The next day at school, Charlotte was so radiant with happiness she could almost skip through the halls. And the only one to blame was the blond boy who could make her heart race with one look.
They had texted until 1am that night talking about anything and everything (Henry had made sure to steer clear from topics involving his job and instead focused on his critically-renowned jokes and stories). They even walked to school together in the morning, in which they continued to talk and laugh while holding hands, something Henry especially wasn't used to. He was finally starting to feel normal, and he loved it.
Charlotte had woken up that morning more excited than tired. Despite the lack of sleep, all she could think about was getting to see Henry again. The events from the night before replayed in her mind over and over again, and each time a wide grin appeared on her face. She decided to walk to school with Henry that morning, hoping Jasper wouldn't mind.
She had made sure to text her best friend, who she routinely walked with in the mornings before school. Suspiciously, he hadn't responded, and when she saw him in class he barely spoke to her. She had reminded him about their little expedition planned after school, and her curly-haired best friend merely nodded in reply. She had huffed in confusion, but decided she'd talk to him about it after school.
After the final bell of the day had rung, Charlotte stepped out of her chemistry class and towards her locker down the hallway. All day, her thought-out (and admittedly risky) plan had been playing over in her head. How many things could go wrong? Many. Was she even sure about what was going on? Nope. But she was still going to do it. And that's what worried her.
Her hands began to feel clammy as she tried to open her locker. She attempted the combination once, twice, three times, all with failure, before she shook the lock in frustration. Get it together! she thought to herself as she took a breath and stepped back.
Suddenly she bumped into a tall figure behind her, startling her off her feet. Immediately a pair of strong and long-sleeved arms went around her, gripping her upper arms to steady her.
"Whoa," she heard the familiar voice of Henry in her ear. "Careful."
She instantly relaxed in his arms, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Oh," she spoke. "It's you." Henry made sure she was steady before moving to face her, his back against the lockers.
"Are you okay?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets, concern written over his face. "You seem a little out of it."
"Yeah, I'm good." Charlotte tried her best to come off as nonchalant as she avoided looking into his eyes. She had started to feel guilty for going behind his back.
Henry raised his eyebrows. "You sure?"
"I just can't get my locker open," she said quickly, gesturing in front of her. She attempted the combination again, "I've tried it three times and-" This time the locker opened as she pulled it, and Charlotte scoffed in surprise. The two looked at each other with wide eyes and goofy grins as Henry high-fived her.
"I guess I'm your good luck charm," Henry pointed with a smirk. Charlotte laughed as she put books away into the shelves of her locker.
"I wouldn't get too excited," she responded smartly. Henry playfully rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"So," Henry started as she shut her locker closed. "Where are we going?" Charlotte gulped.
"Um, I was actually gonna meet up with Jasper," she answered truthfully. "We haven't hung out in a while." What she planned on doing wasn't necessarily relevant to the question.
Henry nodded as the two walked towards the doors of the school to exit. "That's cool. I actually should be-" Then, Henry's watch began beeping. He quickly shut it off after.
"There's my cue," he joked. "Gotta get to work. The shop's surprisingly busy on Fridays."
"Oh, really?" Charlotte questioned as they walked out the door. "When do you guys close?"
"Uh," Henry pondered for a moment. "I think we close at midnight today." Charlotte nodded to herself, taking a mental note.
As they reached off of school grounds, Charlotte spotted Jasper sitting on a nearby bench, waiting for her.
"Well, I guess I should get going, too," she said awkwardly. The usual ease that came in their conversations was not present with her as she desperately tried to suppress the bad feeling in her stomach. She pressed her lips together in a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. Henry turned to look at her with a grin.
"You're the best, you know that?" he stated suddenly. Charlotte felt her smile fade, feeling a pang of guilt in her chest.
"Why so sappy all of a sudden?"
"Because I'm talking about you." Charlotte shook her head, trying to keep from looking flustered in front of him. Just then, Henry's watch started beeping again. The blond groaned as he switched it off.
"I really should go. I'll text you later, okay?" he said before cupping her face to kiss her forehead. Charlotte simply hummed in content as she felt his warm lips press against her skin for a split second before he ran off. She sighed as she watched his retreating figure, her heart feeling out of place. You're doing the right thing, she reassured herself for the umpteenth time that day. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea if she had to keep telling herself that.
Charlotte turned to see Jasper still sitting on the bench, waving his arm high when he met her gaze.
Well, here goes nothing.
She hurried over to her best friend as the curly-haired blond stood up to greet her.
"Ready?" he asked her when she was a few feet away from him. She nodded simply in reply, leading the two to start walking down the sidewalk.
"So what's the plan?" he asked.
"Oh, hey Charlotte, how was your day, Charlotte, nice to see you, Charlotte," she mocked. Jasper rolled his eyes, nudging her shoulder.
"C'mon, it's not like this is the first time I've seen you today," he pointed.
"Yeah, but you barely said a word to me when you did," she retorted, referring to earlier. "Were you okay? Were you in a bad mood or something?" Jasper scratched the back of his neck, remembering how he was feeling after his best friend and kinda-sorta-maybe-crush had texted him earlier letting him know she was blowing him off to walk with Henry.
"I was just bummed I had to walk alone," he replied simply. "I was already in a bad mood just because I'm not a morning person. Our walks are what usually get me out of bed." He looked down to his feet after unintentionally admitting something so, as Charlotte would say, sappy. Nonetheless, Charlotte playfully placed a hand over her heart in adoration, poking her bottom lip out in a pout.
"Aww, Jasp, when did you get so mushy?" she joked while elbowing his arm. Jasper rolled his eyes.
"I look forward to our walks, too. I'm sorry for ditching you," she apologized sincerely.
"It's not a big deal," he replied with a shrug. "Like I said, I was just in a mood."
"Well you won't be moody anymore because it won't happen again," she said with a grin. "I'll just hang out with Henry after school instead of in the mornings because those are reserved for my best friend." She looked up to give him a cheeky grin.
Jasper pressed his lips together in a concealed frown. "Great," he mumbled. He sighed, gazing down and taking an interest in his shoes. The pair continued down the road as Charlotte spoke.
"When do you have to be home, Jasp?" she asked suddenly.
"Uh, I don't know, I probably just need to let my mom know," he replied. "Why? How long's this gonna take?" Charlotte glanced away from his gaze before answering in a lower voice.
"Not too long," she murmured softly, pretending to inspect her fingernails. "Maybe, like, midnight."
"Midnight?!" Jasper exclaimed, coming to a stop. "You're kidding, right? You expect me to spend all Friday night helping you with Henry?"
"We agreed on this!" Charlotte responded. Jasper rolled his eyes.
"C'mon, Jasp, it could be fun," she stated as the two started walking again. "'Charlotte and Jasper: solving crime since nap time." She dramatically waved her hands in front of her, mimicking reading a headline. Jasper scoffed.
"Alright, whatever," he said. "But I like Jasper and Charlotte better."
"Really? I think Charlotte and Jasper has a better ring to it." Jasper rolled his eyes in response as Charlotte giggled alongside him.
"Well where are we going so I can inform my mother before she calls the police at 10pm wondering where I am?"
"My house," she answered. "It's gonna be a long night."
♡
"You want me to what?"
Charlotte and Jasper faced each other on her living room couch, Charlotte hugging her knees nervously while Jasper's legs dangled off the edge. She had just explained her plan to him in length, and Jasper did not seem too impressed.
It was pretty simple, actually. At around midnight, right before the shop closes, she and Jasper would go over to Junk 'N Stuff. Charlotte would stay outside and hide behind a bush while Jasper goes in there to stall Henry and his boss. Outside, Charlotte would be contacting the police and informing them about a case of illegal child labor at Junk 'N Stuff. By then, it would be past the legal time for which minors can work until, displaying perfect evidence to the cops. Soon enough, the police will arrive to arrest Henry's boss, Henry will be free, and Charlotte and Jasper would be his hero.
But Jasper didn't think it'd be that simple.
"So," Jasper began. "You want me to stall Henry and his boss? How do you know they'll be there?"
"Henry told me the store closes at midnight," Charlotte answered. "So if we get there right before, you could catch them before they leave and keep them there until the cops come."
"Okay, but how am I supposed to stall?" he asked.
"Just pretend you're looking for something to give to your mom as a gift," she stated. "Don't come off as suspicious."
"And what do I say when they ask why I came so late?" he questioned.
"You could say that your mom's birthday is tomorrow, so you're shopping around last minute," Charlotte suggested with a shrug.
"Why can't you stall them and I call the cops?" he asked. Charlotte sighed.
"Ever since we started dating and this plan has been in the back of my head, I can't think straight in front of him," Charlotte admitted, looking down at her feet on the couch. "It'd be better if I just stayed outside."
"You guys are dating?" Jasper asked suddenly. "Since when?"
"Oh, I completely forgot to tell you!" Charlotte exclaimed, moving to sit more comfortably with her legs crossed. "He kissed me last night. And I guess now we're dating." Jasper felt his heart drop to his stomach as Charlotte smiled at him. "Isn't that great?"
Jasper opened his mouth to speak again, then sighed, forcing a smile and nodding his head.
"That's great, Char," he replied sadly. "I'm happy for you." She beamed at him.
"So?" Charlotte leaned forward. "What do you say?" Jasper shook his head.
"I just have one more question," he spoke. "How sure are you that this plan is going to work? And that Henry is actually in danger?" Charlotte scoffed.
"Completely sure." Jasper raised his eyebrows, to which Charlotte sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, maybe not completely," she said truthfully. Jasper shook his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Then why are we doing this if you're not sure?" he pressed. "You're planning on getting the police involved, Char. And with a pretty serious accusation, too."
"I know, I know," Charlotte admitted, shutting her eyes and placing a hand over forehead. "I know it sounds crazy. It seems like I'm just going off a gut feeling and I just-" She paused, hesitating to search for the right words as Jasper waited intently.
After a moment, the dark-haired girl met her best friend's eyes, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try." Jasper watched as Charlotte opened up; her expression was one of worry with her eyes wide and her teeth biting her lower lip in nervousness. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't once thought about how close they were sitting and how vulnerable she was right now. All he wanted was to wrap his arms around her in a warm hug, telling her everything was fine and that he's there for her. The image of her running into Henry's arms after their plan following through burned in his brain like a living nightmare. He hated that he was helping her help him. He wish he had gotten himself out of it when he could have.
But as he watched the troubled girl of his dreams, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave her on this couch.
Jasper sighed. "You really care about him, huh?"
Charlotte looked up to meet his eyes again, before nodding her head slowly. Jasper let out the breath he was subconsciously holding, feeling his chest tighten. He shook his head before moving to face the TV.
"Good thing I'm here, then," he said, flipping the television on with the remote. Charlotte smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind him, where she was sitting.
"Love you, Jasp," she said softly in his ear. Jasper felt his breath catch in his throat at her words, then quickly gulped it down and cleared his throat.
"Love you, too. Now can you get off of me so we can play Call of Duty? Midnight isn't going to come fast," he said as he tossed her a controller. Charlotte grinned.
"You're on."
♡
Hey guys!
Sorry for the wait! I am completely submerged into school work and tests right now and slightly going crazy while I put off studying so please be patient with me. xD
Also we're gonna pretend that their lockers don't open with fingerprint technology like on the show and instead have combination dials like normal schools. xD Are they still in junior high on the show? It looks like they've been in the same school forever and I feel like they should at least be sophomores by now. :P
Did anyone see Budget Cuts? When Henry put his hand on Charlotte's arm all concerned when she had food poisoning I just about died. 😭
I forgot to mention this in the last author's note, but have y'all heard about Dan Schneider leaving Nickelodeon?? And that they still want to renew Henry Danger for a fifth season even though it'll be without Dan? Can we talk about this tea please lol. Like aside from the fact that the channel just fired their main creator for shows (don't get me wrong, under reasonable circumstances), do y'all think we have hope for Chenry to happen in season 5 if he won't be there directing and shiz? Cause under new/different direction who knows where they'll go with the plot line. I don't wanna get my hopes up too high but who am I kidding I really hope they turn the show around! I love the show now and everything, but it could just be so much better and I'm excited to see how it goes with someone else in charge! What do y'all think? I'll end that there since it's already so long lol.
Anyway, thanks so much for sticking around for this story! It really means a lot to me. :) Updates will be posted soon!