𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 | 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

It was strange how quickly things could change. Elliot turned out to be a total creep, my friends found me in a vulnerable time, and now I was dating Charlie Dalton. I suppose the last part was a dream come true, but I couldn't help but feel as if I didn't deserve to be with him. It very well could've been my mind, resulting in a stream of uncomfortable self-loathing, but there was something I couldn't place. Charlie felt off. Still, even though he acted like he was completely fine. He had his moments where he would get carried away with things or simply lost in another dimension. Rhonda was right, I couldn't fix him. Though I never believed I could, but maybe subconsciously, I thought otherwise.

Fall break was the next day, and the group had planned to go home to Vermont for that time. Meeks had contacted Knox, getting information that he was going to come home for the break as well. I was extremely excited. Dead Poets Society was to be held in honor of Neil. It was almost a full year since last we saw him—his ultimate Carpe Diem.

Charlie's arm wrapped around mine, pulling me down on the bed. I was trying to write, finishing the short poem I was creating for our meeting. "You need to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." His voice was slightly whiney, informing me that he was a bit tired. I laid my head next to his and nuzzled his face into my neck. He said something I couldn't make out, mumbled and quiet.

"You need to go to your dorm." I replied, pushing his off gently. His eyes opened slowly, and he looked at me squinting. "Charlie..." I laughed upon seeing his sleepy expression. He closed his eyes with a whine, laying his head back down. Sitting back up, I tugged on his arm. "Get up. Like you said, we have a big day tomorrow."

"Just let him sleep here." Rhonda interrupted, casually watching our exchange. My face turned a bit red. "I don't care."

"Mm, yeah, leave me here." Charlie mumbled with a yawn. "Please."

"Then, where am I gonna sleep?" I asked, and Rhonda raised an eyebrow at me. She knew I wasn't that dumb.

Charlie sat up, grinning. "With me, doll." His voice was slightly slurred though he hadn't been drinking. "Come on, I don't bite... maybe." He put his arms around my waist and laid his head on my shoulder. He then tried to pull me down, but it didn't work. So, he just laid there.

"Our beds are too small." I informed him as if he didn't know that. He simply just stared me down with a tired smile.

"We've slept in a small bed together before. Remember?" He was right, and I remembered that too well.

"That's only because we fell asleep." I responded. "And you know exactly why. Don't - " I sighed, not wanting to bring up Neil's death. "Sorry, but that's too... sensitive of a topic."

"Sorry." Charlie went quiet quickly, not wanting to go on that topic either. Rhonda watched us, completely confused. She was about to ask, but seeing as the mood shifted when it was brought up, she didn't.

I had made things awkward, so I looked down at Charlie again, who was drifting off to sleep. He was very cute. I finally laid back down next to him, too afraid to reach out and touch him. I still wasn't used to dating him.

His eyes opened like he knew I was there, and he reached over to me with a grin. "I don't bite, doll." He chuckled, pulling me onto his chest. I stiffened up, and it was as if he read my mind. "Rhonda doesn't care. Just relax." He began to rub my back, but soon his arm stopped, and his breathing became slower and rhythmic. He had fallen asleep.

I heard Rhonda giggling. "Shut up." I whispered, feeling myself smile. She didn't shut up, though she did try to quiet down a bit. "Go to sleep."

"I think you need to tell yourself that." She responded, and even though the lights had been turned off, I knew she had that stupid smirk on her face. It was like two Charlies were in the room with me. I eventually did fall asleep.

The next day was chaotic, to say the least. We had to drive about four hours to get home, and it was an exhausting four hours. Charlie was a bit crabby but insisted on driving me insane, and Rhonda would nonstop talk about the weirdest shit. Honestly, it wasn't that bad. We didn't fight, and it seemed to go a lot quicker than four hours. Still, I was tired.

Rhonda drove to my house since that's where she was going to stay for the week, but I knew if I brought Charlie into the house, it would be all over. My parents would practically disown me. After everything, they thought we were done.

"One second, I'll be right back." I said, getting out of the car. Charlie wanted to follow, but I gave him a knowing stare. He sat back down, although, unwillingly.

My parents were thrilled that I was back home. I tossed Rhonda and I's bags down in the living room and went back to the door. My mom watched, quickly trying to get me to stay. "We'll be back soon. We're gonna meet up with Carla and go get ice cream or something." I sort of lied. In truth, we were going to meet up with Carla and some other boys that my parents didn't like so much. Eventually, they let me leave, but not without some conversations about school.

When I got back to the car, Charlie was lying in the backseat. He seemed to have fallen asleep. So, I sat shotgun. "You were there for a while. Thought you forgot about us." Rhonda spoke quietly, letting the boy sleep. 

"Sorry. Come on, I really wanna see Carla and Knox again." I responded, not wanting to dig into my parents' drama with Charlie.

We woke Charlie up when we got to the woods outside of Welton. He had been acting funny recently. I would catch him drifting off to sleep or zoning out into another world. He seemed to easily pick fights, too. "My little Knox-y boy!" Charlie rubbed his eyes and started running through the woods. Rhonda let out a laugh, chasing after him. I, on the other hand, was at a loss for words.

My mind brought me back to that night in which Neil walked me to the cave. At that time, I hadn't known his name or anything about him, but I knew I liked him. I wished I could step back into a memory just to see him again. I couldn't even imagine how Charlie had to feel. He was his best friend, after all.

It was starting to feel a lot colder than it had been, but it was most likely due to the fact that I was mourning what used to be. It was weird coming back here after everything that had happened. I walked, chasing after the sound of laughter, wondering if I actually belonged. It felt as if this had all been taken away at once just to be put straight back into my hands.

"Y/n?" I heard someone call my name, coming from the trail behind me. I glanced back to see Knox, dressed in a long blue coat and fashionable trousers. It took everything in my power not to laugh at his sudden change to english attire. He did look good, but it was truly shocking.

Knox pulled me into a hug, and I gratefully hugged him back. "Your boyfriend is waiting for you." I joked as we pulled away.

"What? Boyfriend?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Charlie." I replied, and his face lit up. "See? Boyfriend."

"You don't mind me barging in like that?" He asked, needing to get back at me. I felt my face heat up, and he started to laugh. We began to walk to the cave. "So, are you dating now, or are you still in denial?"

"Shut your mouth, Overstreet." I mumbled, still smiling.

"You just answered all my questions."