Someone Like You (Chenry)

Chapter Thirteen

The bell above the door jingled as the dinosaur blew its fire at Charlotte. When she first came to this store even before Henry got a job, she was terrified of the dinosaur head. She was a little girl back then, though, so she didn't know that they weren't real. She was used to the oddities that came with working at Junk N' Stuff by now.

Glancing around the area, she saw the shelves and shelves filled with junk and stuff that Ray had collected over the years. She wasn't sure how he was able to keep this store running since no one hardly bought anything from here, but it was still standing. She also wondered how the villains that Ray and Henry fought did not know where the Man Cave was, especially since Ray has been fighting these villains for years. 

There was never a time when Charlotte was afraid that her security was compromised, though. She knew she was safe with Henry and Ray protecting their town, even if they acted like a bunch of children together. But this time around, she was thrust into the public eye just to be Kid Danger's girlfriend so they could draw away the pressure on Captain Man. She knew people were watching her, which also meant that the bad people were watching her. 

She wasn't afraid that much, though. She knew Henry would protect her with his life since they were best friends and maybe more. As she walked through the main area of the store, memories of her time here floated through her brain. She was the first person that found out Henry's secret, and after that, she began working at the store. That whole time, she wasn't worried, but there was a little part of her that was starting to worry now. What happened if she was kidnapped by Seymour Butts' goonies? She placed her faith in Henry, but what if that wasn't enough?

She shook her head, trying to dispel the disastrous thoughts. Charlotte knew that she shouldn't think like that, but it was easier said than done. She hoped that she would be alright, but there was always a chance that she wouldn't be, and that scared her the most. 

Stepping into the backroom, she looked around the small area. She knew that the boys needed her downstairs, but she wasn't ready to head downstairs yet. Ray was probably wondering where she was, but she didn't care that much about Ray right then. He was a coward who let teenagers take care of his problems instead of facing them head on, and that made her angry. Then, her phone buzzed in her back pocket, and she sighed. Charlotte didn't bother looking at her phone because she knew it was from someone in the Man Cave.

Charlotte stepped into the elevator at Junk N' Stuff and pressed the down button. Because she was used to this elevator now, it didn't knock her off her feet like it used to. She had been working here for what felt like forever. She had spent so much time here at Junk N' Stuff, saving Swellview from the comfort of the Man Cave, guiding Henry and Ray through all their missions. Though she never put her life on the line, she helped provide guidance for Ray and Henry while they did all the fighting. Plus, she got paid to do this, which was a bonus.

She had spent so much time here to save Swellview from villains, but she didn't stop living her life as she had wanted. She went out with Jack Swagger for a couple of months after reconnecting with him recently. Even though she only had a few friends, she was able to do things with them as normal people instead of superheroes, and she was grateful for that. But did she want to continue doing this forever? Probably not. Charlotte knew that it was only a matter of time before she left to create a new life for herself. Would that include these people that she spent so much time with? Hopefully, because she couldn't imagine her life without them now.

The elevator door opened, revealing the Man Cave with all its shiny lights and high-tech computers. This was where she spent most of her life, but it was also where she felt most at home. That was something she could never erase as much as she tried. For some reason, she was feeling very nostalgic about all the adventures she had been on because of her job here, wishing she could go back in time and relive everything again. It was a weird feeling, and she couldn't quite pinpoint where it was coming from.