Attempting to save Lindsey Smith's life came with consequences Asher German didn't foresee. Not only did he fail at saving her, he saved his nemesis and he got shot for it. Making it a vexing night. Now he'll have to deal with his girlfriend, Char...
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♠♥Chapter 4♣♦
Going back to school seems so empty. There's a hush over the place, or at least it seems that way to Charlie as she mindlessly filters through the halls. Whispers hiss around her as she walks through a fog.
Charlie notices kids around her crying. People that hardly knew Lindsey. She fights the bitterness that wants to settle in.
They don't have the right to cry over her. They never took the time to get to know her.
"Charlie!" Zeke's familiar voice carries over the entryway. The lanky, dark-haired boy waves her over. His almost black eyes are brimming tears, and his movements are dulled. He's not his sparky life-filled self.
It feels as if Charlie is walking through mud while she approaches the bright blue sitting area. Several of her friends gather around crying, finding comfort in one another.
Zeke scoots over on the sofa to let Charlie plop down next to him. Zeke's head plops onto Charlie's shoulder, and she can feel his warm tears soaking the black material of her Kiss tee-shirt.
"I can't believe she's gone." Zeke's voice cracks under the tears.
Charlie's chest aches, but she holds herself together for him, even though she feels like she's dying inside. She shifts on the couch and wraps her arm around Zeke, to cuddle him as he weeps.
"I know." Her eyes glance around at each friend sitting before her. Every face just reminds her of the one that is missing. "Me too."
She wants to fall apart, but here isn't the place. Even though she cares for this group of friends, Lindsey, Carson, Ryker, and Ty are the only ones she shows genuine emotions to, none of which are here.
"The counselors offered to talk to us all throughout the day," Zeke warns her.
The idea makes her uneasy. She hates seeing school counselors. They never say anything helpful. She'd be better off talking to her psychiatrist, and she hates that man.
"I should have skipped school today," Charlie grumbles under her breath. The only reason she didn't was out of fear of what her parents would do. She doesn't want to be sent off again.
"Mr. Oswald." Miss Nunez, one of the school's councilors, catches both of their attention. "Are you ready?"
Charlie's gaze drifts up to the mid-twenty-year-old fresh out of college. Zeke nods and pulls out of Charlie's hug, making her realize he must have asked to talk.
As she watches Zeke follow the tiny counselor to the office, she rises from the couch.
Her other friends don't seem to notice her slip away. She needs to have her own breakdown, and none of them are equipped to handle it.
