Nick and Charlie

Chapter 18

I wake up to Hannah's face situated right next to my head. She smiles at me, her eyes wide.

"Hey there," she says, and I burst out laughing.

"Sup," I say, and she grins.

"Lets go out for breakfast!" she yells, excited, and I hear May groan.

"Why do you have to be so hyper all the time?" she says, sitting up and rubbing her eye.

"It's 10:30!" May screams, and Jane and Grace immediately snap their eyes open.

"What's wrong?" Grace says, a worried look on her face.

"I'm not usually awake this early on a weekend!" May yells, and Jane mutters something under her breath.

"Well, we have to go to brunch, so lets get ready!" Hannah says, smiling at everyone, and we reluctantly get ready.

I throw on my black leather pants, with a grey t-shirt and my white converse. I then let my hair fall down my back, and run a quick brush through it. I then put a black beanie on and grab my wallet, walking out into the kitchen.

"Lets go," I say, walking with the girls out of the house. I lock the door, and we head out to the city.

...

"Anyway, I think I'm going with Joshua," May says, sipping her coffee.

"Well, I think that's a good idea, May. He's such a lovely guy," Jane says, smiling.

"He's also tall," Grace says, and May smiles.

"Exactly." We were currently discussing May's formal dates, and she has decided on Joshua, a dark-skinned, tall boy in our year level who is in the top crew for rowing.

"Have you picked a dress yet?" I ask Hannah, and she shakes her head. I smile, and offer for us to go together, and she nods.

I always hoped to have a mother-daughter formal dress shop, but unfortunately that isn't going to happen.

...

We walk around the city for a while, window-shopping and actual shopping. I try to concentrate on what we are doing, but my conversation with Nick yesterday keeps reappearing in my mind.

'No, I'm not asking you to formal'. Way to lay it gently on a girl.

It's not like I care or anything, but if he said that to another girl then I would be very upset for her, because that is not how you treat someone.

Yeah, that's a good excuse Charlie.

Oh shut up.

"Charlie? You with us?" May asks, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm here," I say, and try for a reassuring smile.

"Okay, sure," May says, eyeing me carefully and turning back to the rack of clothes in front of her.

I get a beep on my phone and look down. I freeze, shocked.

What?

I re-read the message, then start breathing heavy.

No, no, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. NO!

"Char, what's wrong?" Hannah asks, trying to calm me down. I'm hyperventilating.

10 years. I've been perfectly happy for 10 years.

"I have to leave," I say, gathering my things and leaving the store, much to the disapproval of my best friends.