CHARLOTTE LOCKWOOD was a partier. That was the best way to describe her. She was reckless and irresponsible, and she made bad decisions. She was about as bad as a rising freshman could get. She constantly got herself and her friends into trouble, but, luckily, since her father was the mayor, she could get out of it with ease.
The young girl took after her brother, Tyler Lockwood—both careless, problematic teens with anger issues. They both have a history of lashing out at school and getting into fights. This is commonly believed to be a result of their parents always working. Some others believe that it's just in their blood because Mayor Lockwood is known for having sudden angry outbursts.
Despite her parents' orders that she stay home, Charlie was at a party pretty early in the summer—the weekend after school ended—after eighth grade. Someone had invited her and her friend to the party that some sophomore was throwing. Almost everyone there was either drunk or high. Charlie was perusing the drinks, deciding on what she should try next.
She had already had a few drinks as she was knocking things over as she lifted different bottles up in order to read the labels on the fronts. She finally picked out some sort up vodka drink, pouring it into her cup before turning back around to rejoin the party. As she did so, her face collided with a chest.
The sudden force knocked her back a little bit, causing the person to place their arms on her shoulders in an attempt to steady her. As soon as she was stable, Charlie looked up at the person she ran into. She was pleasantly surprised to see a rather attractive boy looking back at her.
"Are you okay?" the boy questioned, not taking his hands off of the brunette just in case she almost fell again. As soon as he spoke, she recognized him, and she would have sooner if it weren't for her state.
Jeremy Gilbert.
The boy had been in her history class in seventh grade. God, did he have a glow up. he looked so much older. His deep brown hair was messy, his bangs partially covering his eyes, His face was glistened with sweat, and his eyes were a soft shade of blue. They were very easy to get lost in.
He recently lost his parents in a tragic car accident about two months ago. They had been driving his sister home and the car went over the bridge. Elena, his sister, made it out miraculously, but his parents weren't so lucky. After everything he's been through in the past few months, why was he at a party?
"Um, you good?" Jeremy spoke again. He reached up and waved his hand in front of her eyes, breaking her out of her trance and interrupting her thoughts. She shook her head quickly before looking back at him.
She nodded swiftly, responding, "Yeah, I'm fine." Jeremy, however kept his hold on her hesitantly.
"Are you sure?" he asked as she seemed a little out of it. He looked at her cautiously as her eyes held a mischievous glint.
She smirked, her tipsy state making her feel quite flirtatious. "I will be if you dance with me."
Jeremy chuckled lightly at the brunette. He knew who she was. He had recognized her the second he saw her. Charlotte Lockwood, daughter of the mayor, sister of the biggest dick in town. He had also heard about what she was like, but he did not expect this.
"No," he answered, shaking his head, "I don't dance."
In response, she grasped his hand and slowly started pulling him towards the middle of the room where the majority of people were dancing. He followed after a little bit of convincing. Jeremy had no idea why he was allowing someone he barely knew to drag him into dancing at a high school party.
Charlie began dancing, moving her hips to the beat of the music. She stopped after she noticed that Jeremy was just standing there, watching her.
She groaned, "Come on, Jeremy. Stop being such a party pooper." She smiled, lightly pulling on his black leather jacket.
He looked at her with a surprised look on his face. "You remember me?" he quizzed.
She responded, "Yeah, now dance, grumpy pants." She let go of his jacket and began dancing, smiling when he began slightly bouncing and tapping his foot. "There you go!" she shouted over the loud music.
Jeremy opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by someone tapping Charlie on the shoulder. The Lockwood girl turned around to see her friend, Jenny, looking like she was about to cry. The girl whispered something in her ear before letting out a sob.
"Okay, go wait in the car. I'll be there in a second." Charlie muttered back. Jenny nodded, walking away from them and towards the door, and the other girl turned back to Jeremy. "I'm sorry. My friend's boyfriend just broke up with her. I'm gonna have to leave."
Jeremy nodded, understanding. "Are you sure you're okay to drive?" he asked, remembering that they were both a little buzzed.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied, "It was nice meeting you...again." She waved as she pushed through the crowds of people to get out of the house.
Once she was out of sight, Jeremy stared at the spot where she disappeared, smiling slightly. He used to have the biggest crush on her in the seventh grade. Of course, she never paid any attention to him. He was a random kid in her class, and she was the famous Charlotte Lockwood.
He shook his head slightly before turning back around and walking off the dance floor, the girl still on his mind.
☾⌑❄⌑☽
Charlie climbed her mom's car that she had stolen, Jenny already i the passenger seat. She looked like she was going to throw up, tears till spilling from her eyes. The Lockwood girl sighed, reaching over so that she could squeeze her friend's hand.
"Hey, it's alright," she calmed her, "I'm gonna get you home, and we're gonna eat ice cream and watch Gilmore Girls." Jenny smiled slightly through her tears.
She nodded, agreeing, "That sounds great."
Charlie smiled and started the car. She wasn't legally allowed to drive, she had taken lessons from her mother in preparation of her driving test because she apparently 'needed all the practice she could get'.
They began down the road, making conversation, Jenny telling Charlie about her break up. She laughed at something her friend said, causing her to look over at her. In that second that she wasn't looking at the road, something bad happened.
"Charlie!" Jenny screamed, pointing at something in the road. The Lockwood whipped her head back around to see the silhouette of what looked like some sort of animal standing in the road. She swerved before yelling when she lost control of the car. It was heading straight for a tree.
Then it was black.