A Note A Day

19 | in her planner

Her breathing was slow and she attempted to calm her breath. She left.

I didn't get to say goodbye.

Her phone vibrated loudly. Teddy Orion.

"I'm sorry, I just, she left, and I didn't say goodbye, and..." she rushed out when she accepted the call.

"Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything you can do?" he asked, his deep voice soothing.

"I'd... No, no, I just want to ignore it happened. She's probably coming back, who am I kidding? She'll be back."

"Oh-kay..." Teddy mumbled. "Then what's up? How's school, how's the friends, how's your binge-watching on Parks and Recreation, how's-"

"I've got the point, Theodore," she said, rolling her eyes. "Good, good, and spectacular, even though it's, like, my thirtieth time watching the whole show. It just gets better somehow."

"That is not an exaggeration," Teddy mused.

"Hey, do you want to come over and join my binge-watching?" she asked, twirling a piece of her thick brown hair.

"I'd love to!" he agreed, and she could picture him grinning as he spoke into the phone. "I'll buy candy, and we can completely pig out. I'll distract you. I'm very good at distractions."

"Okay..." Charlotte said, a smile creeping onto her face. "I'd love that."

•|•|•

Reece's Peanut Butter Cups were very distracting.

Usually, they would blank her mind from worries and create a devouring monster within her. At the moment, however, as she ate her fourth cup, all she could think about was how Hazel was gone.

Teddy sensed it.

His worried glances towards her as they watched episodes from the third season of Parks and Recreation were getting a little tiring.

They were laying side by side on her bed, binge-watching her favorite television show while eating loads of candy. How lucky could a person get?

She felt miserable.

"Hey, look at me," Teddy suddenly whispered, pausing the show, as if he saw the droop in her smile and the wilting of her eyes. She glanced down at his shirt, which was the Beatles. His wide eyes were softly staring her down, his glasses slightly crooked.  "What will take your mind off of Hazel?"

Her thoughts were a swirl as her mind raced to find a topic to discuss.  Her face was scrunched up and she ran a hand through her hair.  "Tell me why Malcolm isn't tutoring me anymore, and why he's rarely in class."

It was the thought that had been racing in her brain since she was informed Malcolm backed out.  Charlie didn't even really realize it had come out of her mouth until it did.  She saw Theodore's Adam's apple bob up and down and saw his forehead crease, his wide blue eyes glancing away from her.  He was biting his bottom lip, running a hand through his soft, curly black hair.

"It's not my place to tell Charlotte, I-"

"Theodore Orion Higgins," she slowly breathed out, her chest rising and falling steadily.  "I am your friend, as well as Malcolm's.  I will not spill to a soul, because I'm your best friend and also because I...have no souls to spill it to.  That's besides the point though."

With a deep breath, Theodore popped an M & M in his mouth.  "You would have found out eventually anyways," he sighed.  "Just don't make a big deal about it.  Malcolm doesn't like talking about, in fact, no one wants to talk about it."