[2018 Wattys Short-Listed]
When Charlotte 'Charlie' Avery and her friends discover Robert Mifflin's diary, they didn't think much of it. That is, until they realize that he had hidden one million dollars for someone to claim. Now as they embark on t...
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Charlie woke up the next morning with more control. She was no longer upset about being placed on USC's waitlist. Instead, she did what any person could do and just simply wait. After looking at the Michigan's admission page in the library just a few minutes ago, one thing was for sure - she liked the school colors but didn't get the vibe that screamed that this was her school. She'd have to wait till after school to look at Florida's admission page, given that she was still phone-less and had heard an earful from her mother for the very little time that they had together.
She stepped into Ms. Fresca's class to her desk with a straight face. She didn't mind attending school early if it meant seeing Mari and Blake first thing in the morning in their first class but after the switch up, she was restless and impatient. She also wasn't counting on Ava to be her new friend in the morning even after the strange encounter the other day.
Just as she sat in her seat with her bag on her desk, Ms. Fresca motioned her over. Charlie stood up and walked towards her, anticipating it to be about her last test grade which was a C, completely out of her norm.
"Someone turned in this phone this morning. It looks like it's yours," Ms. Fresca said, extending a phone out. Charlie grabbed it and slipped it into her blazer pocket, sighing with relief. "Don't lose it and keep it away, okay?"
Charlie smiled, nodding her head and walking back to her seat. She didn't care who had turned it in; she felt the outline of her phone from the pocket and grinned. So maybe her morning was turning out to be much better than expected now that she had found one of the things she couldn't live without.
After Fresca's, she walked with Stefan to their next class. When Charlie fished her phone out to Stefan as if she had just won the prize, Stefan looked quizzical.
"You found it that quickly?" he asked, suspiciously. "Where was it?"
"Fresca said someone turned it in. I guess I left it there by accident."
"Hm, okay."
She turned towards him, confused. "What?"
"It just seems so easy that you get your phone immediately the next morning."
"You're thinking too much into it," she chuckled, playfully. "Trying to pick up a mystery out of something."
"I'm just saying."
"So, what's your plans for after school?"
"Gonna' help Blake clean out Rudy's garage. I swear he's more like Blake's dad than his brother."
"I mean, he kinda is, though," Charlie said, pointing out that Blake's parents were permanent residents in Canada and had been ages since they'd seen each other.
"If Mari is there, you know what to do."
Stefan snapped his head at her, understanding the very thing Charlie was insisting he'd do. "What, no! Are we still doing that?"
