lemon and mint | Charles Leclerc

18.

December 2013

"Oh, my sweet little Pia," Matthieu whispered into her ear while putting his arm around her shoulders. His breath was warm and smelly. Pia could smell the alcohol he had consumed just a few minutes ago. His arm felt so heavy on her shoulders. She didn't like when he did that. She had a feeling that the only one who should put his arm around her shoulders was Charles.

"You look so tense today. You should loosen up for a bit," Thias advised her. His voice sounded different. Pia would swear she heard lust in his voice.

Thias was in his final year. Pia wasn't sure if he was a good boy or not. Matthieu definitely looked like one with the face of an angel. His innocent blue eyes were framed by long lashes, his lips were pink and plump, and when he smiled, dimples showed on his face. Nobody would ever guess that Matt would do something naughty. He was a tall brunet and captain of a football team, and he was Victor's friend. Victor was the reason why she was there with Thias in the first place.

Thias held this party because his parents were out of the country. He invited Victor over but under one condition. He wanted him to bring Pia with him.

"I can help you relax. What do you say?" he offered to her. Pia wasn't really sure what he meant by relaxing, but she didn't like how it sounded. When Charles said that they could relax for a bit, he'd made her a cup of hot chocolate, and they watched cartoons together, but she had a feeling that Thias' intentions were different.

"No, thanks," she said and wanted to walk away, but his hand stopped her. He grabbed her forearm just like her father did, but this time Seb wasn't here to rescue her. Victor was here, but Pia knew deep down he wouldn't help her anyway. This time she was alone.

"Not so fast, sweetie." Pia looked at him. The smile on his face suddenly seemed so unfriendly and vile. "Here, take this. It could make you a bit more easy-going and entertaining," Thias handed her two white pills with a smiling face on them. She immediately recognised that he had just given her ecstasy.

"Molly?" she asked him. He was clearly surprised that she knew the slang word for it. "Thanks," she leaned closer to him. It almost looked like she wanted to kiss him. Thias thought so as well, so he loosened the grip on her hand and Pia hand finally the chance to get away from him, and she did exactly that.

Pia made her way out of the house. She was scared Thias would find her, so she just ran away. She hid those two smiley pills in her pocket and hoped that nobody would find them.

The garden seemed to be big enough to hide there for a bit before heading home. Her father should've been there, but he wasn't. He probably told her where he would be, but Pia didn't give a shit. She only remembered one instruction. Call me only if you're about to die. He gave up on pretending that he liked her when he didn't.

"I don't think that's good for you." A voice one of her classmates reached her ears right after she lighted her cigarette. Just from the tone of her voice, she could tell she was disdaining her. Pia didn't expect to see Simone here. She wasn't really a good girl but neither a bad girl. It felt like she didn't fit in, but she did.

"Stop being fucking annoying," Pia said and took a drag off a cigarette. She knew Simone was a good girl when it came to drinking or smoking. She wasn't drinking nor smoking, not because it was harmful but more likely because she was so much better than that.

"I just don't get it. Why would you do something like that?" She sat next to her on a stone wall in the garden. Pia didn't even bother asking her why she wasn't inside partying with others. She was so much better than anyone there.

"Can't you just leave it?" A question left Pia's lips simultaneously with smoke.

"Tell me, do you want to bring him down with you? Do you think he deserves something like this?" Simone urged her. Pia knew about whom she was talking. Her sweet pretty boy - Charles.

"I..." Pia wasn't able to say more. She ruffled through her hair with a hand. Songs from the house quietly reached her ears, so she could tell it needed to be loud there.

"Do you really think he wants to be with you? Do you think he wants to date a junkie?" Simone questioned her again. These questions made her feel tears in her eyes.

Pia didn't have the strength to answer the question of the Monegasque. She just jumped off the stone wall and left the garden. She left Simone behind, but unfortunately, she couldn't leave behind all the thoughts Simone had created in her mind.

Pia desperately wanted to overcome this on her own, but she couldn't. She was way too weak for that, so eventually, she grabbed her phone and dialled Charles' number.

"Charles?" A sob left Pia's throat, and then there was silence. The only thing Charles heard was the wind rustling through the speaker of Pia's phone. So, Charles recognised that she was outside. Wandering through Monegasque streets at 3:46 am. "I'm sorry to disturb you that late." she apologised in advance.

"That's alright, P. What is going on?" he asked her worriedly.

"Are you happy with me?" Simone exactly did what she wanted. She made Pia doubt herself. She got her thinking about her relationship with Charles.

"What is this question? Obviously, I am," he quickly replied without any hesitations. Perhaps Simone was right, and Pia didn't deserve him.

"I know, I'm a mess, and I know that I'm not making it any easier for you, but please... pretty please be patient with me. I beg you," Pia was begging him desperately, and then she sniffed. Charles' heart broke at the sound of her crying. She cried a lot the last few weeks, but that didn't mean he got used to it. He was always so sad when he saw her like that.

"I gotta get better. I gotta get better," she was mumbling to herself.

"You're enough, Pia. There is just too much going on right now, but it will be alright,"

"Do you think so?" The young Italian needed to be reassured. She knew she didn't deserve him. Somewhere deep down, she knew Simone was right. He deserved someone so much better, but Pia was too selfish to let him go.

"Yeah, I do," he comforted her. "By the way, Max called me. He asked about you," Charles sighed. He felt so stupid when the Dutchman was asking him about his girlfriend. Charles felt so embarrassed that he didn't know what Max was talking about. "Why didn't you tell me?" Pia could barely hear his voice because he was whispering.

"I didn't want to annoy you. I know I'm a mess, and I don't want to make it harder for you," she let out. She was fully aware that Charles had already a lot of worries because of her. She didn't want to give him more reasons why to leave her.

"You wouldn't annoy me. He hurt you. Has he... has he hit you ever since you got back?" he asked Pia with tears in his eyes. He couldn't imagine how Anthonie was able to hurt his daughter. Pia was so petite and sweet. He didn't understand how Anthonie could hurt such a fragile girl.

"No, he hasn't," Pia denied Charles' thoughts.

"Don't go there, Pia. Come here. I will wait for you," he invited her over. It didn't take long before she reached his place. They needed to be quiet because they didn't want Pascale to know. They knew they would need to deal with it in the morning, and that was more than enough.

So finally, they were both nestled down in warm duvets. Pia seemed to be asleep, so Charles tucked her hair behind her ear and whispered: "Darling, what are you doing to me?" He smiled before he leaned down and kissed her on her forehead whilst wrapping his arms around her, and then he sighed: "This is where you belong."

A/N This weekend is going to be interesting. The better one wins. Let's just fully send it and hope for the best!

Also, I promise that everything will be better ❤️