Two Introverts ✔

8 | Talk

Charles was definitely going to end up crazy if he didn't do anything. He'd just witnessed Samuel cry and had done absolutely nothing about it. Since when was he so heartless? Since when did his ego increase to this level? If he wasn't so sure of it before, he was a hundred percent sure now that Sam didn't deserve someone as insensitive as him. He didn't know what to think or do, but he knew he had to do a pretty something to make Sam feel better. To make himself feel better. And to prove his thoughts wrong. June wasn't with him - Charles assumed that he took his day off since he was nowhere to be seen - so Charles knew the poor boy had no one to go to. He wanted to be that someone Sam could go to anytime he wanted. Charles would be glad to help him out - glad to be there and listen to him. If only he could do half the stuff he imagined and thought of, the mental breakdown that he was having wouldn't have happened. 

"I just- saw him there, he was so broken, he was crying his eyes out, and what did I do? Nothing."

Charles had finished explaining his disappearance during lunchbreak to Madeline, who shared political science with him. Madeline was Charles's earliest friend - they were friends for as long as he could remember. Even if she didn't show it out in the open, Charles knew she loved him and cared about him a lot. 

"I'm not gonna say what you did wasn't wrong, it was, but give yourself another chance. It's not like he called out to you and you just ignored him and left, he didn't even know you were there."

"So I just- walk away? Am I seriously that out of my mind?"

"Okay, I don't know what to say to that, I may be the one who knows you the best, but I don't really know how your mind works. I'd say maybe talk to him after school. You insist that you owe him an apology, so you can use it as an excuse or something."

"Yeah, I guess..." he said, feeling terrible. He was sure of the fact that he'd end up breaking something out of frustration and guilt. He was biting his lip harshly while thinking of what to do. How would he even strike up a conversation? Say, "Hey Sam, I saw you crying during lunch. I thought you didn't want to see my face then so I just turned around and left you there all alone. Haha."? He was the worst when it came to conversations and he just knew he would screw this up the way he did the previous one. His heart, mind and body were all going crazy but nothing came out of it - he was still just as clueless.

"Stop sulking, oh my God! It's not like you've never made mistakes before, you've made plenty, and this just adds up to it. Just make sure you don't repeat it and you're good to go."

Charles, though he wasn't in the mood to, laughed at that. Maddie always said things in a blunt way; she never sugarcoated. Even though most people would've been offended by what she'd just said, somehow, that wasn't the case with Charles; it rather made things a lot better for him. He was glad to have her by his side, he didn't want to let her go ever. 

"Fine, fine..." he said and decided to pay attention in class. Political science was something that bored the hell out of Charles and he didn't have a clue why and how people took this as a subject in their higher grades. Even for someone who liked to study, using his time to learn political science was as good as using the same time to stare at a wall. Nevertheless, he did anyway, because, well, he had to. 

After the boring class, he and Madeline walked out. Madeline quickly called out to Charles and, before he knew it, hugged him tight. 

"Eww don't hug me!" Charles exclaimed, clearly not one for hugs. At least that's what he claimed. The truth was, he didn't know how to react when someone hugged him - he just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. He wasn't sure why people hugged others, he just saw it as something very dramatic and something only people in love would do.