Day 1 - 12:21 pm
Charlotte had ran away from that bus as fast as she could with her laptop in one arm. All she knew was that the guy who bullied her the first day back was now trying to talk to her, and she wanted no part of that. Why couldn't he just take the hint and leave her alone?
Today already sucked. She got a phone call this morning from her younger sister telling her that her mother just lost her job due to staffing cuts. That's the last thing she wanted to hear early in the morning when she had to work on her Intro To Psychology project. Cole, of course, had to make her day ten time worse by popping up. What the hell did he want anyways?
It made Charlotte shiver remembering what he did to embarrass her that day. Public humiliation wasn't enough to satisfy him, so he had other means of embarrassment planned in his head. Not only did he retaliate by dumping his tea over her head, but he also somehow snapped a picture and posted it on every dorm hall for everyone to see.
For three weeks straight, she was known as Tea Girl, and she was always asked the same stupid question, "Was it sweetened or unsweetened?"
Honestly, it was a stupid joke and a stupid prank, but it still got to her head. It was the verbal harassment, but of course she never spoke out against it because she didn't want to draw more attention to herself. So, she put up with the stupid names her peers called her and the humiliating photo for a few months. After a while, something else embarrassing happened and the spotlight moved on to a new kid.
Charlotte was a bit winded as she entered the towering library on campus. Books stocked all of the shelves from wall to wall. The wall of books was so high that they actually had a ladder on wheels that the students could push around to reach the top. This was her safe space, her happy place. Charlotte could spend hours on end dwelling into stories written from all different genres, from a wide range of authors that were as different as Fitzgerald and King.
She didn't need to read for fun though, although she would love to do that. Charlotte has an Intro to Psychology paper that was due in a couple weeks. Some called her a nerd for being on top of her assignments, but she didn't want to end up procrastinating like the rest of her peers.
Charlotte set down her laptop at a table before she went over to the ladder, rolling it over to the science and medicine wall of the library. She climbed the ladder to the top rung so she could reach the very top shelf. Reaching her arm out as far as she could, she could barely reach the book she needed. It was a book about different kinds of drugs, with all of their information, including side effects.
Her paper has to connect something to Psychology, that something being the student's choice. Charlotte was researching and coming up with a theory for the question: Can certain mental illnesses trace back to the usage or overdosage of drugs? She came up with the topic herself, and the situation intrigued her.
Not many of her peers who were currently taking the class even thought about what kind of connection they would make to Psychology. Half of them hadn't even looked at the assignment again since it was handed out. Not Charlotte though. She had the highest grade in her class, and she was determined to maintain it.
She sat down at the mahogany table she had set her laptop on before she dropped the heavy book down next to it. Charlotte opened up her laptop screen, and her paper immediately popped up. She had only shut the screen earlier on the bus because she worried that the jackass next to her would make her lose her work.
With a couple of clicks, Charlotte's hard work had been saved. She had already started the introduction to her paper, which explained how and why she believed that certain mental illnesses can be traced back to drug usage. It made a small smile come to her lips as she looked at her progress, and she hoped this paper would please her teacher enough so she could receive an A.
"Marijuana. Definition: a cannabis, or plant, blah blah blah. Ah, that plant is my favorite." Charlotte's head popped up at the familiar voice. Her fingers curled up, her nails digging into her palm as her hands balled into fists. There was Cole, sitting right across from her, holding the book she just grabbed off of the shelf in his dirty hands.
There was that rotten son of a bîtch she had been dreading to see. Of course he wouldn't allow her to slip away as easily as she did. Cole sat there with a cocky smile on his features, which Charlotte may have defined as handsome if she hadn't know his personality. He wore a black, leather jacket with a white shirt under it and a pair of torn blue jeans. He was the poster boy for the "bad boy" stereotype.
"Can't you take a hint? I'm not interested." Charlotte huffed, crossing her arms as she looked across the table at him. Cole kicked his legs up on the mahogany table as he shut the heavy book with his hands and placed it in his lap.
"You should be a little nicer to me, don't you think so?" Cole scoffed at her comment, rolling his green eyes at her. "Look, if I apologize for the humiliation I caused you, will you give me a chance?" He asked in a hushed voice, running his fingers through his dark hair.
"I wouldn't even use the word humiliation to describe what you did. You not only proceeded to dump your tea over my head, but you also snapped a photograph of it and plastered it on the walls of every dorm hall." Charlotte hissed at him quietly.
"Oh come on–" Cole was cut off by a loud shush from the librarian. The wicked witch was such a stickler for a silent library, although the hypocrite was always caught cackling along with the teachers. "Can't you just accept an apology?" Cole whispered. Why was he so determined for her to accept his apology?
"Cole, you and I both know that this–" she pointed her index finger back and forth between the two of them. "–is not going to work. So, I suggest you give up whatever stupid game you're trying to play and leave me alone." Charlotte pushed a piece of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.
Cole was stumped. She didn't want anything to do with him. He had never had such a problem trying to get a girl to communicate with him before, so this was beyond foreign to him. A cocky smile spread across his features though. "Fine, you don't want to talk to me? Alright." Cole stood up, the book in his hand.
Charlotte's eyes widened as she stood up too. "Hey, that's my book. Give it back." She reached out for the book, but Cole held it above his head. There was no way she could reach it, for she was only five foot two, and he towered over her like a skyscraper. He turned his back to her and walked towards the counter. His strides were long compared to her short ones, so he made it to the counter way before she did.
"Hi, I'd like to check out this book." Cole forced a fake smile on his lips as he pushed the book towards the grey haired woman behind the counter. She looked at him quizzically, but didn't say a word.
Cole turned his head back towards Charlotte, who was rushing to pack up all of her things and hurry back towards the counter. Alas, she was too late. "Your due date is one month from now. Don't forget to return it." The librarian pushed the book back to him as Charlotte made her way to the counter. A very cocky smile came to his lips as he grabbed the book and waltzed out of the library.
"Please tell me you didn't just check that book out under your information." Charlotte pleaded as she followed him out of the library. Oh, how the tables have turned. Cole kept the book in a tight clutch as he faced down at Charlotte. He leaned over so he was closer to eye level with her in a mocking manner.
"Oh, sweetheart... I did." He winked as he straightened out his back, returning to normal height. Charlotte crossed her arms as if she were a child about to throw a temper tantrum. "I'll give the book back to the library after you do me a favor." Her eyebrow cocked up at his request.
"And I may or may not fulfill it. What do you want from me?" She sighed in defeat. Her whole demeanor went from closed off and strong to weak and small in a matter of minutes. She needed that book to work on her assignment, and Cole knew that. He looked determined to get whatever the hell he wanted from her.
"One date. That's all I ask for. I just want you to give me a chance." Cole took a deep breath, the words paining him to say, although he did not show it. Charlotte's mouth went agape as she stared at Cole. Why would he want to go on a date with her? The nerd? The one he embarrassed?
"Then answer my question, why do you want to get my attention so bad?" Charlotte asked, picking at the hem of her sweater gently, her eyes diverting to the tile floor.
Oh, you know, so I can win this stupid bet I made with my friend. To do that, I need to get in your pants though. Of course, Cole would never tell her that out loud.
"I've changed a lot these past few months. I just want to prove it to you. Please, Charlotte. I know you have a good heart. Accept my apology and give me a chance. Just one date." Cole heaved a sigh as his shoulders slumped over. He should be awarded the Oscar that Leonardo DiCaprio took so long to receive.
Charlotte thought for a moment before she finally spoke up. "One date. And, I suppose I'll forgive you." His acting was superior and he fooled her. Maybe he had a chance after all. Cole's lips returned to a small as Charlotte spoke.
"Great." Cole said, pretending to contain his excitement. "Do you have a pen?" He asked, which Charlotte replied to with an eye roll and pulling a pen from her purse. "What's your number so I can text you the details?" He asked.
Charlotte gave the tall man her number, and he scribbled it down on his arm before he handed the pen back to her. He ran his fingers through his hair once more as he looked down at Charlotte. "I'll give you the book back after our date. It's only fair to make sure you hold up your end of the deal."
"I'll hold up my end, I'm a woman who sticks to her word." Charlotte crinkled her nose at his comment. "I need to get back to my dorm. Just message me whenever you feel the need to." She waved her hand, dismissing herself from the conversation.
Cole watched as the short brunette walked away from him. He let out a sigh as he looked down at the drug book in his hands. This was a lot of hassle just for eight hundred bucks. Maybe he could convince Ian to up his price a little so he could actually get some money out of it.
Charlotte clutched her laptop to her chest as she made her way back to the dorms. Could Cole have really changed? She honestly doubted it, and she'd need to make sure she kept her phone on her just incase he came up with any funny ideas during their date.
A date with Cole, the one who ruined her first few weeks back to college. Those words did not fit together well in a realistically correct sentence. This was a dangerous step she was taking, she should have never accepted his offer. She should have just found a similar book at another library.
Little did she know that Cole was a dangerous predator, and she was the innocent prey who he'd tear apart in a span of thirty days.
Hey guys! So, Day 1 is officially done. So Cole has 29 days left! The intensity shall be rising soon, for the better and for the worse.
By the way, I picture Charlotte as Jessica Clements. If for some reason you don't know who she is, search her name on google. Also ignore the first picture that pops up, that is NOT her in the heavy makeup with her boobs hanging out. Her character is cute and fits Charlotte perfectly. If you click on the pictures tab, all those pictures are her.
Also just a side note, I apologize if any of this is confusing. I'm writing in 3rd person omniscient, which means the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters, although it'll mostly be focused on Charlotte's and Cole's feelings.
Thank you for giving my story a chance! Please vote and comment if you would like, it's greatly appreciated. Have a nice rest of your summer lovelies!