Late September
Same Day
The Beverly Hilton
Charlotte's P.O.V.
It was now 2 in the afternoon, after Ethan had dropped me off. Clouds began to cover the sky as light raindrops fell down. I knew it wasn't normal for it to rain in LA, so I made sure to leave my window open to get a cooling breeze to flow throw my hotel room. Thunder clouds rumbled a bit, making me feel more at home in this LA hotel. I was seated at my desk, with my computer open and multiple papers spread across my desk. The TV was on as background noise to make me feel less alone. My bed was neatly made, and my clothes were folded or hung up in the closet in my room.
One way to make myself feel more relaxed was working. I am a very hard worker, and I love to do extra work to keep me busy and sane. I was going through my computer, looking at places to live. I've been trying to find the right apartment building in an area with a lot of things to do and shopping. I found one in a good area, and booked an appointment for it with a real estate agent I found. I found a couple more apartments, and booked some more appointments.
After my extensive search, I decided that it was time to call my mother, to tell her how my new adventure was going. I took a deep breath, then pressed the call button under my mom's number on my phone. After a few rings, she picked up.
"Hi sweetie!" My mom said in a cheery voice. I chocked up a bit at the sound of her voice.
"Hi mom," I croaked back and smiled.
"How are you, honey? How's Los Angeles?" she questioned.
"It's great. It's so pretty and a lot of fun."
"Been to any clubs yet?" she asked in a joking tone.
"No mom," I laughed back. "But, I have found work already."
"That's great! Who are you working for?"
"I ran into an old friend of mine who offered me a job as his personal assistant. He's a really famous guy who posts videos on this website called YouTube, and he has, like, 15 million fans."
"That's amazing sweetie! What has he made you do so far?"
"Well I filmed a baking video with him, and he taught me how to edit videos, and I went shopping for him twice."
"You filmed a video with him?"
"Yeah! I made cupcakes with two of his other friends. It was so fun and everyone who I work with now is so sweet!"
"That sounds wonderful darling." My mom's voice disappeared from the phone for a second to talk to someone else, then she continued.
"Have you found a place to live?"
"I've been looking around at a couple, trying to find one in the best area, so the search is going well."
"Good, good. Everything seems to be going great." My mom then paused, and continued.
"How have you been...feeling?" she asked with caution.
"I feel fine. Very anxious and a little overwhelmed, but everything seems to be going smoothly, for the most part," I assured her.
"For the most part," he repeated. "Find any cute boys?"
"Mom," I moaned in despair.
"No, I'm serious! I worry about you sometimes, and if you find someone, you'll have someone to watch over you. And I know you- you always pick the best guys."
"Actually mom, there is someone."
"Really?" she asked, shocked.
I then proceeded to talk to my mom about Tyler. I made sure to mention our first greeting, the video we were in, and how he asked me out on a date. She thought he sounded wonderful. She then asked about my new friends, and I told her about Amy, Kathryn, and Ethan, and reminded her about Mark, who she remembers meeting once. I then told her about how I ran into Gigi, and how I went grocery shopping for the first time. She told me a little bit about everything going on in her life, and told me how my dad was doing.
After a while longer of talking, she had to go, and we hung up. I let out a few tears after hanging up with my mom, but soon got over it. I'm an adult now who's living on their own; I don't need my mom every day. A little while later after talking to my mom, I got ready for bed. Before I could even reach my bed to fall asleep, my phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw Mark's name at the top. I clicked the accept button and put the phone to my ear.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Charlie," the voice on the other end, who wasn't Mark, said.
"Tyler?" I asked, knowing exactly who the voice belonged to.
"Hey," he said coolly.
"Hi," I said, barely above a whisper. I could already feel my cheeks burning up.
"How are you?" He asked me.
"I'm...fine," I replied. "Why are you calling from Mark's phone?" I questioned him.
"I don't remember where I put mine. Plus, I was worried about you," he replied.
"Oh," I said quietly. The line was silent, then he spoke up.
"Ethan told me what happened."
"I figured he would eventually."
"Charlie, you need help."
"I'm perfectly fine on my own."
"I don't think you are." Silence once more surrounded us, until I heard voices in the background, clearly Amy and Mark's. Tyler sighed, then said, "Mark wants you to stay with us for a while, just until you're well enough to live on your own."
"I can live on my own. It's not like I'm sick or anything."
I heard Amy's voice, then Tyler repeated, "Eating disorders are illnesses. We want you to stay here with us so we can make sure you don't make yourself even more sick. Charlie..." Tyler stopped talking and it sounded like he moved somewhere more quiet. I stayed completely silent, and sat on the edge of my bed. "Charlotte, I care so much about you. I don't want to see you in any form of pain. Please don't be fractious and accept our help. Please."
I sat there on my bed, staring at the mirror in front of me. I could see the hair flying out of my high ponytail. Bags were beginning to form under my eyes, and my face looked thinner. I was beyond tired, and I needed help. I knew it, but I didn't want to admit it. Knowing Tyler cared about me made me feel a bit better, but I didn't want to be a burden to them. So, I told Tyler that.
"You're the opposite of a burden to us. We all care about you. We want to help you. Please just stay with us for a while," Tyler pleaded to me.
I sighed. "Fine, I'll go." Tyler hollered in excitement, and then running could be heard as more people cheered.
"Will you be ready tomorrow at 11 for me to pick you up?" Tyler asked me.
"Yeah, I'll be ready," I answered.
"Awesome. Love you. See you in the morning," Tyler rushed, and then the line went dead. I sat on my bed and stared off in the distance. I listened to the three beeps from the line cutting off, and then heard silence. I could hear nothing now, except for the white noise from the TV, and my thoughts.