Cheesy Pick Up Lines and Tingly Hands
Charlie | The Past
My stomach rumbles in protest as I prod at my salad. Since Friday night, food barely stays down, and now my body is staging a full-blown rebellion.
Why on earth did I let Amelia drag me into the chaos of the mess hall today?
"Charlie, will you please talk to me?"
At the sound of his voice, I force a forkful of salad past the lump in my throat and finally meet his gaze.
His dark brown hair is a wild tangle, as if his fingers have been at war with it all morning.
Or maybe it’s her hands that have left their mark.
His dark green eyes are a swirling storm of emotion—remorse, pain, regret, self-loathing, love, sorrow—all tangled together until I can’t tell where one ends and another begins.
His usually sun-kissed skin looks ghostly, and the bruises on his face bloom in ugly shades of purple, green, and yellow.
Somewhere beneath the shattered pieces of my soul, a flicker of pity for him survives. But I’d have to sift through too much wreckage to reach it, and I just can’t right now.
"No," I reply in an empty voice, turning away from him and glaring down at my salad.
"I'm sorry, Char. I won't stop trying to fix this. I love you."
I smack my palms onto the table. "Just stop!
Stop saying that." Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose while I lock my shit back down before looking back at him.
"You don't do what you did to someone you're in love with, Keaton.
I don't doubt that you love me. You can't be with someone as long as we have and not at least love them a little, but no way in hell do I believe you're in love with me.
Not like I was you. So, please. Just stop saying that because I'm never going to believe you.
Now, would you run along? I'd like to finish my lunch.
I haven't eaten in two days, and right now, the sight of you is making my stomach churn. "
He jams his hands into his pockets and smiles sadly at me. "You're wrong, Charlie, and that's okay. It's my fault you don't believe me. I was stupid and fucked up, but I told you the truth. One day, you're going to believe me. Even if it's not until the day I take my last breath."
"I could make that happen today," Amelia mutters so low that I don't think Keaton's heard her.
He nods at her, proving me wrong. "You could, and I wouldn't stop you. I'm sorry, Amelia. For hurting Char and for hurting you. I know I'm a disappointment and that I've let everyone down, including myself. But I'm going to make it right. Whatever the hell it takes, I'm going to heal her."
My appetite vanishes completely. I fling my fork into the bowl and watch him retreat.
He tries to connect with people he once called friends, but they treat him like a ghost. Some students shoulder past him, others pretend he’s invisible.
A few offer sad smiles, which he returns with a nod, but mostly, he just stares at the floor.
Keaton is nearing the front table. I already know I won't like what's about to happen. David and his best friend Alek are sitting in the middle. Jerica, David's twin sister, and her boyfriend Reggie are on David's left. Jason, Tatum, and Bryson are on Alek's right.
That table is the throne of the desperate. I’ve seen people grovel at David’s feet, some practically selling their souls for a seat. Rumor has it that a couple of girls have even gone so far as to pleasure him beneath the table.
What could possibly make someone crave money or the spotlight of the popular crowd enough to toss away their dignity?
"Keaton Carr," David's voice booms, stopping everyone, including Keaton, in their tracks. "Why are you in my mess hall?"
My gaze drifts over the table until Alek’s eyes snare mine. Goosebumps prick along my arms, and my heart stutters. His dark pink tongue flicks out, tracing his lips, and I can’t help but watch.
A jolt of horror snaps me out of it, and I wrench my eyes away, forcing myself to focus on the scene unraveling before me.
"Needed to speak to Charlie," Keaton says.
"Why the hell would you do that when it only causes her more pain?" Alek growls.
Keaton shakes his head, and a smirk lights his face. "You're never going to have her, man."
If the entire room hadn’t fallen silent at that exact second, his words would have slipped right past me.
What the hell is he talking about?
I start to get up to go over there, but Amelia grabs hold of my arm to keep me in place.
"Ah. But you have no say in that anymore, do you?
You gave all that up when you fucked that nasty cunt at a party that every-fucking-body was at.
So, not only did you cheat on a gem with a damn rock, you humiliated her in front of everybody that she has to see all day.
You really are some kind of stupid, Keaton," Alek says with a laugh.
Keaton straightens his posture and steps closer to the table, his hands falling from his pockets to form fists.
David and Alek, along with the rest of the table, stand to face him. "You don't get to show your face here. You don't get to show it anywhere that Charlie is-"
"Stop!" I scream. I stand and climb onto the table.
All eyes turn to me. My heart hammers, but I keep going.
"Please, just stop. David, this isn't helping.
I appreciate you all having my back, I really do, but this isn't your fight.
What happened in that pool house happened to me.
He cheated on me. He broke my heart. He is mine to deal with.
This will only make things harder for me, not him.
This isn't me, and you all know it. I want him and her to suffer for what they did, trust me, but will that help?
It'll feel good at first, but when that fades, the pain will still be mine to carry. "
So much for keeping my cracks hidden.
I fight hard to keep the tears from falling.
"I just want to move on. That's all. I want to move on and forget.
I want to find peace and heal. None of that is going to happen if all of this continues.
There are only a few weeks left until graduation, and then I won't have to see them every day.
So, please. David, Alek, please, just stop and let me do this my way. "
"Go," David orders gruffly.
Rianna waits by the mess hall doors, her smile brightening as Keaton approaches, but he looks straight through her and keeps walking. She calls after him, but he doesn’t even flinch. I hate to admit it, but watching her get ignored gives me a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Why couldn’t he have just done that from the start?
Rianna shoots me a glare, her eyes practically spitting venom. The devil on my shoulder wins, and I wiggle my fingers at her before blowing a mocking kiss.
God, I can't fucking stand her.
Sometimes I wonder if my hatred for her burns hotter than what I feel for Keaton.
She never owed me loyalty, but she knew we were together and still went after him, determined to claim what wasn’t hers.
Girls like her are why we don’t trust each other with our partners.
That’s the root of my anger. I could never chase after someone already taken.
I’d never want to inflict that kind of pain.
I drag my eyes away from her when someone knocks on the table at my feet. Alek is standing below me, holding his hand out, and with reluctance, I take it. A small gasp escapes when tingles run across my skin, and my gaze clashes with his as he helps me down from the table.
"Well, hello there, beautiful. Where have you been all my life?"
I wrinkle my nose at his cheesy line, snatch my hand back, and step away. "Hiding from you."
He smirks. "Huh. Guess you're not very good at it then, are you?"
Alek saunters off, leaving me gaping, while Amelia snickers at my side.
I shoot her a wide-eyed look. "What was that even about?"
"That, my gorgeous friend, was Alek Johnson. Buckle up, buttercup. I have a feeling he’s about to make things very interesting for you."
"No way," I snap. "He can’t. I don’t want him to. He can take his cocky attitude and those cringe-worthy pick-up lines somewhere else, because I refuse to be his next victim."
I can't.
"You don't have to be, Charlie. But if you want Keaton to leave you alone until graduation, then what better way would there be than having a fine as fuck wall standing in front of you?" Her smile is a little naughty. "Or behind you."
"Nope. No way. Not happening," I growl, snatching up my salad bowl and marching it over to the trash.
Those damn warning signs. You’d think by now I’d know better than to ignore them.
Like the one buzzing in my hand from where Alek touched me.