INVULNERABILITY - 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲́𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘁

four

charlotte willard

i woke up with a pounding headache, slowly sitting up. my clothes were damp now, flashback from the pool running through my head. blankets were sprawled accords the floor and i remember we made a pallet so we could all sleep together. i looked around and saw sleeping faces. i smiled and searched for maddy, kind of hoping to leave so i could shower and change.

she was next to me, eyes fluttering open. i smiled down at her and she grinned a bit.

she sat up, rubbing her eyes and then clinched her stomach. "i need food." she whispered and i nodded in agreement. we were both hungover, mutually wanting to get out of here. i couldn't wait to get into a proper bed and sleep all day. i was jetlagged and on top of that hungover, two horrible combinations.

"let's go." she whispered and i nodded. she got to her feet, stepping over sleeping bodies. i slowly got up, it taking me a minute to adjust. before i moved more i felt a hand grip my thigh. i looked down to see drew, his hair was a mess, eyes swollen a bit. "see you soon charlotte." his eyes fluttered closed and i grinned at him.

i stood up, quickly hoping over him and onto the hard floor.

i made my way out the door, slowly closing it. the sun made my eyes burn and i squinted, running to the car that maddy was in. i could smell the chlorine radiating off my body. my hair was a tangled mess and i could wait for a hot shower.

"finally." maddy mumbled as i hoped into the passenger seat. she sped off and i buckled, she must really be hungry. "sorry drew woke up." i stared out the window, taking in the la scenery. i wouldn't say i missed la but i the only time i come here is for euphoria. i do miss new york however and i've made it a point to go back after filming is over.

"you and drew huh?" she smirked and i turned towards her. "what?" im not sure what that was supposed to mean. "flirting all night and he couldn't keep his eyes off you." she smirked while she drove and i eyed her. harmless flirting so what? i haven't had a guys attention in two months. it was nice if i'm being honest. i barley thought about timothée last night and i'd say that's a win. drew is also very kind but i couldn't see myself dating anyone for a long.. long time.

"maddy i don't think i'll ever love again." it kind of came out even though i didn't want it to. it was nothing but the truth though. "i never said anything about love cherry." her voice was soft, knowing that this was a sensitive subject for me. "flirting is fun and easy.. plus drew is kind of like you, he hasn't had a girlfriend in years because his last one fucked him up so badly."

my heart sank, i felt bad. it was true what she said about flirting, it was fun and attention is nice every once in awhile. the thing that got me was her saying drew hadn't had a girlfriend in years. i don't know him well so i can't really say too much but i think he's a great guy. i felt for him but i don't think timothée fucked me up. i was already fucked up before i met him.

"it's in the past but no one really knows what happened.." she said and i also felt for him with that. no one knows what happened with timothée because i refuse to talk about it. the internet has made up so many crazy theories though. "that's okay.. i'm sure it's hard for him to talk about." now i really felt a connection with drew.

"i mean he hates her guts that for sure." she turned to me and i perked up. i hadn't had this in a long time, my stomach grumbled. i didn't want to press into further details because it wasn't my business.

she pulled up and someone quickly came to our aid. i thought for a moment about drew but quickly pushed it out of my mind, i feel like i was hearing to much. if someone wants to tell you they will, their friends shouldn't be talking about it for them.

"and for you?" the lady asked and i ordered whatever maddy got. we both got large waters though and i hoped they bring those first. my mouth was extremely dry. "but i can tell he likes you because he's never given any girl the time of day and man he gave you his attention all night." i shook my head.

"it's probably nothing.." i truly couldn't deal with another relationship right now, probably never actually. the thought of being with anyone but timothée gave me chills and i really just wanted to work on myself. i still have issues from my past that haunt me everyday and i can't project that onto someone else.

"oh we are actually doing a dinner tonight." she spoke up and i almost wanted to say no. i truly wanted to sleep for the rest of my life— i was that tired. "don't worry it's not until nine so we can sleep all day." she smiled like that got her excited. relief washed over me, "yeah i'm showering and then passing out." my eyes were feeling heavy.

"same." she mumbled, leaning back into her seat. "i can't believe you didn't tell me i was walking into a party.." i trailed off. she laughed a bit, "sorry.." i smiled at her. i don't regret it at all, i actually had a lot of fun. "also a pool party at that." i pointed to my damp clothes and nodded. "i didn't think we were gonna get into the pool." i giggled a bit, both of our clothes were damp.

once the food came out as well as the water and the first thing i did was stick my straw in the cup. i took a huge sip, downing as much water as i could. it felt cold as it went down my throat, a nice relief. my body thanked me as i drank half the cup, setting it down in the cup holder.

maddie parked and handed me my burger, unwrapping hers and taking a huge bite. she shut her eyes, enjoying the taste. i quickly copied, taking a bite and letting the burger soak into my mouth. we sat there in silence until both of our burgers were completely gone. she chugged her water, driving off into the busy street. we were both eager to get some rest and shower.

we got to her apartment fast and we bolted upstairs. well actually we hobbled, our bodies feeling weak and tired. this was the worst part for me but once we made it up the stairs and into the room we went straight to the showers. she had a guest room and guest bathroom so i took over that one.

"goodnight." she mumbled as she shut her door. it was kind of funny to see her like this, all hunched over from behind hungover. i smiled as i started the shower.

i slept for twelve hours before maddy woke me up. i was knocked out and she had to shake me for me to even open my eyes. she reminded me we had a dinner tonight that slipped my mind once my face hit the pillow. i nodded, grabbing my phone off the nightstand. it was 8 o'clock which meant we had an hour to get ready, less then that if we wanted to show up right at nine.

my eyes drifted down the screen to see a text from colby. i furrowed my brows before unlocking my phone.

colby
why the fuck is timothée's assistant texting me
asking if i know where ur at in la??

cherry
what?

colby
yeah she dm'd me

cherry
that's weird

i threw my phone down, not thinking much of it. even reading timothée's name put me in a weird headspace. i knew tonight was going to be a good night and i didn't want to shut down so i pushed the thought out of my head. i got up and started searching for an outfit, something casual but still nice.

i grabbed a pair of converse first, immediately knowing i wanted to wear them tonight. i searched for a top, eyeing a white one and grabbing it. i quickly searched for the rest coming up with some jewelry as well. i laid everything out to get a better look.

once i was satisfied i gave a quick nod. it wasn't anything special but i didn't know if we were just doing dinner or if we were hanging out after. this felt like me and i even added some rings to spice it up a bit. once everything was on i smiled, everything fit perfectly and now it was time for the longest part, makeup.

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