Char Coal (BWWM)

Chapter 18: Another One, Please

Chapter 18 – Another One, Please

"Not that I don't enjoy seeing you scarf down three smoothies like you're immune to brain freeze, but what's really up?" Dillion asked, tapping on his barely started water.

After I hopped into his car, it was like I was in a daze. I didn't speak, just stared out the window. Not even thinking, I was just staring out, not even paying attention to what my eyes were seeing. He could have been talking to me but my ears didn't even bother listening. It wasn't until we arrived to Fruity Smooth that I uttered out 'Three Kiwi Strawberry smoothies, please.'

Now I sat across from him at an outside patio with circular benches. "You're right; I should probably make it four."

I began to get up before he pulled me back down. "You're scaring me now. Are you trying to drive yourself into a diabetic coma?"

"I walked in to Demetrius and Anna making out in my living room." I blurted out. Maybe it was the excess sugar or having that image etched in my brain, but my hand couldn't stop shaking. "She said she was doing it for my own good, so I'm just magically not supposed to be pissed off."

"Did you love him?"

"No." I spat. "That's not the point. I couldn't care less about him but you know what hurts? He pined after Mirabelle for three years but he didn't bother to give me two months. I've fully realized there's no hope for me."

I was surprised to see him answer with a bout of laughter. "C'mon, Char. You're still a teen, you can't really be worrying about your love life right now, right?"

I'm really missing sincere Aaron right now, but he didn't need my drama while his family healed from a loss.

"I don't appreciate you dismissing my feelings. Let's not forget that you called me burnt the first day we met and you never cease to admit that my sisters are prettier than me."

"I told you, I was just trying to get under your skin. I mean, I dropped buckets of pretty cheap paint on their heads. I obviously rather spend time with you."

"You're not the first to say those mean things to me. I'm not trying to nab another boyfriend; I just don't want to feel so rejected based on something as menial as my skin tone."

"Honestly, I've seen a ton of girls like your sister. There nothing really special about them."

"My sister are beautiful. I'm not looking for people to tell me I'm gorgeous; I just want the world not to subtract my imaginary beauty points because they can't appreciate some melanin. I really went through a rough patch in middle school where kids called me Charcoal because I was so dark skin."

"I maybe just some privileged cis white male and I don't really understand colorism or whatever but, when I first saw you... I plainly thought you were stunning. I was just trying to bring your self esteem down so you could even think about getting with a jerk like me."

"That's toxic as hell." I shook my head. He was just trying to cheer me up, I didn't believe a word that was coming out of his mouth. As if he was really was that attracted to me, he couldn't be that rude to someone he liked the way he was to me.

"I'm—um—going to the bathroom." He stood up making his way back inside the shop. Did he look hurt? I mean, he just admitted to being a douche-bag just so he could try to score.

"Hey, Char!" I followed the mysterious voice calling my name. it belonged to an oddly familiar looking boy; I was pretty sure he went to Newtown. He had these distinctive blonde dreads and extreme relaxed vibe radiating off of him.