FrAcTuReD (Part One) (Completed continued in Part Two)

Chapter. 16

"Yeah but that's just in general, what was your grade for science last year in grade nine!" Alex demanded as she pointed at Charla before her arm then slowly lowered as she picked up a cookie of her own and ate it then went back to point at her. "Well?"

Charla merely looked at Alex with slight raised eyebrows. "Last year?"

"Yes!"

"Last year..." Charla thought about it, her fingers drummed on the table. "I think it was... an eighty five."

"You're joking..." Alex said.

"Nope, not even a little. I told you before about my grades." She took a sip of coffee. "Why should that surprise you?"

"Guess you're right," Alex took her coffee and drank it only to stop and grimace at the bitter taste of the coffee before taking the sugar and scoped it into her drink. "But my math grades are way better than my science grades."

Nina looked to Alex and merely laughed before drinking her hot chocolate.

Charla merely watched Nina with her chin resting on the palm of her right hand.

Then Nina asked. "Hey, then do you think you could help me with my homework?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yay, thank you Charla."

Charla smiled but then looked to Alex. "Is it alright for you to stay for so long?" Charla asked her. "Won't you're Dad become worried?"

"Not really," she said as she leaned back in her chair. "My Dad knows I'm an independent girl. It's okay if I stay over longer..." she would have said more to that when her cellphone rang. Taking it from her bag she looked at who was calling and then answering. "Hey, what's up? Yeah? Oh... okay. Yeah I'll be there soon." she then hung up and looked back to Charla. "Well, that's what I would say, unless my Dad needs help with the shop so..."

"You have to leave." Charla finished for her. "That's okay; I'll see you at school tomorrow then."

Alex grabbed her things only to stop and look back to Charla who was being talked to by Nina about some of the things that the girl had done for school that day. For a moment Alex felt a slight twinge of regret, Charla wasn't a bad person, far from it, she just had been dealt with a ton of issues, many of which were still kept in the dark.

Then again Alex shouldn't have been someone to judge for what a person didn't wish to reveal, after all, Charla already had, several times by now. But seeing how Charla seemed to manage that while dealing with people was a commendable thing.

Though seeing the photo of Charla when she was younger with her brother made her wonder something. "Hey, mind if you walk with me down the street?"

Charla merely looked at her for a moment before responding. "Sure," then she turned to Nina. "Mind holding down the fort for a bit? We can look over your homework when I get back."

"Go ahead."

"Alright, be back soon." Charla said as she put on her shoes as Alex left the house first. When Charla caught up with Alex she asked. "So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked as she put her hands in her hoodie pockets. "It's pretty obvious, was it something that you wanted to elaborate on? Back when we were in my room I mean."

"Kind of, though it's more about your brother."

Charla frowned. "What about him?"