Chapter 47: Tying Loose Ends
"Elliot?"
"I'm trying to study, Charlie."
"Liar. I need to ask you something."
He grunted. I took it as a yes.
"Do you know Greyson's phone number?"
Silence.
More deafening silence.
"Why on earth do you need Greyson's phone number?"
I looked down at the paper in my hand. Yes, I wrote a script for this phone call--don't judge! I just had to make it sound convincing. "I know it sounds super sketchy--I know you don't like him, but I really just need to know his younger sister's number. I need to talk to her: She's upset and I have to console her before I ask her for this favour--so please? No one I know knows her number. I'm just going to text him!"
Even more silence.
"Fine." He groaned, before hanging up. The number came through thirty seconds later with an ominous: If I find you're lying, I will kill you.
My brand new phone as of this morning was just like my flip phone: just fancier was games.
Okay, iPhones were pretty cool...
Love you too. I sent back, before raising the phone to my ear. Standing outside Bryton Psychiatric Practise, looking casual, I had a heavy backpack and a large frown.
"Hello?" Greyson's voice gave me shivers. I swallowed, feeling sick.
"It's Charlotte."
He didn't say anything. What was with the ominous silence in phone calls today?
Finally, he said: "What a lovely surprise. Shocked you had the nerve to call me, little Charlotte. Your brother gave you my number, did he?"
"You know why I'm calling you. Meet me at the north end of Bryton Bay. Alone."
"You're like a kitten trying to be threatening, but sure. Let's see what the kitten wants."
"I'm sure you'll want what I have."
"You're being Harlequin's little messenger, are you? Cute. Did you ever tell anyone about your little adventure last Saturday?"
"Whatever. See you at 5. I'm giving you five minutes after five to get there, or I'll leave."
"Feisty. See you soon, kitten."
I gagged, hanging up on the phone and pushing through into the psychiatric practise. The receptionist (I still didn't know her name?) smiled and nodded. "Go on up, she's ready."
My bag, heavier than usual, weighed me down as I walked up to Lena Moore's officer, careful to put my bag down carefully before sitting down on the couch.
"So, a court case, huh?"
"Yeah...are you going to lecture me too?"
"I'm just the slightest bit offended that you never told me: I thought we were besties, Charlotte!"
I sighed, clasping my hands together. "Can I tell you something else, then? You can't tell anyone. Anyone."
"I'm confined to patient confidentiality, remember." Lena spun her chair around and looked at me, concerned.
"No one follows patient confidentiality."
"Your parents might not, but it's different when you're a doctor for the mind. Tell me, tell me."
So I spilled out everything, very slowly, about how it had just been a mutual agreement to help Penelope with her grades. Even Penelope's motives behind it all, the fake stream of texts, the plan B.
Lena Moore nodded. "So the source of your stress is solved: But I did think it was very out of character from what I heard from your mother. I see through people like I see through glass, and it didn't match up."
"I figured you would be suspicious."
"How did the hearing go?"
"I...I sentenced my closest friend to jail. To jail!" I put my head in my hands.
"It's going to be tough to get over. I think the best thing is to put it out of your mind until you can safely and privately talk it out with Penelope again."
"When she's in jail. We're forbidden to communicate."
Lena looked meditative for a moment. "Do you feel guilty?"
I nodded.
"Survivor's guilt. It's cureless, I'll tell you that. Only time and reassurance." She sighed. "Perhaps I can get a letter through to her. Letters are very mentally cleansing and receiving one is always more permanent than a text or call."
"Could you?"
"You could always just arrange to skip a lesson and talk with her in the bathroom, or somewhere private. Don't tell anyone I advised that." She held her finger up to her lips with a smile. "But I just want you to communicate, before you go back to bottling it up inside of you and exploding."
"Miss a lesson? It's nearly the SATs!" I said, horrified.
"Are you studying properly?"
"With breaks every half hour and healthy snacks and water, yes."
"Now that you're not studying for two, I think it's safe to bet that your only enemy now is your personal affairs. And nerves. Don't worry: You're already offered places into prestigious schools, aren't you?"
"But's it's likely that they'd withdraw their offers if I do terribly." I reminded her.
"Yes, but one mistake won't matter. I'll tell you something, Charlotte. When I heard you'd been doing another student's entire required syllabus of work and study, I was astounded. Your mental capabilities are even more limitless than I thought they were. Your dedication and loyalty is heartwarming, now that I know the backstory. I've never met someone who has so much potential, and I'll be damned if I wasn't grateful that you were my patient. I've learned more about a teenage girl's brain in this year than in 8 years of university study."
I leaned back into the couch, shocked. "Uh..."
She laughed. "You don't have to say anything. Just keep me in mind: You're smart, you're talented, you're brilliant. But you're not invincible."
"Another ominous warning. Thanks. And I'm really not the greatest example of a teenage girl's brain."
"That's the wonderful thing about humanity. There is no set example." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Is that the only thing occupying your thoughts?"
"No, um..." I clasped my hands even tighter, inhaling through my nose. "I actually want to tell you about..."
~
"I nearly forgot you rode a motorcycle."
A tremor ran down my spine, like I suspected it would every single time I heard his voice. A sort of haunting nightmare that didn't go away when I woke up.
Quick. Make this quick. I leaned off of the motorbike and kept my arms folded, even when he extended his hand for me to shake it. The dead-end road was surrounded in thick tropical shrubbery, like a rainforest. There was a track that lead to Ghost Point lookout, and I'd been there a few times. Hayden's little church where his sister was buried wasn't too far from here, and I could hear the lapping waves of Bryton bay in the distance.
"No desire for politeness, I see." He smiled lopsidedly, hand dropping to his side. His hair was flat, dirty blonde and shiny in the afternoon light. I was nearly his height, which made it easier to face him. "That's what first let me pin point Harlequin down: When he rocked up with Elliot's motorbike and didn't even recognise me."
I didn't say anything.
"So, what does the little kitten want today?" He smiled sweetly. I felt my stomach churn, reaching down for my backpack, ripping open the zipper and chucking the plastic bag at him.
"$5000, to the cent. Now screw off."
His eyebrows shot up. "You're paying off his debt, are you?"
"His money. He wanted to wait till the end of the the two weeks because of prior occupations. Just a little kitten wanting to help out someone's busy schedule." I smiled equally as sweetly.
Before slapping him as hard as I possibly could. It was becoming my signature move. His face whipped to the side, mouth open in shock. "And I wanted to do that." I slid on to the motorbike and kicked off, revving the engine. "Game's over, Greyson Greene!"
"No game finishes without a winner!" He yelled after me.
"Boo hoo: It was a tie!"
~
"Five days left, five days left, five days left!" I chirped at Hayden's shoulder, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I met him at the school's front gate.
He stared at me like my hair was suddenly turning red. "Charlie..."
"What's your first exam? Do you have calculus too? I'm feeling confident. I just hope my calculator doesn't black out like it did last year in our exams! Did you study? I studied harder than rabbits multiply--!"
"Charlie, what did you do?"
"What?" I asked innocently.
He looked like that surprised face was permanently tattooed there. "Did you...?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" I skipped ahead of him but he snatched me back, surrounding me with his arms and lifting me off the ground. I squealed, but he kissed me to effectively shut me up.
"You really shouldn't have done that." He breathed out. "That's so bad and I feel terrible and I can't believe you did it."
"Still no idea what you're talking about! Put me down!" I grinned.
"Hey! PDA, much?"
"Sorry, I forgot you were allergic to emotion, Amara." I said sincerely as the girl bounced up behind us with a scowl. "We'll keep it to the janitor's closets."
"You nasty." She scrunched her nose up, wearing gym shorts and a Nike shirt. The scar on her forehead was more vibrant today: Pink coloured. She noticed me looking and smiled.
"I'm not wearing make-up on it."
"You wear make-up? I never noticed." Hayden was holding my hand and waiting for Amara to leave.
She shrugged. "No one's proud of their scars."
"They should be."
"It's not that easy. Especially when it's a goofy accident." She pointed at her forehead. "I'll see you around, love-birds." She sauntered off, keeping her head low.
"Charlie, you can't just go round doing that!" He pulled me aside. "Charlie, Charlie, my absolute nerdy Nerd, I can't believe you gave Greyson Greene your $5000 for me."
"Stop saying it so loudly, or you'll embarrass yourself. Looks like I can pay for our dates and your debt."
"Nerd..." He sighed, head dropping down.
"I had to." I said gently. "For all the grief I put you through. Honestly, it wasn't really for you. Excuse me if I'm scared to be walking out at night. What was I going to do with those $5000?"
"Pay for college? Get a car? Rent a house? I don't know!" He dropped the hands covering his face with a smile. "You have to know that I'm very, very grateful. I...I..."
I put my finger to his lips. "I have a motorbike. I have my own money to rent out houses. I'm not paying for my tuition. You're far more worth it."
"Who's paying..." His eyes bulged. "Scholarship?"
"Full scholarship." I rolled my lips into my mouth, suppressing a smile. "That's what a perfect grade, attendance and resume can get you. I haven't even done my SATs."
"You're such a nerd." He laughed.
"Nerd is not a synonym for intelligence!" I countered, pulling on his hand so we wouldn't be late for our exams. "C'mon, Haybale, get your vocabulary together!" He hadn't asked where my scholarship was.
"So..." He swung our hands. "I was thinking to maybe make it up for prom on Friday?"
My smile faltered. "What--did you want to go to prom?"
"Not really." He shrugged. "But I ruined whatever plans I had."
"That was me." I scratched the back of my head.
"But I really ruined it. I wanted to make it up for you. After we've graduated. Let me?"
I smiled up at him. "What would you have in mind?"
"I don't know...a proper, fancy date. Celebration."
"There's a graduation party that night, you know."
"I'd rather spend it with you." He said, kissing my forehead. "You know that. I'd rather be with you than anywhere in the world."
My heart clenched. "Anywhere?"
"Anywhere." He promised. "All you have to do is let me."
~
I pulled out the USB stick and stared at it. Pushing my laptop lid closed, I pushed it off my bed and plugged it into the charger, putting the USB stick on to my bedside table.
Reaching over, I switched off the lamp and my head fell back on to the pillow.
Four days until graduation.
~
How's everyone's day going?
I'm estimating...
One. More. Chapter. A long one, but still.
(Oh my goodness, we're nearly there!)
Everything will be okay, I promise.
Xoxoxox ~ Jem