"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Charlotte mentally cursed when she realized she let her face fall. Even though it was in the slightest, she knew that Miles caught it. Now, she was going to act as if she didn't have a clue about what he was asking.
Miles gave her a look, "I know you know."
Charlotte inhaled deeply and motioned for Miles to follow her. The two ended up in the empty church, where it was set up for the Thanksgiving dinner.
Miles took a seat at one of the tables and Charlotte sat across from him.
"What happened Char? What's the real reason you and Grizz broke up for? What aren't you telling us?" Miles softly asked.
Charlotte's tone was cautious, "What did you see?"
Miles explained what he witnessed; the interaction between Sam, his crush, and Grizz, his best friend's ex-boyfriend. "The action was small but I saw the emotion in their eyes. Grizz's eyes."
When Charlotte kept quiet, Miles continued, "Grizz used to look at you like that, Char, there's no point in hiding anything now. Plus, you know I don't judge or discriminate."
Charlotte picked at the skin around her nails. She let out a small sigh. She promised Grizz she wouldn't say anything yet but Miles practically already knew, or had an idea.
Charlotte finally nodded, "Grizz and I fell out of love, that's what happened,"
Miles opened his mouth to say something but Charlotte continued, "And Grizz developed feelings for Sam."
Deep down, Miles already had a feeling of it, but hearing Charlotte confirm his thoughts made his heart heavy. Heavy because Grizz had been keeping his sexuality a secret, and Miles knew the struggle.
"How long has he known?"
Charlotte gently shrugged, "Not sure but for sure more than a month ago. Maybe even more than that, six months has passed."
"You're the only one who knows?" Miles quietly asked, keeping his voice down just in case people could hear them from the outside.
Charlotte nodded, "He wanted me to keep it a secret. It's only right for him to tell everyone, not me."
Charlotte watched Miles as he stared at the table with a bunch of emotions swirling behind his eyes. Charlotte knew exactly why he seemed conflicted. It wasn't for the fact that Grizz liked guys now, but because Grizz liked Sam. Miles also liked Sam, but what's worse is that Miles has been struggling with trying to connect and communicate properly with Sam for two years now and here Grizz was, having a cute moment with Sam in less than two months. Miles was envious.
"I know how you feel about Sam," Charlotte quietly mumbled, "I'm sorry I've been helping Grizz with Sam but I'm the only one he's comfortable telling his sexuality to and—"
"So Grizz dropped you for a man?" Miles cut off, not wanting Charlotte apologize. It wasn't her fault that Grizz and Sam were hanging out. Miles knew that Charlotte supported Grizz and was his support system and Miles couldn't be mad about that. Charlotte was the first one to stand behind Miles once he came out. He only cursed her for her understanding and openminded nature, but he loved her for that.
Charlotte cracked a grin, eyes slightly widening, "That's exactly what I said!" She then snorted, "I know, it's hard to believe."
Miles pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows as if he was thinking about it, "No, it's pretty easy to believe.. I would drop you for Sam any day,"
Charlotte's jaw dropped as Miles let out a laugh. They both knew Miles was joking but Charlotte still gave him a look, "Oh please, that's just because you only like dick."
Miles shrugged, "You're right."
Charlotte's face then relaxed and she looked at Miles with searching eyes, "Will you be okay?"
Miles kept quiet for a moment before nodding, "I thought I was angry at first, which was why I kept pestering you, but I'm not." He exhaled. "I can't control others and their feelings, and I can't blame Grizz for making a move on Sam. It's my fault for being a coward—"
Charlotte instantly shook her head, "Yeah no, it's not your fault or anyone's fault."
Miles looked into Charlotte's eyes as she smiled at him sadly, "But again, I'm sorry that my ex snatched your man."
Miles let a soft chuckle before shaking his head, "It's okay," he shrugged, "I'll find myself another man I suppose."
➖
The crowd cheered as Allie announced the winning team from the game. Clark's team had won, making Charlotte scoff and stick her tongue out at him when he winked at her.
Allie began a speech she prepared but since she helped create the speech and went over multiple rehearsals with Allie, Charlotte decided to zone out. She looked around the crowd and met eyes with Bean who stood next to Gordie. The two shared a smile before Charlotte's eyes wandered again.
Charlotte blinked when she realized something, Grizz and Sam were nowhere in sight. They might've been hidden in the crowd but Grizz was a big man, so it was almost impossible for him to blend in with the crowd.
Charlotte shrugged, paying no attention to that, and started to follow the town into the church where the Thanksgiving feast was being held at.
Clark and Jason found her instantly and began to drag her by the arms to a table. They sat her down and Jason shouted in her ear.
"Save our seats!" Charlotte flinched, instantly snapping her head to Jason to glare at him. He gave her a grin and ran off to grab his food, making Charlotte roll her eyes.
"We'll be back, Char." Clark snorted, patting Charlotte's shoulder. She chuckled and crossed her arms, leaning back into her seat.
Charlotte grinned widely when the rest of the Pentagon came running over to her with excited looks on their faces. They instantly took the empty seats around her, placing their plates of food on the table.
"A group dinner, this is so exciting," Kyla squealed as she began to pour some water for everyone. The rest smiled and nodded in agreement.
Xavier instantly dug into his plate of food while Valerie began to open a few bottles of beer. Miles looked over to Charlotte, his mouth already full with corn.
"Where's your plate, Char?"
Xavier looked up from his plate and to Charlotte, "Damn, where is your plate? I suspected you would've been the very first person to grab food."
Charlotte snorted, just as Valerie handed her a beer which she gladly accepted. "Jason and Clark forced me to watch their seats."
"All good, there's lot. Let's start our meal with round one, yeah?" Valerie suggested, raising her eyebrow suggestively as she held her own bottle of beer.
Charlotte instantly grinned, raising her bottle, "Ganbei,"
Valerie instantly recognized the Mandarin term for 'bottles up' and she grinned widely, "Ganbei!"
The two girls instantly began to chug their own bottles. Xavier began to cheer for the two girls as Miles watched them with fascination. He wasn't that big of a drinker.
Kyla watched them with raised eyebrows as she took a sip of her water that she poured for herself.
"Already downing beers without us?" Jason asked with a tone of betrayal as him and Clark came back with their food. But this time, Clark had two plates.
Charlotte finished first, slamming the bottle on the table. Valerie finished seconds later and cursed at Charlotte for finishing first, but the two girls shared loud laughs.
"Big man, big man," Xavier grinned, his eyes on Clark's plates of food.
Clark chuckled and shook his head, placing the one plate with more food on it in front of Charlotte. "This is for Char, actually,"
Charlotte looked at Clark with surprise, "You got me my food?"
Clark nodded, taking a seat next to her. "I figured I would since you were watching our seats."
Charlotte grinned, "How'd you know what to pick for me?"
Clark shrugged, "I didn't, I got a little bit of everything for you since you have an appetite of a dinosaur. But, I did get you extra stuffing since you love that shit."
Charlotte's grin grew, "Thanks Clark," Charlotte grabbed her fork and began to eat.
As Charlotte ate, Kyla and Valerie exchanged mischievous glances.
"How sweet of you, Clark," Valerie started, an innocent smile on her face, "Grabbing food for Char,"
Clark shrugged, "It was no problem."
Kyla couldn't help it, "You cuties oh my god," She blurted out, a sly smirk on her face. Charlotte looked over at her and gave her a quick warning look. Kyla simply smirked and dug into her food.
Charlotte caught Miles' eyes where he smirked at her. She rolled her eyes as he mouthed,
"Fancy,"
Clark leaned over to Charlotte, muttering in her ear. "Why is she calling us cuties?"
Charlotte leaned over to him, "Just ignore her, she's losing her sanity."
Clark chuckled just as Xavier whistled. "What are you two lovebirds whispering about?"
Charlotte scoffed as Clark leaned back and sat straight. "We're planning your murder tonight." Charlotte muttered, stabbing at her stuffing.
"They didn't deny about them being lovebirds," Valerie sang, making Charlotte groan in annoyance as Clark chuckled, shaking his head.
"Hey," Xavier suddenly blurted out, realizing something.
"What?" Miles asked, bringing a spoonful of corn into his mouth.
"I just realized that we haven't danced in a while." Xavier said, glancing over at the three girls.
Kyla nodded, "Yeah, you're right,"
"Probably because we're busy living in a different dimension." Valerie snorted, shaking her head. "We're too busy making sure everyone doesn't kill each other and that we survive in this weird place."
A grin formed on Xavier's face, "Maybe I could do a backflip off the turkey and we can start a dance party."
"A backflip off the turkey?" Charlotte blinked, staring dead at Xavier. Xavier sent her a quick wink, making her laugh.
"It'll be too tight to dance in here," Miles pointed out, while Kyla shook her head.
"I'd rather not have a dance party in the church."
"Yeah, look what happened the last time we had a dance." Valerie blurted out. Her eyes widen when she realized what she said and glanced at Charlotte whose grin started to fade from her face.
Miles winced at Valerie's comment, having a flashback to when they had their own 'prom'. Xavier made a sour face when he noticed that the mood suddenly dropped. Kyla gave Valerie a look that was practically scolding her for saying that.
"I'm sorry," Valerie muttered, "It's Thanksgiving and I shouldn't have said something like that.."
A frown was on Miles' face, "You think?"
"You're lucky the sister isn't here," Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head.
Xavier looked at Charlotte who was taking a sip from her beer. "You okay?"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow and glanced at the others who were staring at her. "Yeah.. Why? I know we were great friends but it's been more than six months. I'm past the grieving stage."
"Yeah but—" Kyla started but Charlotte was annoyed by the sympathetic looks her friends were giving her.
"Seriously, guys, there's no point in crying for a person that isn't here anymore. It's best to move on and live for them."
Valerie pursed her lips when Charlotte said, 'A person that isn't here anymore'. It was still hard to believe that the once bossy Pressman was no longer there and alive. Valerie remembered when her and Cassandra used to argue in school because Valerie never liked being bossed around by others. Even though they argued, Valerie valued Cassandra as a person and admired her leadership skills.
Clark suddenly cleared his throat, "I want some pie, come with me mob boss."
Charlotte looked over at him, "Huh? There's pie?"
Clark nodded, his eyes ahead of him where he was eyeing a pumpkin pie. "Pumpkin. Let's go."
"Wait, why do I have to go—"
Clark stood up and grabbed her arm, "Because you're the only one in here that could take more than one slice and nobody will say anything. Come on!"
"For fuck's sake—okay!" Charlotte let out a shout as Clark practically dragged the girl to the dessert table.
Valerie released a huge sigh, "Woah, I thought I fucked up for a second there."
Xavier shrugged, "You shouldn't have ruined the mood like that."
Kyla smiled softly, "It's okay though, Char's right, it's time we move on and live for her."
Valerie nodded and looked around. Her eyes found Clark and Charlotte at the desert table. Clark was tossing a bunch of desserts onto his plate while Charlotte had two plates with a slice of pumpkin pie on each one. Clark seemed to be only grabbing things that Charlotte wanted, as she jutted her chin out at certain desserts to which Clark obeyed and grabbed.
"They're like a married couple that's been together for over twenty years," Kyla giggled. Valerie smirked at that.
Valerie's eyes suddenly found its way into a familiar face. Her face lit up in excitement when she saw Elle sitting at the end of the other table with Campbell. A wide grin formed on the girl's face when she recognized her friend but it slowly faltered when she noticed Elle's expression.
Elle looked panicked and scared. Her eyes were darting from everyone to the food.
Valerie furrowed her eyebrows. Why is she so scared? What made Campbell suddenly change his mind on coming to Thanksgiving dinner? Is something going on between her and Campbell? Why does she keep looking at the food—
"Holy shit, that's a lot of dessert," Xavier blurted out, his eyes on the plates of desserts in their hands. Clark and Charlotte took their seats as Xavier gaped at the mountain of desserts.
"Got a sweet tooth, Char?" Miles raised an eyebrow, watching as a small chocolate muffin rolled off the tower and onto the table. He reached for it and began to eat it.
Charlotte shook her head, "I grabbed lots for us to share."
Clark snorted, grabbing a cookie from the plate, "Liar. You made me pick specific desserts for yourself."
Charlotte playfully rolled her eyes and began to dig into the pumpkin pie. She took a bite and hummed.
"Hm, this is pretty good. Who made the pumpkin pie?" Charlotte asked, continuing to eat the pie.
Kyla glanced over, "Not sure. I mean, Lexie made one but it certainly did not look that attractive and solid. It must've been a last minute thing." Kyla was on the food committee and was responsible for knowing who made what. Just in case of any allergies or anything.
"Well, it's delicious, and I'm not a big pie fan."
The others dug into the mountain of sweets while Charlotte focused on her pie. She managed to finish the whole slice in four minutes.
"Hey everyone," Charlotte took a large gulp of her water as her cousin's voice overpowered everyone. She turned her attention to the front of the church where Helena was standing with a soft smile on her face.
"Hi, so uh, at Thanksgiving, my mom used to ask us to say what we're thankful for."
Groans left a few mouths, making a few chuckle. Charlotte snickered as Clark threw his head back with a groan.
"Come on, nobody? Do I have to go first?" Helena questioned, looking directly at Jason and Clark. Clark began to shove Jason, who rubbed at his face.
"Alright, alright," Jason muttered, standing up. Everyone looked at him in anticipation.
"Uh, I'm thankful for, uh, how hard my team fought at touch football."
Valerie and Kyla bursted into giggles and began to cheer and clap for Jason, which resulted in everyone following along. Charlotte shook her head with a grin and raised her beer to Jason.
"Oh, and I'm thankful that Luke hasn't lost his throwing arm. Let's give it up for Luke!"
Xavier let out a loud scream and waved his arms at Luke, who simply laughed and grinned at him.
Jason took his seat and nudged Clark, who stood up. "Uh, I'm thankful I can get stoned everyday without my parents on my ass,"
Valerie let out a holler as Miles laughed. Charlotte couldn't help but smirk at that, as she looked up at Clark. Clark glanced down at her for a brief second before he turned a bit serious, "Though, I miss them giving me a hard time."
The cheers faded and everyone went quiet. Clark took his seat and looked at the table. He looked up when he felt a hand on his arm. He saw Charlotte giving him a small smile. He smiled back at her.
Allie stood up, her eyes on Clark. "Well I'm thankful for Clark," Everyone looked at her. "For saying what we've all been thinking. You know, we all... miss home. We miss our moms, dads."
Charlotte looked around to see the grim looks on everyone's faces.
"What we want to say is, 'Wait for us', you know, 'We'll find our way back'." Allie suddenly smiled brightly, "I also wanna say thank you to everyone who cooked tonight. C'mon, toast, a toast! To all the cooks!"
Charlotte instantly raised her beer and grinned, "To the cooks!"
Everyone began to cheer and raise their drinks. Then, Helena stood up. "Um, I have something I'm really thankful for,"
Charlotte smiled at her cousin when they made eye contact. She watched as Helena looked down at Luke with loving eyes.
"I'm gonna marry Luke,"
The Pentagon all stood from their seats and began to cheer for the couple. Xavier and Charlotte began to whoop for them while Miles clapped loudly for them with a bright smile. Valerie and Kyla began to do a weird dance as they whistled and hollered for the two.
"Who does still have his throwing arm, and he's also the love of my life."
Charlotte smiled fondly at the couple. She was really happy for her cousin.
"You're all invited," Helena looked around with a smile, "Uh, it's going to be the first wedding in the new world, so hit me up if you know how to make a wedding cake."
"You know I got you!" Kyla shouted, pointing a finger at the couple.
Charlotte looked around the church with a soft smile on her face. Everyone was happy and enjoying the night. No fights or stress, just laughter and love.
Charlotte hoped that it will continue to be as peaceful as it was, but she knew it was false hope.