Anderson Means A

Chapter 5 - Never have I ever

"Charlotte", the boy said. Her name sounded strange in his familiar voice, like it wasn't hers anymore, but something more beautiful. She felt as if she was dreaming.

"What's going on?", Liam asked, confused by the almost frightened look on Charlotte's face.

"Jake and I have met at Evelyn's party", she said. She was unable to let go of his gaze. Memories from that night flooded back into her mind.

"He's the one you went to the gas station with?", Liam asked, clearly shocked.

The boy – Jake – looked surprised that Liam knew about that. Charlotte had told him a week after Evelyn's party, when he'd asked her why she hadn't said goodbye that night. She'd just told him she had been very drunk, which was the reason she'd made such a reckless choice - going somewhere with someone who could have been a rapist or a serial killer. She'd also claimed she regretted putting herself in such a dangerous situation, which was a lie. Liam had been shocked about the fact Charlotte went to an unknown place with some random guy, but he also realized he had not been the best boyfriend that night and shouldn't have let her go outside all alone, while he knew she was drunk. And he also admitted he was actually flirting with another girl inside, which was one of the reasons Charlotte went outside on her own in the first place – although she kept claiming that had nothing to do with it. She wasn't deeply in love with Liam, but she hated seeing him drooling over all the hot girls at the party.

"Yes, I was waiting for someone, but he didn't show up", Jake added and he looked at Liam, who tried to smile as if there was nothing bothering him.

"How do you know each other?", Charlotte asked in return.

Liam didn't answer right away. He looked at Jake like he expected him to save the situation, but Jake didn't say anything. After a silence that seemed to take forever, Liam said: "We met at a party, two years ago. After that, we went to some parties together. Jake also installed the security system in our house some months ago. I told you about that, right?"

Charlotte didn't understand why it took Liam so long to answer, because there was nothing special about it. "You did", she said. Her gaze went back to Jake, who nodded shortly as if he wanted to confirm the story. "What a coincidence", she said casually: "You can come join us in the lounge outside." She smiled.

"Sounds great", Jake answered, but there was a strange, amused intonation in his voice. Liam's face had a touch of panic, as if this hadn't been the plan at all. Why would Liam invite Jake if he didn't want him to stay, Charlotte wondered?

Charlotte had almost forgotten she had to go to the toilet, so she excused herself and went upstairs. When she walked back to the outdoor lounge, she saw Jake sitting on a chair in front of Chloe and Harper. Evelyn seemed to have forgotten all about Oliver and was talking to Jake with hungry eyes. She leaned over a little bit to show her interest. There was a strange feeling in Charlotte's chest as she watched Evelyn flirt with Jake, like someone was picking at her ribs with a stick, from the inside out. For some reason, she didn't like the thought of them together. Maybe she had thought Jake would have been her private memory? That would mean the strange feeling was actually jealousy.

"Charlotte!", Evelyn said enthusiastically: "I don't remember Jake at all! Funny, right?" She laughed out loud and Charlotte smiled, while she took place next to Chloe. Chloe seemed happy again, probably because of her make-out session with her ex-ex-boyfriend. Liam sat next to Oliver, but looked like he wanted to switch places with Chloe very badly.

While her friends started talking again, Charlotte felt her eyes were pulled towards the boy in front of her. Jake didn't seem to enjoy their company. He looked uncomfortable, but not in a shy way. He observed everyone with a glimpse of annoyance. He took another beer, but held the bottle in his hands without drinking. She noticed that the muscles of his neck were tense, as were his shoulders. He wasn't relaxed. She also wondered why he was wearing a T-shirt with long sleeves on such a hot day. Suddenly, he looked back at her and Charlotte quickly looked away. She saw him staring at her drink: diet coke in a cocktail glass. He wasn't drunk, so he noticed she wasn't drinking either. Ever since Evelyn's party, Charlotte stopped drinking when she felt her mind go blurry.