Chapter 9 Charlie
charlie
“The gossip sucks this week. If anything, we’ll be sitting at happy hour on Friday with nothing to talk about.” Jennie dramatically laid her head on the table and sighed loudly.
Fortunately, Jennie, Maura, Sara, and I had lunch at the same time, which was a nice break to look forward to during the day. We were in Jennie’s room to get away from the prying ears of anyone in the teachers’ lounge.
“It really does. I thought Darla was going to come in clutch.” Sara sighed. “Jeff and I—”
“No, please.” Maura held up her hand. “If I hear one more thing about Jeff, I think I might keel over.”
“It’ll be either that or the new math program that’ll hurt me.” Jennie nodded in agreement, then turned to me. “Come on, new girl. As the new person in the group, it really is your responsibility to keep us entertained.”
“Oh really?” I waggled my eyebrows at them and laughed as I took a bite of my salad.
“I don’t make the rules.” Jennie shrugged. “Give us the dirt.”
I sighed. Without wanting to delve into my family dynamics because that would be complicated, I wasn’t sure what to say that would keep the conversation light. “My brother is a year older than me and is single.”
Maura spit out her salad. “Age? Sex? Location? Did I age myself with that?”
I laughed, instantly recognizing her old internet slang.
“He’s single. He works for my family’s business back home in Georgia. He’s . . . nice?” I shrugged, unsure of what more they were expecting.
Jennie sighed dramatically. “Well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I need some real gossip, new girl.”
I grinned, pretending to think for a moment before my bucket list popped into my head.
“Actually, I do have a good one.” I leaned in.
“Alright, so when I got here, I made this bucket list—things I wanted to do before . . . well, it’s complicated.
Anyway, I figured I’d start crossing stuff off one by one. ”
Sara’s eyes widened, and she leaned in with a grin. “Oh, this might be juicy.”
Jennie immediately shushed her, giving me an excited nod. “Go on. Don’t leave us hanging.”
I smirked. “One of the things on the list was to skinny dip in the lake.”
Maura let out a squeal, covering her mouth as her eyes sparkled with excitement. “No way. Tell me you actually did it?”
“Yep. Yesterday, I went out to the beach after sunset, ignored all the No Swimming signs, and went for it. It was cold, exhilarating, and for a moment, it was everything I wanted—until I realized I wasn’t alone.”
The girls gasped in unison, eyes glued to me as I continued.
“I ran into the water, and there was this rush of excitement. I was completely naked and doing something illegal—so unlike me—but it felt amazing.”
Jennie’s eyes went wide, and she threw her hands up. “Oh my god, what happened next?”
“I was swimming, feeling free, when suddenly, this guy comes charging into the water. At first, I thought I was being attacked by a sea monster or something, but then I realized he was rushing in because he thought I was flailing my arms in distress.”
Sara’s mouth dropped open. “Wait—you were nude?”
“One-hundred percent. And you know what? I thought I’d be way more embarrassed, but when he grabbed my waist and hauled me to shore, I was too shocked to care.”
Jennie practically fell out of her chair laughing. “This is amazing. Was he creepy?”
I shook my head. “It gets even better.”
“This is so much better than a Jeff story,” Maura said, chomping on a bite of her sandwich as Sara playfully punched her in the shoulder.
“Turns out, one of the hot older brothers of a student here was the one who saved me. He happened to be visiting and saw me flailing about and was worried about the riptides—”
“Oh. Those are real.” Sara nodded.
“That’s exactly what he said. Once he pulled me closer to shore, which he did so respectfully, I might add, I got out, and he turned around so I could throw my clothes back on.”
I took a bite of salad and swallowed as the three girls stared at me.
“It wasn’t a big deal.” I shrugged.
Jennie’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. This is the biggest deal, Charlie. Which hot brother?”
I pursed my lips, playing coy. “Just one of the ones you see at pickup. Austin Hart. I helped him with his sister, Evie Cole, yesterday.”
Sara clapped her hands together. “Oh my god, this is better than any soap opera.”
Maura nodded in agreement. “Better than that Darla bullshit we were about to talk about too.”
“We have to get his number,” Jennie screeched and turned around, throwing away her lunch.
I laughed. I’d never had girlfriends like this. This was fun. It was as freeing as my evening yesterday with Hot Brother.
“You guys are funny,” I said, and then obliged and stood, holding my hands out as if I was on display in a window.
“She’s wearing a bright yellow Kindergarten Rules T-shirt paired with her favorite white linen pants . . .” I announced in my best game show host voice.
Maura was practically in tears from laughing.
“Oh my god, I’d kill for tits like yours.” Jennie gave one of my boobs a playful poke.
I’d always been curvy, something my mom loved to blame on my habit of baking too many pecan pies and sampling them all.
Honestly, I think it was genetics. It was one of the reasons I never quite fit in when I was younger—I didn’t have the slim, polished figure that girls in my parents’ circle seemed to have.
My curves, especially up top, made finding clothes that actually fit a challenge. I usually opted for looser, oversized shirts to make sure everything fit comfortably and didn’t draw too much attention, but that was part of my bucket list.
I wanted to feel more comfortable in my body and love it for the way it was.
“Thanks,” I giggled as I grabbed my lunch.
Jennie threw her hands up in surprise and shrieked. “The bell is going to ring in ten minutes, and I have the best idea ever.”
“What?” Sara said, stuffing her face with her sandwich.
Momentarily, I felt bad for talking for most of our break, realizing that maybe she didn’t have enough time to finish.
“Let’s go to the front. Lynn will know who Hot Brother is and can get his number.”
Maura chimed in. “It’ll be on the emergency contact form.”
“Bingo.” Jennie pointed at her. “This is good shit, new girl. Bravo.”
“Welcome to the club,” Sara said as she threw out her trash and gave me a pat on the shoulder.
We hustled to the front office, where Lynn was talking with one of the parents.
The office was small, with light blue walls decorated with motivational posters and student artwork. A few chairs lined the walls, and the front desk was cluttered with folders, school forms, and a few sticky notes.
The four of us stood there, bouncing awkwardly on our feet and glancing up at the clock every few seconds. Lynn kept holding up her finger, mouthing, “One minute,” as she wrapped up her conversation with a parent. We all exchanged looks, waiting impatiently for the moment to jump in.
Finally, the parent walked out, and we swarmed Lynn’s desk all at once.
“Whoa, slow down, everyone,” she said, holding up her hands with a laugh.
Jennie was the first to speak. “Can you check who Evie Cole’s emergency contact is?”
There was a long pause as Lynn glanced between us, then she let out a sigh. “This week is shaping up to be a good happy hour, huh?”
Sara smirked. “Oh yeah, new girl dropped a bombshell.”
Lynn gave us a mock-serious look, narrowing her eyes. “You know, I really shouldn’t be doing this . . .”
Maura leaned in. “Come on, Lynn. The brother saw her naked while she was illegally swimming in the lake. We need this information. It’s for a good cause.”
Lynn’s expression shifted from fake seriousness to one of pure delight.
She threw her head back, letting out a laugh that filled the small office.
“Oh, well, why didn’t you say so? Definitely a good cause.
” She cracked her knuckles and started typing like a woman on a mission, her fingers moving faster than I’d ever seen.
She was clearly loving every second of this.
After a few moments, she paused dramatically, looking up with a huge smirk plastered on her face. “Alright, here we go. Evie Cole’s emergency contacts are . . . Ledger Cole, Auburn Cole, and Austin Hart.”
“That’s him,” I shouted and pointed to the screen.
As soon as the words left my mouth, the entire office turned to stare at me.
My face turned crimson, and I wished I could disappear. Jennie clutched her sides, barely holding back her laughter, while Maura gave me a thumbs-up, clearly enjoying my embarrassment.
“Subtle, new girl, really subtle.” Jennie snorted, wiping tears from her eyes.
Even Lynn was grinning as she leaned back in her chair.
The girls exchanged excited looks, and Jennie leaned in with a mischievous grin. “You know what you should do? You should take door duty after school and see what happens when he shows up to pick up his sister.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You guys are relentless.”
“While you’re at it,” Jennie continued, “you should totally stalk him on social media. See what you can find.”
I shrugged. “I don’t do social media. I prefer getting to know someone face-to-face.”
Lynn tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Huh, that name—Austin Hart—it sounds so familiar. I can’t quite picture it, though.”
Jennie gave me a pointed look, her eyebrows arching like she was onto something. “Oh, come on, you know you’re dying to Google him.”
I held up my hands. “No, no Googling. I like a little mystery. Besides, if it’s meant to be, I’ll find out who he is when I see him again.”
Jennie shook her head in mock disappointment, but there was a twinkle in her eye. “You’re no fun, but I respect the commitment.”
Maura winked. “Fine, but when you do take door duty, you better tell us everything.”
“Deal. But if this turns out to be a total disaster, you’re all to blame.”
The bell rang, and the girls quickly scattered to their respective classrooms. I watched them go, the echo of their laughter lingering in the space around me. The lightness of the moment stayed with me, wrapping around me like a warm hug.
Regardless of what happened with my time out here, this gave me a sense of belonging I hadn’t felt in a long time.
It felt like I was finally part of a group of people who connected with me.
As I headed back to my classroom, I decided to add something new to my bucket list: Keep the friends I’ve made here.
I couldn’t imagine this new chapter of my life without them.