Coffee with Stacy

Chapter Thirty-Two: Consequences

The next morning, Stacy drove to the coffee shop with a few fresh ideas for Charlie. She was determined to find a way to keep him in the States and to reunite him with Keke. As she pulled up to the Hidden Gem, she saw that all of the usual gang's cars were there excluding Benjamin's and Charlie's. The bell on top of the door chimed and she strode to the counter. Bernie smiled to greet her, but with a harsh glance from Lorraine at the counter, his smile faded. Lorraine turned to face Stacy, sticking her nose in the air and sauntering to a table in the back. Stacy's eyes followed her, and she saw a downcast Drake next to a highly distraught Andrea. Keke rounded the corner and averted her gaze to the ground. Stacy shook her head in confusion, then in worry. Maybe Charlie had fled town after telling his secret.

"Where's Charlie?" she asked, "Is he okay? Did something happen?" Drake scoffed in disgust.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Lorraine from her perch. Stacy couldn't figure out why everybody was acting so strange.

"Seriously, where is he?" she asked again.

"He's just out buying groceries, sweetheart," said Bernie, hesitant to console her.

"Then why is everyone so upset?" she asked. Andrea stomped over and shoved her hot pink phone in Stacy's face. On the screen, there was a blurry image taken in the dark; Stacy squinted and realized that the photo was of Charlie kissing her in the woods. Her jaw dropped as she stumbled for words.

"Lorraine followed Charlie into the woods to see if he was okay and instead found the two of you together, safe and sound, selfishly. . . canoodling." She said the last word quietly as if it were the worst swear word in existence, and with Lorraine's connotations it seemed like she might be spot-on.

"It was a misunderstanding," said Stacy, "He was lost and confused, and he made a mistake. It was one kiss, that was all."

"Then why were both of you missing all night?" asked Lorraine with a smirk. Stacy glowered at her; Lorraine knew full-well that it had only been one kiss.

"I drove him home, Lorraine," she said, "Keke, you have to believe me. I drove Charlie home and drove straight back to my place. I never would hurt you like this. I didn't even kiss him back. He was so so sorry." For a moment, it looked like Keke was going to believe her, but Lorraine shook her head sharply in the background and the moment was over.

"Stacy," she said shakily, "You left without saying a word. You didn't even tell us that you were going, like you thought that we wouldn't notice. Like you didn't want me to notice." Stacy pulled out her phone and pulled up her text messages from the night before.

"Look, Keke, right here. I texted Benjamin that I was leaving to drive Charlie home. I figured that he would tell you," she said. Keke's eyebrows briefly raised and then sank down like deflated balloons.

"Stacy," she said quietly, almost gently, "You should check your messages again." Stacy turned her phone and saw a new message in her conversation with Benjamin. The picture of her and Charlie took up the screen. Underneath were the four coldest words she would ever read.

I'm moving back home.