside only, that is. On the inside, she is rude and spoiled rotten. Andy deserves so much better than her and how she treated him.
Owen walks up to get his crown as if he owns the whole school. I do not think I have met someone more arrogant than him, and I have met quite a few idiots in my time in football.
Everyone's halfhearted claps fill the gymnasium. The D.J. starts to play Shut Up and Dance with Me and I grab Andy's hand and start dancing to the upbeat tune. He spins me around quickly and we keep dancing. This goofy boy gives me butterflies and sends electricity through my veins just by his touch. My heart races at the thought of him. I am nervous, yet comfortable, when I am with him. I look up at the tall, dark haired boy and cannot help but smile like the Joker. I have only read about this feeling in books. Am I in love? This is how they describe love to feel. I think I am in love with Andy.

*ANDY POV*
All of a sudden, Charlie's eyes glow with something I have never seen before. I feel like I can see love in her eyes. We both stop dancing, unaware of what is going on around us. In one quick motion, I put one hand under her jaw and the other in the small of her back and pull Char as close as I possibly can. Our lips crash together like waves on the ocean and move in perfect sync. Her hands are resting on my sides. My mind goes fuzzy and all I can focus on is her and every movement of our lips. It feels like the butterflies in my stomach have multiplied and taken 100 energy shots... each. Her lips are the softest things I have ever felt and the sweetest things I have ever tasted in my life. I can feel the electricity of her and I. I slowly break out of the kiss but keep her close to me. Slowly I open my eyes again and stare at her. I can't help it; the words just slip right out. "I love you, Char." Her eyes, that were filled with love the last time I gazed into them, were now wide and scared. Before I can grab her hand to keep her with me, Char slips out of my grasp and runs out of the gym. I go after her and see that she is going into the girls' bathroom. Without hesitation, I follow her in there but I am too late. She has locked herself in the second stall. "Char?" I say in a soft worried voice. "Are you okay?"

"Go away, Andy," she says almost angrily.

"No Charlie. What's wrong?" There is a long pause before anyone speaks again, and it still is not Charlie. A random sophomore girl walked into the bathroom, saw me, apologized, and left. "Charlie?" I can hear the desperation in my voice. Desperation to know how she is feeling and what is going through her mind. I saw love in her eyes. What happened??
I hear the click of the lock and the stall door opens slowly. Charlie's mascara has made streaks down her cheeks from her tears. I cup her cheek with my hand and run my thumb across her mascara stained cheeks. She won't look me in the eye, so I lift her chin and finally our eyes meet again.
"I am so sorry if I hurt you. I never want to cause you pain, but," I say with slight hesitation for the next words to come out of my mouth. "I do not regret kissing you, nor do I regret confessing my love for you." When she hears the word 'love', she looks away again. "I need to know how you feel and why you ran away from me, Charlie."
"You cannot love me. This cannot happen. We-" She says in a sad voice but I cut her off.
"Do YOU not want this to happen? Or are you not allowing yourself to be happy because of football?" When I say the last part, she looks at me like I just punched a kitten. "Charlie, I can help you not get distracted during the football season and you can help me as well. We will be a team, supporting each other," I say in a, hopefully, convincing tone of voice.
"What if Coach pulls me out of the game like he did yesterday? I cannot afford to be taken out of anymore games. College scouts are watching me and it will not look good to them that I missed three or more games in one season!" she says, almost shouting.

"I will make sure that does not happen. Just give me the chance. At least... can we go back to the dance and enjoy the rest of the night?" I ask so quietly that if we weren't so close, she wouldn't be able to hear me. Char nods and I pull her into a hug because I know we both need one right now. After a minute of holding her close to me, we let go of each other, Char fixes her makeup in the mirror, and then she starts walking towards to door with me following right behind. I slowly rub her back as she walks back to the dance because I know how that makes her feel better when she is upset.

After a while, Char and I went back to our normal selves, joking around and having a great time. The DJ starts to play the last song, which is a slow song that I don't know the name of. I hold Charlie close and she rests her head on my shoulder. I hold one of her soft hands in mine. I gently kiss the top of her newly brown colored hair as we sway to the rhythm of the music. This night has felt like forever but at the same time it feels like it has only been a minute since we walked through the doors at the beginning of the dance. I lift up our hands and slowly spin her in a circle and the song ends.

*Charlie POV*

I start to walk over to my heels from hell. They're gorgeous but so painful. I hesitate but put them back onto my feet. Walking out to Andy's truck is going to be so difficult. I look up at my date to see that he is messing with his keys. Andy loses grip of his keys and tries to grab them again. He looks like he is playing an intense game of Hot Potato. I can't help but giggle, which catches him off guard and he drops his keys. I pick them up for him and we start to walk out to his truck. Like the gentleman he is, he opens the door for me and helps me in. In this moment of silence after he closes my door but before Andy gets into the driver's seat, I whisper something. Something I want to say to him. Something that will change everything between us. "I love you, too."

Andy gets in and thankfully starts the heat. We head home. He slows the truck down for the red light, no other vehicles around. The light turns green and Andy starts to accelerate into the intersection. It was almost like slow motion. The impact came out of nowhere.

A vision of an adult man with facial features just like my own. The man is smiling at me from the drivers seat. "I love you, Charlie, no matter what happens," the man says in a caring voice. Suddenly the impact of a large vehicle crushes the man. I hear my own premature voice scream out "Dad!" Shards of glass and splatters of blood cover my little body. Then I see Andy again. He looks so scared, but then my vision goes blurry. My lungs are closing, my breaths are short and rapid, my eyes are scared and full or fresh tears. I barely hear myself wheezing because everything sounds muffled. "My dad! My..." My panic attack just turns into sobs and Andy scoots close to me and holds me, slowly rocking me. "It's going to be okay. I'm here, Char," Andy says in a caring, yet scared, voice.

⚜️

"What happened?" I ask as we sit on my couch in our pjs. Andy made me warm tea while i was washing my makeup off and putting my hair into a messy bun.
"When I pulled into the intersection, someone ran a red light, hit the back end of my truck, and drove off. It only left a small dent in my truck, which doesn't matter because I have a clunker. But you started wheezing and hyperventilating. Then you said something about your dad and began sobbing. After holding you for a couple minutes, you calmed down and fell asleep. I drove you home and you woke up in the drive way. It was only a minor hit and run. I was only worried about you. I was scared you got hurt or that you would stop breathing from the panic attack," Andy says. He is looking down at his hands. 
There is a couple minutes of silence that helps me process everything that just happened before he speaks again. "Can I ask you something?" Andy asks. I look down at my tea and say "sure".

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
comment what you think the question will be and what you want to see in the next chapter 💖