Charlotte has been refusing to talk to me and I feel bad for snapping at her like that.
If it was anyone else instead of her, they would have thought the same. It was my fault alone. I should have calmly told her that nothing is going on between me and Zack but no, I had to cause an argument instead.
Zack, this is all because of him.
That idiot.
And just then, the idiot himself walked into my room... Without knocking.
But something was odd. He seemed to be really upset.
"Are you okay, Zack?" I asked him as he got himself seated on the edge of my bed.
He shook his head in denial but didn't say anything.
Okay, something was definitely wrong.
"What is it, Zack?" I asked with concern.
He raised his head and his eyes met mine. He sighed before opening his mouth to speak.
"I have to.. Confess something. This thing has been bothering me since a very long time. I just.. Can't hide it anymore."
"What is it?"
"Um.. Jennifer... "
"Yes?"
"I don't know how to say this-"
"Just spit it out, Zack."
"I used to like Celine."
Que?
"What?!"
"Yes. I always liked her. It was a few weeks before she was taken by the mafia.. That we.. We had.. I had.. Kissed her. I had kissed Celine."
He said in a quiet voice, keeping his head low. Did I even hear that right?
"So that's why you were so eager to get her back..? Because you liked her?"
"Yes."
"You were so eager to get her back that you were even ready to kill me." I said it harsher than I intended to.
Zack looked up at me again, with a guilty expression on his face.
"Yes.. I am so sorry for that, Jennifer. I really am."
"Does Damien know?"
"NO!" he screamed in horror and I flinched back.
"No, he doesn't. Please.. Don't tell him or anyone else, especially Max. I felt so guilty of doing something like that to my own bestfriend that I wanted to confess it to someone. This guilt has been eating me up ever since."
"But, Zack.. I think you should tell this to him. Isn't it better if you tell him yourself instead of Damien finding it out through Celine."
"No, Jennifer. Celine promised me that she would never do that. She wouldn't ruin my friendship with Damien."
"Yeah keep believing that." I mumbled to myself but Zack heard it too.
"What did y-"
Before he could finish, we heard loud and continuous ringing of our doorbell.
Zack and I stared at each other and then got up to see who it was.
We went out to see who it was and the both of us froze in our tracks when we saw police officers standing in our living room along with a man who looked familiar.
And then it hit me-
That man was Collin Whites.
Charlotte's father.
Charlotte was standing beside Liam as she stared at the man in horror. Max and Damien were talking to the officers while Celine was leaning on a wall watching everything.
This witch! She did this!
"What's happening here? Why are you in our house?" Zack asked the police officers in his cold and authoritative voice.
"Someone called and informed us that Ruth whites has been living here since she ran away from her house. So, we are here to take her back." One of the officer's replied.
Charlotte was trying to remain calm as Liam was tightly holding her hand but I could see how scared she was.
"Who called you?" Liam asked.
The reply that the officer gave us shook me as my eyes widened.
"Jennifer Smith."
All of them stared at me in disbelief. Did they really think I would do this?
"What the hell? I didn't call anyone. In fact, I haven't even seen my phone since I came back from school." I nervously rambled.
"Jennifer?!" Liam looked at me with disgust and anger.
I Ignored him and looked at Charlotte instead. Her eyes looked back at me with tears and a betrayed look.
"I didn't call them, I swear!" I tried convincing them but it didn't look like anyone believed me.
Are these people dumb?
I don't know. They don't trust me-
I mean, you don't even have the guts to call and talk to police, you can't do this even if you wanted to.
Are you serious right now?
"Well, we have the search warrant so we can search your house to find Ruth." The officer said and as they were getting ready to turn the house upside down to find Ruth, her father stopped them.
"There's no need for that, officer." He said and started walking towards Charlotte.
She didn't remove her gaze from her father's face but I could tell that she was in a turmoil inside.
"You think you can disguise yourself and fool everyone. Well, I am your father, Ruth, you can't hide from me."
Charlotte's eyes widened and finally a tear escaped her eye.
Her father started commanding Charlotte to go back 'home' with him but Liam wasn't ready to let her go.
"Keep yourself calm, boy. I can very easily get all of you into jail but I am not doing that. You should be grateful. And as for you, Ruth, come with me."
He said and turned around to leave. Charlotte's eyes were filled with tears and she didn't even fight her father. "Yes, father." she said and started walking behind him.
Liam called out to her, he tried convincing her father to let her stay, but to no avail.
Before heading out of the door, Charlotte stopped for a second to give a look at me.
And that look broke my heart into two pieces.
It wasn't a hateful look. She wasn't angry, she was just disappointed and betrayed. Without giving any of us another glance, she walked away.
As they all left, I broke down in tears. I hadn't called the police. No matter how mad I was at her, I would have never betrayed her like that.
"Oh please, Jennifer Smith! Stop acting!" Liam yelled at me.
"I didn't call them, Liam! Why would I do that to Charlotte?!" I yelled back with tears flowing down my face.
"You are a liar! A traitor! I can't believe you would have turned out to be such a backstabbing bi-"
"Liam! Shut up!" Max yelled and came upto me.
He picked me up from the floor and hugged me. "I didn't call them, Max! Believe me, please." I cried on his chest as he rubbed my back.
"I believe you, Jen. Even if the whole world is against you, I'll always support you, sis." He softly said.
"She's manipulating you, Max! Didn't you hear what the officer said? Jennifer Smith called them! Jennifer!" Liam argued back.
"No! No, I didn't!" I cried.
My glance shifted to Celine to see that she was the least bothered by all this and that made my blood boil.
I pushed Max away and pounced on her.
"You bitch!" That was the first time ever I used that word on someone.
"You blood sucking good for nothing mosquito eating bitch!" I said as I slapped her hard across the face.
I tackled her down to the floor as Damien tried to pull me away from her.
"This bitch! She did this! She called them from my phone using my fucking name!"
That was the first time I had cursed and it made every single human present in that room to freeze.
I pulled her hair and slapped her across the face until Damien forcefully pulled me up and pushed me away from Celine.
I was about to fall on the floor but Zack caught me.
Damien pushed me!
He freaking pushed me!
"Damien!" Zack and Max screamed at the same time. But he ignored us as he helped Celine to get up.
And that bitch being a bitch, started to cry.
Her crocodile tears and Oscar worthy acting!
"Why would I do that to Charlotte?! She is the reason I am standing here with all of you! I can't even repay her for what she did for me!" She cried as Damien pulled her to his chest.
I wanted to puke all over her face.
"Exactly! Why would Celine do that?" Damien supported her and my already broken heart, broke again.
Did that mean that he believes that I called the police?
"And why would Jennifer do that?" Max glared at Damien.
"Don't you know? They had an argument recently and it was bad, that's why she probably-"
"You damn bitch, just shut the fuck up!" I spat out at Celine.
My anger was getting out of control. This cruel girl, she made me curse. Something that I had never done in my life before.
"Jennifer, calm down." Zack whispered to me.
"I don't care about you all. I trust my sister and if she's saying that she didn't call the police then she didn't!" Max stated and pulled me away from Zack.
"Please Damien, take me away from here for some time." Celine sobbed and Damien nodded. Without saying anything, the two of them left the house going Satan knows where.
I buried my face on Max's chest and cried as he tightly held me in his warm embrace. I was so lucky to have a brother like him. He didn't doubt me even for a second.
"It doesn't matter who called them, what matters now is, how to get Charlotte back."
"And how are we going to do that?" Liam asked with a desperate voice.
"I need to think about that. But don't worry, we will get Charlotte back." Zack assured us.
This is all so bad. We are all breaking apart. And this all started since that witch came. She came and destroyed the perfect family we had.
She told me that she will get rid of me and Charlotte and now I realise that she wasn't kidding.
Does that mean- it's my turn next?
"Don't worry, sis. Whatever happens, I'll never leave you alone." Max said as if he could read my thoughts.
Oh brother...